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Project histories

Stormwater improvements: the documented decision history

Follow the documented stormwater property actions, ARP project decisions, and September and October 2026 staff recommendations. Approvals, estimates and requests are distinct; the October master-plan proposal is not an appropriation or evidence of Council adoption.

Approvals, contract amounts, and reported expenditure describe different stages. They are not added together as a project total.

  1. Stormwater property negotiations authorizedProperty-acquisition negotiations · PASSED

    Council authorized the mayor and city manager to negotiate for property within Athens for stormwater projects and authorized earnest-money funds. The reviewed decision states no parcel, seller, price, or relationship to the later ARP-funded project.

    • Curtis: yes
    • Lockmiller: yes
    • Perkinson: yes
    • Witt-McMahan: yes
    • Pelley: yes

    Recorded vote: Authorize property-purchase negotiations for stormwater projects.

    Reviewed decisions: View decision

    Search the archive: Resolution 2021-14 · stormwater property negotiations · earnest money

  2. Stormwater infrastructure property purchase authorizedProperty-acquisition approval · PASSED

    Council approved Resolution 2021-22 authorizing purchase of property to enhance stormwater infrastructure. The reviewed decision states no parcel, seller, purchase price, closing date, or connection to the later ARP-funded project.

    • Curtis: yes
    • Lockmiller: yes
    • Perkinson: yes
    • Witt-McMahan: yes
    • Pelley: yes

    Recorded vote: Council approved Resolution 2021-22 authorizing a property purchase to improve stormwater infrastructure.

    Reviewed decisions: View decision

    Search the archive: Resolution 2021-22 · stormwater infrastructure · property purchase

  3. ARP stormwater design services approvedApproved professional-services scope · PASSED — consent agenda

    Council approved Gresham Smith stormwater design services as part of a divided consent-agenda vote. The reviewed decision does not state the design fee or detailed scope and does not establish completed design work.

    • Curtis: yes
    • Eaton: yes
    • Duggan: yes
    • Sherlin: no
    • Pelley: no

    Recorded vote: Council approved the consent agenda collectively, covering the NoogaLights Christmas show, cemetery mowing by Total Lawn Care, and Gresham Smith stormwater design services. These were not separately recorded approvals.

    Reviewed decisions: View decision

    Search the archive: Gresham Smith · ARP stormwater · design services

  4. Property purchase for ARP stormwater project approvedARP project property acquisition · PASSED — consent agenda

    Council approved purchasing property needed for the ARP-funded stormwater project and approved Resolution 2025-17 as part of the consent agenda. The reviewed decision states no parcel, seller, purchase price, or closing status.

    • Sherlin: yes
    • Duggan: yes
    • Pelley: yes
    • Eaton: yes
    • Curtis: yes

    Recorded vote: Council approved the consent agenda collectively, covering stormwater property, View Street design, IT upgrades, downtown planning, Veterans Park monuments, an SRO grant, and Police and Public Works vehicles.

    Reviewed decisions: View decision

    Search the archive: Resolution 2025-17 · ARP funded stormwater project · property purchase

  5. ARP stormwater construction contract awardedApproved construction contract award · PASSED

    Council awarded RFB 25-13 for the ARP Stormwater Grant construction project to Wilson Construction Group, LLC as the lowest bidder. The reviewed decision states no bid amount, notice-to-proceed date, payment, or completion.

    • Pelley: yes
    • Duggan: yes
    • Curtis: yes
    • Sherlin: yes
    • Eaton: yes

    Recorded vote: Council awarded RFB 25-13 to Wilson Construction Group, LLC, identified as the lowest bidder.

    Reviewed decisions: View decision

    Search the archive: RFB 25-13 · ARP Stormwater Grant · Wilson Construction Group

  6. ARP stormwater professional-services amendment approvedApproved professional-services amendment · PASSED — consent agenda

    Council approved an amendment to the Gresham Smith professional-services agreement for the ARP stormwater project. The minutes state that expenses will be paid by the grant and/or the Capital Improvement Fund, but state no amendment amount or actual expenditure.

    • Eaton: yes
    • Curtis: yes
    • Duggan: yes
    • Sherlin: yes
    • McCowan: yes

    Recorded vote: Council collectively approved rejecting the Christmas-light-show bid, surplus equipment, recreation-office relocation, a stormwater services amendment, Fair Housing Month, and board reappointments.

    Reviewed decisions: View decision

    Search the archive: Gresham Smith · ARP stormwater · professional services amendment

  7. Staff proposes Wilson stormwater contract amendmentStaff recommendation — approval not established

    A September 3 staff memorandum included in the September 15 agenda packet requests a $213,330.70 increase to a proposed Wilson Construction Group contract total of $2,244,885.69. The memo distinguishes the original Council-awarded base bid from a lower initial agreement using Alternate 1. The awarded base was $2,031,554.99 and the initial agreement was $1,960,479.99. The proposed total minus the initial agreement is $284,405.70; minus the awarded base it is the stated $213,330.70. The memo does not reconcile these two bases. These figures are a staff request, not evidence that Council approved the amendment or paid the amount. The meeting had not occurred when this packet was collected.

    Search the archive: ARP Stormwater Grant · Wilson Construction Group · 213,330.70

  8. Staff recommends stormwater master-plan adoptionStaff recommendation - adoption and funding not established

    An October 7 Public Works memorandum in the October 20 Council packet recommends adopting the September 2026 Athens Stormwater Masterplan as a strategic planning document. It describes a preliminary $23.7 million future capital plan: Layman Road to Regional Park ($4.9 million), Tellico and Towanda Trail ($1.4 million), Clark Street Bypass ($5.4 million), Madison Avenue Bypass ($8.1 million), and North White Street ($3.9 million). These estimates exclude deficient bridges and other hydraulic structures, property acquisition, and substantial detention storage, and are not the City's total long-term stormwater liability. The memo recommends a stormwater utility fee as a funding mechanism and says a feasibility memorandum will inform February budget planning. This packet establishes a staff recommendation, not Council adoption, an enacted fee, appropriated funding, payments or completion of these proposed projects.

    Search the archive: stormwater masterplan · 23.7 million · stormwater utility fee · Clark Street Bypass · Madison Avenue Bypass

What remains unconnectedEvidence needed to complete the trail.
  • The reviewed records do not identify the parcel, seller, negotiated price, earnest-money amount, or closing documents for the 2021 stormwater property actions.
  • No reviewed source establishes that the property considered or purchased in 2021 is part of the 2025–2026 ARP-funded stormwater project.
  • The reviewed decisions do not state Gresham Smith’s original design fee, the scope or amount of the 2026 amendment, or actual professional-services payments.
  • The July 2025 ARP property-purchase approval does not identify the parcel, purchase price, closing date, or recorded deed.
  • The September 2025 construction award does not state Wilson Construction Group’s bid amount, contract ceiling, notice to proceed, pay applications, change orders, or funding split.
  • No reviewed decision establishes construction start, substantial completion, final completion, final cost, grant reimbursement, or the completed improvements’ location and performance.
  • The October 20 packet does not establish Council adoption of the master plan, approval of a utility fee, or funding and construction authorization for its preliminary capital proposals.

Related department spending history · Records review · Search related source records