Council also approves ordinance amendment changing the number of dogs residents are allowed to own

Posted Monday, July 22, 2019 9:01 pm

The Cartersville City Council voted unanimously July 18 to approve a contract for Alpha Omega Engineering to perform structural engineering consultation services on the old downtown fire department station, which is being eyed as the potential site of a microbrewery.

“This item is for a structural analysis of the building next door at the corner of Erwin and Church,” said City of Cartersville Public Works Director Tommy Sanders. “We asked a local structural engineer to give us a proposal and that proposal came back for a lump sum of $14,000.”



According to a memo Alpha Omega Engineering founder Jason P. Baines sent to Sanders on July 10, that analysis will require “access to the structural framing, which will require some demolition.”



The City opened requests for proposals (RFPs) for the building at 19 North Erwin St. earlier this year. Marietta-based Shelter Beer Co. was the sole respondent.



“Our plan is to rehab the building’s exterior, bringing it back to its former glory and opening the inside of the building and bringing the grandeur to the building’s grand halls,” said Shelter Beer Co. CEO Bryan Ellis, at a May city council meeting. “This will have a walkout deck, it will overlook the production brewery.”



But before that project, dubbed Erwin & Church Brewing Co., can come to fruition, the 103-year-old building will require significant upgrades and repairs.



“He’s going to give us a report that is basically a ‘state of the structure,’ and it’ll create an ‘as-build’ drawing and do an analysis of the structure,” Sanders said of the City's contract with Baines.



Councilman Jayce Stepp made a motion to approve the contract, albeit with two changes: the deletion of an indemnifications clause in the terms and conditions, and then under the ownership documents, “letting them know that they are subject to the State open records act.”



Under the agreement, the contractor would have access to the site “for activities necessary for the performance of the services,” noting that the cost of restorations or any resulting damages are not included in the fee.



Furthermore, the contract contains a provision that would make the City responsible for paying all costs associated with the investigation of “hidden” structural conditions, such as those concealed by existing finishes.



“If the client fails to authorize such investigation or correction after due notice, or the [structural engineer of record, or SER] has no reason to believe that such condition exists,” the document reads, “the client is responsible for all risks associated with the condition, and the SER shall not be responsible for the existing condition or any resulting damages to persons or property.”



Elsewhere on the agenda, the council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance amendment regulating the number of dogs residents are allowed to own, on one property, within the City limits.



“Based on the discussions from the last meeting, we are bringing before you to allow for four dogs on a residential property equal to or less than two acres,” said Cartersville City Manager Tamara Brock.



The item approved by council varied drastically from the original ordinance amendment proposal heard at a first reading earlier this month. That draft would have allowed residents who live on properties that are two acres or smaller to own up to six dogs, a provision that, previously, was only allowed for residents who lived on properties between one to two acres.



Under the old ordinance, residents who lived on properties that were one acre or smaller were allowed a maximum of three dogs. The end result of the ordinance tweak means that those residents are allotted one more dog than previously allowed, while those who live one-to-two acre properties are now allotted two fewer dogs than previously allowed.



Meanwhile, there are no City restrictions on the number of dogs owners of properties larger than two acres are allowed, although any property of the sort with more than six dogs is required to “maintain those animals in an enclosure at least 100 feet from the nearest property line.”



Other items of interest from Thursday evening’s meeting include:



— The council voted unanimously to approve a Georgia Department of Transportation Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) application, which is tabbed at $283,829.87 and would require a 30% match. The funding, if approved, would allow the City to resurface 11 streets, including Henderson Drive, Mission Hills Drive and Waterstone Court.



— The council voted unanimously to approve $9,801.20 in garbage truck repairs.



— The council voted unanimously to approve the purchase of a dehumidifier unit for the senior aquatic center, tabbed at $254,165.



— The council voted unanimously to approve the replacement of 12 windows at the LifeSong Montessori School building, which is owned by the City, for $5,000.