Parks & Recreation Master Plan Adoption!

Mayor and Council are having a spending spree using taxpayers money without any prior notification or meetings with the residents.  Mayor Holiday Ingraham and her five votes are clearly conducting meetings outside of the Council Chambers on legislation that is illegally passed with no discussion or input from the residents.  If it were not for their love of photo-ops and media attention, residents would have no idea of what our Mayor and Council are doing with our money.  Lets begin with the Mayor and Council latest proposed major capital expenditure- the Aquatic Center at Georgia Soccer Park.  Two community meetings were planned at Fire Station 3 in Ward D only.  This is a major capital Parks & Recreation project that was never adopted in the Parks Master Plan. When did Mayor and Council vote to amend the Parks Master Plan adopted by a previous Mayor and Council?

To better understand what should be going on in this City, consider the documents that were discussed in Town Hall Meetings, Work Sessions ,Council Meetings and a Retreat before voted on by Council 2010. My administration took office began January 1, 2010.  At the request of Mayor and Council, the City Manager provided the following document. Please give special attention to Parks & Recreation requests.

CLICK HERE: Complete List of Capital Project Needs for the City of East Point

As Mayor, I suggested that we plan a Retreat to determine the course of action needed to guide us during our four years.  They agree and left it up to me to present a course of action for c their consideration.  All Council Members were asked to submit a list of goals they wanted to see implemented by a certain date.  I then compiled a list of all of their goals and we decided on the ones that would be discussed at the Retreat.  The City Attorney assisted with obtaining a Moderator for the Retreat based on the Agenda adopted by Mayor and Council.  The City Clerk worked with me to book a place and any other needed arrangements.

CLICK HERE: CITY OF EAST POINT FINANCIAL RETREAT

CLICK HERE. East Point Retreat Summary February 5-6 2010

Please give special attention to the Parks & Recreation section.  Mayor and Council adopted the Retreat Summary and used it as our guide for the four years of my administration.  Using the Retreat Summary as our Guide, the following goals were accomplished and the foundation was laid for others.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

1. Washington Road and other streets were resurfaced.  (You can request a complete list from Public Works.)
2. Completed and adopted an Updated Parks Master Plan that included a recreation center with swimming pools (natatorium to replace Charles A. Green recreation Center at another location) and no aqua center was included.
3. Passed the Storm Water Ordinance in 2013.
4. Identified space for the building of a new City Hall and passed a motion in 2013 to build a new City Hall, parking deck, used the old City Hall as a Welcoming Center/Historic House, and renovate/build a performing arts center.
5. Set up a $600,000 annual Reserve for the renovation/building a performance arts center in 2012.
6. Maintained monthly funding for the Electric Utility  MCT account.
7. Used CDBG funding to build pocket parks throughout the City, pavilion in Sumner Park, restrooms at Sykes Park and the other parks, finished the upgrades at Brookdale Park that was restored during Mayor Joe Macon’s administration.
8. Approved funding for the build out of Commerce Park in Ward D, and for a nature walking trail in Sykes Park as well as additional major upgrades at Sykes Park. upgrades
9. To secure a favorable A bond rating, we adopted a payment method to pay off the $59 million Unfunded Pension.
10. I negotiated a higher percentage for out LOST funding although the City loss population that reduced the amount based on the commonly used population formula. The negotiated increase would add an additional $11 million over ten years.  All of the Cities in Fulton County that belonged to either the South Fulton or North Fulton Municipal Associations donated part or their funding to increase our share except College Park.
11. All the Mayors of the South and North Municipal Associations along with Fulton County Chairman petitioned the Fulton County State legislators to sponsor a transportation SPLOST BILL for all the cities in Fulton County except Atlanta.  They did and the SPLOST BILL was created using the LOST funding percentage and sent to all all of the cities to place on their ballots as a Referendum for the voters.  It passed
12. Adopted a new Electric Rate Schedule Ordinance in 2012.
13. Annexed in new areas in Ward D (subdivision and homes on and near Welcome All Road.)
14. MacDonald Commercial Park build out and expansion.
15. Amended the Ethics Ordinance.
16. Amended the Electric Utility Ordinance to include senior discounts and updated budget billing.
17. Passed the Downtown Tad and signed the contract and made provisions for Walmart to build in East Point.

These are just some of the accomplishments that were made from 2010-2013.

According to the City Charter, Mayor and Council would have to vote to remove a capital project passed by a previous Council in order to amend the Parks Master Plan for a recreation center with swimming pools for an aquatic center.

If further information is needed please review old Minutes or make an Open Records Request.  In the future, I will limit the amount of  posted documentation.  However, I will direct you to sources that you can use.

CLICK HERE:FY 2011 Capital Budget Transmittal 

THE PROPOSED AQUATIC CENTER

The following information on the proposed Aquatic Center came from media articles and open records requests. Please READ them and then contact Mayor and Council for more information and attend the Council Meeting.

CLICK HERE: GA Soccer Development Foundation_MOU2017   

CLICK HERE: GA Soccer Park Upgrade

Questions for Mayor and Council Concerning the Aquatic Center

These are just some of the questions that need to be addressed by Mayor and Council.

1. Have you voted to amend the Parks Master Plan to replace a recreation center with the proposed aquatic center?
2. What other sites were considered before you selected Georgia Soccer Park?
3. Why did you choose the Georgia Soccer Park site over the others site if there were any?
4. Did the Parks and Recreation Committee have any input in the selection of the site or the change from a recreation center to an aquatic center?
5. How many aquatic centers in the metro area have you all personally visited and gather information on? If so, when will this information be provided to the residents.
6. How will the City and the different entities providing funding to Georgia Soccer Park operate? With no natural barriers between the property of the Soccer Park and the City’s proposed aquatic center, how will the City maintain control over the use of the aquatic center and provide safety at a reasonable cost that has yet to be determined?
7. What tools were used to maximize residential use of the aquatic center because the proposed site is located closer to a larger cluster of townhomes and apartments in the City of South Fulton than four single residential subdivisions (Savannah Walk, Heritage Park, few homes on Welcome All Road, Sommerled  and Lakeside Preserve)?  Ward D has the fewest single residential homes in the City and the most townhomes and apartments.
8. What about the traffic and the lack of public transportation connecting East Point residents in and outside of Ward D to the aquatic center?
9. What will be the cost for the land and the building of the aquatic center?
10. Although Hotel/Motel Tax funding can be used for the building of a recreation center with or without swimming pools or and aquatic center located anywhere in the City, will additional money be needed for the project?
11. How will building the aquatic center at the proposed site tangibly benefit the City financially since the location will greatly reduce residential use throughout the City?

Please follow and like us: