Resident speaks out on needed improvements on Oldfield Lane, Hilltop Road 

Key Takeaways –

• Resident Peggy Davis urges Mayor Walker and council to continue their efforts in improving Oldfield Lane and Hilltop Road.
• Mayor and council approve the designation of Swift Street Historic District.
• Employee Service Awards were given to city employees who have served the city from five years to 25 years.

PERRY – A concerned resident speaks out about needed improvements in Oldfield Lane during the March 18 city council meeting.

General Public Items

The resident, Peggy Davis, attended on behalf of the Oldfield and Hilltop neighborhoods. She first spoke out during a council meeting in January about the Oldfield Lane and Hilltop Road small area plan. 

Davis said she has talked with Mayor Randall Walker and council, saying residents did everything they were requested to do to get the plan done. According to Davis, the plan started in 2023 and they were told it would take a year to make improvements in the area. 

Tracking what has been voted on, while she saw improvements, Davis said residents were not informed. 

She has seen updated equipment in neighborhood parks. She admits it is a nice improvement, but not necessary since most residents don’t have children.

“We were not considered. We came forward with all we had to do and we just feel that we should have been asked from somewhere as to what type of equipment, whether we have children with disabilities that need special stuff. We were never asked anything. It was just done,” she said.

Davis also shared that residents requested to have sidewalks in the area. She said the mayor and council have talked about it, however, their area hasn’t received any. 

“We just want to be treated like everybody else in every other neighborhood there is in the city of Perry. We feel as if we’re being left out. We would like to see something done,” she said. “We’ve asked for a second access in our neighborhood, we haven’t gotten that. This has been years and years back through different mayors. These things just continue to be thrown out of the window or not taken into any type of considerations.”

Residents have also asked to have a place within walking distance to get healthy food. Currently, residents hold a farmers market in Hafley Park and Davis hopes the mayor and council continue to grant them permission.

Davis believes they made their voices known when the small area plan first started. She said the city came back with a proposal of what they can and can’t do, but there has not been another meeting held. Davis wants someone to listen to them and not give residents what the city thinks they need. 

“This is why I stand before you once again: to ask for these two neighborhoods to stop being looked down on and be picked up like the rest of the areas in Perry,” she said. 

Walker thanked Davis for her comments.

Employee Service Awards

Earlier in the meeting, the mayor and council recognized various department employees who have been with the city for five years, up to 25 years. Employees who attended the council meeting include:

• Five years: Matt Brayman, Maintenance Technician II
• 20 years: Charles Mundy, Chief of Fire Training
• 25 years: James Gordon, Fire Lieutenant I

Walker thanked the employees for their dedication to the city.

Swift Street Historic District

Later on in the meeting, Community Development Director Bryan Wood proposed to designate Swift Street as a historic district. According to council documents, the district contains 46 properties. Since this was the first reading of the designation, no action was required.

Wood presented the history of the area, and said historic districts help maintain the city’s small town character. The Swift Street district has a period of significance from approximately 1840 to 1961; he said the district represents all periods of city growth through the mid-20th century.

Wood said Swift Street was home to local educators, businesses, and political leaders and has many examples of American architectural styles.

If the designation passes, property owners who want to make exterior modifications to their homes are required to submit a request and receive a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission. This will ensure their proposals are appropriate for the architectural style of the house and the district as a whole. 

Wood shared the commission would not review color in the process; repairs and necessary maintenance are not subject to the certificate of appropriateness. He also said the designation does not impact interior modifications or property usage.

A Swift Street resident, Elizabeth Baker, said she spoke up to city council for 30 years asking for help protecting the area. She thanked the mayor and council and hopes they will approve the designation.

Langston Road rezoning

Moving on to the next item on the agenda, mayor and council approved a rezoning request of a property located on Langston Road from R-1, single family residential to R-3, single family residential.

Previously, the Planning Commission voted to deny the request due to sewer capacity and traffic concerns. 

A representative from Edgar Hugston Homes said they were willing to contribute $100,000 to traffic improvements. The city council also said the sewer capacity would increase due to a city infrastructure project currently underway.

Councilmember Dan Peterson said the rezoning is a good illustration of the city’s future land use map. He said it shows they are committed to protecting the downtown area and keeping it quaint. He shared the downtown area is less dense and they want to have higher density areas outside of Perry Parkway.

Peterson required more traffic calming devices on certain stretches of road. Mayor and council approved the rezoning unanimously, as long as Edgar Hugston Homes and Community Development worked together to identify traffic calming devices and where to put them. The second recommendation is the $100,000 investment be used to solve traffic problems.

Safe Digging Month Proclamation

At the beginning of the meeting, Walker recognized April as Safe Digging Month. The proclamation was presented to Engineering Services Manager Chad McMurrian. 

According to the proclamation, thousands of times per year, state underground infrastructure is damaged by those who do not have underground lines located before digging. This results in service interruption, environmental damage, and a threat to public safety. 

People are encouraged to dial 811, a simple number to contract utility operators to request the location of underground lines at the intended dig site. 

The proclamation also says, “Damage prevention is a shared responsibility; by using safe digging practices, the contractors and homeowners of Perry can save time, money and help keep our infrastructure safe and connected.”

At the end of the meeting, Leisure Services Director Curtis Coates said the department received a $1,000 grant for the Special Needs Family Game Night from the Georgia Recreation Parks Association. Coates said the new initiative grant is to cater more towards special needs children. He also shared every dime they spent for special needs family game night has been reimbursed. 

Mayor and council will meet again for their pre-council starting at 5 p.m. and regular council meeting at 6 p.m. on April 1. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings, and the agenda can be found here.