March 4th Mayor and Council Meeting Notes

Tuesday, March 5th, 2024

The Dalton Mayor and Council met on Monday night for their first regularly scheduled meeting of the month of March (click here to view the full meeting video). Councilmember Nicky Lama was not present because he was traveling for City business but he did join remotely. The meeting was preceeded by a work session at 5:00 pm during which the Mayor and Council heard a presentation from staff at the Conasauga Community Addiction Recovery Center (CCARC) which receives funding from the community to help people suffering from drug addiction. The City has recently received funds from national opioid lawsuit settlements which could be used to help the CCARC. The Mayor and Council also heard a presentation from the City Attorney on proposed changes to the City's alcoholic beverage ordinance. A summary of the proposed changes and more information can be found here. 

Caption: Mayor Annalee Sams (left) poses with members of the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia after presenting a proclamation for American Red Cross Month

Before the meeting's main agenda began, Mayor Annalee Sams read a proclamation declaring March as American Red Cross Month in Dalton. She presented the proclamation with Carla Maton, the executive director of the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia and members of her team. You can watch the presentation by clicking here. 

The Mayor and Council also heard presentations highlighting the progress being made by both Dalton State College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College as both institutions grow in terms of enrollment and reach. 

Dr. John Fuchko, president of Dalton State College, presented some statistics in a brief presentation, including the fact that DSC's enrollment has now passed the 5,000 students mark which is a milestone for the college, which was an 8.2% increase over Fall 2023. That makes DSC the second-fastest growing school in the University System of Georgia. Dr. Fuchko noted that 91% of the school's enrollment is from northwest Georgia, but also 27 other states and 35 other countries are represented in the school's student body. Students from Dalton State's student government also presented stories and information about their accomplishments and student life at the college. You can watch the presentation by clicking here. 

Dr. Heidi Popham, president of Georgia Northwestern Technical College, also presented information about her institution to the Mayor and Council. The college's enrollment was up 9.8% in the fall, with spring enrollment up at least 11.6%. GNTC has 6,300 students enrolled in the school's six campuses across the nine-county northwest Georgia region. The Dalton-Whitfield campus has an enrollment of approximately, 1,000 students which includes some dual-enrollment students from the area's high schools. Dr. Popham was followed by two dual enrollment students from Northwest Whitfield who are studying in the basic EMT program and two students from the school's diesel mechanic program. You can watch the presentation by clicking here. 

The Mayor and Council voted to: 

• Renew the statewide mutual aid agreement involving Dalton's public safety agencies. The council voted 3-0 to renew the agreement. You can watch this portion of the meeting by clicking here. 
• Rezone a parcel at 1028 Willowdale Road from Heavy Commercial (M-2) to General Commercial (C-2). The council voted 3-0 to make the zoning change. You can watch this portion of the meeting by clicking here. 
• Rezone a parcel at 405 Mosedale Drive from Medium Density Single Family Residential (R-3) to Rural Residential (R-5). The council voted 3-0 to make the zoning change. You can watch this portion of the meeting by clicking here. 
• Accept funds from the distribution of three cemetery trusts. The trusts in question were the Roberts Trust ($17,851.45), the Bard Trust ($24,359.68), and the Martin Trust ($14,064.66). The council voted 3-0 to accept the funds from the trusts. You can watch this portion of the meeting by clicking here. 
• Approve an amendment to the design contract on the John Davis Recreation Center project. The amendement increases the owner's budget to $10.5 million which was discussed at the previous council meeting, revise the milestone dates to May 1st, 2024 for the construction start date and August 31st, 2025 for the substantial construction completion date, and revise the architect fee from 7.5% to 6.25% due to increased project budget. The council voted 3-0 to approve the amendment. You can watch this portion of the meeting by clicking here.

The meeting concluded with an administrative updates segment with City Administrator Andrew Parker presenting updates on various City projects. You can view his updates by clicking here. Parker reported: 

• The Mill Line Trail project is in the final stages and should be able to open by mid-March with the contractor finishing up final details. A ribbon cutting will be scheduled and announced but the trail will likely have a "soft opening" for public use before that.
• The John Davis Recreation Center project has an anticipated construction start date in May with anticipated completion set for August 2025, though City leaders are hoping it will be finished sooner. Various parts of the project are currently out for bids. 
• Construction will begin soon on the new property and evidence building for the Dalton Police Department which was a 2020 SPLOST project. The project is currently out for bids, and a notice to proceed is expected in early May with completion anticipated in June 2025.
• Parker updated several stormwater projects, including: the pipelining project on the Seretean Plant on Coronet Drive (construction underway, completion expected by the end of spring); Phase II of "Walnut North" the Ridge Street stormwater bypass (contractor has completed 20% of the work, bedrock issues that hampered the first part of the project are no longer an issue); Huntington Road flood mitigation and stormwater improvements (the structure is set to be demolished in the next three weeks by Dalton's Public Works Department); Prater Alley drainage basin improvements (demolition of old DUI School structure adjacenet to City Hall will take place in the next three weeks after asbestos abatement and bids are due April 5th with notice to proceed 24 hours after that); Valley Drive stream bank restoration (contact has been awarded, design work is proceeding); Phase III of "Walnut North" the McFarland Ave/Franklin St/Valley Drive stormater improvements (the 90% plan set design has been approved, designer is working towards obtaining easements); Glenwood Avenue stormwater improvements (plans 30% complete, a public information meeting will be announced at a later date after 60% plan set completion); the Temple Beth-El stormwater project/memorial park (revised concepts have been completed, finalizing details on property transfer and design proposal which is anticipated by the next Mayor and Council meeting). 

Below: The full video of Monday night's meeting: