The total cost of Atlanta’s public safety training center and how much is being paid for by taxpayers has been a point of contention in debate over the facility since its inception.
When Atlanta City Council approved funding for the law enforcement hub, the public’s share of funding jumped from the originally promised $30 million to $61 million due to a leaseback provision that more than doubled the originally stated cost.
Then in January, city officials told council members that additional security needs raised the total price tag from $90 million to $109 million.
Atlanta’s Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks broke the news to the city’s elected leaders last week that the cost had jumped again to $115 million — again due to damage done to construction equipment by opponents.
“Many of you may have heard some of the attacks that were on our concrete company, and the best way to keep their property safe was to actually develop a concrete batch plant on site,” Burks said. “And then we have had, because of other attacks, additional outside security.”
“But I want to reiterate this, we feel very confident that this is the last increase,” she said.
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Credit: Riley Bunch/AJC
Credit: Riley Bunch/AJC
A year ago, East Atlanta Village residents banded together to help fund an innovative solution to help unhoused members of the community. For $100,000, the neighborhood hired its own dedicated case manager, Michael Nolan, to help connect vulnerable Atlantans to housing and other resources.
Nolan supports residents experiencing homelessness by helping them gather documentation for housing as well as guide local businesses on how to navigate relationships with their unhoused neighbors.
The new program had big results.
Over 10 months, the program was able to house 10 residents and more than 35 others are ready to move in to housing as it becomes available. Through a mobile clinic partnership with Mercy Care, Intown provided more than 150 medical appointments including mental health and addiction supports.
Nolan has handed out more than 1,000 hygiene kits and snack packs in the neighborhood and helped stop multiple drug overdoses.
“We want to continue this work next year,” said Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, who represents the East Atlanta neighborhood. “One hundred thousand dollars for about 45 people averages around $2,000 a person ― that’s a pretty incredible return.”
Other council members expressed interest in replicating the program in their districts and even reevaluating some of the other unhoused services the city is funding to see how resources can be better spent.
“You all have shown real results — I never cheated off anybody’s paper, but if somebody had the right answer, I’d take it,” said Council member Michael Julian Bond. “So if they’re doing something right, we need to be emulating this across the board.”
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Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
A top MARTA executive is leaving the agency next month. Melissa Mullinax has been at MARTA for six years, serving as chief of staff to two CEOs, our colleague Sara Gregory, reports. Before that, she was a top adviser to former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
At MARTA, Mullinax oversaw transit-oriented development projects and the agency’s external affairs. Mullinax said she’s proud of helping MARTA get through some challenging times, including former CEO Jeff Parker’s death by suicide in 2022 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mullinax is leaving at a time when MARTA is at odds with Atlanta City Council members over the More MARTA audit and the Five Points station renovation plans. She said the timing of her departure is unrelated.
Mullinax said she’s been considering a “change of pace” since the beginning of the year and decided to leave over the summer.
”I’m going to miss it, but it’s time,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Got tips, tricks or just want to say hello? Email me at riley.bunch@ajc.com.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
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