Spruill Lane will be the name of a new road connecting Mount Vernon Highway to Johnson Ferry Road east of the Sandy Springs Public Library.
The connector road is part of the city’s Johnson Ferry Road/Mount Vernon Highway Improvement Project funded with transportation sales tax revenue, Transportation Local Option Sales Tax Manager Allen Johnson said.
On Tuesday, the Sandy Springs City Council approved dedicating just under one acre of land as city right-of-way to create Spruill Lane.
Sandy Springs bought the property at 441 Mount Vernon Highway that had formerly been owned by Doris and George Marshall Spruill. Johnson said George was the son of Wilson Spruill, who moved with his family to Georgia from South Carolina in 1820, settling between Long Island Creek and Mount Vernon Road. Wilson Spruill donated approximately five acres to found Sandy Springs United Methodist Church.
His son, George Marshall Spruill, retired after 37 years with the Georgia Department of Transportation, Johnson said. He started as an elevator boy and at his retirement he was secretary and treasurer of GDOT. He served as a fighter pilot for the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II.
Johnson said the Spruill family has had a long influence on the community and the area, from the land on which Perimeter Mall was built to the Spruill Center for the Arts.
Sandy Springs gets a ‘clean’ audit
Auditors with Mauldin & Jenkins returned a clean audit with no findings for the city of Sandy Springs.
Meredith Lipson, a partner in the firm, said the audit’s objective was to provide reasonable assurances that the city’s basic financial statements are free of material misstatement.
Lipson said the city’s assets increased from $831.5 million to $881.3 million. Capital assets increased from $540.9 million to $609.6 million.
Total general revenues increased from $128.7 million to $135.8 million. Taxes make up 83 percent of the general fund revenue. Property taxes brought in $51.7 million of the general fund revenue. Sales taxes added $37.6 million to the general fund, and other taxes added another $29.6 million.
Engineering firms to provide design services
The city council approved seven engineering firms for on-call design services to aid the city with its capital projects.
Public Works Director Marty Martin said project types include sidewalk and streetscape projects, roadway and intersection improvements (including traffic signals), and stormwater improvement projects. He said they anticipate between $500,000 and $1 million of design work annually.
Martin said having pre-approved consultants will speed project delivery.
The following firms were selected from the 21 that responded: Atkinsrealis USA; Atlas Technical Consultants; BCC Engineering; Gresham, Smith and Partners; Kimley-Horn and Associates; NV5 Engineers and Consultants; and TranSystems Corp.
PATH 400 materials testing under contract
NOVA Engineering and Environmental was awarded a $285,380 contract to provide materials testing services by the city council for its portion of the GA 400 Multi-Use Path.
The construction of PATH 400 will include earthwork activities, foundation and retaining wall construction, reinforcing steel, masonry, and concrete installation. Geotechnical and materials testing services will be required to ensure that these elements of the project meet the standards outlined in its plans and specifications.
Martin said he’ll have good news to bring to the city council at its next meeting in the form of a budget amendment where the Atlanta Regional Commission was able to support the city on PATH 400’s engineering and inspection services with approximately $800,000.
River side property owner can build
A River Chase Point property owner received approval from the city council for a Metropolitan River Protection Act Certificate to build a single-family residence.
Planning and Zoning Manager Michele McIntosh-Ross said properties within 2,000 feet of the Chattahoochee River are subject to the Chattahoochee River Protection Act. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) must review and approve the certificate, and the city must hold a public hearing and approve the certificate to enable the property owner to proceed.
The staff report in the city council’s agenda packet said the ARC determined the project was consistent with the Chattahoochee River Corridor Plan. The ARC recommended that the property owner and its contractor clean all mud and debris from equipment that may transport unwanted pests to the site; use only native grass seed or native vegetation for stabilizing the project area after construction; use native plant species to reduce the spread of invasive species; implement stormwater BMP’s to limit erosion and sedimentation; and implement best management practices such as rain gardens and rain barrels.
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