Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar opened the Tuesday May 21, 2024 meeting of the Statesboro City Council by honoring two Statesboro Police Officers for their heroic actions in an incident where APO Joey DeLoach was shot in the line of duty and critically injured.
Mike Broadhead, SPD Chief presented APO DeLoach with the Medal of Valor and a Purple Heart, and his fellow officer Nicholas Sparks-Hoskins was presented with a life saving award for actions that saved APO DeLoach's life. Continue reading for more on these award and all of the business covered by the City.
Recognitions/Public Presentations
A) Presentation of a Medal of Valor and a Purple Heart to Advanced Patrol Officer Joey DeLoach
On April 16, 2024, officers were dispatched to a reported car prowler at the Copper Beech apartment complex. Upon arrival, APO DeLoach approached on foot, and located a suspect in the act of unlawfully entering an auto. APO DeLoach confronted the suspect, who immediately began shooting a firearm at APO DeLoach. APO DeLoach fired back, striking the suspect, who fled into the darkness, but was arrested a few minutes later.
APO DeLoach was badly wounded with a wound to the femoral artery, as well as a bullet in the left shoulder. Recognizing he was losing a lot of blood, APO DeLoach attempted to place a tourniquet on himself but was unable due to the blood loss. Another Officer was quickly on scene, and properly applied the tourniquet, which saved APO DeLoach's life. Under extreme duress, APO DeLoach was able to effectively return gunfire after being ambushed, and suffered life threatening injuries. He is to be commended for the valor he displayed and for the sacrifice he has made on behalf of the citizens of our community.
B) Presentation of a Life Saving award to Officer Nicholas Sparks-Hoskins
On April 16, 2024 Officer Nicholas Sparks-Hoskins was quickly on the scene of APO DeLoach's shooting. He applied the tourniquet and then helped load APO DeLoach into a patrol car to get him to the emergency department as quickly as possible. The E.D. doctor left the tourniquet in place and APO was transported by helicopter to Savannah for surgery. The trauma surgeon was able to repair the damaged artery and stated that without the life-saving tourniquet, there was no possibility of APO DeLoach surviving. Officer Sparks-Hoskins is to be commended for his attention to duty and professional skill.
C) Presentation of a Proclamation recognizing May 12 – 18, 2024 as Police Week
Council member Phil Boyum commented about the improvements made over the years to the Statesboro Police Department.
"We support them 100%, we stand with them, and whatever they need, we do our best to make sure they have it," said Mayor McCollar.
D) Presentation of a Proclamation recognizing the month of May 2024 as National Cities, Towns, and Villages month
Mayor McCollar read a proclamation about the importance and incredible work of local governments, and recognized Statebsoro’s proud membership of the National League of Cities.
Public Comments (Agenda Item):
No comments.
APPROVED: Consideration of a Motion to approve the Consent Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
a) 05-07-2024 Council Minutes
b) 05-07-2024 Executive Session Minutes
2) Consideration of a motion to approve surplus and disposition of a 2003 sterling L7500 Vacuum Truck (Vin# 2FZAATAK43AK4607) and a 2003 New Holland TC24 Tractor/Trencher (Vin# UG31620)
The staff in Public Utilities has determined the equipment listed above has exceeded its useful life.
Public Hearing
6. Public Hearing and Consideration of a Motion to Approve:
APPROVED: a. APPLICATION AN 24-03-06: 3SD Investments, LLC requests the annexation of approximately 16.54 acres of property in order to develop a townhome subdivision on vacant land on Cypress Lake Road (Tax Parcel# MS40000074A000).
Staff recommends approval with conditions that can be found on the meeting packet.
Robert Brannen is an attorney in Savannah and originally from Statesboro. As a landowner of adjacent property, he asks that a stipulation be added to the approval of the motion, that Country Club Road not be used as an access point for the development.
Susan Radovich lives on Lakewood Drive, across the right of way from the rezoning area. She says flooding affects the entire neighborhood and she worries that increased pavement could worsen the problem. She says retention ponds have been proposed but are not adequate. She also proposed a traffic study be conducted as the area is heavily traveled, and drivers are sometimes reckless.
By state law, Haydon Rollins from Hussey Gay Bell says that the developers cannot make the storm water runoff any worse than it is, and the city does well holding them accountable. A traffic impact analysis is labeled in the conditions and Rollins says that they share the same concerns about traffic speed through the area, and will be trying to remedy these concerns throughout the development process. There will possibly be a deceleration lane at the entrance of the proposed development.
The motion was approved with the stipulation that Country Club Road will not connect to the neighborhood.
APPROVED: b. APPLICATION RZ 24-03-07: 3SD Investments, LLC requests a zoning map amendment from the R-40 (Single-Family Residential) zoning district to the R-2 (Townhouse Residential) zoning district in order develop a town home development of approximately 101 units on Cypress Lake Road (Tax Parcel# MS40000074A000).
APPROVED: 7. Public Hearing and Consideration of a Motion to Approve: APPLICATION V 24-04-01: Hartridge Realty, LLC request a variance from Section 1.1.4(C) – Transitional Provisions, of the Unified Development Code in order to complete construction of a previously reviewed Self- storage Facility on Henry Boulevard (Tax Parcel# MS84000102 07G).
The adoption of the current unified development code rezoned the area, excluding the developer's plans to build a self-storage facility. The development would be of low impact to the area and staff recommended approval.
APPROVED: 8. Second reading and consideration of a motion to approve Ordinance 2024-03: An Ordinance amending Chapter 82 of the Statesboro Code of Ordinances, Section 62(d) allowing the use of water utility master meters.
City Manager Penny says this is the second reading of this amendment and staff recommends approval.
In order to meet the rising demand for the development of mid-rise single structure apartment complexes, the City must amend the current Ordinance to allow for the use of water “master meters” (one larger meter per structure) where individual meters or multi-meters are not feasible. The proposed amendments were moved forward to the First Reading at the April 16, 2024 Work Session. The amendments advanced from the First Reading to the Second Reading by unanimous vote at the May 7, 2024 council meeting.
APPROVED: 9. Consideration of a motion to approve Resolution 2024-13: A Resolution to adopt the third amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget for each fund of the City of Statesboro, Georgia, appropriating the amounts shown in each budget as expenditures/expenses, adopting the several items of revenue anticipations, and prohibiting expenditures or expenses from exceeding the actual funding appropriated.
Enclosed is the Third Budget Amendment for Fiscal Year 2024. The amendment is to budget for revenues not received throughout the year such as Property taxes and revenues not anticipated such as increased Interest, increased Franchise Fees from Georgia Power and EMC, increased Insurance Premium Taxes, and Building Permits in the General Fund, an increase in property taxes for the Old Register TAD, an increase in reimbursement form DSDA in 2019 SPLOST, increase in GDOT Grants Traffic Project in LMIG – Akins Boulevard, and an increase in revenues for CDBG-EIP in the Water and Sewer Fund. It also appropriates the amounts shown in each fund as expenditures or expenses for unexpected, but approved purchases throughout the year. I recommend the approval of the proposed budget amendment.
APPROVED: 10. Consideration of a motion to approve a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Statesboro and Read 4 Unity to advance our work in expanding access to pre-K-12 grade NEW & DIVERSE books by BIPOC authors for students and community in Statesboro, GA and surrounding areas.
The Village Builders Program provides books to youth through various methods, such as Leading By Reading, the City Hall Reading Nook, and Family Fun Resource Days. Read 4 Unity desires to partner with the City of Statesboro and provide at least 1,000 books by BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) authors in a twelve month period. Placing books in the hands of youth improves educational outcomes for students, so the memorandum is submitted for consideration
Mayor Pro-Tem Shari Barr commends the staff for making these arrangements and connections, and for sparing the city the cost and providing these resources to the children.
APPROVED - 11. Consideration of a motion to approve a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Statesboro and Colgate-Palmolive Company to provide Bright Smile Bright Futures (BSBF) program events relating to oral health and wellness initiatives.
The Village Builders Program provides needed resources to youth and their families via Family Fun Resources Days. Feedback from previous attendees indicated a need for dental services, so staff collaborated with community contacts to identify a dental services vendor. The Colgate-Palmolive Company desires to address the need; therefore, the memorandum of understanding is submitted for consideration
City Manager Penny told an anecdote about a child in our community that just wanted a toothbrush for Christmas. “We have to recognize that not every home has these,” he said.
The Mayor commended LaSara Mitchell, Demetrius Bynes and Olympia Gaines for their work with the Village Builders, Youth Connect and Youth Council where they are making a difference in the lives of our community's children.
APPROVED: 12. Consideration of a motion to award a contract in the amount of $188,000.00 to Sam Hall and Sons, Inc. for repairs to the main driveway entrance and retaining wall at Station One of the Fire Department. This project, FD-89, is funded from the 2019 SPLOST Fund.
The main driveway entrance and retaining wall at Station One of the Fire Department located at 24 West Grady Street are in need of substantial repairs. The driveway is failing and the retaining wall needs drainage repairs to divert water in order for this proposed new driveway to avoid future damage. Severe cracking and sinking of the driveway can easily be seen at this location.
This proposed project will entail replacing the main drive with 8 inch reinforced concrete, the replacement of the complete drainage system and the addition of water diversion structures such as curb and gutter will be added for further water diversion to the drive behind the Municipal Court Facility. This project was bid out using the RFP method (request for proposals) to allow contractors to solve our issue the way they thought to be the best method. This allowed us to gain their knowledge in design and to save money on engineering fees since these structures posed no life-safety issues. Under the RFP bid method, contractors were asked to solve our problem and to submit a detailed approach of project elements and methods. Contractors were also asked to submit their experience and similar projects as well. All submittals were evaluated based on these elements as well as cost.
It is important to remember the lowest proposal does not necessarily determine the recommendation of a contract award using the RFP method. In this case, evaluations took into account all the criteria and produced a recommendation of the highest numerically rated proposal as it was determined to be the best quality solution for our long standing issue concerning our Fire Station structures involved in this process. The submittals were as follows:
1. Sam Hall and Sons, Inc. $188,000.00
2. Black Creek Construction, Inc. $143,500.00
3. Tim Lanier Construction, LLC $120,850.00, Option 2 $129,600.00
After consulting with the Fire and Engineering Departments and applying the evaluation criteria, we recommend the contract for this project be awarded to Sam Hall and Sons, Inc. as they have submitted, what is considered by consensus, as the best and most complete proposal for this project at a cost of $188,000.00.
APPROVED: 13. Consideration of a motion to award a contract for engineering technical services for a multimodal transportation study of the Brannen Street Corridor to Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) in the amount of $125,000.00. The project work, ENG-96, will be paid from 2018 TSPLOST Funds.
On April 4, 2023 city council approved selection of consultant Goodwyn Mills Cawood to perform the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) update for Statesboro and Bulloch. The Consultant GMC has submitted a supplemental agreement for work performed outside of the LRTP. The scope of work includes vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic operational studies along the Brannen Street corridor from W. Brannen Street to Cawana Road to identify safety, operational and connectivity issues and recommendations for resolutions to develop “Smart Street Design” concepts.
City Manager Penny says this is a more detailed study and will include meetings with citizens and data gathering. This area needs more attention to detail than the master transportation plan can provide, as it is a broader look at the city's transportation needs. This area is likely to see increased congestion with more growth.
Mayor Pro-Tem Barr is pleased that pedestrians and bikes are being considered in the study.
APPROVED: 14. Consideration of a motion to award the contract for $313,355.00 with Tim Lanier Construction, LLC for Gentilly Road sidewalk improvements, project # ENG-122g. This project will be funded from the 2018 TSPLOST Fund.
This project will consist of a 5' wide sidewalk from W. Jones Avenue to Savannah Avenue along Gentilly Road. This area is a mix of commercial and residential between Brannen Street and Savannah Avenue near Northside Drive. Currently, pedestrians walk in the roadway due to no sidewalks in this area; this project will provide a safe connector from Northside Drive to Brannen Street.
15. Consideration of a motion to award a contract for engineering design services of the Fair Road Widening Improvements project (ENG-124f) to Atlas Technical Consultants LLC (Atlas) in the amount of $385,634.00. This work will be paid from 2018 TSPLOST Funds.
This project proposes to assess the vehicle traffic conditions especially driveway intersections to provide a solution to mitigate conflict points, entrance/exit turns and alignment of driveways on Fair Road between Tillman Road/S. Zetterower Ave. and Pitt Moore Road. This corridor is a major route for city traffic and current restaurant proximity to the highway causes cars to back up onto the main travel lanes creating long vehicle queues onto Fair Road with sight distance issues. This project will add a right turn lane and realign driveway intersections to improve safety. All work is planned to be constructed with existing Right-of-Way (ROW).
The City of Statesboro issued Requests for Proposals (RFP) for engineering services for the subject project. These requests for proposals responses were evaluated and ranked on each qualification based on the criteria of experience of firm, experience of staff, project approach and cost. The contract will consist of two phases: Phase 1 will consist of survey data collection, traffic studies, environmental assessment, and concept plan development. Phase 2 will consist of final design and construction document preparation, construction easement plans, cost estimating and permitting for implementation of the project. A second proposal was received with a lower fee; however, the proposal did not include safety analysis and environmental screenings that are essential in mitigation of traffic queuing and driveway reconfiguration.
16. Consideration of a motion to award a contract for engineering design services of the Cawana Road Intersection Improvements project, ENG-123f, to American Engineers, Inc. (AEI) in the amount of $212,500.00. The project work will be paid from 2018 TSPLOST Funds.
This area is currently growing with the construction of residential housing. This CIP is to prepare for that growth. This CIP proposes to assess the vehicle traffic conditions and propose recommendations needed (e.g. construct designated right/left turn lanes) to provide a solution to improve operations and safety on Cawana Road at intersections with Brannen Street and S & S Railroad Bed Road (SSRRB). This corridor is becoming a major connector for vehicles from residential development adjacent to and outside the Statesboro city limits. Vehicles are anticipated to back up onto the main travel lane of SSRRB creating long vehicle queues and potential sight distance issues at the intersection with Cawana Road. The proposed improvements will be adjacent to and extending into existing Bulloch County Right-of-Way (ROW). As such, staff has conferred with and is cooperating with the County Engineer. An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) is expected between the City and County.
The City of Statesboro issued Requests for Proposals (RFP) for engineering services for the subject project. These request for proposals responses were evaluated and ranked on each qualification based on the criteria of experience of firm, experience of staff, project approach and cost. The contract will consist of two phases: Phase 1 will consist of survey data collection, traffic studies, environmental assessment, and concept plan development. Phase 2 will consist of final design and construction document preparation, construction easement plans, cost estimating and permitting for implementation of the project. A second proposal was received with a lower fee; however, the proposal did not include safety analysis and environmental screenings that are essential in mitigation of traffic queuing and driveway reconfiguration.
APPROVED: 17. Consideration of a motion to award a contract to Southern Utility Group Inc. In the amount of $92,740.00, for the installation of natural gas facilities to serve DAS Manufacturing in the Metter Industrial Park. To be paid for with funds in the Natural Gas CIP budget item # NGD-11 and carry over funds.
DAS Manufacturing is a Hyundai parts supplier that manufactures automotive seats and accessories. They have made the decision to locate their facility in Metter and we are the gas provider to the Industrial Park. It will require a 3400” main extension to serve the facility. The project was properly advertised and bid, and three qualified bids were received and opened. The low bid was from Southern Utility Group in the amount of $92,740.00, well below the engineer’s estimate of $135,000.00.
It is the recommendation of staff and our consulting engineers at the Municipal Gas Authority to award the contract to Southern Utility Group. In staff's opinion, they have the resources and experience to successfully complete the project as bid.
Other Business from City Council
Mayor Pro-Tem Barr comments that the Village Builders are hard at work with the next Resource Day coming up on May 31 at Berkshire Village from 3-6 pm.
Council member Boyum reports that he will be teaching a planning and zoning class in Savannah in June.
Mayor McCollar reminded attendees that the next Downtown Live concert is on May 30, 2024.
City Manager's Comments
City Manager Penny joked that if you come to the Downtown Live concert, do not sit close to the stage because you could get pulled on stage like the Mayor at the last event.
City Manager Penny noted that even with the proposed increase to the tap fees, Statesboro’s fees are still lower than others in comparable regions.
“We are about to enter an exciting period in Statesboro,” Penny said, describing how in previous years they had to beg developers to come. The fees were kept low for so long to attract developers, but now adjustments are being made to bring in the necessary resources to the city.
The City Manager also asks for the Mayor and Council to consider whether the first July meeting will be necessary, or if they would rather everyone have the break and be able to spend more time with their kids over the summer, like last year.
Statesboro will adopt the budget on June 18, and City Manager Penny reminded the council that he would not be present, but would be attending a Vibrant Communities Program in New York.
Public Comments (General)
Geoff Del Forn of the Statesboro Police Officer’s Foundation thanked the council for their appreciation of the police Department. He said that population increase creates more risk to police officers and that the city must be able to keep pace with calls to service. He says that retaining and recruiting officers is of high priority.
Through independent research and studies, it has been found that the Peace Officers Annuity Banquet Program can help with this retention. He urges the city to consider adopting this tenure-like program.
