Monday, May 20, 2013

Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

Multimodal site design goes back to the drawing board
Posted: 06.19.2012 at 9:27 AM
Updated: 06.20.2012 at 11:00 AM
Colby Gallagher

Colby Gallagher joined the Fox 31 News Team in April 2012 as a general assignment reporter. Colby hails from Sewell, New Jersey and is an avid Philly sports fan.

0
The commissioners looked into multimodal designs at the Tuesday morning meeting.  / Colby Gallagher
Photo

ALBANY, GA --
The long awaited motion to move forward with selecting a design company for the
 multimodal site was proposed Tuesday morning.

"They looked at bids and came up with the best and most qualified bidder, usually that's the lowest bidder that's qualified, and they had a team evaluate it,” said City Commissioner Roger Marietta.

The board vetoed the motion in a surprising 4-3 vote during the City Commissioner's board meeting.

"I was surprised because some of them will say we don't want to lose the funds. For me, it has not been that same kind of issue," said City of Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard.

If the motion was approved, negotiations with a Richmond, Virginia based company called Wendel would have began but Mayor Hubbard says she must listen to the public and not just spend federal money to spend it.

"I would think it would be a waste to put in a site where the people are not happy and where it's not convenient for them."

While Mayor Hubbard says she feels she must listen to the public's opinion, others say it's simply too much money to let go to waste.

Ii voted for it today because to do otherwise is going to cost us money. I think we've just thrown away $10,000,000 in federal funds," said Marietta.

For now, the board must work together to reach an agreement before next Tuesday's official vote.

"That's a big issue, to lose money at any point but then I think to spend money at a time when people are not going to use the facility, that's not good either. We're kind of in a catch 22 situation here," said Hubbard.

"We've missed the window to station somewhere else. I don't see a new station is even necessary at this point,” said Marietta.

As of right now, it looks like the board some work cut out for them in order to do so.

Related Links

Popular Stories
Thumbnail
7-year-old slays 1,000-pound creature
Kerri Copello  |  Yesterday at 6:00 PM  |  18 comments
Thumbnail
Commissioners vote against sports program funding
Jessica Fairley  |  Today at 11:34 AM
Thumbnail
MCLB cancels Independence Day celebration
FOX 31 News Team  |  57 minutes ago  |  1 comment
Follow My Southwest GA
Get news and weather notifications on your phone by downloading the iPhone or Android app below
Sign up to get alerts and updates for breaking news, severe weather, and deals:
submit
ADVERTISEMENT
Special Features
Win a booster seat!
Click above for your chance to win a booster seat and get safety tips for your child!
Legal
Finding the right lawyer to handle your needs is important.
Bright Side
Spreading the good news around Southwest Georgia!
ADVERTISEMENT