By Taelor RyeThe Eastman City Council voted to approve a resolution announcing the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Legion Drive and Griffin Avenue at its biweekly meeting on Monday, December 14.
The roundabout has been a topic of discussion at many meetings not only over the past few months but even the past couple of years.
Preceding the regular city council meeting, a public information session was held at city hall wherein representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) joined with members of the city council to give information regarding the roundabout to the public. Citizens were also able to see speculative plans for the roundabout including the amount of space that would be needed for the project.
Funding from the project largely comes from a grant from GDOT, with the City of Eastman paying additional costs.
The text of the resolution reads that “there is a public necessity to develop, improve, and promote the roadways for the public good, general welfare and safety due to congestion at the area of Legion Drive and Griffin Avenue,” which is well known for being a problematic area of traffic.
“I’ve sat at that intersection for eight minutes trying to make a left turn before,” said city council member Raymond Mullis.
The resolution also says that traffic at this area “adversely affects public safety and public access to businesses in the area,” including Walmart and the Dodge County Hospital among other places of business.
The construction of a roundabout “is in the best public interest as it will best promote the safety of motorists and movement of traffic in that area,” it continues.
In closing, the resolution states, “Now therefore, be it resolved, that the Council of the City of Eastman finds that such easements and/or right of ways should immediately be acquired so as to provide safe and accessible roadways for the public, and that such action is necessary to accomplish the purposes set forth herein and that they be commenced.”
When city council member Buddy Pittman asked the rest of the council to clarify whether the resolution was a vote toward the actual construction, city attorney Rita Llop stated that the intention of the resolution was to allow parties on behalf of the city, such as herself, to go forward in terms of seeking to acquire the pieces of property necessary for further work. Any continuance on the project would require further action from the council, she stated.
Freddie Dwozan asked whether the resolution was a vote or merely the public recognition of an already decided vote, to which the council responded that a vote regarding the roundabout had already been made and that this was a public resolution to enter into preliminary stages of development such as the acquisition of property.
Dwozan then read part of the Eastman City Code – a 2009 addition that every vote taken during a meeting must have a time of public participation, given that citizens have something to say. While city council meetings have a period of public participation at the end of meetings, Dwozan recognized that no public interaction had been held before the actual vote to approve the resolution.
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