The Newton County Board of Commissioners approved an intergovernmental contract with the city of Porterdale Tuesday night for the purchase of right-of-way necessary for intersection improvements at Crowell Road and Ga. Highway 81.
The contract states the county will be responsible for obtaining all professional services necessary to acquire the ROW, including surveying services, appraisal services, land acquisition services and legal services. The county will own the ROW acquired for the intersection improvements.
According to the contract, Porterdale shall pay, within 30 days, one half of the invoiced amount for the professional services used to purchase the ROW. Porterdale shall also pay one half of the purchase price and closing cost for each parcel of acquired ROW.
Scheduled improvements to the intersection include the addition of traffic control signals, turn lanes and the widening of existing ROW.
In other council news:
The BOC approved a $55,000 upgrade to the county's fire paging and alerting system.
According to a memo from 911 Communications Director Mike Smith to the board, the county's present platform for paging of volunteers and activating weather sirens has multiple points of failure.
The board approved a $393,673 bid from Sunbelt Builders for grading, site work and utility installation for the county's seventh fire station on Brown Bridge Road.
The board approved a $97,982 task order to transportation consultant PBS&J for construction management assistance for the Bailey Creek Road realignment project.
An application to develop a 48,678 square foot retail/business/commercial center on Iris Drive in District 3 was approved. The owner, Resource Piedmont, was granted a rezoning from single-family residential to general commercial.
A speed limit reduction proposal from 55 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour for approximately one mile on Ga. Highway 162, between Mote Road and Fire Tower Road, was approved by the board. The request will now be sent by the Georgia Department of Transportation for final approval.
The section of roadway was described as congested, hilly and the site of numerous side streets with at least two churches on it in the memo approved by the board.
