Rome seeks to save grant programs
Mayor Jamie Doss also announces the board will start on a two-day planning retreat today.
The Rome City Commission is asking Georgia’s U.S. senators and Rep. Tom Graves of Ranger to do what they can to protect municipal grant programs in the new federal budget.
President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating several programs that provide millions of dollars to improve blighted areas of the city. The city commission unanimously signed off on letters to the area’s elected officials that include testaments of what the money means for Rome.
“These programs invest in low- and moderate-income people and neighborhoods,” Commissioner Bill Collins read from the letter.
Also on Monday, the board welcomed 12 middle-school students and three adults from Kumamoto, Japan, who are visiting this week through a sister-city program that started in 1995.
“We welcome our guests and the exchange of culture and hospitality as we all learn to appreciate our differences as well as recognize our common humanity,” Mayor Jamie Doss said.
He also presented the key to the city to Chiyuki Murakami, who signed the initial friendship agreement with thenmayor George Pullen, and declared him an honorary Roman.
“Whenever I visit here, I find something new,” said Murakami, who has visited Rome eight times over the years. He thanked officials and the host families on behalf of the Kumamoto delegation and said, “I pray for the continued prosperity of Rome and Rome’s citizens.”
Doss also announced the board will hold a twoday planning retreat today and Wednesday at the Rome-Floyd County Fire Administration and Emergency Operations Center, 409 E. 12th St.
“We’re going to have a packed agenda,” he said.
The meeting today starts at noon and is slated to cover issues ranging from trails and development in the River District
to job creation efforts and potential use of the former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital grounds.
“This is an opportunity for us but it’s a difficult project,” City Manager Sammy Rich said during his State of the City address.
Wednesday’s session is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon, with items including the proposed dog park and the homeless situation up for discussion. Both sessions are open to the public.
Also on Monday, commissioners cleared the way for construction of six new homes on Holmes Drive, following a public hearing that drew no opposition.
Builder Walt Busby said the homes on the 1.15-acre tract between Cheney Street and Skyview Terrace would range in size from 1,350 to 1,550 square feet.
The board also approved two rezoning requests that allow a 0.2acre parcel on King Street to be added to a commercial tract fronting on Dean Street and a property swap between Trinity United Methodist Church and Sherold Salmon Auto Superstore on Turner McCall Boulevard.