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Atlanta will hold March 17 vote on borrowing money to pay for infrastructure projects

Kirkwood and East Lake Metro ATL

Atlanta will hold March 17 vote on borrowing money to pay for infrastructure projects

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Atlanta City Hall. Photo by Bbenrath, obtained via Wikimedia Commons

Atlanta City Hall. Photo by Bbenrath, obtained via Wikimedia Commons

Atlanta voters will be asked to consider allowing the city to borrow $252 million to pay for infrastructure projects.

The city’s to-do list includes street repairs, as well as sidewalks, bike lanes, transit stops and other pedestrian improvements.

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously on Monday, Jan. 5, to set the March 17 referendum, according to a press release from the city.

The city provided a general breakdown of how the money will be spent:

– $188 million: “For acquisition, construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, improvement, critical capital maintenance and equipping of public streets and traffic control infrastructure and equipment, curbing, storm water drainage, street  name and directional signage, bridges, viaducts and related public improvement including but not limited to streetlights, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and transit stops so as to improve the pedestrian and transit environment, the cost of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 for such improvements.”

$64 million: “For … paying the costs of the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, improvement, critical maintenance and equipping of municipal facilities, including buildings, recreation centers and other facilities and related public improvements and the cost of compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 for such facilities and improvements.”

The city says it has $900 million in backlogged projects

The bond issue is intended, “to address the city’s most pressing infrastructure challenges, such as improving our city’s roads, bridges, sidewalks and upgrade critical public buildings and facilities.”

The bond referendum will be March 17. Each city polling place will be open from 7 am to 7 pm.

The city will begin a third round of public input meetings this month.

“At these meetings, the City will share the results of the first round of meetings, provide a draft list of potential projects to be considered under the bond, and receive additional feedback,” the city’s website says. “Residents are invited to attend one or more of these sessions to offer input. Public information meetings will continue in February 2015.”

The meetings will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm. The dates and locations are:

Jan. 13, 2015

St. Mark United Methodist Church
781 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta GA 30308

Jan. 15, 2015

Adamsville Recreation Center
3201 Martin L. King, Jr., SW, Atlanta, GA 30311

Jan. 20, 2015

Atlanta City Hall
55 Trinity Avenue, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Jan. 22, 2015

Atlanta Metropolitan College
1630 Metropolitan Parkway, SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

Jan. 29, 2015

Atlanta Fire & Rescue Station 28
1925 Hollywood Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Feb. 3, 2015

Atlanta Speech School
3160 Northside Parkway, NW, Atlanta, GA 30310

Feb. 5, 2015

Georgia Hill Facility
250 Georgia Avenue, SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Feb. 12, 2015
Ben Hill Recreation Center
2405 Fairburn Road, SW, Atlanta, GA 30331

Feb. 17, 2015

Piedmont Hospital – Shepard Center
Callaway Auditorium – 7th Floor
2020 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30309

Feb. 19, 2015

Drew Charter School
301 East Lake Boulevard, SE, Atlanta, GA 30317

Feb. 24, 2015

John C. Birdine Recreation Center
215 Lakewood Way, SW, Atlanta, GA 30315

Feb. 26, 2015

Atlanta City Hall
55 Trinity Avenue, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

The city has also published this draft project list:

2015 Proposed Bond – Draft Project List

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