Category: Columns

By David Pendered

The construction of the planned streetcar system in Downtown Atlanta cleared its first big hurdle Wednesday at Atlanta City Hall.

The Finance Committee of the Atlanta City Council approved measures needed to start building the streetcar system. The committee approved plans to:

Lease almost two acres for a future parking lot and maintenance barn beneath the Downtown Connector, between Auburn and Edgewood avenues;

Provide a total of up to $10.7 million to relocate water and sewer utilities, and to add enhancements related to the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists along the streetcar route.

By David Pendered

The second round of proposals for concessions contracts at Atlanta’s airport looks a lot like those submitted for the first round.

The only difference is that one company, a joint venture that had been disqualified from Round 1, dropped out of competition for Round 2. However, half of that company did resubmit even more proposals with a new partner, city records show.

Atlanta also changed some reporting requirements concerning whether a company’s employees may legally work in this country. The reporting issue was one reason the city announced on Sept. 2 that it was throwing out all proposals and starting the bid process anew.

By David Pendered

By osmosis, Atlanta has absorbed Savannah’s port.

Atlanta’s mayor, Kasim Reed, has become the local face of the proposed deepening of the Savannah Harbor. Atlanta’s media seems to pay more attention to the latest twists in the two-decade process of deepening the harbor than to progress on the new international terminal at Atlanta’s airport.

The main news out of last week’s State of the Ports luncheon was the number of jobs the ports created in the metro Atlanta area. Meanwhile, one of Gov. Nathan Deal’s comments – concerning the transportation sales tax referendum – barely registered.

By David Pendered

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed outlined his vision Tuesday for the airport to greatly expand its role as a freight handler.

Reed said he can see the day when passengers use the airport by day, and in the wee hours the airport becomes a major freight-handling facility. Reed made the comment during a panel discussion at the third annual State of the Ports Luncheon.

“At midnight, the airport should be handling cargo,” Reed said, adding that he wants to see the airport join the ranks of the top 10 cargo handlers.

By David Pendered

All bets are off when it comes to guessing what entity state lawmakers will select or create to run metro Atlanta’s assortment of transit systems, as ordered by Gov. Nathan Deal.

GRTA would be a logical starting point, as some lawmakers suggested last week. On Monday, Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Marietta), who co-sponsored the bill that created GRTA in 1999 for then-Gov. Roy Barnes, said that role was part of the original vision for the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

The state Department of Transportation shouldn’t be ruled out as a contender. State law provides for GDOT to own – and operate – transit systems.

By David Pendered

Some of the wind seemed to have gone out of the sails of Occupy Atlanta by Sunday afternoon.

The crowd was smaller than that of Sunday a week ago. Those who were at Troy Davis Park, nee Woodruff Park, seemed a bit like the crowd who’d arrived at a hot party after it had peaked.

Mayor Kasim Reed may have contributed to the lackluster feeling. Reed has provided the group wide privilege at the city’s iconic park in the heart of the central business district. On Sunday, the mayor forbade an unpermitted concert and it was summarily cancelled.

By David Pendered

Atlanta remains on schedule to open proposals from companies seeking contracts for airport concessions next week.

Meanwhile, the city on Friday requested additional clarification on a saportareport.com story that appeared Oct. 18 about the concessions bid process.

Atlanta is conducting what it says is the largest airport concessions procurement process in North American history. The city is seeking private companies to manage all of the 125 food and beverage sites at the airport, plus 27 retail shops.

By David Pendered

This story has been updated.

Renee Glover will be gone from the Atlanta Housing Authority as fast as the lawyers can reach a deal, following a vote Wednesday by the AHA board of commissioners.

The AHA board elected Dan Halpern as chairman. Halpern, appointed to the board by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, has been a persistent critic of Glover’s management of the city’s housing authority.

The board adopted new procedures that require the board to vote on all firings; new contracts valued at $10,000 or more; and contract extensions of $10,000 or more.

By David Pendered

Gov. Deal’s task force to reform transit governance seems to be serious about getting something done.

The panel met in public for the first time Tuesday. One bi-partisan message that emerged clearly is that the committee intends to comply with Deal’s order that legislation establishing an entity to oversee regional transit in metro Atlanta be presented to the state Legislation in January.

Another clear message also emerged, this one delivered to transit operators – tell us what you want now; don’t wait until after we’ve written a bill and then tell us how to tweak it to suit.

By David Pendered

Atlanta’s chief finance officer is out, just 16 months after Mayor Kasim Reed nominated her with glowing remarks.

The departure of CFO Joya C. De Foor was announced to members of the Atlanta City Council in an email Monday evening. The email was signed by Reed’s chief of staff, Candace Byrd.

Peter Aman, Atlanta’s COO, said late Tuesday that he could not speak on the situation because it is a personnel matter.

By David Pendered

Atlanta’s clarification: See below

Botched paperwork by two corporations fueled the decision by Atlanta to rebid the entire concessions package at the airport, said to be the largest airport concessions procurement in North American history.

The new bids are due next week – on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26. Atlanta cancelled its airport procurement program Sept. 2 and required every company to submit new bids, regardless of whether their proposals were flawed.

One of the two companies is trying to break into Atlanta’s airport: Delaware North, one of the nation’s larger vendors. The other company is Great Atlanta Concessions, a new joint venture involving one of the country’s biggest Hispanic franchisees, and a company controlled by an Atlanta businessman with diverse interests including service on a board with former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.