Roswell City Committee Meeting Summary - April 28, 2026
Roswell City Committee Meeting Summary - April 28, 2026
The Roswell City Committee meeting was held on April 28, 2026, beginning at approximately 7:00 PM. The meeting was chaired by City Administrator Randy Knighton, with Mayor Mary Robichau and Councilmembers Sarah Beeson, Aaron Brumley, Christine Hall, Jennifer Philippi, Alan Sells, and Christopher Zack present. The purpose was to consider routine approvals and several infrastructure and grant items. All agenda items were approved unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the minutes from the April 14, 2026 meeting (motion by Councilmember Beeson, second by Mayor Robichau, passed unanimously).
Discussion Items
- Retaining Wall Over 6 Feet – First Baptist Church Roswell: Presented by Planning and Zoning Director Gene Payton. The proposed U-shaped cast-in-place concrete retaining wall is up to 12 feet high at its peak, tapering to 2 feet at the ends, with a total length of 62.4 feet. Located behind the church parking area adjacent to Mimosa Hall Racket Park, it is not visible from a public street. The wall is part of a stormwater remediation project addressing a collapsed 48-inch pipe on the church's property, which has caused water backup and mosquito complaints for about three years. The wall is subject to HPC review. Councilmembers discussed the stormwater issues. The item moved forward unanimously.
- Grant Application – Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program: Presented by Mr. Flecker. Staff proposed applying for up to $25 million from the FHWA with a 20% local match. However, based on past experience, they are targeting a total of $6 million in grants for two projects: Warsaw Road and Mimosa Boulevard / Atlanta 3 from area highway to Woodstock Road. The local match would be $1.355 million, not required immediately. Councilmember Hall asked about the higher amount applied for previously. Councilmember Beeson noted that some intersections (e.g., Etris and Hard Scrabble) are also problematic and requested consideration. Staff indicated no other intersection improvements are currently planned for that area. Councilmember Philippi inquired about administrative burden, and staff said it is manageable. The motion to pursue the grant passed unanimously.
- GDOT LRA Project List and Fund Acceptance: Mr. Flecker presented a resolution to submit the FY 2026 Local Road Assistance Administration (LRA) project list to GDOT and accept $1,221,801.94 in funds, which require no local match. The funds can be used for eligible transportation projects. Staff proposed using the funds primarily for additional street resurfacing (to catch up on backlog) and up to $200,000 as contingency for utility relocations along Green Street. Councilmember Brumley asked about eligible uses (sidewalks, drainage, etc.) and confirmed resurfacing would be based on PCI index. Mayor Robichau asked about timing and if the funds could be added to the current resurfacing contract. Staff said they could amend the current contract or hold for next year. The motion passed unanimously.
- Farm Trace Stormwater Construction Project – Task Order Award: Mr. Watson presented the award to Chatfield Contracting, Inc. for $380,229.74 (low bid among three). The project replaces multiple sections of failed corrugated metal pipe with reinforced concrete pipe, including catch basins, junction boxes, and a headwall. It is the top-ranked project on the stormwater CIP list. A 10% contingency of $38,023 was added for a total authorization of $418,253. Councilmember Sells asked about pipe types (cured-in-place vs. pre-stressed). Staff explained the technology. The item was approved unanimously.
- Hokum Woods Parkway Stormwater Pipelining Project – Task Order Award: Mr. Watson presented the award to Utility Asset Management for $88,405 (low bid). The project rehabilitates approximately 130 feet of 42-inch and 77 feet of 18-inch corrugated metal pipe using cured-in-place pipe or structural concrete. A 10% contingency of $8,840 was added for a total of $97,245. This item was below the usual threshold but brought for exposure. Councilmember Zack asked about the material (AR glass). The item was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All six agenda items (minutes approval, retaining wall, SS4A grant application, LRA fund acceptance, Farm Trace stormwater project award, Hokum Woods pipelining project award) were approved unanimously. No public comments were received. The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
We will seek to begin in about uh one minute, about one minute. We will seek to begin. All right. Uh good evening, everyone, and welcome to the committee meetings for April 28th, 2026. We certainly appreciate your presence. Um the elected body present, Mayor Mary Robichau, Councilmember Sarah Beeson, Councilmember Aaron Brumley, Councilmember Christine Hall, Councilmember Jennifer Philippi, Councilmember Alan Sells, and Councilmember Christopher Zack. I am Randy Knighton, the city administrator, along with the deputy city attorney, Mr. Joe Cusack, and the City Clerk, Nancy Long, and our uh newly appointed or newly hired Deputy City Clerk Rachel Rains is with us, so we look forward to working with you. Um the purpose of committee meetings are for the city departments to convey information to the mayor and council and discuss initiatives listed on the published agenda, as well as provide updates of vital information. Uh by ordinance, the committee consists of the city administrator as well as the council. This is a public meeting, but not a public hearing. Therefore, while we certainly welcome members of the public and those in the viewing audience who do not generally take questions uh at these meetings, public comments and questions, of course, are received on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, as well as the fifth Monday in open form. And we do encourage residents to reach out to us and engage our online platforms for information. Please visit Roswell 365.com for a calendar of events. I do want to highlight uh one event upcoming for T SPLOS, the transportation special purpose local option sales tax. That's a public meeting on this Thursday, April 30th, 6 o'clock PM. Um, as well as um there will be information pertaining to the comprehensive plan. So that meeting will serve dual purposes, uh T Splost and Comprehensive Plan, and we certainly invite the public to attend and provide input. We also invite the public to um take the online survey for both T Splost and the Comprehensive Plan. All right, the first item on the agenda for the evening is the approval of the minutes for the April 14th, 2026. We'll entertain a motion. Motion by Councilmember Beeson, second by May Mayor Robichau. Further discussion. All in favor. All right, that passes unanimously. Uh the next item on the agenda under the regular agenda consideration of approval of a retaining wall over six feet for first Baptist Church Roswell. That will be presented by Gene Payton, planning and zoning director. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Another retaining wall. As part of a plan to remediate a stormwater issue for First Baptist Roswell Church is requesting approval for a retaining wall. The wall at its highest point is approximately 12 feet above grade. It tapers down to two feet on both ends. It's a U-shaped wall that's approximately 62.4 feet in length. And the location of the wall is not visible from a public street and would primarily be visible from Mimosa Hall Racket Park facility. The wall is subject to HPC review. The yellow circle is where the site is, and I have some zoomed in. So the applicant is proposing a cast in place concrete head wall, which does meet the definition of a retaining wall. And all proposed retaining walls equal to or greater than six feet in height require review and approval by mayor and city council. Here's the location of the wall. It's to the rear of the parking area in the woods down a slope. And again, it's adjacent to the Mimosa Hall public facility. The highest point of the wall is on the rear end of it at 12 feet, and it tapers down to two feet at each end. That's all I have for you tonight. Do you have any questions? Thank you, Ms. Payton. Any questions? Yes. Councilmember Brumley. Is there like a pond or some structure?
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