Ribbon cutting ceremony set for Big Creek Greenway extensions June 3

Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Forsyth County officials will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open two segments of the Phase V portion of the Big Creek Greenway at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 3.

“We are excited to offer these extensions of the Greenway that will eventually connect the trail system from the southern County border to the Sawnee Mountain Preserve,” said Parks & Recreation Department Director Jim Pryor.

One of the two segments of Phase V opening June 3 will extend the Greenway from the intersection of Kelly Mill Road and Johnson Road to Canton Hwy. (SR 20), a distance of 2.27 miles. The other segment of Phase V opening June 3 originates at the intersection of SR 20 and the Spot Road Connector. That segment travels along the Spot Road Connector, Doc Bramblett Road and Spot Road, ending at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve and Visitor Center, a distance of 2.48 miles.

In the future, an additional one-mile segment of Phase V will run parallel to SR 20, connecting all portions of the Greenway. This segment will be constructed at a later date as part of the planned GDOT widening of Canton Hwy.

When complete, Phase V of the Greenway will extend the multi-use trail an additional 5.7 miles from Kelly Mill Road to the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor Center (4075 Spot Road), making the entire Forsyth County Big Creek Greenway just over 16.5 miles in length.

Contract awards, renewals on Tuesday BOC agenda

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Director of Procurement Donna Kukarola will be a prominent figure during the Board of Commissioners 2 p.m. work session Tuesday when contract awards, renewals, and agreements make up a large portion of the agenda.

Staff has requested the $384,807.80 bid by Dickerson Group for emergency replacement of a culvert at Two Mile Creek on Wallace Wood Road be approved on a time-sensitive basis.

Renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) and the 2021 contract with the University of Georgia for County Extension Services be considered on a “Time Sensitive” basis.

Donna Kukarola

Heading the list of agreements in terms of expenditures is the proposed Inter Sub-Site Interface Connection agreement with Motorola Solutions Inc. for the Public Safety Radio System to allow for interconnectivity with the Hall County system in the amount of $778,615.

The next highest bid amount to be considered is Pinacle Data Systems’  $275,000 bid for the printing and mailing of Water and Sewer Bills for the Department of Water and Sewer starting in 2021.

Other bids to be considered, include:

  • $110,828.28 by Advanced Disposal for waste collection services for various county buildings for the calendar year 2021;
  • $194,000 by All Bright Janitorial Service for various county buildings for the calendar year 2021;
  • $69,600 for reallocation of Tyler Technologies current Tyler Field Mobile Licensing Fees to Tyler Smartfile Licensing Fees and to provide professional services to make multiple Smartfile forms available for electronic filing for the Tax Assessors’ Office;
  • $53,297.20 by Prater Ford, Inc. for the purchase one new 2021 Ford F250 Truck with Animal Body Transport for Code Compliance;
  • Not to exceed $50,000 bid by Stembridge Custom Metals, Inc. for providing Installation and Repair of Guardrails as needed for the Forsyth County Department of Engineering;

Andrea Greco of Pond and Company will present a Site Master Plan and schematic design of Sawnee Mountain Preserve – Phase 4 and magnitude of cost for the project. Commissioners will also consider formally naming the site and previous location of the Barker House as “Barker Overlook.

Other items on Tuesday’s agenda include Board Discussion and possible direction of:

  • Board of Equalization Per Diem Compensation; Board consideration and approval to declare the attached list as surplus with authorization for the Department of Procurement to dispose of accordingly;
  • Ratification of the reappointment of Jerry Bowman as the Neutral Representative to the Forsyth County Civil Service Board to serve a four (4) year term beginning November 12, 2020 to November 11, 2024;
  • A Memorandum of Understanding with the Georgia Department of Transportation to relocate water and sewer infrastructure for the SR 400 at McGinnis Ferry Road Widening and Auxiliary Lanes Project;
  • Authorization to apply for the FY 2022 Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 Transit Grant Program to aid in the operation of the Dial-A-Ride Program;
  • A Board of Commissioners policy that all developer-negotiated zoning conditions must be submitted to County staff no less than 48 hours prior to the Board meeting where final action is to be taken;
  • A County-Initiated Conditional Use Permit to conduct around the clock business hours for warehouses/offices on 32.452 acres currently zoned M1 – Parcel 065-153;
  • Appointment / reappointment of members to the Development Authority;
  • Adoption of the 2021 Meeting Schedule – County Manager;
  • Taubman Development Agreement and possible authorization to seek reimbursement for County incentives;
  • Memorandum of Understanding with Seefried Industrial Properties, Inc. regarding CP200016 as it relates to design, acquisition, and construction for roundabout at Shiloh Road and Shiloh Road East;
  • Partnering with the GA Safe Routes to School Resource Center.

Forsyth County seeks public input on amenities at Sawnee Mountain Preserve

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Forsyth County is conducting an on-line survey to determine which amenities the community would like to see featured at an overlook at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve.

“We are really excited about this,” says Karen Shields, Director of Communications for the Forsyth County Government. “We are looking to engage the community. We are looking to have the community look at the proposed amenities and let us know what they think, what they would like to see, or don’t want to see.”

Input is being done through the Parks and Recreation website. Participants will be able to view a narrated presentation about the project, see proposed options, as well as participate in a survey to express their opinion. The survey will be open between now and September 10.

“A power point presentation can be found on that website with a project information board. It kind of looks at what the area might be and what amenities might go there,” explains Shields.

Also, to clear up any confusion, the proposed overlook will not be at the same place as the Indian Seats, but is instead located at the former Barker House property, which was acquired by the county along with 12.8 acres in 2003.

“Sawnee Mountain is a landmark in Forsyth County. It’s really a great treasure in our community. It’s a location that brings people from all over metro Atlanta to hike Sawnee Mountain for those spectacular views. This is one way we can enhance that, by putting amenities at that overlook area,” says Shields.

Parks and Recreation Director, Jim Pryor, also hopes residents will give their input. “We encourage residents to provide feedback for this beautiful overlook area at one of our most popular and treasured parks.”

For more information on the current amenities offered at Sawnee Mountain Preserve (4075 Spot Rd.), or to find a link to the survey mentioned above, please visit parks.forsythco.com/Sawnee-MountainPreserve.

 

 

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