County officials discuss infrastructure, transit at roundtable

Nov. 2—Infrastructure investment is focused on the northern half of Glynn County these days because it's where the most growth is expected.

Glynn County Manager Bill Fallon noted during a Tuesday media roundtable with The News and other outlets that several major developments have been approved for that region of the county.

He mentioned Buc-ee's at Exit 42 of I-95 by name, but last year the Mainland Planning Commission approved a site plan for a nearly 200-unit apartment complex off the Ga. 25 Spur. Tuesday night, MPC considered site plans and rezonings for four developments amounting to over 500 residential units.

Given the substantial population growth expected, the county is putting a lot of money into road improvements and widening major streets, he said.

The three main north-south corridors in the county — U.S. 341, U.S. 17 and the Ga. 25 Spur — are all managed by the Georgia Department of Transportation with little oversight from the county. It's doing what it can by increasing east-west connectivity between the three.

Old Jesup Road and those that branch off of it — Canal Road, Perry Lane Road and Glyndale Drive, to name a few — are the main arteries for those traveling through the northern part of the county.

It's unlikely the county will ever be able to widen Old Jesup Road due to the very narrow corridor it occupies, Fallon said. Acquiring enough land on either side to even add sidewalks along the full length of the road may not be feasible. Some key placements of eyebrows and turn lanes are in the works, he said, which are intended to alleviate traffic there. A little over $2 million is included on a proposed SPLOST 2022 project list.

Upgrades and widening on some connecting roads, like Canal and Perry Lane, should allow quicker access and exits from Old Jesup Road as well, he said.

Glynn County's SPLOST 2022 project list proposal also includes just over $8.35 million to widen Perry Lane Road and replace a bridge and another $2.9 million to upgrade the intersection of Canal Road and Glynco Parkway to a roundabout.

On the list also is $1.5 million for design work on a project to widen Glynco Parkway from U.S. 17 to the Ga. 25 Spur, which doesn't include the cost of construction. The Canal Road widening has been delayed only by a few pieces of right of way the county has yet to acquire from the current private owners, he added.

Aside from making it easier to travel between the Spur and U.S. 17, he said the newly widened thoroughfare would provide another hurricane evacuation route.

Even if SPLOST isn't passed, Fallon said these projects are essential to the county's long-term growth potential and will have to be done eventually.

Helping people get around quickly is a priority, he said, but for those who can't afford the upkeep or gas of a vehicle, the city of Brunswick is exploring public transportation options. Fallon said the county is not yet sure how it will contribute.

Transportation was one of the subjects city and county officials discussed while negotiating how the two governments would split Local Option Sales Tax revenue, he said. Transportation was in the top three priorities during the negotiations, he said, topped by crime and homelessness. No internal discussion of the county's part in a transportation system has occurred since then, however.

At a meeting last month, city officials heard a recommendation from a consultant who suggested the city implement a small fleet of five-passenger vans rather than a traditional bus route. Instead of getting on and off at bus stops, residents would select their destination online via a phone app and share the ride with other passengers. Fallon said the Georgia City-County Management Association supported that method as a best practice for smaller cities when he attended an association conference last month.County Chief Financial Officer Tamara Munson was unsure how a local transit system would affect the county's agreement with the Coastal Regional Commission to provide a similar service in the coastal area. Glynn County is compelled by law to pay a fee every year to support the Coastal Regional Coach system, which services 10 counties along the coast and provides rides for a $3 one-way fare and a $6 round-trip fare.

He also discussed this year's Frat Beach event, which came and went without any significant problems on the county's end.

Traditionally, East Beach on St. Simons Island has been the focal point of "Frat Beach," a pre-game party that takes place before the annual rivalry game between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the University of Florida Gators in Jacksonville.

Only around 39 people had to visit a first aid tent set up on the beach and one person, who was not a student, was transported from the beach for medical treatment. Munson added that the county had to pay double this year for porta-potties as well.

Trash pickup was a chore, however. County employees pitched in to help volunteers with Keep Golden Isles Beautiful pick up litter after the annual event.

"By the time we were done, I don't think you could tell there had been a party with 6,000 drunk college students there," Fallon said.

He acknowledged the event does not represent the best the Golden Isles has to offer, and said the county is working on ways to carefully manage it in the future.