Ellijay might eventually have a third roundabout, this time at a school intersection with increasingly heavier traffic.
Mayor Al Hoyle and city councilmembers Sandy Ott, Katie Lancey, Kevin Pritchett, Tom Crawford and Al Fuller heard from two representatives of EXP U.S. Services, a Florida-based engineering firm with Georgia offices, during a workshop that preceded the Monday, Aug. 21, council meeting.
EXP reps Carla Ham and James Narmore, both formerly employed by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), attended the council meeting at the request of Hoyle to discuss the possibility of putting in a roundabout at the intersection of Legion Road and Old Highway 5. The entrance and exit to Gilmer High School connect to the two streets.
In February, the city planning and zoning commission recommended the city council consider a way to alleviate congested traffic at the intersection, which is currently not controlled by other safety measures like a three way stop or traffic light. The only stop sign for the intersection is on Legion Road.
“There’s a lot of funding out there for roundabouts. The State of Georgia really likes to see those going in,” said Ham. “We love to see roundabouts, (too). It does decrease the accidents once people get used to it.”
If approved and installed, this roundabout would join existing ones on the downtown Ellijay square and a newer one at the intersection of old Highway 5 and Highway 382.
“At first, some people are kind of weary about using them, but you have them here, and your city is used to using them,” Ham said. “I really think it will improve your efficiency and decrease accidents.”
Ham said funding is available from GDOT and other sources to assist towns like Ellijay with putting in roundabouts, and EXP has helped several cities and counties get them built. GDOT typically awards additional funding for roundabouts, apart from Local Maintenance and Improvement Grants (LMIGs), on the basis of educational, economic and emergency reasons, she said.
“We could go to GDOT saying we have educational reasons, because there are school buses, and economic reasons. You are growing, and you’ve got a lot of stuff going on,” Ham added.
Funding received from GDOT would be in addition to whatever LMIG funds Ellijay receives. Those grants are typically awarded on an annual basis. Costs for roundabout construction are typically split 70/30 between GDOT and a city or county, with the city or county paying the lower share. Ham said EXP can try to reduce that cost for the city even more.
“We want to write a letter to (GDOT) first. They will take that before the commissioner, and he will determine how much money he wants to give,” she added. “Once we apply for that money, we can reach out to other sources, so your match could possibly get down to even 10 percent.”
A drawing of the proposed roundabout site shows the traffic circle going aside of the current intersection and taking up areas of banks on either side of Legion Road. Ham said it would be up to the city to work out any property negotiations with landowners.
“We wanted to try to keep the alignment as close as we could and not use as much property, but we also want to slow that traffic down coming into that roundabout as much as we (can),” she added.
When asked by Ott about how long it would take to build a roundabout, Ham said it depends on what utilities are involved where the construction is planned, but projects like the one being discussed typically take six to eight months.
Councilmembers ultimately voted to hire EXP for initial preplanning tasks, including communication with GDOT in trying to secure funding for the project, for an expense not to exceed $6,000.
Ham said the company can also be hired to design the project plans and oversee roundabout construction.
“We would be out there making sure it’s getting done quicker than normal. We’ve also been able to get some of the bigger contractors to come in, (which) some of the smaller cities have not been able to (get), that can get these jobs completed quicker,” she added.
In other news …
Councilmembers also approved:
﹣ Allowing Gilmer Arts to use a small portion of city sidewalk and open property located directly behind a Dalton Street building that’s being renovated to become a new art gallery.
In 2016, Gilmer Arts was given similar permission by the council to use a portion of city property directly behind the George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse, which is adjacent to the building currently being renovated.
﹣ Special event alcohol permits for an upcoming movie night at Harrison Park and a Grundel Run Bike Ralley at White Path Creek Farms.
For the motorcycle rally permit, Crawford requested adding a provision of no loud music or noise after 10 p.m., which was approved.
“We’ve had some complaints about loud music and sounds after 10 p.m. on several occasions. That’s not something we would like to allow. I certainly don’t see any problem with the bike rally, but we need some assurance about noise late in the evening. We’ve got to have a happy medium there,” Crawford said.
﹣ A farm winery tasting room license for Buckley Farms and Vineyard doing business as The Gifted Vault.