PLACE Forum

Meetings & events:  Week of October 1, 2007

MONDAY, OCT. 1, 4:00 PM –  AUBURN CEMETERIES ADVISORY BOARD
Held at the Dean Road Rec Center. Open to all.

TUESDAY, OCT. 2, 4:00 PM – AUBURN INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Held in the City Manager’s Conference Room, Auburn City Hall, 144 Tichenor Ave. Open to all.

TUESDAY, OCT 2, 4:00 PM – LITTLETON-FRANKLIN LECTURE:  NY TIMES COLUMNIST / THOMAS FRIEDMAN
Held in AU’s Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. Free & open to the public.  www.auburn.edu/littleton-franklin/friedman.html
Thomas L. Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist, is one of the world’s preeminent commentators on international affairs. Vanity Fair called him “the country’s best newspaper columnist” and U.S.News and World Report named him one of “America’s Best Leaders.” Friedman has covered many of the monumental stories of recent decades, from the return of Hong Kong to China and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the months following 9/11, his Op-Ed page column for the New York Times provided the clarifying, evenhanded assessments that were so urgently sought. In awarding him his third Pulitzer Prize (the 2002 award for Distinguished Commentary), the Pulitzer Board cited his “clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat.” Friedman’s latest book is the international bestseller The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.
*For parking information, including a map, go to http://ocm.auburn.edu/friedman_parking_map.pdf .
**Per Friedman’s contractual requirements, members of the audience and the media may not use video recording equipment or flash photography. Also, attendees are requested to be seated by 3:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT 2, 5:30 PM –  AUBURN PARKS & REC ADVISORY BOARD
Held at the Dean Road Rec Center. Open to all.

TUESDAY, OCT 2, 6:30 pm — ALABAMA PALS (PEOPLE AGAINST A LITTERED STATE) / LEE COUNTY PUBLIC FORUM
Held at Southern Union/Opelika campus, Room 104, Admin Bldg.  Open to all.
DO YOU WANT A CLEAN & LITTER­FREE LEE COUNTY? Attend this public forum to discuss developing a local chapter of Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State) for Lee County, AL. The “Lee County PALS” goal will be to reduce litter by changing the public’s behavior and attitude.
“Lee County PALS” would provide:
• Litter Education Curriculum for schools
• Scholarships to high school students
• Coordinate Community­wide clean­ups
• Recycling Programs
For more info contact: Paula Brickner (334) 749­6067; e­mail: citizensagainstlittering@charter.net

TUESDAY, OCT 2 — OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL  www.opelika.org
6:15 pm  — work session  / 7:00 pm — Regular meeting
Held at 204 South 7th Street, Opelika.  Open to all.
Work Session agenda includes:
(1) -  a.  Contract with GMC, upgrade sewer lift station at the Saugahatchee CC; b. Contract with GMC, design/construction of a septage station at the Eastside WWTP; c.Accept dedication of streets, Cannon Gate SD; d.Contract with GMC, design/construction of wastewater flow diversion from the Westside WWTP to the Eastside WWTP / Doc D.
(2) -  a.  Rezoning, King Automobile Inc, from R4 to C3/GC2. (FOR ADVERTISING ONLY); b.  Vacation of ROW, Mary Olive Rd. (FOR DISCUSSION ONLY)
c.  Text amendments, Wyndham PUD (FOR DISCUSSION ONLY)  / Jerry K.
(3) -  Grant application, ADECA – Law Enforcement/  Louise Campbell, Tommy M.
(4) -  Request for new position, Distribution Engineer /Jerry P.
(5) -  General updates  / Mayor Fuller, John Seymour
(6) -  Discuss/review CM agenda items of 10/02/07 /Mayor Fuller: a.  Remarks by Mayor/ John Seymour; b. General business/ Dept. Heads; c.Bids; d.Resolutions; e. Ordinances; f. Board Appointment
(7) -  Discussion:  New / Old Business  / City Council — a. Board appointments; b. Other City business.
Regular Session Agenda includes:
9)   REPORT OF DISBURSEMENTS
10) COMMITTEE REPORTS
11) GENERAL BUSINESS –   Bob Shuman
1.  Request by P&R to hang a banner on 3rd Avenue advertising our Annual Hayride.
2. Request by Opelika Mainstreet to conduct their 3^rd Annual “Think Pink”  cancer awareness walk.
12) AWARDING OF BIDS – (By Resolution) –   Shirley Washington; 1. A small scale street sweeper – P/W; 2.Traffic signal lamp units – Engineering; 3.  Video arraignment system – Municipal Court;  4.  Contract for elevator maintenance – All Depts.; 5.  Rescue equipment – OFD; 6.  Repave .65 miles of Sunbelt Parkway.
13)  RESOLUTIONS –  Guy Gunter
1.  Contract, annual appropriation for Opelika Downtown Redevelopment.
2.  Contract, annual appropriation for Lee County Youth Development Center.
3.  Contract, annual appropriation for Opelika Industrial Development Authority.
14)  ORDINANCES –    Guy Gunter; 1.  Annexation, W.S. Newell property, 56 acres – Planning – 2^nd  Reading.
15)  APPOINTMENTS

TUESDAY, OCT. 2 — AUBURN CITY COUNCIL   www.auburnalabama.org/agenda/
6:45 pm — Committee of the Whole  /  7:00 pm — Regular meeting
Held in the city council chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all. Agendas include:
Committee of the Whole includes: BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. Industrial Development Board. Two Positions. Six Year Terms Begin
October 10, 2007. Incumbents: Paul Parks (has served two terms) and Clifford E. Jones (has served a partial term).
Regular meeting includes:
c. Alcoholic Beverage Licenses. Consideration.
(1) Alabama Wings, LLC dba/Hooters of Auburn. 1651 South College Street.Restaurant Retail Liquor License.
(2) R & C Enterprises, LLC dba/The Corner Market. 850 Martin Luther King Drive. Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine (Off Premises Only) Licenses.
d. Taxpayer Waiver. Auburn Winnelson Company. 1975 Mall Boulevard. In Excess of $500. $1,128.21. Consideration.
e. Announcement of Board Vacancy. Educational Building Authority. One Position. Six Year Term Expires November 12, 2014. Appointment at the November 2, 2007 Meeting.
9. ORDINANCES.
a. Annexations. Planning Commission Recommendations. Public Hearings Required.
(1) Property Located on Lee Road 395, South of The Greens at Auburn. Bar W. Subdivision.
(a) Virginia B. Ward. Lot 1. 12.67 Acres.
(b) David R. Bayne. Lot 2. 20.31 Acres.
(2) Daryl S. and Rosalie A. Phelps. 5089 Alabama Highway 147 North. Property Located South of Morris Drive, West of Heath Road. 2.3 Acres.
b. Zoning. Text Changes. Planning Commission Recommendation. SECOND READING. TABLED FROM SEPTEMBER 18, 2007 MEETING.
10. RESOLUTIONS.
a. Zoning. Conditional Use Approvals. Public Hearings Required.
(1) Multiple Family Development.
(a) Raymond Godsil. Apartment Use in the University Services (US) Zoning District. Property Located at 130 South Debardeleben
Street.
(b) R & B, LLC. Condominiums and Commercial and Entertainment Use (retail shops) in the Urban Core (UC) Zoning District. Property
Located at 138 South Gay Street.
(2) Drew Barnett & Ken Kirchler. Performance Residential Use (duplex) in the Development District Housing (DDH) Zoning District. Property Located at 513-515 Greentree Terrace.
(3) DDK InLine, LLC. Road Service Use (Italian Ice Stand w/Drive Thru) in the Comprehensive Development District (CDD) Zoning District. Property Located at 1530 East Glenn Avenue in Bruno’s Shopping Center Site.
b. Capital Vial of Alabama, Inc. 2039 McMillan Street. Tax Abatement. Amend Tax Exemption Period.
c. FY 2008 Transportation Enhancement Projects. Alabama Department of Transportation. 80/20 Matching Grant Applications.
(1) Shelton Mill Road Bike Lane Project. North College Street to East University Drive.
(2) North Donahue Drive Bike Lane Project. Shug Jordan Parkway to Farmville Road.
(3) East Glenn Avenue Multi-Use Path Project. Bent Creek Road to East University Drive.
(4) Landscape Improvement Projects. Interstate 85.
(a) Exit 51.
(b) Exit 57.
d. Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Downtown Parking Garage/Addition to City Hall. Engineering and Design Services. Professional Services Contract. $105,000.
e. Block City Street. Portion of Eagle Circle. Block Party. October 20, 2007.
f. Drainage and Utility Easements and Rights of Way. Acceptance.
(1) Drainage and Utility Easements and Rights of Way.
(a) R & B Construction. The Landing at Morgan’s Place, Phase One.Property Located on Sandhill Road, West of Mill Creek Road.
(b) Morgan Hills, LLC. Morgan Hills Subdivision, Phase 3. Property Located West of Ogletree Road, Adjacent to Morgan
Hills, Phase 1 and Moore’s Mill Golf Course Subdivision.
(2) Yarbrough Limited, LLC. Property Located Southeast of South Yarbrough Drive. Drainage and Utility Easement. Richland Road South Sewer Project.
g. Industrial Development Board. Two Positions. Six Year Terms Expire October 9, 2013.
11. OTHER BUSINESS.
12. ADJOURNMENT.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3, 7:00 am — INTERNATIONAL WALK-TO-SCHOOL DAY
International Walk-to-School Day, sponsored by Auburn Parks and Recreation and the Safe Routes To School (SR2S) Task Force. Each October, millions of children, parents, teachers and community leaders across the globe walk or bike to school to celebrate International Walk to School Day. It is an energizing event, reminding parents and children alike of the simple joy of walking and biking to school. It also serves as an opportunity to focus on the importance of physical activity, safety, air quality and walkable communities. More info: Brandy Ezelle at 334.501.2039 or Allison Hall at 334.501.2940; www.auburnalabama.org

WEDNESDAY, OCT 3, 9:30 am — ALABAMA ETHICS COMMISSION
Held in the 9th Floor Hearing Room, 100 North Union Street, Mont. – ph: 334-242-2997.  Open to the public.
The Alabama Ethics Commission will meet in open session to render Advisory Opinions requested by public officials/public employees.  An Executive Session will be held to discuss matters relating to complaints filed with the Ethics Commission and the results of those investigations.  These matters are covered by the Grand Jury Secrecy Act.  No matters will be discussed which are outside the scope of the State guidelines for the holding of Executive Sessions.  Matters discussed in Executive Session will be voted on in public.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3, NOON — OPELIKA SUMMER SWING’S NOON TUNES: LARCUS FULLER   www.opelikamainst.orgCelebrate the arrival of Fall every Wednesday in October with a free lunchtime concert. Bring a brown bag lunch (or purchase one from our local restaurants), a quilt or lawn chair and relax by the fountain for an hour of unforgettable musical entertainment. Complimentary dessert will be provided by Opelika Main Street.

WEDNESDAY, OCT 3, 4:30 pm — AUBURN BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT
Held in the city council chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda: www.auburnalabama.org/bza/agenda.asp
Request for Variance to Section 436.01 of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance, case #PL-2007-00849
Applicant: Ludwig Von Mises Institute
Represented by: City of Auburn
Property location: 518 West Magnolia Avenue;
Zoning District:  University Service (US)
Action Requested: Variance of 106-feet to the required 150-feet minimum spacing between curb cuts on a collector street

THURSDAY, OCT 4,  3:00 pm — GARY MULLEN TO SPEAK ON 19th-CENTURY NATURALIST FOR DISCOVER AUBURN SERIES
Held in AU’s Special Collections and Archives Department of RDB library. Free & open to the public. Reception follows lecture.
Dr. Gary Mullen, Professor of Entomology at Auburn University, will speak on the life and work of 19th-century naturalist and artist Philip Henry Gosse. While a young man, Gosse, a native of England, was lured to Alabama by the prospects of collecting new and interesting insects and seeing firsthand the biologically rich American frontier. He spent a brief but very formative time in the Black Belt region of Dallas County in the 1830s, where he studied and beautifully illustrated Alabama insects and flora. The ‘Discover Auburn’ series is co-sponsored by the Auburn University Libraries, the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and the Auburn University Bookstore. More info on the program and the series: Caroline Marshall Draughon Center at 334-844-4946. THURSDAY, OCT. 4, 6:00 PM — SUNDOWN CONCERT FEATURING Clint & Kip
Held at Kiesel Park Pavilion, Auburn. Free & open to all.
The Sundown Concert Series at Kiesel Park will kick off Sept. 20 with singer/songwriter Clint & Kip.  Hosted by the Auburn Parks & Recreation Department, this free concert series will include six concerts for the community to enjoy throughout the fall. Citizens are encouraged to bring family and friends, a picnic supper, lawn chairs and even your dog.  (Kiesel Park is a dog friendly park.)

FRIDAY, OCT. 5, 11:00 am — SOUTHEASTERN RAPTOR CENTER PROGRAM “Football, Fans & Feathers” Educational, birds-in-flight raptor program.
Held in the 350-seat Edgar B. Carter Educational Amphitheater on Raptor Road just off Shug Jordan Parkway.
Tickets: $5/person, available at the raptor center gate, payable only by check (no cash) to the Southeastern Raptor Center. School groups: $3/person — call ahead at 844-6943. Children under three years admitted free.

FRIDAY, OCT 5, 11:30 am  — AUBURN TREE COMMISSION
Held in the Auburn Chamber of Commerce conference room, 714 E Glenn. Open to all.
FRIDAY, OCT. 5, 5:00 pm — OPELIKA FIRST FRIDAYS / October Fest.
Held in Downtown Opelika.   Open to all.  Music, Decorated Pumpkins, Fall Farmers Market, Square Dancing. More info: Opelika Main Street at 334.745.046; www.opelikamainst.org .

SATURDAY, OCT 6, 11:00 am — AU HOME GAME (v. Vanderbilt)

SATURDAY, OCT. 6 — MUSEUM EXHIBIT OPENING / ROGER BROWN: SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, 901 S. College St. Info: 844-1484 or go to http://jcsm.auburn.edu/. JCSM launches a touring exhibition honoring Alabama native Roger Brown and his long artistic career.  The show is the first to focus on the Southern sensibility of Brown, an artist born in Alabama in 1941, who achieved fame in the 1970s and 1980s as a key figure of the Imagist movement in Chicago where he studied, settled and made his career. Tracking Brown’s life from his childhood in Alabama, through his working years and to his death in the South in 1997, the exhibition presents nearly 40 examples of the boldly patterned landscapes, figure-filled skyscrapers, news-driven narratives and biting commentaries for which he became famous.

WATER QUALITY INFORMATION  www.auburnalabama.org/wrm/waterquality.asp
The City of Auburn’s new water quality webpage contains information from the City’s Water Resource Management Department on water quality monitoring processes, local watershed maps, water monitoring locations, and copies of the City’s most recent water quality monitoring reports. For more information on water quality in the City of Auburn, please contact Matt Dunn at 501-3077 or Daniel Ballard at 501-7367.

CITY OF AUBURN — BOARD VACANCIES
• INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD — Two vacancies will be filled at the October 2 City Council meeting.
• BUILDING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT — Three vacancies will be filled at the October 16 City Council meeting.
• TREE COMMISSION — Three vacancies will be filled at the October 16 City Council meeting.
• WATER WORKS BOARD — One vacancy will be filled at the October 16 City Council meeting.
• EDUCATIONAL BUILDING AUTHORITY  — One vacancy will be announced at the October 2 City Council meeting and will be filled at the November 6 meeting.
• PARKS & REC ADVISORY BOARD — Two vacancies will be announced at the October 16 City Council meeting and will be filled at the November 20 meeting.
Citizens interested in serving on one of these Boards are encouraged to contact the City Council or notify the City Manager’s Office.
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COLUMN BY LISA BROUILLETTE

Sept. 21, 2007 — published in Opelika-Auburn News

NEW TAX PROPOSAL UNDER THE RADAR

The public has spoken: “No more taxes, not even for schools.” You’d think that would be the end of the ‘new tax’ issue for our area, but it’s not, at least not in Auburn.

On this week’s city council agenda was an innocent-sounding resolution: a preliminary agreement between Auburn and local developer West Pace LLC –comprised of Tom Hayley, the Redd Family, et al– covering the former Pace property on Shell Toomer Parkway. But far from being innocent, this resolution is the first step in creation of a new “improvement district” which would allow special additional taxes to be levied in that district.

Interested? If you’re a taxpayer, you should be, because in addition to adding a new tax, the deal includes splitting some current taxes with the developer.

This would be the first such ‘improvement district’ in Auburn, though probably not the last. In fact, rumors are flying about plans for other similar districts.

Ironically, after all the public discussion of the school tax issue, there’s been very little public discussion about the tax consequences of these new districts. Of course, none was invited. Interestingly, even the recent training session given to Council members about improvement districts was closed to the public.

There was no council public hearing for this agreement, nor is there likely to be one when it returns to Council as part of a Development Agreement. Those agreements are created behind closed doors by city staff and come to Council as a done-deal, ready to be voted upon.

Any monies allocated by Council would funnel through the city’s Commercial Development Authority which, like its cousin the Industrial Development Board, typically meets in closed executive session. Also like the IDB, the CDA brings basically finalized agreements to Council for concurrence. Discussions and negotiations, as I said, occur in closed executive session.

The appalling lack of details given the public about this new mechanism for funding development makes it difficult to judge whether it’s a good strategy for the city to pursue. But if it means new taxes, the public certainly deserves to be told all about it.

A postscript to the failure of the school tax increase: Some, including elected officials, were surprised that the measure failed. But many others weren’t surprised at all and in fact expected the measure to fail.

The vote didn’t show a lack of concern for school funding, but rather evidenced a slowdown in the economy and – perhaps more important — a backlash against the mismanagement of growth in our area.

The public is not happy with the impacts of growth, not only on our schools, but also on other public infrastructure such as roads, fire protection and public safety. People don’t want to ante up more taxes, especially when they see multi-million dollar incentive deals given to developers.

Developers benefit immediately from such largesse. But the rest of us pay for years, via tax dollars for more public infrastructure, maintenance and services. Considering this, is it any wonder the school tax measure failed?

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