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Alpharetta drops plan to shuffle parks bond
Alpharetta revises application rules for performances in downtown sites
By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta officials have backed down from plans to discuss reprioritizing the projects approved in the 2021 parks bond referendum. The City Council raised the idea at its annual planning retreat Jan. 21-22 after Parks and Recreation Director Morgan Rodgers said the $29.5 million bond budget fell some $5 million short from completing the work outlined in the original projects list. At the retreat, City Councilman Dan Merkel and Councilman Brian Will supported an agenda item to consider prioritizing the bond projects. City staff tentatively scheduled the item for discussion Feb. 26, but the topic did not appear on the City Council’s agenda at that meeting. In a phone interview with Appen Media Feb. 29, City Administrator Chris Lagerbloom said since the retreat, councilmembers have grown satisfied with the Parks and Recreation Department’s plans to use the bond account interest money, and there are no plans to discuss any changes to the parks bond. “With all the members of council saying they’re satisfied, there’s really no reason to have a discussion because we’re not going to be moving any money around,” Lagerbloom said. “And I don’t want the public to think that we’re trying to shuffle money from one project to the next. Right now, we’re just maintaining the status quo.”
By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — At its Feb. 27 meeting, the Alpharetta Cultural Arts Commission approved a revised application and guidelines for temporary public performances in downtown pocket parks. Previously, the city permitted temporary performances at four locations throughout downtown Alpharetta. The new application allows performances in the alley between Smokejack and the Berkshire Hathway building on South Main Street, as well as within 15 feet of the Oliver-WatersMcCollum Warehouses marker on Milton Avenue and Old Roswell Street. With the revisions, applicants will pay $60 for a permit, a $10 increase from the previous price. Half of the cost goes toward the nonrefundable application fee, and the remaining $30 covers the performer’s badge if the application is approved. Previously, performers would wear their permits on a lanyard. Under the new guidelines, the permit will be attached to a tip box. Alpharetta Cultural Services Manager Kim Manning said the new permit style contributed to the cost increase.
See CHANGE, Page 25
See BOND, Page 10
GRAPHIC BY CARL APPEN/APPEN MEDIA
Alpharetta has spent around $5 million of the $29.5 million parks bond voters passed in 2021. The bond account has accrued $2 million in interest, and city staff anticipates an additional $1.4 million this fiscal year.
Plans for Alpha Loop change after tunnel estimates climb ► PAGE 4
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