Cherokee County previews $980,000 design amendment, vehicle and park purchases and 250th‑anniversary events

County staff presented several consent‑agenda items and event plans at the March 3 Cherokee County work session.

Key consent items: Staff asked the board to consider routine purchases and contract amendments including a Justice Center network switch replacement for $28,123.92 from the annual operating budget; a third amendment to Arcadis US for preparation of right‑of‑way and final design plans for the I‑575/Town Lake Parkway interchange improvements in the amount of $980,236.11 (with 80% GDOT funding and local TSPLOST/2024 SPLOST funds covering local match); a 2024 BraunAbility Voyager ADA minivan for $78,007.50 (80% FTA grant, $62,406; 20% SPLOST, $15,601.50) for Katz transit services; Recreation and Parks vehicle purchases funded by the 2024 SPLOST; an amphitheater construction agreement with Caliber 1 Construction ($340,662 plus $50,000 contingency, total $390,662) for Cherokee Veterans Park funded by right‑of‑way proceeds from a GDOT frontage acquisition; and a sole‑source Motorola Solutions modification to the VESTA 911 call‑handling system ($61,764.54) to support SIP‑to‑SIP connectivity and NextGen 911 alignment.

Funding and process notes: Staff emphasized that the Arcadis amendment is part of a phased engineering process and that the GDOT share covers 80% of construction costs; the Arcadis amendment itself covers preparation of right‑of‑way and final design plans. The BraunAbility purchase is tied to an FTA grant to deliver ADA capacity for transit services. Recreation and Parks confirmed they solicited proposals for the amphitheater and recommended the low‑cost, high‑score bidder for a county‑controlled contingency to cover minor changes.

250th anniversary plans: Mr. Reynolds (introduced by staff) provided an overview of preliminary plans for Cherokee County’s 250th anniversary events: coordination with municipalities (Ball Ground, Woodstock, Canton), a proposed county concert at Cherokee Veterans Park on July 11 featuring the 'Guardians of the Jukebox,' possible drone show, and a week of complementary events. Staff said the amphitheater schedule targets May completion and that the county will use a portable stage as backup if the new structure is not ready.

Next steps: Staff presented these as consent items for the regular meeting. One applicant (Paradigm Engineering) asked to postpone a planning item to next month and staff indicated they are comfortable with that postponement. Commissioners approved a motion to adjourn to executive session and did not take final action on consent items during the work session.