Georgia County Government - May/June 2008 - (Page 26)

CLAYTON COUNTY continued from page 25 Transportation Authority to run Clayton Transit Authority, but now it’s in MARTA’s hands and we believe this will be a progressive change,” Bell asserts. Bell espouses his belief that public transportation in this urban jurisdiction – and in its “southern crescent” neighbors, South Fulton, Fayette, Henry, Spalding and Coweta counties – has a major impact on the quality of life of the people living in the region, and his words are measured because he speaks as 2007 chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Planning Board. Created by the Governor’s Office, ARC, MARTA and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority to establish an integrated transit network for metro Atlanta, the board governs integral transportation planning for the entire 11-county metro region. Also on the board of ARC, Bell is chairman of the Southern Regional Accessibility Study for the planning body, which includes six counties, and is spearheading a plan that would, within Clayton County, tie a transit loop surrounding Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson into other proposed transportation projects in the area. Bell is also active within transportation initiatives of the National Association of Counties (NACo). In November 2006, NACo President Eric Coleman appointed Bell as 2007-08 vice chair of the Transit-Railroad subcommittee of NACo’s Transportation Steering Committee. In addition to comprehensive transportation planning, the committee focuses on transportation finance, public transit, new modes of transportation and more. Using the county’s transportation initiative, “Clayton on the Move,” as an example, Bell believes the whole metro region could benefit from what he calls “breaking down barriers” between all the public transit systems serving all the metro counties. Meanwhile, Clayton County recently accepted $7 million in federal transportation grant monies, to which the county and the state will each add 10 percent matches, toward purchasing new buses to serve the county. “MARTA is moving quickly, and we’re looking to have buses on order in the next three months, and to be on the road serving citizens within six months. 26 GEORGIA COUNTY GOVERNMENT When our integrated transportation system is operational, we’ll be eligible to apply for other grants to further support it,” Bell points out. He adds that the county will continually gauge the system’s effectiveness with customer service surveys. “At the same time we will also be expanding service to include all transportation for social services and paratransit transportation.” Consolidating all transportation needs within Clayton County, Bell believes, will greatly bolster human services, allowing buses now providing transportation to dialysis patients, for instance, to achieve better efficiency by joining with other services picking up special-needs children for programs within the county’s school systems. “The idea is to blend all the county’s special needs transportation into one operation,” Bell explains. Another current goal the chairman has is linking transportation planning closely to land use. Bell believes the county was successful following a recent retreat at getting ARC to frame as a major regional goal, tying land-use and transportation planning together. “These two challenges must be addressed jointly. We have to embrace an infrastructure that will sustain higher density developments,” Bell asserts. ARC has also recently incorporated a special study addressing the Tara Boulevard corridor, all the way from the thoroughfare’s beginning in Clayton County off I-75, to the Spalding County line. The study will address land use goals, totally review all zoning ordinances, and through the Southside Accessibility Study, request special zoning for Tara Boulevard. “The plan is to leverage development potential, involving Spalding, Henry and Clayton counties benefitting from unified development plans that all have common zoning ordinances in place,” Bell asserts. A later phase of the Southside Accessibility Study will also bring Coweta, Spalding and South Fulton into the region’s transportation planning. Clayton County officials are currently meeting with all these governments to apprise them of the regional planning process for Tara Boulevard. Joining transportation and land-use planning hand in hand are so vital, according to county leaders here, because only these two facets of community development can work together to help the community as a whole support the diverse populations and diverse business and industry that foster economic health. “If we want a new shopping center, for instance, we have to be sure our community can sustain it,” Bell asserts. “Connecting Clayton,” the county’s comprehensive transportation plan, outlines a host of local transportation improvements being funded through the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), which are called “just the beginning” of a program to improve the overall effectiveness of the county’s transportation infrastructure. Transportation-related SPLOST projects planned are categorized as Safety, Maintenance and Roadway projects. These will include the addition of sidewalks, particularly in high-pedestrian and school-proximal areas; improved access and reduced traffic congestion at schools, and on adjoining streets as recommended by engineering studies; upgrading of the county’s Traffic Control Center and traffic communication devices; upgrading of road signage to improve visibility; installation of school flashers at public schools; installation of pedestrian signal crosswalks; installation of traffic calming devices for subdivisions; improving intersections with high-volume vehicles and/or accidents; and guardrail additions at select road sites. Other transportation improvements slated will improve worn and out-dated facilities, the resurface of many paved streets and paving of dirt roads. Roadway projects will widen or realign existing roads, helping alleviate congestion, and more. SPLOSTs Successful Virginia Gray is proud of the way in which the county’s most recent SPLOST succeeded, with the assistance of many community-involved volunteer activists. Gray herself chaired the 2008 SPLOST Citizens’ Committee that designed the lists of projects to be covered by SPLOST proceeds, including projects for the county and all cities. The SPLOST was a first in two respects, as the county’s first six-year CLAYTON COUNTY continued on page 29

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - May 2008

Georgia County Government - May 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters ACCG 2008 Annual Meeting: Highlights County Focus: Clayton County Negotiating a Professional Service Firm Contract: Part 3 Counties Get Involved in Efforts to End Sexual Abuse of Children Smart Growth Scorecard Gives Communities a Way to Grade New Developments Wireless Technologies Critical for First Responders Research Corner: The ACCG Policy Process RDCs Assist the USS Georgia Flag Project Extension News: Animals Take Spotlight in Disaster Planning Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Grady County NACo News: Green Initiative Launches Searchable Database Insurance News: ACCG Announces New Inmate Medical Savings Program County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - May 2008

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