Yes. There are much more important things being considered this week, but I could not resist the opportunity to use a picture of my late pup, Yuki, as this week’s feature photo and highlight the Wagging Wednesday proposal on the Tybee City Council’s agenda. Read all about it and other upcoming meetings in the latest Week Ahead newsletter.
Stay engaged Savannah,
The Georgia Ports Authority is meeting Monday
The GPA will consider awarding The Industrial Company (TIC) the contract for the Ocean Terminal Dock realignment project as part of a expansion plan to service vessels in excess of 16,000 TEUs (shipping containers).
The dock improvements require major infrastructure modifications such as filling in the existing slip and rebuilding the dock to allow the wide container ships to berth without impacting the federal channel inside the Savannah River, according to the staff report. Approval would establish an overall project budget of up to $410 million.
The Pooler City Council is meeting Monday
The Pooler City Council will hold its first public hearing for the 2023 budget.
The Savannah Airport Commission is meeting Wednesday
The commission will consider the 2023 budget.
The Savannah-Chatham School Board is meeting Wednesday
The agenda was not available at the time of publication.
The Tybee Island City Council is meeting Thursday
One highlight on the agenda is councilman Brian West’s proposal to allow dogs on the beach one day a week during the winter months. If approved, the proposal would allow leashed dogs on the beach on Wednesday’s only from Nov. 1 to March 1. The designated dog-friendly area is from 14th Street to Inlet Avenue. (Update: West informed me after publication that the proposal is only up for discussion and he does not expect a vote to occur at this week’s meeting.)
Councilman Barry Brown is requesting that Tybee consider some options for improving emergency medical services on the island, including making the city’s fire department the primary EMS provider. The biggest advantage of Tybee providing its own EMS transport services is that the ambulances would stay on the island for emergencies, whereas, the current provider, Chatham EMS, often has to pull the ambulance off the island for calls, according to the report. Startup costs of taking on EMS transport services, including the purchase of two ambulances and equipment, are estimated to be $423,417.
The city council will also be presented with an update on a dune monitoring project (apparently, a survey after Hurricane Ian showed that a single event can remove about a normal year’s erosion), along with a storm water management plan.
The Savannah City Council is meeting Thursday
The city council will consider a final reading and approval of the 2023 budget.
In addition, the city council will consider a contract for architectural and engineering design services for a city hall restoration project with Ethos Preservation in an amount not to exceed $490,395. The services will be used to complete an investigation of existing conditions, prepare an assessment report, develop a detailed restoration design, prepare a phased plan for preservation/restoration construction efforts, aid in confirmation of contractor’s pricing, and perform construction administration and project closeout. The proposed contract comes more than four years after the completion of a city hall interior condition assessment and restoration plan by Lominack Kolman Smith Architects. The 2018 assessment’s findings included cracked mosaic tile, damaged wood trim, damaged columns, altered window sashes, missing brass door knobs, active water intrusion and electrical deficiencies, as I reported in August.
Also on the agenda is a $960,833 contract for selective interior demolition of the Gamble Building with Johnson-Laux Construction. The project focuses on the interior renovation of the building, and selective demolition is the first step in preparing the building’s interior for new construction, according to the staff report.
The city council will also consider a construction contract for the first phase of the Highlands Park recreational project with F.H. Paschen in an amount not to exceed $1.2 million. The first phase includes a half-mile walking trail with lighting, landscaping, and parking area, according to the staff report. The trail is being built on property the city acquired through a 2019 land swap, which included trading downtown property that is now being developed for student housing, as reported in October.
During the council’s workshop, new details about the potential impact fee will be presented. The update comes after the council approved in September transferring the capital improvements plan to the Coastal Georgia Regional Commission for review, as part of the impact fee program development process. In addition, staff will provide the council with information about a potential parklet ordinance.
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