Land Bank Authority

Rome/Floyd Land Bank Authority Minutes Friday, April 14, 2023 8:30 AM Carnegie Building Training Room Committee Members Present: Others: Harry Brock Meredith Ulmer - City - Assistant City Manager LaDonna Collins Dylan Nelson - City - Finance - Senior Accountant David Mathis Kraig Ingalsbe - City - Finance - Assistant Director David Clonts Bruce Ivey - County - Special Projects Manager Kevin Payne - County - Tax Commissioner Richard Fincher - Pro-Active Contractors, Inc. Julie Smith - City/County - Transportation/Trails Planner Guest from the Community Staff: Bekki Fox - City - Community Development - Director Amanda Carter - City - Community Development - Rome/Floyd Land Bank Authority Manager Logan Drake - City - Community Development - Administrative Program Assistant Welcome and Call to order: Chairman David Mathis called the meeting to order at 8:31 AM. A quorum was established. Approval of Minutes: Mathis asked for any corrections to the March minutes. Harry Brock motioned to approve the minutes, which was seconded by LaDonna Collins. Motion carried. Financial Report: The financial report was distributed for review and presented by Dylan Nelson. Nelson discussed active properties, the cash balance as of March 31st and the 2018-2022 YTD property taxes collected. Nelson stated that he received confirmation that there should be no issue with the Land Bank Authority (LBA) either using the City’s tax ID number or having a separate one. Guest, Richard Fincher from Pro-Active Contractors, Inc.: Everyone welcomed special guest Ricard Fincher, from Pro-Active Contractors, Inc., who will be carrying out the builds at 1 Orchid Place (J14O113) and 7 Forsyth Street (J13J165). Discussion Items- Authority Updates: Fincher provided information on progress made so far. Orchid is ready for plumbing and should have a concrete slab down soon for framing. At Forsyth, a storm drain was discovered after clearing dirt. Fincher will contact the Street Department to make sure the property will not be affected by excessive water. He hopes to soon make as much progress with Forsyth as he has with Orchid. The neighbors at Orchid are excited and supportive of the build. Fincher explained that he was informed of some significant history involving Orchid Place. The area used to be the site of an African American baseball park that operated in the 1920s and 1930s. At Forsyth, the home will face Wright Street due to both the position of the oak tree in the yard and existing driveway. Fincher explained the future visuals and slight modifications to the floor plan. Some of the residents at Orchid Place were receptive to opportunities involving both Community Development programs and the LBA’s Neighborhood Beautification Grant. Staff will explore options to help these individuals. Fincher and James Martin from Rome-Floyd County Building Inspection visited 312 Kingston Avenue (J13I105). The LBA’s plan is to rehabilitate the home on the property. After inspection, Fincher and Martin recommended demolition since they believe the damaged roof would significantly increase the cost of rehabilitation. The LBA held that the home and surrounding street have character, so a second opinion was sought out. After visiting the site, Clonts and Brock voiced the home was salvageable. The Housing Development Committee recently discussed the matter. All agreed that saving and restoring the house fits in well with the LBA’s mission. After discussion, the Board authorized Staff to contact contractors about taking on this project. Staff can gauge their interest in either cost-plus or buying the home from the LBA with the stipulation that the home not be tore down. The conversation will continue once Staff reports back to the Board. Progress continues to be made on the donation of 303 E. 20th Street (J15X153). Attorney William Richardson has made the homeowner aware of the next steps in the donation process. Staff has begun receiving demolition estimates. Updates will be given later. Marcus Anderson from RAC Real Estate Acquisition Corp, based in Miami, FL, has expressed interest in buying multiple properties. His future plans are to create affordable housing for either rent or sale. Some properties are County owned while others are LBA. His main hurdle is finding an attorney to clear title. One option he suggested is to use a 3 bed/2 bath, 1,260sqft, traditional style ranch plan. Staff and some of the Board will meet with Anderson when he visits Rome on April 27th. Staff will first contact the Gadsden Land Bank, where Anderson has done business before, to get their opinion. Collins stated that the Program/Partnership Development Committee met with Julie Smith, Rome-Floyd Transportation/Trails Planner, on March 29th. They spoke about the possibility of donating the property located at 216 E. 20th Street (J15X204) to Trails for Recreation and Economic Development of Rome/Floyd County (TRED). All agreed that finding a gatekeeper is vital in maintaining the integrity of the neighborhood. Smith stated that the start of the future Lindale Trail will be located a mile away and will connect with part of the property’s tree line. The Committee will reach out to Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church of Rome and East Rome Baptist Church to set up a neighborhood meeting. They are interested in receiving input and ideas from neighborhood residents. The LBA could partner with TRED and Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful for a trash clean-up day. The LBA will be responsible for clearing the lot. One idea proposed was to have a pocket park set up that would be maintained by volunteers. Eagle Scout Projects could be involved. Options include benches, picnic tables, community garden, pollinator garden, and pea gravel. The Committee also wants to place signage that includes the history of the neighborhood and TRED/trail information. All agreed that creating the park is part of the LBA mission since the lot would be put back into productive use. Collins announced that Smith and Courtnay Griffin, Assistant Director for Rome Transit, will be the newest members of the LBA Program/Partnership Development Committee. Action Items: Collins led a discussion on approving financial contribution to the Boys & Girls Clubs Adult Financial Literacy Program. The Program/Partnership Development Committee met with J.R. Davis on March 27th to discuss this opportunity last mentioned at the previous Board meeting. Collins explained the various ideas proposed and the Board considered how the LBA could contribute to this program. Davis can use the money as he sees fit then report back to the Board on the success of the Program. After discussion, the Board acted as follows: o Clonts motioned to approve a $1,000 partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs Adult Financial Literacy Program for 2023, with the intention of taking action annually if the LBA continues the partnership, which was seconded by Brock. Motion carried. Executive Session: Brock motioned to enter Executive Session in order to discuss approving the donation of the property located at 216 E. 20th Street (J15X204) to TRED, which was seconded by Clonts. Motion carried. After brief discussion, Mathis and Brock chose to recuse themselves considering they currently sit on the Board for TRED. The decision was then postponed until the next regular meeting where there should be enough LBA Board members present to hold the vote. Clonts motioned to exit Executive Session, which was seconded by Brock. Motion carried. Other Business: Next month, the Board will review an application submitted for 521 Branham Avenue (I14W466). A bus tour of all LBA owned properties will be conducted soon. On April 12th, Fox, Carter, and Payne facilitated Land Bank Training for Tifton, GA. The first in-person National land Bank Network Summit will be held October 16-17, 2023, in Cleveland, OH at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. Fox and Carter will be attending. Board members are also invited. Registration opens this summer. The LBA will add a Facebook page soon. Updates will be given later. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 5, 2023, at 8:30 AM. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 9:37 AM. Respectfully submitted, Logan Drake, Recording Secretary