Snellville to Begin Work on Oak Road Park

Despite a short agenda, the mayor and city council approved some big items during their regular council meeting Monday (Sept. 9).

One of those items was the unanimous approval of the Oak Road Park project. Having been on and off the agenda for 10 years, the project was finally passed Monday so that the city could get started on the passive park off Oak Road.

The city is spending a projected $150,000 from 2005 and 2009 SPLOST funds on these improvements. Initial work includes invasive species removal, the clearing of the trail and the removal of small trees. The complete project is expected to cost at least $600,000, but those improvements are yet to be approved.

The park also needs a sidewalk to create better pedestrian access since there will be little to no parking spaces. Because it's a county road, the Gwinnett Department of Transportation could complete the sidewalk rather than the city, and the chances of that would increase after the park's initial work is finished.

Another item on the agenda was the approval of the order of the declaratory judgement of ethics watchdog head George Anderson. Last year, Anderson had filed ethics complaints against Mayor Pro Tem Tom Witts mostly centered around him owing back state taxes. Complaints also were filed secondly against Councilman Dave Emanuel.

Six months later in December, the city filed a lawsuit against Anderson after Witts, Emanuel, Councilman Bobby Howard and City Attorney Tony Powell said the claims were frivolous. 

And in February 2013, Anderson wrote an apology in the form of a letter to the editor, saying that he dropped the complaints since he had no basis for them. At Monday's city council meeting, Powell read a formal apology from Anderson, with the addition of a disclaimer stating that he could not be punished for illegal conduct. 

The order was approved 4-2, with Councilman Mike Sabbagh and Mayor Kelly Kautz voting against the measure.

Other items during the city council meeting: 

-City Manager Butch Sanders gave a report on the LCI streetscaping project and how that's close to breaking ground. Having been in the works for nearly a decade, the city now is getting bids on the project. The issue the city is running into, though, is that all the bids are more than the projected budget, with the lowest-costing bid being $200,000 more. The price is still under budget, however, and the bids are currently going through the Georgia Department of Transportation's review. Because it's still going through review, Monday's agenda item to award a bid for the project was withdrawn.

-The mayor and council approved the amendment to the 2001 Zoning Ordinance relating to special use permits for collective residences concerning group homes.

-Former Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Bender addressed an issue that arose at the last meeting regarding her position on the Snellville Entrepreneur Council. During Bender's report on the SEC, the mayor had asked her if was planning on resigning from the nonprofit since she was running for city council. According to the city charter, board members of city-appointed organizations have to resign if they run for election. Bender explained during Monday's meeting that, as backed by the city attorney, she is not employed by the city since the SEC is not a city-appointed board, and therefore the charter doesn't apply to her.

-Kautz declared Sept. 12 as Amanda Riley Day in Snellville. Riley was a Brookwood High student who died in 2010 from cancer. 

-A proclamation was read honoring the sons and daughters of the American Revolution.

Editor's Note: The original article, which was posted at 1:30 a.m., stated that the city is spending at least $600,000 on the Oak Road Park project. The mayor and council did not approve this particular cost. They approved a request for proposal to do the basic work of building a path and clearing undergrowth and expect the expense to be in the area of $150,000.