SPLOST projects are critical for tourism
The progress of 2013 projects are detailed for CVB board.
“If it weren’t for special purpose, local option sales tax (projects) this place would be moderately boring to visit,” City Manager Sammy Rich told members of the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors Wednesday.
Rich and Floyd County Manager Jamie McCord updated the CVB board on the status of 2013 SPLOST projects Wednesday.
“We’re making progress on trails,” Rich said. The Mount Berry Trail from the end of the Oostanaula River levee at West 12th Street around the west
bank of the Oostanaula River to the Armuchee Connector, is still in the engineering phase according to Rich.
Meanwhile the Redmond Trail, which will also run from the same spot at the end of the levee up by the U.S. Post
Office and through Summerville Park, is still being held up by property acquisition negotiations with Norfolk Southern railroad.
“It’s been very painstakingly slow,” Rich said.
He said he was optimistic the project would be completed sometime during his lifetime.
Rich said that work to shore up the riverbank on the downtown side of the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers at Unity Point would probably be put out for bid as a designbuild project.
“It’s got to be a project we can afford,” Rich said. There’s $1.8 million set aside for that project.
McCord said the 1,000foot extension of the runway at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport may be put out for bid in June or July. He underscored the importance of that project by saying that two local aircraft owners house their planes, and pay personal property taxes on them, in other counties because insurance regulations won’t let them come in on the existing runway.
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McCord also said work on the Forum River Center is nearing completion. Chandeliers that will be added to the main arena/ballroom have been delivered and are awaiting installation.
“We didn’t get to do everything we wanted to at the Forum,” McCord said.
The county manager also said work is finally progressing toward a dog park
in the northern section of Ridge Ferry Park.
“We really don’t have enough funds to do what we want to do there,” McCord said. Recreation Director Kevin Cowling said he hoped the area would be a little more than two acres.
Cowling also told the CVB board plans are in the works for a small fruit orchard to be planted at Ridge Ferry Park and an expansion of the wetlands demonstration area near the ECO Center, river education center in the park.