Water, roads among proposals

The SPLOST Citizens Advisory Committee will hear presentations on 8 projects tonight.

A water line extension to the Texas Valley area, an upgrade for the Floyd County 911 Center and a secondary access road at East Central Elementary School are among the proposed projects the SPLOST Citizens Advisory Committee will hear about tonight.

County Manager Jamie McCord said eight presenters would each have 15 minutes to state their cases for funding through a 1-cent special purpose, local option sales tax. The session — which is open to the public — starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Forum River Center, 301 Tribune St., and is expected to run until about 9 p.m.

Also on the list is $520,000 worth of improvements to the bathrooms, concessions and electrical system at the county-owned Forum. It’s being billed

as Phase II of a modernization plan initially funded in the 2013 SPLOST.

The Texas Valley community, backed by the county water department, is seeking a $5.2 million earmark for what would be an 8-mile installation of water lines, fire hydrants and other equipment. A resident also suggested the city of Rome’s $395,000 proposal to build another road at East Central. Schools cannot use tax money for outside infrastructure.

“At some times, traffic backs up all the way to the interchange,” McCord said about the school off Dean Avenue.

John Blalock, director of the 911 center, also is slated to explain what he wants to do with a $257,000 earmark for technological upgrades.

The remaining presentations scheduled tonight will focus on $2.4 million worth of energy efficiency improvements to county buildings; $4.4 million for Rome to start a similar program; $1.8 million to install more fiber optic cable between government facilities; and $2.4 million to streetscape Rome’s new River District commercial area around West Third Street.

“If this is done correctly, it will be a destination point and private money will follow,” City Commissioner Evie McNiece said during a discussion of the River District last week.

The citizen-volunteers appointed to the SPLOST committee hope to narrow a list of nearly 60 proposals into a recommended package of projects by the first part of August. Voters will be asked to cast ballots on the referendum in November.