Athens Commission approves Lay Park historic landmark after brief public comment

The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted Jan. 6 to adopt a resolution initiating landmark designation procedures for Lay Park, a vote taken during a special called session convened before the regular meeting.

Supporters, including a public commenter who identified herself as Dr. Tawana Smith Mattox, urged commissioners to preserve the site’s history and the services it has hosted, citing figures who helped establish utilities, Head Start and neighborhood programs decades earlier. Commissioner Thornton, the motion’s sponsor, described conversations with long-serving community leaders and framed the resolution as a way to ensure the site’s long-term protection.

The mayor sought suspension of the normal rules to allow consideration in the special session; the suspension motion was moved and seconded, and the body then voted on the resolution itself. The roll call recorded one abstention (Commissioner Johnson); the mayor declared the motion carried.

The resolution begins the formal process to create an historic landmark for the Lay Park facility; the commission and staff said further procedural steps and public-notice requirements will follow as required by local law. No ordinance text or prerequisite code citation was provided during the reading beyond the resolution language read into the record.

The commission adjourned the special session and reconvened the regular meeting after the vote.

What’s next: staff will follow the statutory and local-notice steps required to complete a landmark designation, and any subsequent legal signage or administrative requirements will be scheduled and posted for public review.