Chatham County puts roads, major projects into focus with SPLOST list

The SPLOST list is in for Chatham County.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved its $282 million project list Friday, with priority one funding for major countywide projects with a heavy emphasis on road infrastructure.

The county is expected to call for a new SPLOST referendum in coming weeks, where voters will choose in November to continue the penny-sales tax currently in place for capital projects across Chatham. The upcoming referendum will be the eighth in the county’s history as collections for the current SPLOST 7 end next year.

Projected revenues for a SPLOST 8 collection are $700 million, which matches that of the recently approved Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. For the regular SPLOST, revenues are allocated between the county and its municipalities.

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The county’s top-dollar project is $40 million for improvements for juvenile court expansion. The expansion is one of four priority one projects on the county’s list, which are those with county-wide impacts.

President Street railroad crossing elimination also made the priority one list with a $25 million planned investment. That money will go toward the “short-term operational improvements” such as adding an additional westbound lane and beginning design for a bridge crossing, said County Engineer Suzanne Cooler at SPLOST workshop.

Total revenues expected for the county’s priority one projects is $82 million, and a bevy of level two projects are slated for a $200 million budget.

That’s where the roads come in.

Of that $200 million, $92 million of the level two projects is targeted to roads, streets, sidewalks and trails. Key improvement projects address high-growth areas such as Quacco Road and Little Neck Road at $15 million each.

“I want to commend staff and the chairman for coming up with $92 million for roads. That’s major,” said District 7 Commissioner Dean Kicklighter, who represents much of West Chatham County.

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Kicklighter also expressed concern over the $18 million slated for drainage projects, suggesting some funding be reallocated to stormwater projects.

Cooler noted the heavy emphasis on roads is a result of “several large studies,” which identified needs of transportation projects on the list. The county is currently in that study phase for drainage, and a $5 million “watershed master plan” is included on the SPLOST list to tie all of its drainage studies together, Cooler said.

“We’ll have a countywide plan for how to make these improvements, but until we complete those studies and have projects identified, it’s not likely you’re going to be able to spend that money in the six years that we’re collecting,” she said.

Still, the county’s list includes $13 million for stormwater projects, including $10 million slated for east and west Chatham. County Manager Michael Kaigler also said municipalities within the county are expected to have drainage projects on their list.

Drainage is a high priority for Savannah, according to a proposed list presented to city council.

The city is slated to put $20 million toward Springfield Canal drainage improvements and $20 million for tunnel construction in the Casey drainage basin.

Savannah has a total $68 million slated for stormwater projects on its proposed list, which council is expected to vote on at its July 10 meeting. The deadline for municipalities to submit their lists and Intergovernmental Agreements on SPLOST’s parameters to the county is July 16, according to a county timeline.

Other top investments making the county’s list are $42 million for parks and recreation and $25 million for public safety facilities, equipment and vehicles. The $42 million for parks and recreation includes $25 million for indoor recreation and $9 million for multi-sport fields.

The county has a site selected on the southside for an indoor, multi-sport complex, a project championed by District 6 Commissioner Aaron “Adot” Whitely. District 4 Commissioner Pat Farrell requested a small portion of indoor recreation funding be devoted to beginning a gym project on Whitemarsh Island.

“That is a bedroom community … and that’s where we need some indoor facilities for all the children to have some place to do indoor recreation,” he said.

Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @evanalasseter.