Three city meetings to be held Monday

This coming Monday, Feb. 26, Toccoa City Commissioners will meet at 3 p.m. for a work session. Three items are listed on the agenda for the work session, including a discussion of security at city hall and a discussion of fleet maintenance for the city’s enterprise departments, The final item on the agenda for the work session is a discussion of city hall renovations.

Commissioners will meet again Monday at 5 p.m. for a regularly scheduled meeting, where there are six items of news business on the agenda for consideration.

Commissioners will consider extending a six month moratorium on vape shops that was passed in August 2023. The proposed extension would leave the existing moratorium in place until August 30 of this year. According to agenda documentation, there have been no applications for an applicable business since the original moratorium was enacted. 

Consideration of an agreement with the Toccoa Little League for the maintenance and management of Alewine Park is also on the agenda. According to agenda documentation, the Toccoa Little League organization has requested to use two fields at Alewine Park for practice fields. The two fields referenced are the top field at the entrance of the park, and the first field on the lower level. Use of the building at Alewine Park is not included in the proposed agreement, as the building is used by the Fire Department as part of their training area. 

A Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, or GEFA Loan, for a dechlorination system for the water treatment plant is next on the agenda. The city applied for funding from GEFA in February of 2023 for several related projects and was awarded $1,253,500 from GEFA, with 50% principal forgiveness, or $626,750. The agenda item is related to a request from Utilities Director Harry Scott to proceed with the bidding of the referenced projects. Details on the projects will be included with documentation attached to this article on wnegradio.com.

Also on the agenda is consideration of renewal of the city’s water withdrawal permits, which are scheduled to expire on June 16, and requests for additional information from the Environmental Protection Division to be included with the renewal request, along with funding necessitated by those requests and associated surveys and engineering. 

Authorization of an AARP Grant application is also on the agenda. Funds from the grant, if awarded, would be used to fund a $10,000 upgrade to lighting fixtures at the Historic Ritz Theatre. The AARP Grant the city is proposing to apply for would have no matching funds required. 

The final agenda item is consideration of application for another grant, this one a South Arts grant, which would also be used in connection with the Ritz Theatre. This grant would assist in funding a project to bring a professional act to Toccoa that will include an interactive concert and storytelling experience on the evolution of African American music. The project cost is expected to be approximately $6,000 and the city is proposing to provide a 50 percent cash match, or $3,000 for the project. 

Also on Monday, the Downtown Development Authority will meet at 2 p.m. for a work session. Included in the agenda for the work session is a review of the DDA’s vision and mission statement, and a discussion of the Authority’s 2024 goals. Included in the list of goals to be discussed is the development of a Downtown Master Plan, including a Public Art Plan; completion of the Tugaloo Street Greenspace, Securing funding for the next phase of the Greenspace, completion of the Ritz Theatre Annex addition, continuation of the NIght at the Ritz series, recruiting dining options to downtown Toccoa, and enhancing the beautification of the downtown gateways. 

All three meetings are open to the public and take place in the second floor commission room at Toccoa City Hall, 92 North Alexander Street

	Gail Fry	Mayor	706.599.0205	[email protected]
	Terry Carter	Vice-Mayor	706.491.2550	[email protected]
	Evan Hellenga	Commissioner	706.491.0527	[email protected]
	Michelle Jamieson	Commissioner	706.491.7418	[email protected]
	Ron Matheson	Commissioner	706.244.0498	[email protected]