City Council unsure about stimulus money

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville has some "shovel ready" projects that might be eligible for federal stimulus money, but Mayor Myrtle Figueras said Tuesday night she's still not sure.
The Mayor said the Georgia Municipal Association has the city's stimulus wish list.

"We'll make sure we've done our due diligence, and then if and when it comes available, then we're on the list," Mayor Figueras said.

The Mayor said she's uncertain that building projects like the Public Safety building and the new fire station would qualify for stimulus funds.
Both projects are on the funding list for the extension of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which goes before the voters in a referendum later this month.

City Manager Kip Padgett said the Public safety building and other projects are ready for stimulus funding.

"The public safety facility, the industrial park and we do have some water and sewer projects that are shovel ready as well," Padgett said.

City Councilman George Wangemann said stimulus funding would become very important in case voters did not approve the SPLOST.

'ISLANDERS' WELCOME

City Council voted in two 'island' property holders who requested annexation to they could get sewer service.
City Planning director Rusty Ligon said two more island annexation requests are coming up next month; the city's $500 annexation fee waiver continues until through June, 2010.
Gainesville Church of God on Browns Bridge Road and developer Donald Westmoreland with property on Stringer Avenue got first reading approval.
City Council decided last November to drop a plan to annex all 500 of the unincorporated islands inside the city, opting instead to offer the fee waiver to encourage property holders to annex on their own.

COUNCIL DECIDES TO COLLECT

Gainesville City Council after a brief executive session decided that a former police department trainee needs to pay for her training.
Mayor Myrtle Figueras said Council passed a resolution turning the collection for Megan Lindley's training over to City Attorney James Palmour.
According to the Mayor Lindley got the training and then quit the police department.

PARKING DECK CONSTRUCTION

What once was the Georgia Mountains Center parking deck downtown is now a big hole in the ground.
City Manager Kip Padgett contractors will start filling that hole soon with a four hundred space parking deck.
Demolition work on the old parking deck began in January; Padgett said the new deck is scheduled to open in July.