City Council Unanimously Approves Contract of Almost $2 Million for 500-FT Road and Traffic Signal

At last night's June City Council Meeting, City Council unanimously approved a contract to build an approximately 500-foot road between Alton Tucker Boulevard and Highway 20, and install a traffic light on Highway 20 at Stanley Street.

I criticized them in previous pieces for not publicly indicating why the new roadway segment or the traffic signal is needed. All they would say in both the April and May City Manager's reports and previous City meetings is that "this project will improve the intersection of Level Creek Road and West Broad Street, and will also extend Alton Tucker Blvd. to Highway 20 at the east end of the E Center property."

Four citizens (Former Mayor Gary Pirkle, Meg Avery, Joshua Page, and Andrew Schulz) made similar criticisms during public comments. They also questioned the amount of money spent on such a small section of roadway.

At long last, the Assistant City Manager finally presented (professionally) a previously unmentioned traffic study that the City had purchased, which, not surprisingly, supported what the City already wanted to do.

However, the public criticisms were met with open animosity from Mayor Brandon Hembree and Council Member Taylor Anderson, who launched into a lengthy, somewhat snippy, and very blame-driven tirade and slide show that purported to show how they HAD to do the road.

First, it was all because of Former Mayor Gary Pirkle because a land use plan dating back to 2005 included plans for the road, as though he had single-handedly written the plan or strongarmed the City Council and Planning Department the way the current Mayor seems to strongarm HIS overly compliant group.

Second, it was all because of the people of Sugar Hill since the previous land use plans included public feedback, and the public supposedly requested all of this. The road. The signal, I guess. The "mixed-use" projects. All of it. (By the way, another comprehensive land-use plan update is going on NOW. If you didn't know, you're not alone.