Winder City Council’s two monthly meetings are this week at the Winder Community Center. And for the first time, both the Monday and Tuesday meetings will begin at 6 p.m. At tonight's public meeting, the council will discuss a major overhaul of the city code regarding alcohol sales. Among other things, the new provisions allow business owners in the Downtown Overlay District to apply for licenses to operate downtown bars, pubs, taverns, public entertainment facilities and brew pubs.
Also on the agenda for discussion tonight — and for action Tuesday — is a code amendment that would allow the discharge of firearms on tracts of at least five acres that are in areas zoned for agricultural or industrial uses. Currently, the city code prohibits the discharging of firearms inside the city limits except for self-defense.
Other action items include the following:
•A contract with Pinnacle Data Solutions for the printing and mailing of the city’s utility bills.
•A $600,000 contract, with financing through the Georgia Environmental Financing Authority, for a “fixed” utility billing network that would utilize a system of antennas to read meters and to report the readings automatically to the utility billing system.
•A contract authorizing the Georgia Department of Transportation to bid out and contract the water and sewer work within the limits of the downtown streetscape project. The cost is estimated at $160,667.
•Pedestrian lighting under the GDOT streetscape project.
•The relocation of the gas main lines under Broad Street prior to the start of the streetscape project.
•“The Richard B. Russell Park” as the name for the small park on the site of the former Granite Hotel, and a $10,000 contract with the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute for the park’s design.
•A contract with Engineering Management Inc. for the realignment of Midland Avenue and storm water improvements.
•Alcohol permits for the Sunoco Food Mart, 183 W. Athens St., and for Winder Package Store, 178 North Broad St.
•A pawnbroker license for First American Title Lending of Georgia LLC, 108 E. May St., Suite 300.
•Event permits for the following: Zumba Dance-A-Thon at Jones Park from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 24; 9/11 Memorial 5K Run at Fort Yargo at 6 p.m. Sept. 8; National Life Chain on the sidewalk along May Street from 2-3 p.m. Oct. 7; and a music concert from 6-10 p.m. on Sept. 6 in conjunction with the Jug Tavern Festival to benefit Sam Walley of Winder, who was severely injured while on military duty in Afghanistan.
