Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Westside Youth Facility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newton County selects Ascension as project manager for Westside Youth Facility amid calls for more transparency
Summary
The Newton County Board of Commissioners approved hiring Ascension Program Management LLC to serve as project manager for the Westside Youth Facility and Park; residents pressed the board for clearer accounting of consultant spending, earlier appraisals and more community input on site and design.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted to approve an agreement with Ascension Program Management LLC to serve as project manager for the Westside Youth Facility and Park.
County Manager James Brown told commissioners the county issued an RFP, convened a review team and selected Ascension as the lowest and most qualified vendor to guide selection of designers and contractors and to oversee design and construction work expected to take about 18 months. "The project manager is going to help staff to select not only the designer, but also the contractor for the facility," Brown said.
Commissioner Long said she supports moving the project forward but pressed staff for assurance the county will include community input and not spend consultant dollars prematurely. "I don't wanna waste money on any kind of consulting that if we're not ready to do that," Long said, adding the board should hold town-hall-style meetings during design.
Residents during public comment raised similar concerns. Rhiannon Mangan, the petitioner in a planning item heard earlier in the meeting, spoke in favor of her rezoning request and later expressed support for responsible development of the area. Maya Allen (District 3) told the board, "Please, let's have some transparency. Please, let's include the community in the decisions that are being made of where it's gonna be placed, what is gonna be there." Alaina/Elena Sanders urged staff to account for previous design work and consultant expenses and to consider existing renderings and appraisals before commissioning new work.
Brown said staff has identified several candidate parcels and is narrowing options to bring back for further discussion; he described the project manager's role as facilitating selection, coordinating design, and helping keep the project on budget. The board approved the agreement.
The vote to approve the contract was taken during the meeting and recorded by the chair.
