February 17th Mayor and Council Meeting Notes

Tuesday, February 18th, 2025

The Mayor and Council of Dalton met on Monday night for their first session of February with an agenda focused on the Parks and Recreation Department. Three of the five items on the new business agenda were focused on events or projects for the parks, including renovations to Al Rollins Park and an extension to the popular Mill Line Trail. 

CLICK HERE to watch the video of Monday night's meeting

Monday night's meeting opened with a presentation by Dalton-Whitfield Tourism Director Margaret Thigpen. Thigpen reported that tourism revenue in the local area grew in 2024 compared to the previous year. Increases in hotel room stays, event attendance, gift shop revenues, downtown trolley revenues, and admission revenues for the Tunnel Hill historic site all indicated that a marketing grant to spread the word about visiting Dalton has made an impact. 

"In 2023, (there was) about $300 in what we call savings to our taxpayers," Thigpen explained when asked about the impact of hotel/motel tax revenues on the City's budget and local taxpayers. "We've increased that revenue for the community, so we're thinking that 2024 numbers are going to be just slightly higher. So, yes, that's what our goal is... to ease the burden to the community."

To review the statistics from Monday's presentation, click here. You can click here to watch Thigpen's presentation to the Mayor and Council. 

Monday night, the Council voted to: 

• Approve a Contract For The July 4th Fireworks Show - The Dalton Parks and Recreation Department's annual 4th of July celebration will be held again this summer as usual. The Pyrotecnico company was the sole bidder to perform the show, and the company has also been the vendor for the past several fireworks shows. The contract for the show is will cost $35,000 to be paid from the department's operating budget. The show will be approximately 20-25 minutes, similar to previous years. DPRD Director Steve Roberts told the Mayor and Council that the fireworks will be fired from the North Georgia Fairgrounds with the 4th of July celebration returning to the campus of the John Davis Recreation Center at Civic Drive. The recreation center building will not be open, but the DPRD anticipates the restrooms and other facilities being available to return the celebration to its old home at the rec. To view Pyrotecnico's proposal and show overview, click here. To review the contract, click here. The Council voted 2-0 to approve the contract (Councilmembers Dennis Mock and Tyree Goodlett did not attend and Mayor Sams typically only votes in the event of a tie). To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a change order for the renovations at Al Rollins Park - This project began as a project to install turf infields for the baseball and softball fields at Al Rollins Park to address drainage issues with the facility. On Monday night, Steve Roberts requested a change in the scope of the project to include renovations to the park facilities including the press box, restrooms (currently there are no ADA compliant restrooms and the project will add at least two), and concessions and also to address drainage of the fields. The artificial turf could still be installed later if the grading and drainage work does not sufficiently improve the field drainage as a natural grass and dirt facility. "This drainage is going to have to happen whether we do the turf or not," Roberts told the Mayor and Council. Roberts also indicated a hope that the fields can be kept as natural grass and dirt fields. "In the future I kinda hope that this cures the drainage problems that we have there so we might not look at doing those in turf... (Al Rollins Park) is our local Little League park that we do tournaments at, where Heritage Point is more of our regional tournament park... we don't want to lose what Al Rollins has meant to this community for so long and we don't want to lose that hometown feel off that baseball complex down there." To view the change order, click here. The Council voted 2-0 to approve the change. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a contract for design services for the Mill Line Trail Extension - One of the projects on the 2024 SPLOST referendum was an extension of the popular Mill Line Trail that will connect the Paul Belk Trailhead on Chattanooga Avenue with the five points intersection at the gateway to downtown Dalton. A consultant has developed a route that will take the trail alongside Coronet Drive, across Mill Creek on a pedestrian bridge, and up into the Mount Rachel Park area before traveling down Rachel Street to the existing greenway back to the Crown Mill area. On Monday night, the Council voted 2-0 to approve a design services and permitting contract for construction plans of the extension with Consor America. The contract for these services is not to exceed $449,172.39 which will be paid from proceeds from the 1% SPLOST that was approved by voters last year. To review the contract, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a 3-year landscaping/mowing contract at the Dalton Municipal Airport - Imperial Landscapes, Inc. was the lowest bidder for the landscaping services contract to include mowing of 75 acres of land, maintenance of flowers and bushes, decorative tree maintenance, mulching, weeding, etc. The contract cost is $107,999.97 to be paid from the Municipal Airport's operating budget. To view the contract, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Re-Appoint Bob Caperton to the Joint Development Authority - The re-appointment extends Caperton's time on the JDA for a 3-year term to expire January 31st, 2028. The Council voted 2-0 to approve the re-appointment. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

The Mayor and Council's next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3rd at 6:00 pm in the City Hall Council Chamber. 

Below: Click "Play" to watch Monday night's meeting