Perry council celebrates winning Visionary Cities award, discusses sidewalk projects 

Key takeaways – 

• Mayor and council announce they received the Visionary City award.
• Public Works Superintendent Ansley Fitzner gives update on sidewalk projects in the city. Mayor and council will look over the projects to decide which projects will move forward.
• Councilmember Dan Peterson addresses HALO group concerns. City Manager Lee Gilmour will take under advisement and make recommendations.

PERRY – Mayor Randall Walker and council announced they received the Visionary Cities award and HALO group concerns were addressed during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Visionary City Award

At the beginning of the council meeting, Walker said the city was one of six cities to receive the Visionary City Award. Downtown Manager Alicia Hartley said they were presented this award at the Georgia Municipal Association’s Georgia Cities United Summit. She also shared it was divided into small, medium and large cities where they submit capital improvement projects or projects that make their city shine.

The city nominated their downtown natural gas grant program, Hartley said, a partnership with mayor, council and the Downtown Development Authority. According to Hartley, the program has paid over $100,000 in natural gas grant funds to attract restaurants to the city’s downtown and incentivize the use of natural gas. This gives customers more dining options and restaurant supports restaurants and the business industry. 

Hartley said the award is something they have been working towards for a long time, and they are happy they brought it home. 

HALO group concerns

Earlier during the pre-council meeting, Councilmember Dan Peterson made a proposal on behalf of the HALO group.

The HALO group is a nonprofit organization that helps special needs children and young adults. Peterson said they offer classes in job readiness, social skills, independent living, job exploration, job placement and on the job support. According to Peterson, the group has approximately 42 participants.

He said the issue they are facing is lack of parking for key vehicles. The group has three buses; two can park on the street. However, the larger bus is used to transport people, some in wheelchairs. Peterson shared they need a place to lower an elevator which helps participants and students get on and off the bus.

Due to city regulations, they cannot park the vehicle either on weekends or overnight behind the facility, Peterson said. He said it is a good place to unload and load people because it is unpaved. Peterson shared the group has done research and it would approximately cost them $20,000 to $30,000 to add parking. 

Community Development Director Bryan Wood said the city has advised the HALO group not to park on the lawn, instead on a paved space, but the group can load and unload passengers on the grass.

Peterson and Councilmember Phyllis Bynum Grace asked City Manager Lee Gilmour to provide a recommendation the city can look at.

Councilmember Robert Jones said he has talked with Director of Finance Mitchell Worthington and Community Development Director Bryan Wood about a request made by the group. Worthington confirmed there is a finalized plan to add ADA parking and sidewalks outside of the building on Sunset Boulevard.

Connectivity plan sidewalk projects

During the pre-council meeting, Public Works Superintendent Ansley Fitzner gave an update on sidewalk projects in the city.

The first completed project Fitzner discussed was Houston Lake Drive, a connection made from the rear diveway that leads into the VA hospital. This then leads to the Carroll Drive alley. Another completed project is on Main Street, connected with a sidewalk near Cambridge Drive and ending at Crossroads Park on Third Street.

The Hampton Court project is also completed, stretching towards Wingfield Way. Sidewalks going along Tucker Road and Ball Street are completed, connecting foot traffic along Tucker Road. The sidewalk also continues to Duncan Avenue.

Fitzner also discussed sidewalk projects that have been identified and included an approximate cost. 

• The first project includes Macon Road, and the sidewalk would connect to the Perry Event Center. This would connect the center to city facilities.
• Airport Road to Interstate 75 has a probable cost of $1.75 million. This includes a portion of Houston Springs to Heritage Oaks Park. Engineering Services Manager Chad McMurrian added the project would also connect to the end of the sidewalk on Sam Nunn Boulevard and Airport Road. This has an estimated cost of $600,000.
• A sidewalk will reach Perry Hospital, connecting the hospital to Main Street and Morningside Drive, according to Fitzner. The approximate cost is $340,000.
• A Country Club Road, North Davis Drive and Park Avenue sidewalk project would connect Perry High School to Pine Needle Park. The approximate cost would be $1 million.
• A Perry Parkway sidewalk would connect the Legacy Park neighborhood to Houston Lake Road, a shopping center nearby and future development. The approximate cost is $1.1 million.

To see the full list of identified priority projects visit the Pre-council agenda here. 

Fitzner also shared projects discussed, including connections needed on Langston Road on Highway 127. This would provide connection to Matt Arthur Elementary School and Talton Road. She asked mayor and council to see what they would like to move forward with, taken off the list and added to the list to make sure they are all on the same page moving forward.

City Manager Lee Gilmour said the city can use the recently approved SPLOST 2024 to pay for the projects. He also suggested using Perry Public Facilities Authority revenue bonds and general property village funds. 

Gilmour added mayor and council can wait on certain projects until there is development which warrants the need for a sidewalk. However, the potential problem with this option is sidewalk gaps.

Gilmour said after gathering reccommendations and projecting costs, mayor and council decides which projects are a priority and focus. He shared the primary challenge is limited resources, and they need to balance which capital projects have a higher priority than others. 

Gilmour said priority is where there is a need for connectivity and connections to existing sidewalks. Another factor is usage or interest to travel to a facility.

Walker said they will come prepared to discuss the projects during their Feb. 4 work session.

CHIP grant

Later in the council meeting, Wood requested support for a Community Home Investment Program application. This was approved during the meeting.

The Houston County Land Bank Authority is applying for the CHIP new construction grant, which will allow them to build houses on the five lots they own in Oldfield Lane. Wood said there is a competitive process for the grants and the authority agreed to provide support to the application. 

Public safety and public works appreciation

At the end of the council meeting, Walker and Councilman Darryl Albritton gave thanks to the police department, fire department and public works for their work during the recent snow storm.

Walker said there were five miles of stuck vehicles for over 10 hours on Interstate 75 and because of the city’s initiative, personal transportation vehicles provided water, food and medical care. He gave city workers compliments for how well they assisted the visitors and the citizens of Perry.

Mayor and council will meet again for their pre-council starting at 5 p.m. and regular council meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 4. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings, and the agenda can be found here.