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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
SPLOST continued from 1A
added in. County leisure ser
vices director Dan Magee said
the park expansion is sorely
needed for Barrow’s recreation
al amenities to remain compet
itive with surrounding counties
as its population continues to
grow.
“We’re tapped out on athlet
ic fields,” Magee said, relaying
several examples of the lack of
space and the benefits synthetic
turf could bring.
For instance, last fall the
department was set to host
opening day of the North Geor
gia Youth Football Association
at Winder-Barrow Fligh School
(the county doesn’t have a foot
ball stadium of its own), but
had to hastily move the games
to Apalachee Fligh School the
morning of due to torrential
rainfall the previous two nights.
“We were expecting to gen
erate $5,000 in revenue, and
we couldn’t charge admission
and lost out on a laige chunk of
money,” Magee said. “We took
a little bit of a hit to our reputa
tion in the process.”
Magee, a handful of parents
and panel members and county
officials all agreed the county
would benefit from additional
facilities; not only because they
would be able to accommodate
various tournaments and have
a positive economic impact,
but because they would help
keep families in Barrow Coun
ty instead of moving to sur
rounding areas like Athens or
Gwinnett, Oconee and Jackson
counties.
“We are out of space. We
do need to increase our invest
ment and have facilities on par
with neighboring jurisdictions,”
county commission chairman
Pat Graham said. “I don’t know
if we can afford all that’s been
presented here (with SPLOST
proceeds), but it would be a
benefit to the entire county. I
think we have a great opportu
nity with (the land) the state has
offered us.”
County manager Mike Ren-
shaw said the entire park expan
sion wish list would probably
not be included in the SPLOST
proceeds.
“I don’t think we can afford
all of these elements, but we
are rightfully focusing on the
athletic fields as a top priority,”
Renshaw said. “That’s our big
gest need in that area.”
Other needs
The committee also received
a brief presentation Monday
night on the county’s infra
structure needs, including road
and bridge improvements, and
water, wastewater and storm
water upgrades and repairs. All
those needs — short-term and
long-term — total more than
$35 million, according to coun
ty estimates.
At its Dec. 12 meeting, the
panel received presentations
from the Barrow County Sher
iff’s Office and Barrow County
Emergency Services on their
current capital needs.
The sheriff’s office $5.7
million needs list includes $3
million to complete a 64-bed
pod at the county detention
center; $1.5 million for seven
new patrol cars each year for
five years ($300,000 per year);
and in-car computers, rifles and
other gear and equipment.
Meanwhile, BCES is pro
posing to use $5 million in
SPLOST funds to relocate Fire
Station No. 3 from Christmas
Avenue in Bethlehem to a loca
tion in the Bethlehem city limits
and to build a new station that
would serve the Braselton area.
Up next
Two more panel meetings are
scheduled, with the next one set
for April 10. The committee is
expected to finalize its recom
mendations on June 12.
The county would then begin
a “meet-and-confer” process
with the municipalities to sort
out the final referendum lan
guage, which the board of com
missioners would vote on in late
July and forward to the state
elections office, if approved, for
inclusion on the election ballot.
If approved, the extension
would take effect July 1, 2018
after the current SPLOST,
passed in 2011, expires.
It would be in effect through
June 30, 2023 and would raise
a projected $56.6 million during
that five-year span. Of the $56.6
million, up to 20 percent of the
proceeds could be used to fund
the park expansion, which is
considered a “Level 2” project,
but Renshaw is recommending
that closer to 13 percent, or
roughly $7.4 million, be used
due to the county’s other capi
tal needs. The remaining $49.2
million would then be split
between the county, Winder,
Auburn, Statham, Bethlehem,
Carl and Braselton, according
to population figures from the
2010 U.S. Census. Under that
formula, the county would get
63.8 percent of the proceeds, or
$31.4 million while the remain
der would be split proportion
ally among the municipalities.
County officials are still
hopeful that they can negotiate
an intergovernmental agree
ment (IGA) with the City of
Winder, which would allow the
SPLOST collections to occur
for six years and generate about
$66 million in revenue. Of that
total, just over $27 million —
$4.5 million per year — would
be used to retire county debt
on SPLOST 2005 “Level 1”
projects approved by voters,
including the new detention
center and courthouse facility
and renovations to the histor
ic courthouse in downtown
Winder, which is now used as
a county administration annex
building. But negotiations for
an IGA, and subsequently a ref
erendum proposal, last summer
fell apart when Winder leaders
said they would not support an
agreement to allow for such a
large share of proceeds to go
toward county debt retirement.
Mayor David Maynard said
at the time the county should
use money from its share of
the SPLOST proceeds to retire
debt, but Graham argued that
would undercut funding for
pressing capital needs in the
county and leading to higher
property taxes for residents.
“We’re still trying to con
vince Winder (to approve an
IGA with the debt relief provi
sion),” Renshaw said. “The debt
is going to be paid off one way
or the other, but Barrow County
doesn’t have $4.5 million in
the bank for that. I understand
everyone wants a bigger piece
of the pie, but in terms of overall
benefit to the community, this
would in my opinion be the best
course of action.”
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