Our opinion: July 24, 2005
Author: The Americus Times Recorder
Publication Date: 2005-07-24
Please Save ‘Our’ Money,
County Commissioners
There seems to be a tremendous opportunity sitting before the county. They have the opportunity to:
Save money for the community.
Stabilize a vital historic area.
Create a courthouse that would have great beauty and a historic look that compliments our wonderful community.
Actually do something right for Americus.
We believe this can and should be done by accepting the offer recently presented by Earl Snyder at Tuesday night’s county commission meeting. The Central Baptist Church location would make a great courthouse and would allow the administrative offices room for expansion at the old location on Lamar Street. Currently it is estimated that a new building would cost more than $12 million and still may not create enough room to meet all the county’s needs. With the proposal before the board they would have more than enough room — over 70,000 square feet of space — and not cost more than $8 million to renovate both buildings.
The law has a small loophole in it that allows for this change in SPLOST funds and would allow for the savings to go back into the general fund for reduction of debt. What makes this appealing is that there are Lee Street residents who favor it, the Historic Trust favors it and we do not see why all tax-paying citizens would not favor it. It saves “our” money.
You will hear that traffic could be an issue, but there would be less traffic than what the current church fills every Sunday and Wednesday. You will hear complaints about points of entry and logistics of people flow, but it still has to have renovation, add or subtract what you need.
The complaint that you are not hearing, but will be the root of the opposition to this plan, is the government is not getting to build another monument to itself and our paid consultant out of Atlanta who is helping the county manage the money for this project will not get paid as much to spend less money (another subject for another day).
We do not need a monument, we need to save money.
Call your county commissioners and city officials and save “our” money.
Also, it is time the county remembers what engine of economics drives the bus we call Sumter County, and be a lot more willing to be in favor of top spending priorities of the city in the future or just wait and see how this community responds when it gets educated on how and why one county wide government would be best.
HEADLINE July 24, 2005
Alternative to new courthouse topic of discussions
Author: Beth Alston
Publication Date: 2005-07-24
AMERICUS — A local developer’s proposed plan for Sumter County’s governmental/judicial offices is being met with skepticism and negativity from the County, and strong endorsement from some local citizens.
Earl Snider has proposed to sell the County the Central Baptist Church property on South Lee Street to be remodeled into a Justice Center where all trials and hearings would be held. Also to be housed at the site would be judges’ chambers, clerks’ offices and other personnel. Snider’s plan includes the lot next to the church, where Americus Apartments currently are located. Snider said he would raze the apartments and replace them with a landscaped parking area.
Snider told the Times-Recorder that with his plan, the existing courthouse could be renovated into a County administration complex, housing various government entities. He pointed out the large courtroom could be used for Board of County Commissioners meetings instead of the small, cramped meeting room the Commissioners currently meet in.
During the planning period prior to the SPLOST vote involving requests by various governmental agencies (including the City of Americus; see sidebar on Furlow School) and wrangling by the Board of Commissioners, the final SPLOST projects were selected for voter approval. (see box)
The County Commission hired Heery International Inc., an Atlanta-based consulting firm, to help research and prepare information on proposed SPLOST projects. Joe Bruscia, an engineer assigned to the project by Heery, works with County Administrator Lynn Taylor and County Clerk Chris Ryan. Heery manages some of the SPLOST projects for the County with a fee of 3- to 5-percent of each project's cost.
On Sept. 16, 2003, 14 percent of the Sumter County’s registered voters went to the polls to pass a one-percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The tax passed by almost 63 percent. The Sumter County Board of Commissioners estimated that $22 million could be raised with the tax over its five-year lifetime.
Snider voiced his proposal at a public hearing held by the Board of Commissioners last week regarding a proposed tax millage increase.
County CAO Lynn Taylor was asked Thursday about her opinion of Snider’s plan.
“I have some concerns regarding it, and I’m looking at certain information pertaining to it ... I won’t elaborate on decision-making, that’s the Commissioners’ job. All the facts need to be made available to the Commissioners; that’s what I’m doing right now, researching it.”
Snider told the Times-Recorder that during a phone conversation with Taylor, while discussing his proposal, Taylor had several concerns.
“Her (Taylor’s) specific objections were heating/air conditiong complaints about the existing courthouse, of electrical problems when moving computers around, and handicap accessibility ... She also wasn’t sure if they could legally change the plan and not build a courthouse,” Snider.
“She kept mentioning it’s a hundred-year plan. Even though it’s nice to plan ahead, it’s ludicrous with growing technology. There may be a virtual courtroom on the way where jurors, the judge, defense and prosecution are in different places and have no travel and no security issues ... all records will ultimately exist on computer, and there will be no need for all that storage space ... why not save as much money as possible now?” Snider says his proposal will save the County $5 million on the courthouse project.
County attorney Paul Farr, when asked about the legality of changing the SPLOST plan, cited cases in the Georgia Supreme Court.
“One of those cases, Dickey v. Storey, basically says that projects listed in the SPLOST referendum and advertised and communicated to the public during the time preceding the vote, those projects have to be done and completed with SPLOST unless for some unforeseen circumstances, the project is deemed infeasible ... The law would have to be applied to all or some of the courthouse plan from where it was originally planned to be built; part of that is what was publicized prior to the election. There would have to be a finding that building the courthouse next to the existing courthouse was infeasible.”
The Times-Recorder canvassed all members of the Board about the Snider proposal.
Commissioner Al Hurley said, “At this particular time, we haven’t actually looked at that in detail. We’re just now hearing this. ... I don’t know that anyting will change. The citizens voted on the extra penny sales tax; a part of it was planned and voted on to build a new courthouse. As of now ... we still plan on going with the new courthouse plan, but it might change.”
Commissioner Andrea Brooks had no comment.
Commissioner Brent Williams said that the Central Baptist Church site had been considered for the courthouse project two years ago, as well as four other sites.
“We evaluated all those, and weighed the cost of trying to retrofit; we decided against it. Deciding to keep the courthouse at its current location is in the best interest to citizens and the legal community which has built around that location. And considering all the other properties we already owned in that area, we later bought the courthouse annex.”
Williams said Snider’s proposal is “not a new thing.” He said the proposal was brought up earlier this year in executive session (legal for discussion of real estate acquisition). “There was no motion, no action. ... On Tuesday (July 19 hearing) it was discussed again, and there was no motion and no action taken.”
Williams said there have been no studies done on Central Baptist Church to determine the cost involved. “There have been numbers discussed, but I don’t know that any professional has been asked to give firm estimates.”
In conclusion, Williams said “The Board unanimously voted two years ago, and there’s no need to revisit it. ... One of the reasons we’ve stood firm by our decision is when we decided on the site location, that’s what we presented to the citizens and voters, and we feel an obligation the decision was made on information we presented to the voters.”
Commissioner Bill Bowen said, “I apprecate any citizen coming up with a suggestion. At this time I’m sticking with the original proposal approved by ... the voters of the county.”
Board of Commissioners Chairman Tift Pace said, “My opinion is that the courthouse should be built at the existing site ... When the question was called for the SPLOST, many asked where will you build it? At that time, we considered others, but decided to build it at its current location ... Some of the people may have voted for the SPLOST because it was at that location. Convenience is another key factor for the current location ... one prime example, the Clerk of Court’s Office. and the code enforcement, tax assessor, tax commissioner and their need to access the clerk’s office ... Another thing is traffic on Lee Street. Wasn’t that a major concern when a request was made several months ago for rezoning on South Lee Street? Look at how much this would compound traffic, with a school, a funeral home and the college in that area. Look at the cost of demolition and/or renovation of the Snider site and then the existing courthouse for demolition and renovation. ... What about security? Is it easier to secure one site or two? ... ”
Snider has told the Times-Recorder that metal detectors can be installed anywhere, that a Kevlar screen for the judge can be installed anywhere and that any site can be made handicap assessible.
Some of the neighbors in the area of Americus Apartments see many benefits in Snider’s plan due to the unsightly and crime-ridden Section 8 housing in their midst.
Chuck Nolan, who, with his wife Angela, owns the Pathway Inn bed and breakfast directly across the street from Central Baptist Church, said, “It sounds good to us. I don’t think it’s going to hurt anything. We already have traffic on Sundays; it will only be spread out during the week.”
Mary Louise Hancock, owner of Hancock Funeral Home, directly across the street from Americus Apartments, said she lived at the funeral home for 30 years, and welcomes change in the neighborhood.
“I think it (Snider’s proposal) would be a good idea. I don’t believe the traffic would be any worse than it is now. There’s a lot of undesirable traffic now due to the concentration of people living in a small area where the apartments now stand. I’m relatively sure the environment would not suffer. I would welcome them (the County) as a neighbor, especially if a parking facility was placed across the street.”
Central Baptist Church is located in the City of Americus’ Historic District. The Sumter Historic Trust is amenable to Snider’s concept.
The Trust’s board voted unanimously Thursday to support Snider’s proposal.
“Central Baptist is not an historic building, however it’s location is in the heart or ‘hub’ of the historic district. Renovating the building for adaptive reuse would maintain the integrity of our unique and outstanding historic district,” said Lara Gill, president of the Sumter Historic Trust. “The Historic Trust Board would also very much like to see the old Furlow School property renovated and used as an annex for the courthouse. This would be wonderful for the integrity of the historic district as a whole and also save a building with such a huge historic value to so many in Americus and Sumter County.” With more than 900 members, Sumter Historic Trust is the largest preservation organization in Georgia.
Snider has acquired the Central Baptist Church property by swapping the site inside the city for land on Upper River Road where the church is now building a new complex. “With my plan, it is like handing the County $5 million on a silver platter,” Snider said. “I’m not trying to make a big profit off this church building.”
Snider has said that should the County decide to not accept his proposal, he does have a “Plan B” — to renovate the Americus Apartments, and to lease the church to an African-American church which has expressed interest in the property.
The Board of Commissioners has now narrowed its search for an architect on the courthouse project to five. It is estimated that construction of a new courthouse will take two years and cost about $13 million.