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MATS Policy Meeting
August 7, 2013

(Audio recording is 40MB mp3)

A partial victory for Citizens and Taxpayers today.

The MATS Policy Committee voted 8-7 to stop the purchase of ROW for the southern section of Forest Hill Road (FHR) - (from Vineville to Wimbish) for 4 years. The understanding is that the political leaders will convene to find design(s) that better fit the neighborhood(s) and the community at large. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done. Sam Hart (for Mayor) voted with the Citizens and the Majority of 8. Robert Reichert and Joe Allen voted for the Road Contractors and against the Citizens. Please remember this when you vote among these three for Mayor of the new government in September next month!

Vote for a Mayor who will listen and work with the Citizens. This controversial project needs to change.

Only Sam Hart indicated he would work to change this project. Hart demonstrated traits of a consensus builder rather than a "cram it down their throats" type of "leaders" like Reichert and Allen.

From the outside peering in, Most Citizens have never been part of local government and all the political shenanigans, it appears as though local road projects are born from purely political discussions perhaps urged on by input from such firms as Moreland-Altobelli and others who stand to gain from pouring concrete and asphalt. That is, if the project is blessed politically it’s a foregone conclusion that it will be ramrodded through the planning process.

By the time the process reaches the citizen participation level a particular project is already permanently set in that concrete and asphalt. Not even a jackhammer will loosen it from its sometimes ill-conceived foundation. However, a minor miracle occurred today with the action taken on the FHR project.
--Lee-B.

Good Guys and Heroes

H	Heroes
H e r o e s
	Good Guys and Heroes

Picture of the Roll-Call-Vote is below.

Y=Yes = For the Citizens, and for Scaled Back Projects at Forest Hill Rd and at i16i75

N=No = against citizens = for the Road Contractors and Moreland Altobelli.

(click here for - Audio recording - 40MB mp3)

More Photos are posted (Here)
.......

BAD BOYZ:

Villians	Villians -- Voted Against Citizens Interests. Voted for Road Contractors Interest$$$ over the good of the Community
V i l l i a n s	During the vote about further Forest Hill Road Right of Way Purchases on Wednesday, August 7, the Chairman (who is also our current Mayor) elected to vote. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, the Chair Only votes when there is a Tie, in order to break it. However, today the Chair elected to vote anyway. Why?? In order to CREATE at Tie! It appeared at the time (due to a vote miscount) that the advocates against GDOT's massive and overly expensive project were winning, by a vote of 7 to 6. His vote should have made it 7 to 7! But, because there was a miscount, the final vote tally was 8 to 7 to defer the purchase of any further Right of Ways by GDOT between Vineville Avenue and Wimbish Road. Therefore, the current Mayor's flagrant over-stepping of his duties and Chair position was to no avail! Of the 3 current Mayoral Candidates, only Sam Hart voted with the concerns of the citizens, and Not big business, at heart. Here's hoping Everyone will remember, Sam Hart's good work, when it is time for the next Mayoral Election!
	-- Bad Boys and Villians stealing from the Public-good-will.


ABC-16 & FOX 24 News	http://www.newscentralga.com/story/macon-s-forest-hill-road-proect-takes-a-detour-20130807 Macon's Forest Hill Road Proect Takes a Detour Created: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 04:17:00 EST Updated: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 07:37:03 EST The Macon Forest Hill road improvements take a new detour Wednesday after the Macon Area Transportation Study Committee decided to defer expansion plans. In an 8-7 vote, the committee decided to not move forward with the nearly $8 million purchase of the right of way and the proposed four lane expansion and 20-foot grass median that stretches from Vineville Ave. to Wimbish Rd. "It's going to encroach on people's properties and it's going to make it faster there and it's going to divide that neighborhood even more than it's divided," St. Francis Episcopal Church Rector, Ben Wells said. Bibb County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards motioned to defer the 6/10 of a mile project from the state’s Transportation Improvement Program or "TIP". "We're not saying don't do anything at all, what we're saying is let's step back, let's take the time to listen to the neighborhood concerns and ultimately we'll come up with something that palpable to everybody concerned," Edwards said. The project is no longer on the committee’s four year horizon but will remain on the 20-year plan. In that time, the community can give more input on the road's redesign and proposed improvements which many in community say need to happen but in a different way.
41-NBC News	http://41nbc.com/news/local-news/26212-forest-hill-road-project-delayed-for-now Forest Hill Road Project Delayed for Now Written by Amanda Castro on Wednesday, August 07, 2013 04:01 PM. Posted in Local MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - Wednesday marked a small victory for the Forest Hill community. A group of regional leaders voted to temporarily delay the road expansion project which has been in the works for 20 years. It's six-tenths of a mile between Vineville Avenue and Wimbish Road. Tha'ts just a small stretch of Forest Hill Road, but it was a big topic of discussion during the Macon Area Transportation Study Policy Committee meeting. "I think we have to start listening to people who live in those neighborhoods more than we ever have before," Bibb County Commissioner and Policy Committee member Lonzy Edwards said. One of the agenda items was to create a final draft of the Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP. That is a list of the state's short-term projects, like widening Forest Hill Road. But during the meeting, the committee voted 8-7 to delay spending $8 million federal dollars to buy rights of way for the project. Macon-Bibb Mayoral candidates Robert Reichert and Joe Allen voted against the motion to defer the project, while Sam Hart voted in favor of it. "I think this is about using the funds that we have and our visions that we have to improve the neighborhood, not eviscerate down the middle," Ben Wells, the Rector for the St. Francis Episcopal Church located off Forest Hill Road, said. The community says something needs to be done to fix the road, but turning it from a two lane to a four lane highwayeven bigger in some placesisn't a solution. "We're hoping that with this vote they'll go back to the drawing board and give us something that is human sized and more useful to the citizens," Forest Hill advocate Lindsay "Doc" Holliday said. It is off the table for now, but Holliday says the fight isn't over. "It's not a win forever, this is a long term project to get what the citizens want instead of the road contractors," Holliday said. To be clear, the Forest Hill project is temporarily delayed but it is still part of the state's long range projects. The TIP final draft will be posted on Macon Bibb County's Planning and Zoning website. The community will have 30 days to call, email, or send in any comments or concerns before a final version is approved. During that same meeting, the committee amended the TIP to include spending $11.5 million federal dollars for fixing up homes in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood that were affected after I-75 came through the area and homes that could be impacted by the current plans to expand the interstate again. Follow Amanda Castro on Twitter and 'Like' her on Facebook
Macon Telegraph	Forest Hill Road plans put on hold once again Published: August 7, 2013 http://www.macon.com/2013/08/07/2595770/forest-hill-road-temporarily-removed.html By PHILLIP RAMATI pramati@macon.com Work on Forest Hill Road could be pushed back by as much as four years after a committee voted Wednesday to defer plans to widen the road. Members of the Macon Area Transportation Study committee voted 8-7 to remove the Forest Hill project from the state’s Transportation Improvement Program that covers the next four years. Bibb County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards made a motion to move the Forest Hill Road and Interstate 16/Interstate 75 improvement projects from the state’s short-range programs for fiscal years 2014-17. Both projects remain in the state’s long-term plans. After about an hour of debate, the committee agreed to push back the Forest Hill Road project for at least a year, when the committee can revisit the issue. Edwards noted that the state is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with longtime neighborhood activist Lindsay “Doc” Holliday over the fate of Forest Hill Road. While everyone who spoke at Wednesday’s meeting said everyone agrees that improvements are necessary, Holliday and other residents object to the scope of the DOT’s plans for the Forest Hill neighborhood. Holliday has argued for smaller-scale changes, noting that he thinks the state’s design is unsafe and would destroy many trees along the road. By deferring a vote on changes to Forest Hill Road, Edwards said many of the issues between the state and residents may be ironed out in the court’s ruling, giving committee members a better sense of what changes may be necessary. “There are lots of questions that need to be addressed,” Edwards said. “Deferring it allows time for the DOT to make a sell to the citizens. In the case of Forest Hill Road, the lawsuit that’s pending might resolve some issues.” Several Forest Hill Road residents addressed the committee before the vote, all of whom object to the current plans for the road, which calls for the road to have four- and six-lane stretches in some places. Calder Clay, a former Macon councilman and former Bibb commissioner, said it would cost about $8 million to widen a stretch of roadway that’s about six-tenths of a mile. “It’s dividing a neighborhood, my neighborhood,” he said. “Is this the right thing to do for the entire community?” Bibb Commissioner Gary Bechtel, who doesn’t serve on the MATS committee but whose district includes Forest Hill Road, agreed with deferring the widening work. “I believe the plan is over-designed,” he said, adding that a three-lane road with a median would serve the neighborhood better that the current proposed design. Macon Mayor Robert Reichert, the MATS chairman, said before the vote that the final draft of the Transportation Improvement Program still requires a 30-day public comments period, which would allow residents to offer suggestions for changes to the draft. But Macon Councilman Henry Ficklin said residents along Forest Hill Road and other neighborhoods have been raising objections to DOT plans for years and have had little effect on the plans. Tony Rojas, executive director of the Macon Water Authority, said that previous DOT plans have been approved by local officials. “We’re just as responsible as the DOT,” he said. Macon City Councilman Rick Hutto said DOT plans for Forest Hill Road and the I-16/75 interchange are much too big in scope and often have a negative effect on surrounding neighborhoods. Hutto said he had similar concerns about the interchange as those of Forest Hill Road residents. “Yes, (the interchange) needs to be fixed, but we have to scale it back,” he said, noting that the proposed plan would make for a wider interstate than the current I-75/I-85 lanes between Georgia Tech and downtown Atlanta. “This is a half-billion dollar project that would destroy all of the neighborhoods around it. The neighborhoods have asked over and over to scale it down. ... They are paying for it by cutting out other projects. Let’s do what we’re supposed to do and listen to the people who elected us and appointed us.” After the meeting, Holliday said he and his supporters got a minor victory with the decision to defer the Forest Hill Road work. Holliday sued the state in December to stop work on the road and won injunctions since then. The lawsuit is yet to be decided. “We’ve been in this for the long haul for 20 years,” he said. With Wednesday’s changes, the committee unanimously approved the final draft of the Transportation Improvement Program, which included adding an amended plan that calls for mitigation improvements for the Pleasant Hill neighborhood on each side of the I-75 corridor for about a half-mile. The improvements are designed to offer relief to Pleasant Hill residents from issues that go back to the construction of the interstate decades ago. Those improvements, which will cost $11.6 million over fiscal 2015 and 2016, include covering an existing concrete drainage channel; adding a linear park with a 10-foot trail in an area bounded by the interstate, First Avenue, Walnut Street and the former drainage channel; resurfacing of First and Second avenues; and streetscaping a route through Pleasant Hill. To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334
13-WMAZ News	Forest Hill Road Project Delayed http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/article/241903/153/Forest-Hill-Road-Project-Delayed The controversial Forest Hill Road Project has been delayed and is no longer on the Macon Area Transportation Committee's four-year plan. In an 8-7 vote Wednesday morning, the committee agreed to keep Forest Hill on its 20-year plan and seek additional input that could lead to redesigning the proposed road improvements. "We're not saying don't do anything at all. What we're saying is let's step back; let's take the time to listen to the neighborhood concerns and ultimately come up with something that's palatable for everybody concerned, and probably save millions of dollars in the process," says Bibb County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards. The Forest Hill project has been controversial from its inception, primarily because area homeowners objected to what they called excessive widening of the road and unnecessary encroachment on their properties. However, some residents say the road does need some improvements. "We want a sidewalk. We'd love to have it repaved. We'd like the intersections to be fixed, but a four-lane up to a seven-lane highway on six-tenths of a mile accomplishes none of that," says Calder Clay, who lives off Forest Hill Road. A lawsuit, filed by activist Lindsay Holliday, seeks an injunction against the project. Holliday said his suit is expected to be heard in October. Meanwhile, the committee voted to delay work on the I-16 and I-75 split but proceed with fixing homes and properties in the Pleasant Hill area that were damaged when I-75 came through the area. Macon Mayor Robert Reichert and Bibb County Commissioner Joe Allen opposed Wednesday's decision. Both say they did not want to delay the interstate project, because the current layout poses a safety issue. However, they are open to redrawing the Forest Hill Road plan. Both projects are still included in MATS long-term plan. People now have 30 days to weigh in on the final draft of the four-year improvement plan. Anyone can submit their input by calling or emailing the Macon-Bibb Planning and Zoning website.

	Other Stories and Editorials following The Meeting:

	This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013 Published: August 11, 2013 http://www.macon.com/2013/08/11/2601641/this-is-viewpoints-for-sunday.html A new day? A wonderful thing has happened. For the first time in forever MATS has voted to reject a GDOT project. Maybe this is a dawning of a new day, where the citizens of this city have a voice in how their neighborhood looks and functions. Maybe Moreland Altobelli does not own Georgia. A great big thank you to the people that stood up and were counted. Thanks to City Councilmen Rick Hutto and Henry Ficklin, County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards, Daylon Martin, Grace McCrimmins, Kamal Azar and special thanks to the only mayoral candidate to vote with us Commission Chairman Sam Hart. Once again thanks for standing up. -- Nick Pietrzak Chairman Citizen Advisory Committee Macon

	ERICKSON: Notes in August Published: August 9, 2013 http://www.macon.com/2013/08/09/2598737/erickson-notes-in-august.html By Erick Erickson - Special to The Telegraph The Forest Hill Road project is necessary. The road is crumbling, bumpy, too narrow and a mess. It needs to be widened at Ridge Avenue. But while we should all be able to agree on that, can we also agree that the Georgia Department of Transportation’s plan is too big, too destructive of a beautiful neighborhood and most traffic has moved north to Bass Road. Bass Road is in far more desperate need now of expansion and stoplights than Forest Hill Road was even a year ago or five years ago. Traffic patterns moved, road planning should too. At the same time, I fully support the Department of Transportation’s efforts at I-75 and I-16. The commercial traffic we are going to see over the next decade will be significant. We absolutely must improve and expand that section of road. Let’s hope whoever designed the parking lots at The Shoppes at River Crossing is not involved. I have no idea who thought the parking lot design there was a good idea. If you park in the Dillard’s parking lot that fronts Wesleyan Drive, you are confronted with two options to actually get to Dillard’s -- walk through the ever growing hedge or walk all the way around the parking lot. Other parts are no better. I spent this last week in New Orleans at my annual RedState Gathering. .... ..... Shifting gears here entirely at the end, upon returning from New Orleans, I realized school had started. Our oldest goes to First Presbyterian Day School, so we have a week left. But public school has started. Am I the only one who takes school zones seriously? I was driving up Zebulon Road the other day, slowed to 25 mph, and had the guy behind me angrily blare his horn and zoom around me. For all its faults, growing up in Louisiana, every school zone had a sheriff’s deputy stationed daring people to speed through. School zone speed limits are not reduced to be inconvenient, but for the safety of the kids and parents coming and going. Slow down when the lights flash, please. Erick Erickson is a Fox News contributor and radio talk show host in Atlanta.
	Small victory in running battle over Forest Hill Road Published: August 9, 2013 - Telegraph Editorial Board http://www.macon.com/2013/08/09/2598736/small-victory-in-running-battle.html It’s not often the Georgia Department of Transportation hits a roadblock. It has a habit of declaring “Our way or the highway.” As is its custom, GDOT proposes plans that are huge in scope. Many would say the department super sizes roads to maximize contractor profits. Politicians, seeing money coming into their communities, usually roll over to GDOT’s wishes. Opponents of the Forest Hill Road project -- a battle that’s been going on even before the passage of the Road Improvement special purpose local option sales tax in 1994 -- have stuck to their guns and won another skirmish. Wednesday, members of the Macon Area Transportation Study committee voted 8-7 to remove Forest Hill Road from the state’s Transportation Improvement Program that covers the next four years. Nothing is settled of course. One of the lead opponents, Lindsay Holliday, has taken GDOT to court and while resolution of the lawsuit may settle some of the issues, it is unlikely GDOT and the neighborhood will ever see eye-to-eye. Both sides agree that Forest Hill Road needs improvement, but that is where agreement ends. Over the years, even the basis for improving Forest Hill Road has changed. The department has fudged on traffic counts and used other devices to justify its plans for widening the road. Once a part of a grand scheme to link the north side of town with the Macon Mall, that need is no longer a pressing issue. Don't tell that to GDOT. What will eventually happen? It’s anyone’s guess. This community may still be talking about Forest Hill Road 20 years from now. There seems to be more evidence for just leaving the road alone than moving forward with GDOT’s expansive plans. Another road dispute involves the Interstate 75/Interstate 16 improvement projects. The vote also moved those projects from the state’s short-range programs for fiscal years 2014-17. The initial designs were more akin to an Atlanta highway than one bordered by the Ocmulgee River and neighborhoods. The cost, as it sits now, is enormous. GDOT has bounced the project to its long-term list before, and with the lack of funds, along with the defeat of the T-SPLOST, it may stay there for a while. The delay could be a huge problem. Interstate 16 is a direct artery for goods arriving at Savannah’s port. That traffic will certainly increase as the port gets ready for the new fleet of supersized cargo ships. The I-16/I-75 interchange is already a safety hazard and will become more so if an acceptable design can't be worked out. Questions linger about Forest Hill Road work Published: August 8, 2013 http://www.macon.com/2013/08/08/2598385/questions-linger-about-forest.html By PHILLIP RAMATI pramati@macon.com For those who live along or travel Forest Hill Road, there seems to be two points of consensus: The road needs to be widened in at least a few places, and the pothole-prone stretch needs repair. But officials and residents say they don't think any of that work will happen anytime soon. Between a lawsuit filed by local roads activist Lindsay “Doc” Holliday against the Georgia Department of Transportation last December, and Wednesday’s decision by the Macon Area Transportation Study committee to remove the road from the draft of its short-term plan, it doesn't appear likely the road will soon get the repair work it needs. Brooks Dantzler, a Macon resident who spoke at Wednesday’s MATS meeting against the current design plan for the road, said the MATS vote doesn't feel like much of a victory because the issue continues to drag along. “I guess I’m as satisfied as I can be as long as we’re moving along (at) a snail’s pace,” she said. The main complaint from residents opposed to the state plan for the north Macon roadway is that the plan is overdesigned, with the plan calling for expanding to four or seven lanes in some areas. Some portion of the road -- mainly the stretch from Vineville Avenue to Wimbish Road -- is owned by the county. Bibb County Chairman Sam Hart and Commissioner Gary Bechtel, who serves the district in which Forest Hill Road is located, both said Thursday the county is obligated to repair the section it controls. But the rest of the road is controlled by the DOT, and the county has no jurisdiction. DOT representative Kimberly Larson said the state would repair portions of the road where there is currently no roadwork being done or about to begin. Those sections are controlled by the contractors, she said, and repair work would only be done if there is a major traffic issue. The committee’s decision means the state won't be authorized to spend more than $8 million to purchase the right-of-way land on Forest Hill between Wimbish and Vineville -- covering about six-tenths of a mile. One of the reasons for the committee’s removal of Forest Hill Road from the draft of the short-range plan was Holliday’s lawsuit. Some who voted in favor of removing Forest Hill Road from the draft, including Bibb County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards, said they wanted to wait for a resolution in the legal case so they could better make plans for the road. Bechtel said he will make a point with other county commissioners that the county needs to address any issues with the road, at least with the portion it controls. “The bottom line is, this decision leads us in a certain direction, and we’re going to address it with local money that’s not addressed by DOT or Federal Highway (Administration) money,” he said. Hart said he met with DOT officials last week and would like to maintain a dialogue with the agency to make sure necessary work gets done. “I’m very committed to do something with Forest Hill Road,” he said. “Something needs to be done. ... (I) want to see if we can negotiate a decision on that property. That’s why we need to talk about this. Deferring this gives us some time for communication. I don't want to have an adversarial issue with the state.” Holliday said the situation with the DOT has become nothing but adversarial, and local residents need to pressure the agency to live up to its obligations. He said the DOT has been more beholden to its contractors than it has to neighborhood residents. “(The road) is already in neglect, and the state needs to do what we pay them to do,” he said. “They’re clearly extorting the public. ... They've got the money and the power to do what they want to do.” Hart and Bechtel noted that Houston County has greater control of its road designs thanks to a special county penny tax approved by voters there. They said Macon-Bibb’s new government might need a similar remedy. But Holliday said he doesn't want local money spent on the Forest Hill Road project, since the DOT is funded by tax dollars. He said he would rather the county join him in his lawsuit against the DOT. “That'd be the quickest solution -- not let GDOT make us do what they’re supposed to be doing for us,” he said. Holliday said his lawsuit is still in the discovery phase and that a court date hasn't been set. To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334

The City of Macon	The County of Bibb
Georgia	U.S.A.

Lindsay 'Doc' Holliday	e-mail
Holliday Dental Associates 360 Spring Street Macon, GA 31201	office 478-746-5695 home 478-742-8699 Thank-You...

	MATS - Policy - Committee




	MATS POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTICE DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 TIME: 9:30 a.m. PLACE: Bibb Co. Engineering Annex, 760 Third St., Macon, GA 31201 --Roll Call – establishment of quorum --Approval of meeting agenda & minutes --Committee Reports -CAC -TCC --Public Input (5 min./person limit) Agenda Items 1. Draft Transportation Improvement Program – Review of draft document 2. Project Status Report – Presented by Georgia D.O.T. ---Old Business ---New Business ---Adjournment MATS POLICY MEETING MINUTES April 24, 2013 A meeting of the MATS Policy Committee was held on April 24, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. in the Bibb Co. Engineering Annex. There were 15 voting members present, thereby establishing a quorum. The meeting agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting were introduced and approved. Under public input, Michael Ryan had some comments concerning the LRTP. He stated that the document contains a flawed assumption that traffic will continue to grow. Furthermore, neighborhoods will be adversely impacted by certain road projects and the level of livability will decrease. He also stated that the LRTP does not focus enough on the development of alternative forms of transportation. The first item presented on the agenda was the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Jim Thomas discussed this item and stated that the final LRTP needed to be approved by the MATS Policy Committee. He stated that a total of 65 public comments had been received regarding the LRTP and the comments dealt mainly with the project development level. The I-16/I-75 project had received the most comments in regards to the LRTP. In addition, staff had prepared a summary of the responses and comments which were sent out to the Policy Committee members. Subsequently, a motion was made by Mike Underwood and seconded by Tony Rojas to approve the final LRTP which was followed by some discussion. Nick Pietrzak stated that in regards to the LRTP, the Forest Hill Rd. neighborhood does not want this project and the traffic counts on this road were erroneous. Furthermore, the I-16/I-75 project should be downsized and the LRTP does not take into consideration technology in the development of multi-lane road projects. Rick Hutto also commented in regards to the I-16/I-75 interchange project. He stated there were 58 public comments that were received in opposition to the project. The cost of the project is too large and the project will degrade a residential section of Macon. Furthermore, the Ocmulgee Greenway will be decimated as part of the project. Henry Ficklin also stated that the project will impact the Shirly Hills community and that technology is a valid concern that should be a part of the LRTP. He also inquired if the public comments had been taken into consideration by GDOT. Andrew Heath stated that GDOT has to respond to all public comments according to the regulations. Lonzy Edwards commented that consideration should be given to removing the I-16/I-75 projects from the LRTP. In the past, certain road projects have adversely impacted neighborhoods and the LRTP has not considered the impact of this project to the community. Subsequently, Mr. Edwards made a motion to remove the I-16/I-75 projects from the LRTP which was seconded. Mayor Reichert commented that the I-16/I-75 project is important for this area. He commented that the weaving movements along the interstate have been deemed to be unsafe. Currently, there are exit lanes where traffic stacks up. GDOT has stated that improvements on this roadway must be made for a twenty year time period. He also disagreed with the idea that the Shirly Hills area would be decimated as a result of the improvements. The Mayor considered it irresponsible to eliminate this project since it has statewide significance. Andrew Heath from GDOT stated that the LRTP is a document that is developed on a system wide level. If the I-16/I-75 projects are removed, there will be no federal funding available for improvements to the interchange. In addition, the NEPA process is available for the evaluation of the impact of any future road projects. Tommy Robinson also mentioned that the current interchange is bad and Macon is losing a significant amount of business as a result. However, Daylon Martin stated the interchange is challenging but not as bad as other he has seen and the impact on the adjacent neighborhood is serious. After further discussion, the Mayor called for a vote on the motion to remove the I-16/I-75 projects from the LRTP. The motion subsequently failed to pass when the Policy Committee voted 7 to 6 against the motion. In addition, the Policy Committee also voted on the final LRTP document. The members voted 7 to 5 in favor of approving the final LRTP. The next item on the agenda was an amendment to the TIP for the I-16 project. Ken North stated that funding for preliminary engineering had been made available for the I-16 project from SR 11 to SR 87. The funding amount consisted of $500,000 in FY 2013 and this needed to be included as an amendment in the TIP. A motion was made to amend the TIP which was seconded and approved by the members of the Policy Committee. Being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. MATS POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING ATTENDANCE LIST April 24, 2013 Those Attending Representing 1. Jim Thomas* Sarah Gerwig-Moore, Macon-Bibb P & Z Chairman 2. Nicholas Pietrzak* CAC Chairman 3. Sam Hart* Bibb Co. Commission Chairman 4. Robert Reichert* Mayor, City of Macon 5. Steve Layson Bibb County 6. Ken North Macon-Bibb Co. Planning & Zoning Comm. 7. David Fortson Bibb County Enginneer 8. Jack Reed Georgia D.O.T. 9. Mike Stucka Macon Telegraph 10. Tony Rojas* Kirby Godsey, Water Authority Chairman 11. Charlie Gunnels Bibb Co. Sheriff’s Office 12. Tim Pitrowski Jones Co. Zoning Office 13. Andrew Heath* Keith Golden, Georgia D.O.T. Commissioner 14. Daylon Martin* Jones Co. Commission 15. Greg Brown Macon-Bibb Co. Planning & Zoning Comm. 16. Mike Underwood* Larry Childs, Jones Co. Commission 17. Tommy Robinson* Jones Co. Commisson 18. Henry Ficklin* Lonnie Miley, Macon City Council 19. Ralph Nix* John Reid, Chairman Middle GA Reg. Comm. 20. Rick Hutto* James Timley, City Council President 21. Joe Allen* Bibb Co. Commission 22. Lonzy Edwards* Bibb Co. Commission 23. Don Tussing Macon-Bibb Co. Planning & Zoning Comm. 24. Van Etheridge Road Program 25. Stephen Adams Cliffard Whitby, Macon-Bibb Industrial Auth. 26. Ray Shell Macon Water Authority 27. Michael Ryan CAC 28. Grace McCrimmons* Mayor, Payne City *Voting Member

	Ken North Transportation Planner Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning Comm. 478 751-7462

	...







	From NYT - February 14, 2011, 10:30 am http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/to-get-america-growing-again-its-time-to-unleash-our-cities-a-guest-post-by-ed-glaeser/ To Get America Growing Again, It’s Time to Unleash Our Cities: A Guest Post by Ed Glaeser By STEPHEN J. DUBNER Stop subsidizing suburbs. We don’t need housing and highway policies that push people away from our productive cities. Brown economist Nathaniel Baum-Snow found that every new highway built into a city reduced that city’s population by 18 percent. Our pro-homeownership policies, including the financial fiascos of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, implicitly push people out of urban apartments into suburban homes. The great housing bust reminds us that the government shouldn’t be bribing people with the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction to bet everything on the swings of the housing market.

(Audio recording is 40MB mp3)

A partial victory for Citizens and Taxpayers today.

(click here for - Audio recording - 40MB mp3)

Forest Hill Road Project Delayed

Those Attending Representing

This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013