About StarNews. (Carrollton, GA) 20??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2024)
Page 12 January 14, 2024 StarNews www.starnewsgaonline.com City of Villa Rica reviews zoning; mayor gives emotional exit speech after losing reelection story by Janice Daniel In their regular monthly meeting, the Villa Rica Mayor and City Council approved the Consent Agenda prepared in the work session and also voted unanimously to offer the posi tion of Solicitor to Robert James Harker for a term of one year. They also addressed some items under “Zoning” as follows: - VA-12-23, 133 W. Bankhead Highway, applicant Charles Bishop, asked to reduce the number of drive-thru queuing spaces for his business, Pelican Snow Cones. His request was approved unanimously under the condi tions that the drive-thru can only be used for a restaurant, and that the drive-thru must be ade quately lit, paved with a hard, dustless material, and properly demarcated. -VA-14-23, applicant Floumey Development Group, requested two (2) variances for their development of 56 townhomes on a currently vacant lot adjacent to Villa Rica Parkway to the north. After agreeing to 6 conditions requested by Staff, their request was approved by the Council 3-2 (Council Members Warmoth and McCoy opposed). - VA-09-23, 11 Gordon Street, applicant Kenneth Wood of PEC+ requested variances to encroach into the City’s 75-foot undisturbed stream buffer by 34,000 square feet, and to encroach into the 50-foot impervious stream buffer by 9200 square feet. The applicant pointed out the difficult topography constraints they’re facing with developing this property, and the Council approved his request unanimously - TA-02-23 was a Text Amendment to the C2 zoning district to establish a Zoning ordi nance amendment for wholesale businesses in the City. The Council voted to add the appro priate text and put a 35,000 square- foot- limit on the size of any building in that category. - CU-04-23, 419 Main Street, applicant Brandon Thompson of Carrollton requested a Special Exception Use to operate a Food Hall/Shared Kitchen operation constructed using shipping containers, an increasingly popular method for small business to be able to afford structures on small lots. Mr. Thompson described his intentions to have two or more small-scale restaurants run their businesses here, using a shared Food Hall (seating area) and a shared kitchen for cost reduction pur poses. He envisions his unique business to be where “inner urban meets Villa Rica,” where “fusion foods”, noodle bowls and other related fare will be available. Noting that he will still have to comply with all ordinance require ments, the Council approved his request unanimously. Finance Director, Jennifer Hallman, reported that cash in the General Fund is up due to booking the bond proceeds of $20,985 for the Eastside TAD, making the Cash Fund Balance come in at $48,170,054 as of 10-31-23. Building Pennits came in at 40, compared to only 3 this time last year. The self-funded insurance saved $36,564, total bank balance of $1,777,672, and Pine Mountain Ghost Train and Haunted House brought in almost $50,000. After the business portion of the meeting, Mayor Gill McDougal addressed the public and the council in a sober, somewhat emotional speech: “Villa Rica has grown, and it will con tinue to grow. No person can stop that growth,” he began, but then went on to talk about the political turmoil the city experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, when a large portion of land was annexed into the city. After many people complained, the city de-annexed a lot of land. The mayor at that time, Teddy Lee, lived in the portion that was de-annexed. Council asked him to resign as mayor, because he now lived outside the city, but he refused, saying he had not moved - the city had. It was a time of tur moil. Some weeks the city had to borrow money to meet the payroll. In a series of events that led all the way to the Supreme Court, Mayor Lee was finally removed from office.” McDougal continued, “In spite of those bad times, in the last 20 years Villa Rica has grown from a dot on the map of 4,000 people to a population of 19,000, with quiet, competent growth of more than one billion dollars in the tax base. We’ve come a long way since those days. That doesn’t mean we haven’t had drama, but since the tenns of Jay Collins, Jeff Reese and myself, we have not seen that level of conflict.” McDouga said that the City Manager Tom Barber works for the council, not the mayor. In response to those who say that Barber overesti mates his value to thecity, the Mayor responded “Tom Barber has never asked for a salary increase, even though he is underpaid by more than 25% according to every salary study.” In addition, McDougal said, “The institutional knowledge gained by our city manager cannot be understated,” and he went on to say that “uncil member after council member have been coming to him, asking, what it will take to keep Tom Barber. Is there a dollar amount? Many have personally asked Tom not to leave, but his office is cleared out, and his intention is to leave.” McDougal opined that without Tom Barber and his immeasurable knowledge of the heart of Villa Rica’s problems, his role in solving so See MCDOUGAL EXIT SPEECH page 23 RWB Tax Service Don’t Worry... RWB Tax Service has all your Bookkeeping, Tax and Payroll needs covered all year long! 1 s M THE REAL THEATRE RAW - ELEMENTAL - ARTISTIC - LIVE Introducing “The REAL Theatre,” a vibrant addition to the Carrollton community's cultural landscape. REAL, signifying Raw, Elemental, Artistic, and Live, encapsulates the essence of our company. We are a passionate, forward-thinking theater company dedicated to delivering captivating and genuine theatrical experiences. SEASON 2024 LOVE [ LETTERS byA.R. GL directed ay PATRICKYURAN Love Letters Featuring: Jay Gill & Meredith Warner- March 1st - 7:00 pm Bill Hearnburg& Bunny Godard - March 2nd -2:00 pm Joe Garrett & Terri Ducker- March 2nd - 7:00 pm Doug Chanselle-Hary & Michelle Morgan - March 3rd - 2:00 pm The Broadway Bradshaws April 12th - 7:00 pm - Popular Broadway Hits April 13th - 2:00 pm - Disney On Broadway April 13th - 7:00 pm - The Golden Age of Hollywood — April 14th - 2:00 pm - Popular Broadway Hits Our repertoire includes a diverse array of productions, from classic dramas to cutting-edge experimental works, designed to engage and inspire our audiences. Beyond performances, we’re committed to nurturing talent through masterclasses and writer’s workshops, as well as enlightening our community through a professional guest artist series. Join us on an exhilarating journey through the world of live performance, where the raw and elemental aspects of artistry come to life on our stage. "Evita" is a musical that tells the story of Eva Peron, the charismatic and contro versial First Lady of Argentina. It follows her rise from poverty to power, her marriage to President Juan Peron, and her transformation into an iconic figure, all set to a captivating score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Lia»lMPlG ,Nh pi ijr , [in;. EVITA Directed By: Patrick J. Yu ran September3-8,2024 $ M Conversations with... Cicily Daniels at The Depot on Bradley With a variety of Broadway productions to her name and several national tours, Cicily is a prolific performer in the industry. March 23,2024 Conversations with... Vincent Michael at The Depot on Bradley A graduate of Catholic University and an active member of AEA, Vincent is a veteran actor in the industry. November 9,2024 Masterclass with... Doug Chanselle-Hary Doug began performing professionally over thirty years ago in stage, television, and film and has hundreds of performing, directing, and producing credits throughout his career. October 4-6,2024 Masterclass with... Patrick J. Yuran Patrick began his professional career in the performing arts over twenty-five years ago and currently has more than fifty production credits to his name. December 6-8,2024 in the performi I years ago and < fifty productioi Decembe For more information 470-729-091 6 or visit us at www.therealtheatre.com
