We're here live at the Cobb County Commission meeting. It's a light agenda, but commissioners are expected to approve a contract to build the new Austell Senior Center. Commissioners got a look earlier today at a master plan for Northeast Cobb's Mabry Park and are expected to approve it tonight.
7 p.m. There is a crowd here from the Friends of Mabry Park. They all have on blue shirts that say "Imagine" on the front and "...a place...." on the back with the group's website.
7:07 The pledge and prayer are out of the way.
Commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Bob Ott recognize Walton High School’s men’s lacrosse team, men’s soccer team and women’s tennis team, all of whom won state championships this spring.
7:21 May 2011 is proclaimed Asthma Awareness Month.
A proclamation is presented to the Lockheed Martin Leadership Association designating June 5 through 11 as Management Week in Cobb County.
7:23 A public hearing opens on the consideration of the Johnson Ferry Road Urban Design Plan. Many meetings have been held with businesses and residents about how to improve this area in East Cobb.
7:27 Staff has created a design with four hub areas along the road. Some will be more urban in nature and others more residential.
7:36 A speaker from the East Cobb Civic Association is excited that this is before you now. Community has worked long and hard on this plan.
A new speaker is an original member of steering committee. She thanks Commissioner Bob Ott. "It is critical that we have an urban design for this area."
Larry Savage says he doesn’t think the government should go out and determine how a community should look. He says that the community involvement has been poor and that the meetings weren't advertised very well.
7:43 Ott says this is the first step in a process, as a guide for development. The design has been community-driven. Many changes have been made to address any concerns.
The board accepts the design plan unanimously.
7:51 It's public comment time.
A speaker thanks police for their help in a recent robbery at his house.
A new speaker is opposed to proposed cuts in CCT routes. She says her housekeeper has no other way to get to her house.
Another speaker rides the 65 bus and says she has no other way to get to work.
8:15 The consent agenda, which includes approval of the master plan for Mabry Park, passes.
8:17 Several transportation items are approved, including improvements to Bells Ferry Road, Jiles Road and Barrett Parkway.
8:19 Commissioners approve a design/build contract with Choate Construction for the Austell Senior Center. The old building was flooded in 2009.
8:25 And we are adjourned.
Never occurred to anyone to (1) Ask a friend or relative to take you, or the lady who owns the house to go pick her up; (2) take a taxi. If you do not own a car, pay car insurance, maintenance, repairs, upkeep and gasoline, you should be able to afford to take a taxi to and from work.
Generally speaking, such economic benefits are reproduced wherever public transportation exists. Businesses set up shop where there's access to public transportation, giving them access to a greater supply of both labor and customers. More customers means more sales, and more sales means more jobs. http://www.truscottrossman.com/AboutUs/Newsroom/tabid/67/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/51/Study-says-Michigans-Public-Transit-Sector-Sustained-9200-jobs-Contributed-1-Billion-to-MI-Economy.aspx
" The CCT budget and service cuts follow similar cutbacks from other transit providers in the region. Faced with financial crises, MARTA is cutting its service by more than 10 percent, and GRTA Xpress is raising fares starting this October, and may run out of funds by the next fiscal year. Clayton County ended its local transit operations back in March due to lack of funds."
Some people in my community operate "shared cars" where people with cars give out their cell numbers and schedules, and shopping trips are consolidated. I lived like this when I was at college in Florida, and my group was extensive - about 20-30 people. And some cab companies operated vans where the dispatch would coordinate shared "cabs" and we would use this as an opportunity to meet, greet, and network. Also, for the homeless, we had a community network where, at a moment's notice, someone would receive coordinated care - blankets in winter, places to stay, emergency relief from harassment, etc.
Note that this study didn't reference a single statewide entity. These Michigan results reflect the combined results of public transit in local communities throughout that state: "For the first time, a local transit agency can quantify the economic impact and value of bus operations on their local community." Again, I would encourage readers to click on the link and read the results. It reinforces the point that public transit is an investment that generates economic returns for the communities that invest in them in the same way that roads generate economic returns. Nobody would propose that our local public roads should pay for themselves by putting up toll booths. Why? Because we intuitively know that our economy benefits from public roads. So, we enjoy using them without having to pay a toll each time we run an errand. By the same token, we also enjoy similar economic benefits from other forms of public transportation, specifically buses and trains.
http://jpe.sagepub.com/content/22/3/288.short