The invigoration and transformation of Powder Springs’ downtown was a key focus of Tuesday’s “State of the City” town hall, as both public and private development is expected to commence or continue in 2022.
Construction of a new city hall complex in the heart of downtown is expected to start this year and will be just one of multiple positive changes within the city expected in 2022 following a successful year despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The new city hall is needed as Powder Springs is finalizing the sale of the property on which the previously utilized City Hall and Community Development facilities sit to Atlanta-based developer Novare Group. Novare aims to construct nearly 5,000 square feet of commercial space to allow for separate retail and restaurant spaces, along with 221 apartments with surface parking.
“We think it’s going to enhance our downtown. We’ve been told for years that we need density in the downtown, for people to live in our downtown, in order for restaurants and other businesses to survive,” Mayor Al Thurman said of the project during Tuesday’s town hall, held at Tapp Middle School.
“We believe this product will give us the density we need in the downtown, that walkability, that ‘after 5 [p.m. and] that daytime population,” Thurman added.
Powder Springs’ Municipal Court building will be renovated and expanded into a new municipal services facility that will house most city departments upon completion in 2023, with construction set to begin this year. Its location will keep it within an area that has and will continue to see a flurry of development and events.
City events resumed in 2021, and with the previous year’s opening of Thurman Springs Park and its Hardy Family Automotive Amphitheater, the downtown came alive in a myriad of ways, from the inaugural “Bringing the Sea to The Springs” seafood festival to a Summer Concert Series, the city’s Independence Day celebration and the return of the Christmas parade.
“We’ve gone through the pandemic, but we’ve had some great successes through it,” Thurman said after highlighting the return of events. All the aforementioned events are planned to return in 2022.
New restaurants also opened downtown in 2021, joining legacy businesses and other additional commercial tenants from recent years. This year is expected to bring additional dining options and a brewery to attract residents and visitors downtown.
Police department upgrades were also a highlight of 2021, with the city and department purchasing 10 license plate-reading cameras from Flock that have read more than one million plates a month and have been responsible for locating stolen vehicles, finding suspects and wanted individuals. The Flock technology led to the location and capture of an armed robbery suspect accused of shooting and killing an armored car driver in the metro Atlanta area.
New in-car and body camera systems replaced outdated technology previously used by officers, with footage obtained by the cameras used in court cases and to protect both officers and citizens. A new four-legged officer is now within the police department’s ranks, with K9 Reno partnered with Officer Doug Racine, joining Officer Matt Rook and K9 Kash.
Tuesday’s town hall was live-streamed on the city’s Facebook page, facebook.com/cityofpowdersprings, as well as its streaming platform, powdersprings.tv, the latter of which is the streaming home of Powder Springs City Council meetings and other town hall events.
Attendees received the city’s 16-page annual report highlighting the previous year’s milestones and what is to come in 2022 and beyond. The report will also be mailed to city residents in the coming days, and will be available electronically on the city’s website.
The annual report is the largest of the quarterly reports mailed to residents, though both residents and visitors have multiple ways to remain apprised of city happenings. These range from social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor) to city council action summaries posted on the city’s website following each council meeting, and digital signage provided by Soofa. Pedestrians can see these Soofa signs, which display the city’s Twitter posts, event announcements and upcoming events, at Thurman Springs Park, Dillard Street and Silver Comet Linear Park.
“The mayor and council and staff has put a lot of effort in terms of developing various channels to get information out to the public, out to you, to keep you informed and updated,” Mayor Pro Tem Henry Lust said to the crowd at Tapp Middle and those watching via either of the two video streams.
Attendees were also told Tuesday that the city’s operating millage rate of 9.5 mills is not expected to increase as long as Powder Springs’ growth and development continues. Maintaining the current rate is important, according to city leaders, to account for increasing expenses and capital planning.
Citizen input is being sought as the city prepares to receive $5.8 million from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). These one-time funds are to be used to help our community rebound from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey on how the funds should be used will be on the city’s website, cityofpowdersprings.org, through Jan. 30.
A digital copy of the quarterly newsletter will also be available on the city’s website.
