When the dust settles from the New Year’s Eve implosion of the old Hilton hotel, Macon-Bibb County will have a clean slate for future riverfront development.
Tuesday, the County Commission approved $2.475 million to hire Target Contractors to demolish the building at 12:59:59 on Dec. 31.
“This hotel has sat empty almost 10 years and it’s a dilapidated hotel that is not structurally sound,” Mayor Lester Miller said.
Miller intended to tear down the high-rise when the county purchased it earlier this year for $4.8 million. The county has been salvaging goods from the hotel and preparing for demolition in recent months. The mayor floated the idea of a movie production company blowing up the building for a film. No contract has been signed but he’s not giving up on that idea as the implosion is expected to be filmed.
“Nobody’s inked it in, but I’m sure it’s going to be used in a movie sometime,” Miller said during this month’s taping of Ask Mayor Miller.
The building with its 7-foot ceilings was not built to support heavy appliances so it cannot be converted to housing, Miller said.
The mayor expects the county to recoup about 20 times the amount spent on the hotel through future development on and near the site, he said.
Commissioners also accepted an amended real estate option agreement with the Urban Development Authority and Renaissance on the River developers who are planning new construction on 11 tax parcels that spread from the vacant lot next to from the Burger King on Riverside Drive to Second Street.
The new agreement calls for less than half of the property to be used for tax-exempt purposes with proposed uses including educational, medical, commercial, retail, hotel and residential.
While the updated master plan is still in the conceptual phase, developers plan to pay the county one half of the appraised value of the land. Barks and Brews dog park is expected to remain as part of the new development, according to the documents.
UDA also is getting $3.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act, ARPA, funds to “incentivize brick-and-mortar grocery stores to locate within food desert areas.”
“We will work with community groups and potential developers on key properties to hopefully establish grocery stores/co-ops to increase access to healthy foods in disadvantaged areas,” UDA Executive Director Alex Morrison said Wednesday morning.
Macon-Bibb County is earmarking the remainder of the $78.5 million in ARPA federal funds originally allocated by spending $1.85 million on two new fire trucks, $500,000 for Brookdale Resource Center, and $3 million to give full-time county employees a $1,500 bonus by the end of the year/ Part-time employees will receive $500.
School zone speed camera funds, other spending
Miller also wanted to zero out $3.59 million in revenue from school speed zone cameras by allocating $300K to Bibb County Schools for crossing guards, $92K for code enforcement radios, $2.7M for additional Verkada and Flock surveillance cameras, and $500K for additional flashing lights to alert drivers of reduced speed limits for school arrivals and dismissals.
The mayor said the county exceeds the legal requirements for signage in these school zones. Cameras only catch anyone going over 11 mph over the speed limit during the school day, which is defined as running from one hour before arrival to one hour after departure.
Miller offered to pay any ticket erroneously received after hours in these zones.
Commissioners including Virgil Watkins stated the cameras are reducing speed and enhancing safety, but Watkins noted “a lot of these cameras can feel like speed traps and money grabs.”
The mayor said the number of tickets issued is dropping as drivers get used to the zones and expected a pending audit to confirm that.
Commissioners also approved $2.9M in various capital improvement projects including a new airport administrative vehicle, two Chevrolet Tahoes for the district attorney, Bowden Golf Course maintenance equipment, code enforcement building renovations, $250K for Evergreen Cemetery work, Parks & Beautification mowers, recreation projects and work at the Coliseum and City Auditorium.
The commission also allocated 2018 SPLOST funds of $820K to improve the Grand Opera House which needs new stage lighting, work in the basement and on door frames, plus upgrades to dressing rooms, according to the project manager. Also in SPLOST allocations, the sheriff’s office is getting $113K to purchase and equip new vehicles, $505K will fund IT software and technology for code enforcement, and the county will pay Stafford Builders $305K to renovate the district attorney’s office.
Commissioners also approved spending $108K annually to lease 106 parking spaces near City Hall from Congregation Sha’arey Israel and Three Horses Enterprises while a new parking deck is being built as part of Gateway 75’s mixed use development over the next 18-20 months.
The county also agreed to abandon rights-of-way around Cherry, Mulberry, Seventh and Sixth streets and sell the .27-acre of land for about $49K to developers of new loft apartments.
Commissioners designated the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce as the fiscal agent for a planned summit Macon-Bibb County will host for Georgia emergency managers and disaster responders to prepare to shelter evacuees when called on. Macon-Bibb has an agreement with Chatham County to accept evacuees.
Alcohol licenses will be issued to the Brass Rack at 2440 Riverside Drive, Ingleside Foods at 2010 Riverside Drive, Marathon at 5013 Harrison Road and the new owners of the Macon Bacon at Luther Williams Field.
Commissioners also approved appointing Kaitlynn Kressin to the Urban Development Authority and agreed to Atrium Health Navicent’s slate of candidates for the Hospital Authority as John Houser, Myrtle Habersham and Dr. Matt Astin seek reappointments.
Here are highlights from the meeting captured in social media posts.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
