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Sandy Springs approves Lake Forest sidewalk contract after resident urges pause to study Roberts Drive gaps
Summary
The City Council awarded a $272,700 construction contract for the Lake Forest Drive sidewalk phase 1 project and authorized the city manager to execute the contract. A public commenter asked the council to pause the Lake Forest contract and redirect funding to fill hazardous gaps on Roberts Drive.
The Sandy Springs City Council on Feb. 18 approved a contract award to Exceler Construction, LLC, to build phase 1 of the Lake Forest Drive sidewalk and authorized the city manager to execute the agreement.
The approval follows a presentation by Public Works Director Marty Martin that staff received nine bids for the project, deemed two nonresponsive because they lacked GDOT prime prequalification, and recommended award to Exceler Construction for $272,700, well below the engineer’s estimate of $339,639.76. The project covers about 1,240 linear feet of 6-foot sidewalk on the west side of Lake Forest Drive from 4838 to 4852 Lake Forest Drive and from 5022 Lake Forest Drive to 14 Mount Perrin Drive.
The contract award drew public comment from resident Bill Griffith, who asked the council to pause the Lake Forest contract and re-evaluate sidewalk funding priorities. Griffith told the council that an approximately one-mile stretch of Roberts Drive presents serious pedestrian safety concerns and is not among the six sidewalk segments identified in the city’s TSPLOST 2021 program funding list currently in design. He asked the council to consider replacing one or more of those segments with the Roberts Drive work rather than waiting for a future TSPLOST round.
Martin explained the Lake Forest work addresses a contiguous “critical path” that city staff and council previously prioritized as a standalone project rather than as scored segments under TSPLOST so the city could deliver a more complete network in one effort. Councilmembers noted the current phase is the first part of a larger network intended to connect to other sidewalk and sidepath investments and that the timing allowed coordination with nearby private redevelopment to avoid costly retrofits.
Councilmember Andy Baumann moved approval of the contract award (agenda item 2025-041); Dr. Melody Kelly seconded. The motion passed by voice vote; the clerk recorded the agenda item as approved.
Council members and staff also addressed maintenance questions: Public Works said adjacent property owners generally maintain sidewalks and rights-of-way, and the city fills in with work orders where owners do not. Staff advised residents to submit work orders for debris or overgrowth.
Ending: The Lake Forest phase 1 contract is set to proceed under the authorized city-manager execution. Griffith indicated he will return at a future meeting to continue his concerns about speeding and pedestrian safety on Roberts Drive. The council did not pause or modify the contract award at the Feb. 18 meeting.
