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Alpharetta officials decry dam contract
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Council members say terms of agreement were never disclosed
Wills Park approved for major upgrades to Equestrian Center
By PATRICK FOX pat@appenmedia.com
BY TIFFANY MORGAN newsroom@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — City Council members took Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin and staff to task Oct. 25 for signing an agreement last year that obligates the city to share costs for maintenance and repair of the dam at Lake Windward. The document, signed in January 2020, came to light only recently when the Windward Community Services Association notified the city that it wants to be absolved from any financial responsibility for the risk of flood damage downstream. The association is calling on the city to execute a contractual indemnification and hold it harmless for any damage downstream arising from failure or damage to the Lake Windward dam. Council members Donald Mitchell and Karen Richard said they knew nothing of the agreement until two months ago, and it has taken them that long to track down emails and correspondence that led to its signing. “It felt like a very secretive thing that didn’t get out,” Mitchell said. “It felt like it was done in the dark of night.” Mitchell said it is incomprehensible that the city would sign an open-ended agreement to share expenses without setting a limit or without a clear idea of what those expenses would be.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta took the first bite out of multimillion-dollar plan to upgrade its centerpiece park. The City Council voted unanimously Oct. 18 to commit $1.3 million for major upgrades to the Equestrian Center at Wills Park. Alpharetta has big plans for the 120-acre park, including well over $10 million in upgrades to the Equestrian Center and improvements to the dog park, playgrounds, walking trails and sports facilities. Expenses applied to upgrading the Equestrian Center are being matched dollar-for-dollar by the Will Park Equestrian Foundation – a 501(c) organization – to the tune of $5 million. At the Oct. 18 meeting, council members approved a $1 million contract with L.G. Leone Enterprises for site work at the horse park. The work includes erosion control, clearing, drainage improvements and grading. The council also approved a $364,000 contract with Longwood Arenas for work at the arena site, including fine grading, stabling, fenc-
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Because the City of Alpharetta owns and maintains Lake Windward Drive over Windward dam, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division labels the city as part owner of the dam. Windward Community Services Association officials say the dam has undergone regular maintenance since it was built more than 40 years ago and is in sound condition. Councilman John Hipes said he, too, was in the dark, and he agreed with Mitchell that information about the agreement should have been shared with the full council. But he also said Mitchell should have brought it to everyone back in August. Richard said she wants to know
who determined the city should pay half the costs. While the contract provides the HOA authority over the dam’s maintenance and inspection, it obligates the city to pay 50 percent of the costs.
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