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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL City of Warner Robins appeals to legislators By RATLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Warner Robins city coun cilmen presented the local legislative delegation with a list of city projects and asked for some financial help to get them done. Three of the city’s council men, Terry Horton, Dean Cowart and Steve Smith, met with local state sena tors Cecil Staton and Robert Brown, and state represen tatives Larry O’Neal, Willie Talton and Tony Sellier Thursday. “The projects are all jus tified, said Horton. “If we could just get $5 million, it would be a wonderful thing. We still have to come up with a lot of money, but we need help.” The projects include $4 million for the sports com plex, $6 million for the law enforcement center, $1 mil lion each for a public safety station on Ga. 96 and a new animal shelter, and more than S2O million for a pub lic/private partnership con ference center and hotel. Councilman Steve Smith said the proposed confer ence center and luxury 120- bed hotel would help the city from losing business to Macon. “We’re hemorrhag ing business because they come here for the base but stay in Macon.” Councilman Dean Cowart noted personal experiences with contractors coming in for business at the base. “The biggest complaint we have is they don’t like staying in hotels without interstate access. They don’t like driving from Perry or Macon to Warner Robins.” Smith said the proposed site for the hotel/conference center is on city property - the current site of Perkins Park and the Recreation Department. He said “the hotel people, not us, selected the site because it’s a half mile from the base.” If done, the recreation department would be moved to city land adjacent to the sports complex property Smith told the legislators “we’re looking at about a $4 million to $5 million gap between the city and private business funds,” for the con ference center/hotel. The deal for the hotel/con ference center would also have the management run ning the city’s Civic Center. The city has been talking with the Noble Investment Group, which was awarded the hotel contract in Macon. The project would be a great redevelopment for downtown Warner Robins, the councilmen said. Representative Larry O’Neal agreed. “It would be a great candidate for tax alloca tion. Atlanta did it, making a blighted area one of the most beautiful and valuable in the city.” Cowart said the $4.2 mil lion sports complex is some thing the city has been promising voters for the past three elections. He said the seven softball field com plex would be multiuse for women’s softball and Little League baseball. “It would allow the school board to host the state soft ball tournament, which generates about $1 million a year. The complex would Cnrrreaf Deals to ycu have Hmettiine ® r «ses It sell and it's under 1# Ist? If, sc. tall tur Computer p m . must mn f n ] lines . ■ r JM ' ■ l Ik JHBL XlmmrnmSSßKm ’ r-JHffifffo HRS •**. , |jL v •Journal Kay Lightner Warner Robins City Councilman Dean Cowart shows the plans for the new sports com plex to members of the Houston County legislative delegation including representatives Larry O’Neal, Tony Sellier and Willie Talton as fellow councilmen Terry Horton and Steve Smith. also be used by the area church leagues and the base baseball programs. “For a city of 60,000, we’re on of the few without a sports complex,” Cowart said. The city has spent $200,000 for the plans from Parrish Construction and has agree ments with the county and prison labor for most of the work. There is also $14,515,000 in special purpose local option sales tax projects. The SPLOST projects are funded, somewhat, Horton explained, the $1 million for a new fire station and a new fire truck, is not enough. “The truck alone, which the city just purchased is about $850,000.” Another SPLOST project is the animal shelter. “We’re in desperate need of an ani mal shelter,” Horton said. The city shelter serves not only Warner Robins, but also Centerville and the county as well as euthanasia and dangerous animal services for Twiggs and Bleckley counties. “They pay daily fees for food and shelter, but it doesn’t cover the infrastruc ture,” Horton said. Another economic devel opment project for the city, which could use some state funds is development of the land the city swapped with the state at the north end of base. “There is a lot of inter est in a maintenance hanger right behind the J-STAR program,” Horton said. O'Neal said the 21st Century Partnership has already asked for $22 mil lion for that.” Another of the city SPLOST projects is $2 mil lion to build a connector road into the site of Ga. 247, essentially following Perimeter Road, at the north end of the base. The city also had some local legislation for the next session. The bills would allow the city to divest itself of the ownership of two parking lots, “to convey them back to private ownership,” Cowart explained. “Albert Hudson and Homer J. put some kind of deal together.” Another would change residency and age require ments to run for mayor and council. As it stands now to run for either you must be 21. To run for mayor you must be a resident of the city for one year but only 90 days to run for city council. The city is also asking for a change in the city charter to allow council to change the mayor’s salary with out having to change the city charter in the future. The change in the charter requires going through the Legislature to do so. The legislators were also asked to think about the impact on the community of unfunded mandated, for example the stormwater management requirements. “It’s a biggie,” Horton said, “the city has to establish a utility to fund it.” He noted homeowners will have to pay about $2.70 a month on average. The Houston Mall, which Horton owns, will have to pay about SI,OOO a month. Churches and nonprofits will also have to pay. “The city has paid $1 mil lion so far,” Horton said, * l| * , **** I ****** l^^^^^<^^^-^i^?2s»S*, ******* -< * l,<i *** ,i^,- * , ** ,^**^*>!i«!«*, * li * ,, ** , *** , *" /,/* c f' ,; <" • , i December December 2| S t thru 24 th A 4 Days! f^\ yl\\) • ] B \ • I" 1 i £^2^Z 10am until 8 p“ » •*’ mu x 1121 Ball Street • Perry J Downtown - Next to Badcock Furniture LOCAL to consultants to meet the requirements and create the utility to pay for it all. There’s also some pro posed legislation the city is already opposed or would like to updated on before it is passed. These include legislation to freeze millage rates and require a voter ref erendum approval for cities to raise the millage. “This would be disastrous to us,” Horton said. Another is the Infrastructure development districts, which the creation of private cities by develop ers and gives them the abil ity to tax and issue bonds to pay for infrastructure like water lines, streets and sew erage. • “I know it will come up again,” Horton said. “We would ask you to just give us a chance to look at it.” Cowart asked the legisla tors to look into, do some thing about the state Board of Education Rodeo being booked at the fairgrounds for the next six years, the same weekend as the gradu ation for the four county high schools, relegating the graduation ceremonies to a smaller building at the fair grounds and subsequently allowing fewer family mem bers to attend the gradua tion ceremonies. “One night of the year that facility should be for the citizens of Houston County, “Cowart said. Cowart has taken up the matter with the local school board, but has not brought it to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter Authority, which operates and books events at the fair grounds. O’Neal thanked the three city councilmen for the opportunity to share with us. I suggest scheduling this on a regular basis, at least annually in September or October.” He explained the fall meet ing time as being before the state budget is set. “Then we can get things in the bud get,” said the House Ways and Means Committee chair man. “It’s almost impossible to get them in now. At this point to get something in we have to take something else out.” He gave the city some hope though. Fortunately we have good line of communication, since the governor is from her. We’ll take these and see what we can do. We’ll probably need more justifi cation.” O’Neal also apologized for not meeting with the city sooner. “It’ll be my fault if it doesn’t happen next time.” , SplMfoj Siisjfclit. w In ll® VfctirjtißJt fat Mi m i TjE&tg Peachtree Cafe' § Mail Order Gourmet Shoppe | Catering a just Peachy Gift Shopi Corporate Gifts if ,/fy (Shipped fresh from the groves) New Crop of Pecans now in season! CALL: 825-3362 Sfijißfe *“* W V ‘AO East, I-75 exit 142 www.lanepackins.com WAREHOUSE ——— SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2006 ♦ Horton also had an apol ogy, taking the blame for the very short notice to the media of the meeting. Because of the less than 24 hours notice required by law for a called meeting of the full city council. Only three of the six councilmen initially present met with the legislative delegation so there would not be a quorum and an official city council meeting. Councilmen Doug McDowell, John Havrilla and Clifford Holmes volun teered to leave. Holmes talked with Talton after the meeting. “I don’t know if this was brought up in the meeting, but we don’t need the money this year. We need it in 2008,” when more work is slated to begin on the city projects. “We just want to plant that seed,” he told Talton, referring to the funding for the projects. “I’ll fertilize that seed,” Talton assured Holmes. I WARNER ROBINS SUPPLY I WE RENT I Trenchers- generators ■ naif guns-compressors -log splitters Terry warmer robins ■ 612 BAU ST 2758 WATSON BLVD | 987-2334 953-4199 Fresh Orange Juice squeezed right here on our farm. INDIAN RIVER CITRUS Navel Oranges Ruby Red Grapefruit Nova Tangelos 7A 141415 (41926