Gwinnett County work session moves dozens of contracts, transit design and airport plan to consent agenda

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on March 18 heard presentations on dozens of contracts and projects and moved them to the consent agenda for the county's 2 PM business meeting.

Top items reviewed included a recommendation to award architectural and engineering design services for a Gwinnett Place Transit Center to Wendell Architecture PC (amount not to exceed $3,499,695.96), an updated Briscoe Field master plan that removes a second proposed runway and proposes a vertiport, and a multi‑year maintenance and support contract for Flock Safety license‑plate‑reader cameras used by the sheriff's office. Staff said most items were routine renewals or federally funded projects and recommended they be placed on the consent agenda.

Why it matters: the transit‑center contract is 80% funded by the Federal Transit Administration and will guide a multi‑year design, environmental review and permitting process. Transportation director Louis Cooksey told commissioners the federal design and environmental process could take more than three years to complete. The Briscoe Field master plan, approved earlier by the airport authority, identifies long‑term capital priorities and potential new aviation uses, while the Flock Safety contract supports the sheriff's office's plate‑reader network.

Details and notable items • Transit center design: Staff recommended awarding RP00424 to Wendell Architecture to prepare design, environmental documentation and construction support for a new transit center at the Gwinnett Place Mall site, with 80% FTA funding and a 20% local match. When asked for a timeline, Cooksey said he expected the federal review and design process to take “3 3 plus years to get through the entire process.”

• Airport master plan: Staff presented the updated Briscoe Field master plan, noting the airport authority approved the plan 5–0 on Feb. 13, 2025. The plan removes a previously proposed second runway, focuses on developing airport property and includes runway improvements, a capital improvement program and a proposed vertiport.

• Sheriff’s office LPR contract: The sheriff's office requested award SS00325 to Flock Group Inc. for maintenance and support of license‑plate‑reader cameras. Staff said the office currently uses roughly 30 LPR cameras and cited recent uses of the technology to apprehend suspects, telling commissioners, “LPR technology has proven itself invaluable in multiple recent investigations conducted by our office.” The contract's initial term runs 11/13/2024–11/12/2025 with a base amount listed as $75,000 and a potential total of $150,000 over 24 months if renewed.

• Grants management software: Staff presented a change order and renewal with REI Systems Inc. for the GovGrants platform, reporting the change order covers additional Oracle Fusion integration costs and that the renewal reflects a 35.1% price increase; the agenda lists a base amount associated with the renewal.

• Parks and infrastructure: The board reviewed an award for Ivy Creek Greenway boardwalk renovations (Steele & Associates, amount not to exceed $1,325,356, funded by the 2023 SPLOST program) and an award for a roundabout and related improvements at North Bogan Road and Thompson Mill Road (Backbone Infrastructure LLC, amount not to exceed $5,456,436, funded by the 2017 SPLOST program).

• Elections and IT: Election staff recommended purchasing firmware licenses and warranties for Dominion Voting Systems equipment (agenda base amount $117,625.16) to maintain compliance with the relevant state election board rule; IT staff presented renewals for NetApp storage ($759,524.24) and a Microsoft enterprise agreement (ratification of true‑up licenses was reported at $393,892.12; the transcript's base amount wording was garbled).*

What did not happen: commissioners did not take final votes on these items at the 10 AM work session. The chairwoman and staff repeatedly said the listed items would go to the consent agenda for action at the 2 PM business session.

Quote highlights: County attorney Mike Ludwisack described a proposed amendment to Chapter 66 of the Gwinnett County Code meant to prohibit aggressive solicitation on county property, saying the change responds to people “aggressively soliciting patrons of our probate court and magistrate court.” Transportation staff emphasized federal funding requirements for the DBE plan update and airport staff noted the airport authority had approved the master plan 5–0.

Next steps: Each item presented at the work session was slated for the consent agenda at the 2 PM business meeting; any final approvals or votes will be recorded in that session's minutes.