SAVANNAH, Ga. () – City council is reconsidering a vote for the Enmarket Arena parking lot project on Thursday, but with a lower price tag.
Previously, city officials had requested an extra $14 million to complete the project, but now the cost has been reduced to $8 million. The question remains, will the council approve this lower amount?
The agenda outlined that the $8 million is intended for cleaning up contaminated soil, paving the area, and making upgrades on Cohen Road. However, Alderman Nick Palumbo, who opposes the extra funding for creating 2,000 parking spaces, remains unconvinced.
“This road would need to pass through a wetland, a contaminated area, and cross a railroad,” he mentioned. “So, accomplishing all that alongside a thousand-space parking lot and completing environmental remediation for $8 million seems too optimistic. We can’t keep revisiting this issue for additional funds every week.”
The city said the price ran high because crews were removing soil just by looking at it instead of testing it first. It also reads experts have found better ways to get the work done, which has lowered the cost.
The price dropped even more after a deal with Waste Management to cut out extra haul fees.
“These are public dollars,” said Palumbo. “This isn’t funny money. It’s not monopoly money. This is live ammo. These are your dollars. We need to be good fiscal stewards for your money. People demand accountability for these actions. For council to truly do its job, we need to ask a lot of really tough questions.”
Palumbo is pushing for other ways to use tax dollars like mobility and stormwater solutions.
He said he will be sure to raise other questions like is the city also asking for an additional $11 million for the project, which is listed at the bottom of the agenda.
“That’s a nice surprise,” he said. “So, a lot of confusion happening even just on this agenda alone, which, hey, that’s right. In the theme and that’s right on trend for this project. It’s been confusing. We’ve been unable to nail down the cost to a specific number. We’ve had contract mismanagement across the board. Like it’s time to say enough is enough.”
City council will have their workshop on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the topic even further before the vote during the council meeting at 2 p.m.
