Atlanta Regional Roundtable Meeting

The full Atlanta Regional Roundtable met on September 28, 2011 at the Atlanta Regional Commission Amphitheater.  In this meeting, the Roundtable discussed the cost of program management for the projects on the constrained list.  For each project, program management costs have already been accounted for and will be anywhere from one percent of allotted funds for road projects to two percent of allotted funds from transit projects.  There will be no additional funds required to fund project management other than what has already been allotted to each project.

The main topic of this meeting was to discuss any amendments that are to be made on the original constrained draft list before the final vote at the last meeting of the Roundtable on October 13th.  Chairman Herb Frady of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners presented an amendment that would remove the Hood Avenue Connector realignment project and add the MacDuff Parkway extension from the unconstrained draft list.  This amendment was unanimously approved by the Roundtable.

Chairman Eldrin Bell of the Clayton County Commission proposed an amendment that would add the Atlanta-Griffin Commuter rail project at a reduced cost of $350 million.  Chairman Bell proposes to fund this project through a 10 percent reduction of other transit projects on the constrained draft list. 

Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews and Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee proposed to reduce funding to the Northwest Corridor MARTA extension from Midtown to Cumberland by 60% in order to insert several road construction projects.  An amendment will be created to be voted on by the next meeting.  Chairman Lee also expressed concern for having a transit-focused project list before a regional transit governance framework has been created.

Finally, DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis recommended the inclusion of funding for the I-20 MARTA rail extension.  He did not propose an amendment at the meeting but plans to have one ready for the next meeting on October 6th at 9 AM. 

Click here to view Fayette County’s proposd amendment.

Click here to view Clayton County’s proposed amendment.