Commissioners move forward with Smart Bulloch 2045 Plan

Bulloch County Commission Chairman Roy Tomposon opened the bi-monthly meeting of the Bulloch County Commissioners on Tuesday morning, April 16, 2024 asking Commissioner Ray Mosely to lead the Commissioners in prayer and pledge of allegiance. He then opened a public meeting to review changes to the Smart Bulloch 2045 comprehensive plan updates.

PUBLIC HEARING

Preliminary Approval of the Smart Bulloch 2045: A Joint Comprehensive Plan for Bulloch County, City of Brooklet, Town of Portal and Town of Register.

Tom Couch, County Manager, gave an overview of the revised plan. He began by explaining that this is required by the Department of Community Affairs every five years. The City has chosen to do their plan and plan update independently. With a City our size, that is normal.

Couch thanked the comprehensive plan committee that included elected officials and community members.

Future development map updates summary:

Maintained a character area called the Black Creek Character area and another along the 67 corridor (the I-16 and 67 Character area)
- Some red squares around the interstate exits
- The committee recommended to concentrate non-residential growth to these areas.
SR67 (in blue) area anticipates future utilities either by the county, the city of Statsboro, or the City of Brooklet.
Each of the character areas have intent statements, site design policies, and then site design guidelines.
- These are meant to be guidelines for commissioners.
They are looking at the opportunity to use some growth management tools in the near future, such as the use of conservation subdivisions.
Ultimately we could look at impact fees, Couch said. There has to be a certain level of development before impact fees pay for themselves.
- This is based on planned and future development, as they are not retroactive. The county has to have 800 to 1,000 single family permits consistently for a number of years, and we are not there currently. We are now around 500 single unit homes per year.
In the near term, Couch said they should focus on roads, water, and sewer, and possibly recreation.
May need to do updates more than every five years.

CLICK HERE to review the Smart Bulloch 2045 plan.

The plan will now be submitted to the Department of Community Affairs for approval after the final public hearing on Thursday, April 18th in Brooklet. Once they sign off on the plan, it will return to the Commissioners for a final vote.

APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA

Minutes Approval: Monday March 11th, 2024 08:30 AM
Minutes Approval: Tuesday March 12th, 2024 08:30 AM
Minutes Approval: Thursday March 28th, 2024 11:30 AM
Minutes Approval: Tuesday April 2nd, 2024 04:00 PM
Motion to approve the purchase of Panasonic CF-33 Toughbooks for new fire engines from Mooring Tech - The Bulloch County Fire Department was budgeted to purchase new equipment for 3 fire engines, this purchase will be made from Mooring Tech in the amount of $19,425.00. This purchase will help our Department equip our engines with new modern equipment that works with our program software and will increase response and firefighter safety. This will reduce the stress and increase safety of our firefighters and aid in better fire suppression. Panasonic CF-33 Toughbooks have become the standard for BCFD so to maintain standardized equipment across the fleet of apparatus.
Motion to approve and ratify a contract for soil compaction and concrete testing for the EMS Station addition and the Register Fire Station addition with Terracon Consultants, Inc. signed by the County Manager on March 14, 2024 - A contract with Terracon Consultants, Inc. for soil compaction and concrete testing. This is needed to verify that the soils are capable of supporting the new slabs and building sitting on top of it. We are also having the concrete tested for compressive strength to verify that it will withstand the load of the building.
Approve a Special Event Permit for the Georgia Police K9 Foundation to host a non-profit event at Ogeechee Technical College, 20 Joe Kennedy Boulevard on June 22, 2024 from 5:00pm until 11:00pm
Motion to approve a contract with Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc., in the amount of $42,025.00 for right of way acquisition services for S&S Greenway Phase 3, to be funded by TAP Grant (80%) and TSPLOST (20%) - Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. (JMT) was selected by staff for negotiations for this contract based on criteria in the Request for Proposals (RFP) for right of way acquisition services for the S&S Greenway Phase 3 Project. JMT met all requirements in the RFP and is certified by GDOT for right of way acquisition services. The estimated cost for right of way aquisition services in this contract was $81,250.00. JMT has proposed a contract amount of $42,025.00, which is well below the estimated cost. Some items in the cost proposal may not be required, and those items would only be performed on a task order basis. The County Engineer recommends approval of this contract.

Background Information: For completion of the S&S Greenway Phase 3 design, the County will be required to acquire 0.296 acres of right of way for drainage improvements,0.506 acres of easements for maintenance of slopes, 0.042 acres of easements for driveway reconstruction, and 0.099 acres of easements for fence relocation. These acquisitions involve 14 parcels, with 29 separate acquisitions. These right of way acquisitions are required to meet state and federal acquisition standards. All costs for the right of way acquisitions are eligible for reimbursement through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant which Bulloch County has for this project.

Bulloch County executed a contract with GDOT in February (approved at the February 6, 2024 Commission meeting) for reimbursement of right of way acquisition activities. Also, a contract with IAR Realty in the amount of $30,420.00 for valuation appraisal services was approved at the April 2, 2024 Commission Meeting. The County will be reimbursed for 80% of the costs (for up to $310,000), and the 20% local matching funds will come from TSPLOST. The right of way acquisitions must be conducted according to state and federal guidelines because it is being funded by the TAP grant. Upon completion of property title certificates by the County Attorney, the next step in the right of way acquisition process for the project is to have appraisals completed by IAR Realty, a GDOT-certified appraiser, for all of the acquisitions.

After completion of the appraisals, negotiations with property owners by the qualified right of way acquisition services firm will begin. Following state and federal guidelines for procurement, Bulloch County advertised this solicitation on the Georgia Procurement Registry, Statesboro Herald, Bulloch County Procurement Website, and also sent the solicitation to 14 GDOT-certified right of way aquisition firms in our area. The County received submissions from four firms on March 7, 2024, as detailed in the attached memo from the Purchasing Manager. The submissions were scored according to scoring criteria in the solicitation. The Board of Commissioners approved staff to begin negotiations on April 2, 2024

NEW BUSINESS

APPROVED - Motion to approve the Purchase of Motorola APX6000 Radios from the State of Georgia Department of Administrative Services

Public Safety Director Randy Tillman recommended purchasing used radios which are surplus radios from the State of Georgia. - Bulloch County has approximately 190 portable radios that are no longer supported by Motorola meaning when these radios suffer internal issues, they will be non-repairable. This also means Motorola no longer provides software updates for these radios. Motorola quoted a price of $8166 per radio for new replacement radios. The Georgia State Patrol recently change from Motorola to another radio system. This change brought about availability of radios of the same model as quoted by Motorola that can be purchased from the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS). Although these radios from DOAS are used, they are operational and supported by Motorola. We have received a quote from DOAS of $1,559.37 per radio and are seeking approval to purchase 150 Motorola Radios, model APX 6000, from DOAS. This purchase will eliminate the issue of non-serviceable radios, give us a small backup inventory of serviceable radios, and will be a cost savings (or avoidance) of almost $1,000,000. We are seeking approval of the purchase in the amount of $233,905.50.
APPROVED - Motion to approve Supplemental Agreement No. 1 on Josh Hagin Road Paving Design in the amount of $62,121.19 with Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc., to be funded by TSPLOST - County Engineer Brad Deal
The S&S Greenway Phase 3 and Josh Hagin Road Paving are being designed concurrently by Heath & Lineback. Staff met with Heath & Lineback to find ways to reduce the costs of both projects. During the design of the project, wetland mitigation costs have increased significantly. Using the original design, the wetland mitigation cost for S&S Greenway would have been approximately $1,327,590 and for Josh Hagin Road would have been $1,438,222 for a total wetland mitigation cost of $2,765,812. This cost does not include construction costs for the project. County staff asked Heath & Lineback to redesign both S&S Greenway and Josh Hagin Road to reduce the wetland mitigation costs, thereby reducing the overall project costs.

The proposed design changes reduce the width of the project to reduce the wetland impacts. The redesign requires revisions to the plans for both the S&S Greenway (which must be approved by GDOT and FHWA) as well as the plans for Josh Hagin Road, since both projects are to be constructed together. Despite the additional design costs, the change order results in a reduction of overall project cost by reducing the wetland mitigation for the overall project from $2,765,812 to $1,327,590. Because the remaining $1,327,590 in wetland mitigation costs are associated with the S&S Greenway Phase 3, they are eligible for reimbursement from the TAP grant at 80%, with a 20% match from Bulloch County required using TSPLOST funds. The change order amount of $62,121.19 for Josh Hagin Road will be funded by TSPLOST is not part of the TAP grant. Because this change order enables the project to continue while also reducing the overall project cost by eliminating part of the wetland mitigation cost, the County Engineer recommends approval of this change order.
APPROVED - Motion to approve Supplemental Agreement No. 3 on S&S Greenway Phase 3 Design in the amount of $265,285.01 with Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc., to be funded by TAP Grant (80%) and TSPLOST (20%) - County Engineer Brad Deal
The S&S Greenway Phase 3 and Josh Hagin Road Paving are being designed concurrently by Heath & Lineback. Staff met with Heath & Lineback to find ways to reduce the costs of both projects. During the design of the project, wetland mitigation costs have increased significantly. Using the original design, the wetland mitigation cost for S&S Greenway would have been approximately $1,327,590 and for Josh Hagin Road would have been $1,438,222 for a total mitigation cost of $2,765,812. This cost does not include construction costs for the project. County staff asked Heath & Lineback to redesign both S&S Greenway and Josh Hagin Road to reduce the wetland mitigation costs, thereby reducing the overall project costs.

The proposed design changes reduce the width of the project to reduce the wetland impacts. The redesign requires additional environmental documentation as well as significant revisions to the plans which must be approved by GDOT and FHWA as part of the TAP grant. Despite the additional design costs, the change order results in a reduction of overall project cost by reducing the wetland mitigation for the project from $2,765,812 to $1,327,590. The remaining $1,327,590 in wetland mitigation costs are eligible for reimbursement from the TAP grant at 80%, with a 20% match from Bulloch County required using TSPLOST funds. The change order amount of $265,285.01 is also eligible for reimbursement from TAP at the 80/20 split. Because this change order enables the project to continue while also reducing the overall project cost by eliminating part of the wetland mitigation cost, the County Engineer recommends approval of this change order.
APPROVED - Approve a Resolution to Approve and Authorize an Exchange of Real Property in Accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-9-3(a)(3)(D)

County Attorney Jeff Akins The County currently has a solid waste collection center located on 1.75 acres on Highway 46. In order to have more space and have a safer entrance to and exit from the solid waste center, the County desires to relocate the solid waste center to a parcel of property containing 2.85 acres on Pine Inn Road currently owned by Kirk McGlamery. O.C.G.A. 36-9-3(a)(3)(D) allows a county to exchange a parcel of real property for another parcel of equal or greater value without going through a bid or auction process. Appraisals have been obtained on each of these parcels showing a fair market value of $69,000.00 for each parcel. Within six weeks prior to closing on a proposed exchange, O.C.G.A. 36-9-3(a)(3)(D) requires publication of notice of the proposed exchange in the legal organ for the county once a week for four weeks. On March 19th, the Commissioners authorized publication of the notice, and it was published in the legal organ the Statesboro Herald on March 21st, March 28th, April 4th, and April 11th. Approval of the attached resolution will approve and authorize the proposed property exchange. Approval is recommended. Attorney Akins addressed allegations circulating on Facebook that Commissioner Timmy Rushing was the former owner of the land. That is true. However the property is now owned by Kirk McGlamery. Mr. Akins has been dealing with Mr. McGalmery. Dink Butler, Public Works Director initiated the search to address concerns of the current site. Butler explained this initially came out of a comprehensive study done of the waste collection facilities. This study recommended reducing the number of overall centers and expanding the higher demand centers. In following this direction from the consultant and this study he began searching for new locations. Prior to the center being located where it is now, the original location for solid waste was on Pine Inn Road.
APPROVED - Discussion and/or Action to Approve a Resolution to Change the Name of Brooks Pond House Lane to Pondgeechee Trail - County Attorney Jeff Akins

The attached petition has been submitted requesting that the Board of Commissioners change the name of Brooks Pond House Lane to Pondgeechee Trail. Section 4-78(g) of the Code of Ordinances provides that upon receipt of a petition requesting the change of an existing road name containing the signatures of the owners of not less than 75 percent of the parcels of property abutting the road, the Board of Commissioners shall take under consideration, but be under no compulsion, to grant the request. The attached petition has been signed by 100% of the owners of all abutting parcels. This is a private road, and GIS has approved the requested name change. Approval of the attached resolution will accomplish the road name change. Approval is recommended.
APPROVED - Preliminary approval of the Smart Bulloch 2045: A Joint Comprehensive Plan for Bulloch County, City of Brooklet, Town of Portal and Town of Register Item approval is for the authorization to submit the draft plan to the Coastal Regional Commission and the Georgia Department Community Affairs. Once reviewed by these agencies, the formal plan adoption will occur in June 2024.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Commission Candidate Brian Pfund wanted to address the land swap for the waste collection center. He said they went above and beyond to address this land swap due to a Facebook post and he thanked them for that. He felt there are other collection centers that should have been focused on first. He felt this land swap benefits Commissioner Rushing. Mr. Pfund uses the collection facility on Arcola Road and feels it needs to be corrected as well. Maybe even his collection center should have been a priority over this one. He spoke after the vote on the land swap.

Bulloch County Republican Party Chair Lawton Sack thanked County staff for answering tough questions and working with the citizens to provide them information they can share. He expressed again his concern that incumbent commissioners who are seeking re-election have not accepted invitations to meet and greets, some of which were sponsored by the Republican Party. He expressed concerns that the moving of the waste collection will increase safety risk. He expressed again that he feels citizens are not being listened to or have opportunities to express their concerns. (Chair Thompson said they Sack nor any citizen has been denied an opportunity to speak at any of the Commission meetings, which Sack does often.)

Chariman Roy Thompson responded to the comments to say how proud he is to even have a waste collection center in Rocky Ford. In fact, he is so proud that he and members of his family personally clean up the center weekly and he personally cuts the grass around it and on the roadways leading up to the center. He wishes other citizens would take as much concern with their waste collection centers.

Commissioner Curt Deal asked Chair Thompson to allow Dink Butler, Director of Public Works, to come up and explain the plan to consolidate and expand waste collection centers countywide based on a consultants' recommendations.

Butler explained that this is following the recommendations of MSW Consultants, who completed a comprehensive solid waste study. He said that Pine Inn is the first that he received a response back. This expansion can help it handle a lot more volume by combining and servicing two locations.

He said that Denmark and Arcola are two they want to consolidate. Currently, neither has space to expand. He said they are not focused on any one location.

However, they need property around Mudd Road and 46. He said the county is more than glad to go there next. They have expanded the Eldora and Leefield Center to the max. He said we are growing more than 10% in collection this year over last year already. The problem is that no one wants a waste collection site near their home, so it is difficult go get citizens to sell them land for expansion.

Butler said Public Works will do all of the construction and relocation of the center in-house, with the exception of the fence which he believes will be around $60,000. This will save the County a good bit of money.

Solid Waste Study

At the August 16, 2022 meeting of the Commissioners, MSW presented their recommendations from a countywide solid waste study they completed.

Grice Connect covered the meeting and the presentation.

You can view the study by clicking here. (The study begins on page 111)

COMMISSION AND STAFF COMMENTS

Couch reminded Commissioners that they have been invited by the Statesboro Food Bank to visit the new facility after the meeting.

Tony Morgan, Bulloch County Recreation Department, updated the Commissioners on events going on at the Recreation Department including Arts Fest at Sweetheart Circle, events at the Ag Arena, and getting the Aquatics Center at Splash in the Boro ready to open.

Commissioner Timmy Rushing wanted to give a little history on how the waste collection center came to where it is now. He said Bob Smith, the former head of the County's Waste Collection centers, came to him about available property in this area. He suggested that he contact the State and see if they would deed the property to the County for the current Hwy. 46 Waste Collection Center, which they did. In the deed, it was stated that if the State no longer had use for the property, it would be deeded back to the original land owners, which they have done. These owners do not want to sell additional land for expansion. That is why it is land locked and they can't expand more there.