Public Invited to SPLOST Review

Gwinnett residents are invited to attend a semi-annual SPLOST Citizen Review Committee meeting to be held Friday, Oct. 29 at 9 a.m. at the new Lawrenceville Police Headquarters located at 300 Jackson Street. Police Chief Randy Johnson will lead a tour of the SPLOST-funded facility following the meeting.

The Joint Citizen Review Committee was formed in 2005. Government officials discuss the progress of current SPLOST-funded projects and provide an independent auditor’s report showing how much money came in and how it was spent.

By state law, local governments must use revenue from the voter-approved sales tax to build specific capital improvements. The funds cannot pay for staff or operating expenses. Gwinnett has had a series of successful SPLOST programs since 1985.

The current SPLOST program runs from April 2009 to March 2014. Officials predict it will raise about $730 million for transportation, parks and recreation, city projects, public safety, courthouse facilities and libraries.

Review committee member Kathryn Willis said, “Our role is to be an oversight committee rather than a decision-making body. We hear about sales tax collections and the status of projects at these meetings and return to our communities to share that information. We recognize that more people are tuned into how their local governments are spending money these days, so we’re inviting anyone who’s interested to attend.”

Gwinnett Treasury Director Rhonda Etheridge said the county’s latest SPLOST-funded projects include the Sugarloaf Parkway extension, Alexander and Rhodes Jordan Parks, the Police Headquarters Annex/E-911 Center and the Hamilton Mill Library.
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George Pierce Park Gets Greenway Link

Construction will begin soon on another piece of the Ivy Creek Greenway trail. Currently one section of the Greenway is already complete and extends from the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center to the Mall of Georgia.

Commissioners on Tuesday approved trail construction within George Pierce Park that will connect the city’s Suwanee Creek Greenway to the existing multi-use trails in the county park. There will be a trailhead near the adult softball parking lot with benches and signage, almost a mile of paved, multi-purpose trail with retaining walls, and 1,850 feet of boardwalk with scenic overlooks. New concrete steps near the lower parking area for the soccer fields will connect to an existing gravel trail.

District 1 Commissioner Shirley Lasseter said, “I’m excited that we are able to move forward with another phase of this long-planned recreation project with funding from the 2005 SPLOST program. This trail is an excellent example of coordination between the city and the County to connect greenways that our citizens will enjoy using.”

JD James, Inc., submitted the low bid for the trail project at $1.02 million.
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Click to read MORE news:
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