The Ware County Commission was presented with a joint Waycross-Ware County comprehensive transportation plan earlier this month.
Chris Kingsbury of Atlas Technical Consultants gave a presentation to commissioners at their meeting September 9 on the stakeholder and public involvement portion of the plan. The proposal would include a feasibility study for a bypass to link the overall transportation in the area.
The item was part of a healthy agenda the commissioners handled during the session. They also approved an upgrade for the county government phone system and a request to improve property in advance of the development of an apartment complex among the other items considered.
Chairman Elmer Thrift and Commissioners Leonard Burse, Sammy Hendricks, Timothy Lucas, and Jerry Pope attended the meeting. The session was preceded by a work session and public hearing in the Administration Building.
The city and county are joining forces to upgrade the transportation infrastructure in and around the area given recent and anticipated growth.
Kingsbury’s presentation centered on the strain growth is placing on the transportation system, “reflected in increased congestion, longer commute and freight movement times, and heightened demand for enhanced transportation infrastructure.”
The plan has multiple sections, the first detailing current conditions with subsequent phases identifying future needs across its network of streets, bridges, freight corridors, and non-motorized mobility facilities.
Finally, there will be a prioritized list of recommendations developed across several transportation modes and implementation time frames.
Public engagement is proposed in developing the plan through briefings in commission work session and two interactive public meetings including a community kickoff session and a presentation of the draft plan. The meetings will provide opportunities for public feedback.
Kingsbury said the study process is anticipated to be completed by the first quarter of 2025. Cost of the plan has been pegged at $200,000 to $250,000 Waycross City Manager Ulysses “Duke” Rayford has said. The city and county would share equally in the expense, he said.
Phone upgrade
Information Technology Director Carlos Jaime presented a plan to upgrade the phone system. Also present was Nathan Lingenfelter from Alma Telephone Company, who briefed commissioners on the substantive upgrades and streamlining of equipment and services that will cut costs with a new contract.
Jaime said since the county moved into the Administration Building, phone costs have been rising. He said the phones in the facility, as well as those in the Board of Elections and Registration building, have moved to a new service provider but still pay AT&T and the new provider.
“The entire county government used to be all AT&T,” he said. The director said the county has met multiple times seeking some relief, and although there have been some credits on invoices, issues remain.
He said the county started questioning charges in 2020.
Jaime said he believes a change will be beneficial because it will lower costs by about $3,000 monthly, there will be no yearly maintenance contracts, only one monthly invoice, more in-house control over the system, and be more user-friendly regarding invoices and reports.
The contract calls for the waving of a $5,000 installation charge. The county will also receive a $1,000 one-time bill credit and a one-time cost of $18,500 for wiring drops for 148 phones.
Total monthly recurring charges for 40 access lines, 205 extensions, and 86 analog lines will be $6,389. Commissioners unanimously approved the change.
Apartments
Bradley Carroll, project manager with Vantage Development, requested an authorization letter to improve Sawdust Trail. The Fyffe, Ala., firm has planned a multi-family unit apartment complex for the property off Brunswick Highway.
Vantage needs authorization from the county to pave, curb, and install sidewalks to qualify for financing on the 11.75-acre tract. The company has received assurance from the city it will provide water and sewer service in advance of the parcel being annexed into the city limits.
The request was approved on a 4-1 vote with Lucas in the negative after making the motion for approval.
