As Macon-Bibb County nears the end of the 2018 SPLOST collection, architects are drawing plans for a long-awaited courthouse renovation.
Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller discussed the revised strategy to secure the courthouse in this month’s Ask Mayor Miller program which touched on a variety of topics including school safety, divisive politics and delays in addressing requests through the See, Click, Fix portal.
For several years, county leaders have contemplated building a new courthouse to address safety concerns and earmarked about $40 million of the $280 million SPLOST begun in 2018.
After the construction of the Juvenile Justice Center on Oglethorpe Street, two new courtrooms at the Macon Mall annex and purchase of 588 Walnut St., Miller has opted to renovate the existing building instead.
Goals are to devise a way to get prisoners safely in and out of the building, give judges and staff secure passageways and create a better entrance for the public, according to SPLOST project manager Clay Murphey.
Macon-Bibb contracted with the Wakefield Beasley architectural firm to study the building and design the renovation. (11:30 into video)
“We’ve been meeting with them. They’ve been meeting with all the judges, the sheriff’s department and everyone involved in a process with our facility. So, they’ll be putting together a plan and we’ll send out an RFP (Request For Proposal) for pricing on that. So, next year you’ll see those renovations start and perhaps get finished in a short period of time,” Miller said.
The 2018 SPLOST timeline shows the courthouse project could be finished by the end of 2026.
The Miller administration is planning the 2025 SPLOST proposal that is expected to include a new jail that could also have auxiliary courtrooms with streaming capabilities that would negate the need to transfer inmates to court.
Miller recently welcomed the Middle Georgia Regional Commission as the first guests in new community meeting rooms between the MGRC’s new offices and the Board of Elections. During the dinner, he received a lot of positive compliments from neighboring colleagues from 11 counties. (9:27)
For Ask Mayor Miller, Macon educator Joe Finklestein submitted a question about what Miller expects to see in the coming year in the way of future development and more retail stores at Macon Mall. (12:25)
“It’s no secret I’ve been talking to hotels on that site. It’s no secret that we’re going to have some housing in the area. We constantly are talking to people, food providers, and you know Hull is in the job of managing the facilities. Right now we’ve just got to make sure that we bring good quality companies in there, not just have any type of retail,” Miller said.
The post-COVID world and advent of expanded warehouse delivery networks, retailers are no longer building big anchor stores that lured mall traffic, and restaurants want to include drive-thru service, he said.
The Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority owns property on Eisenhower Parkway across from the mall, which could become a mixed-use development with housing, but Miller did not yet share specifics other than to say there is more work on the horizon in that corridor. (13:45)
“It’s going to be a bigger, brighter future across from the mall. I think you’re going to be very excited. You know people always talk like, ‘You’re doing this in north Macon. You’re doing this downtown. Why can’t we do it other places?’ Well, you’re about to see that and hopefully you’ll support that, but I think you’re going to see something really nice coming by the mall,” Miller said.
The old Rooms To Go location at 3654 Eisenhower Pkwy. will become a Planet Fitness and the old Office Depot behind the amphitheater has been selected for another new business coming to town.
The first season of the Atrium Health Amphitheater is crescendoing to its final two months after its first sellout with Koe Wetzel this month and upcoming concerts with Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, the Black Crowes and a planned Gospel night on Nov. 10. (14:24)
“We’re going to finish really strong. We’re going to already start building for next year. We’ve already been in discussion with artists for next year. So, we ask people to still stay engaged. Let us know what you want to see and we’ll do our best to try to get it here,” Miller said.
Shows featuring Boy George, Squeeze and Bell Biv deVoe were canceled, and the Summer Jam postponed to an unannounced date, but the mayor said those were not Macon-Bibb County’s decisions.
“First of all, we haven’t canceled a single show this year. We don’t cancel shows. We always have our facility ready, willing and able for people to do. If the promoter feels like they haven’t met all the quotas that they need to, they certainly can postpone the show to a later date and move it to another site. So, we don’t cancel shows. That is their decision,” he said.
School Safety, speeding tickets, divisive politics
When a teen gunman was arrested Sept. 4 for allegedly killing two adults and two children at Apalachee High School in Winder, Miller was about seven miles away in Barrow County attending a joint meeting with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association. (16:03)
“It’s a very somber moment. As someone who had two boys who went through public school and has been on the school board, it’s one of those things that really hits close to home,” he said. “That’s something that we don’t want to see in our community. We strive hard each and every day to make sure that all the resources are in place to prevent that.”
Installing speed cameras in front of school zones is another safety measure to keep students safe, but Mike Newsome wanted to know why the speed limit stays at 25 mph after the children are already safe inside or gone for the day. (18:37)
Miller said in most school zones except Appling the reduced speed is only for an hour around arrival and dismissal, but the cameras do catch those who go more than 10 mph over the regular speed limit any time of the day.
“It’s easy. When the lights are on, you go the reduced speed. When the lights are off, you get ten miles an hour over that speed, the regular speed limit. I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to do. I think they’re just mad because they got caught,” he said.
Miller would be happy if the county didn’t get any revenue from the cameras because that would mean no one was speeding, he said.
Miller also commented on the recent assassination attempts against former president Donald Trump and the divisive political climate in this election year. (0:26)
“It’s very toxic. I think one of the things we try to do here in Macon-Bibb County is concentrate on our own local government, not get involved too much in national politics. But any time you’ve got an assassination attempt of any kind of elected official it’s a very serious nature and I think sometime you’re going to have to start watching the words that we say to incite people,” he said.
Former president Jimmy Carter is an example of a leader who has been able to transcend party lines through his humanitarian work after leaving office, he said. (2:22).
Miller plans to work together with the new county commission members taking office later this year, (3:00), and plans to install District 3 commissioner-elect Stanley Stewart early to replace Elaine Lucas, who effectively resigned her District 3 seat when she was the only person to qualify for the Nov. 5 special election for Macon Water Authority District 1. (3:52)
The mayor does favor nonpartisan races in all local elections, including sheriff. (1:51)
Miller said the spring cyberattack did not have an impact on the See, Click, Fix portal for reporting issues that need attention, although one local citizen said she has waited months for the county to address a right-of-way issue and problems with a traffic signal. (8:22)
The mayor said that more people are using the service, including some folks who file 20 to 30 reports in a day that may require assistance from outside agencies such as the Macon Water Authority or Georgia Department of Transportation.
“It takes a lot of manpower to get through those things,” Miller said. “I say just bear with us. Make sure you do that and follow up on it. Feel free to send an email if See, Click, Fix ticket doesn’t get fixed correctly. We’ll try to figure out why it is and get better the next time.”
Miller also commented on the importance of forging better relationships with the Muscogee Creek Nation, (5:47), recognizing even the darker side of the county’s history when it comes to slavery, (6:51), investing in renovating Rosa Parks Square, (7:43), celebrating Pride Week and our Hispanic Community during their heritage month, (21:14), and hosting the third annual Sneaker Ball on Dec. 14. (22:14)
Send your questions for the next Ask Mayor Miller to [email protected]
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-957-2829.
