Editing Snellville, Georgia (section)

====City land swap====
[[File:Old oakland center.jpg|thumb|right|Oakland Village Shopping Center before demolition]] [[File:New snellville city hall.JPG|thumb|right|New city hall]] 
[[File:New snellville senior center.JPG|thumb|right|New Senior Citizen Center]] 
In early November 2000, then-Mayor [[Brett Harrell]] began negotiating a [[Land exchange|land swap]] to transform an abandoned supermarket into a municipal complex and the now-former city hall into part of a church campus.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} The old [[Kroger]] in the Oakland Village Shopping Center on US 78 across from Snellville United Methodist Church and city hall was just one of several dead or dying shopping centers plaguing Snellville.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Abandoned [[big-box store]]s had become enough of an eyesore to make them a major issue in the 1999 city elections.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Harrell had campaigned on a platform that included efforts to revitalize vacant retail space.<ref>Ippolitto, M. "Snellville may move City Hall; Mayor says deal with church to swap land for strip mall would allow reshaping city center." ''The Atlanta Constitution'', November 4, 2000,</ref>

The project was not without its opponents. Among the concerned were tenants of the half-occupied Oakland Village Shopping Center that the city would take over, and who would be forced to relocate.<ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville council takes up land swap proposal; Church would buy shopping center, trade it to city for municipal complex site.", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', November 28, 2000,</ref> The city council voted unanimously that November to proceed with the exploration of a potential land swap.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} There was concern that timing could become an issue and kill the deal in the early stages.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} The owner of the shopping center wanted to sell his property by the end of 2000, while the city council decided to take no action for a six-month period.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Some citizens expressed concerns about the project at the city council meeting and asked for the deal to be put to a [[referendum]].<ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville land swap may falter; Timing at issue: Owner of shopping center seeks quick sale, but council wants six-month study." ''The Atlanta Constitution'', November 29, 2000,</ref>

On March 5, 2001, the city held its first public hearing on the land swap.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Over 100 citizens attended the meeting to support the idea, while more than a dozen showed up to oppose it. A few cited a recent $79,000 roof job on city hall, and the fact that the swap would benefit the church more than the city, as reasons to back out of the deal.<ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville land swap gets mixed reaction; Proposal would benefit church", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', March 6, 2001,</ref>

On March 26, 2001, the city council met to vote on the land swap proposal. At this meeting, the citizens were given a few specifics of the deal. According to the council, the Oakland Village Shopping Center was worth $2,700,000, and the current city hall was worth $2,300,000. Councilman Jerry Oberholtzer estimated that renovation of the shopping center for city use would be in the $2,500,000 range. He also estimated that to renovate city hall for future needs would run the city the same cost. More opponents than supporters spoke at the meeting, and a few senior citizens presented a petition against relocating their center which was part of the land swap plan. The City Council voted 3–1 in favor of the swap; Councilman Troy Carter was the only dissenting vote.<ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville Council OKs land swap; Multipurpose town center planned for site", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', March 27, 2001,</ref>

As preparation for the swap began, the city hit a snag in June 2001, when a possibility arose of [[perchloroethylene]] [[soil contamination]] from an old [[dry cleaner]] site in the Oakland Village Shopping Center. The [[Georgia Department of Natural Resources]] Environmental Protection Division responded that even in the event of contamination, a clean-up may not be required if no one lives close enough to the site or no one is using the [[ground water]] in the area. The city did discover the use of a [[Water well|well]] by a private citizen within a one-mile (1.6&nbsp;km) radius of the site.<ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville land swap hits snag; EPD checking site for dry-cleaning solvents", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', June 3, 2001,</ref> This citizen, Harold "Cotton" Willams, refused a $25,000 deal from the Methodist Church to cap the well. In response, the city began exploring a [[local ordinance]] banning the construction of new wells and closing any existing ones. The city council voted on June 25 to adopt the ordinance but still allow the use of the well for [[irrigation]]. The city council also decided to include the realignment of Oak Road and [[Henry Clower]] Boulevard at [[U.S. 78]] in the land swap project.<ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville Land Swap: His well leaves a big hole in closing city-church deal", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', June 13, 2001,</ref><ref>Hartstein, L. "Snellville's land swap apparently resolved; City limits use of water wells", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', June 26, 2001,</ref>

In July 2001, the land swap hit another snag. A lawyer representing the Nash family of Snellville filed a lawsuit claiming the city could not trade one of the parcels because the city did not own it. The Nash family contended it owned the approximately {{convert|1|acre|m2|adj=on}} tract and the unused building sitting on it. In 1935, Horace J. Nash deeded the building to the [[Georgia Rural Rehabilitation Corporation]] for use as a vocational center. The building was used to train unemployed workers during and after the [[Great Depression]]. Later, the city used the site for a jail, a [[Community centre|senior center]] and an agricultural building. Most recently, the building housed Recorder's Court. Attorney Bill Crecelius said the Nash family had let Snellville use the building for decades without complaint. This issue was resolved when the city presented documents verifying its ownership of the title to the building as well as title insurance.<ref>Hartstein, L., Nurse, D., "POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Land swap hits new snag over ownership", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', July 8, 2001,</ref>

In July 2003, the last piece of a $6,700,000 building plan for the project fell into place. The Snellville City Council approved funding for a multipurpose complex combining municipal functions and police services, plus offering a public gathering spot. In a 4–2 vote, the council approved certificates of participation, a series of leases that are to be renewed annually until they are paid off in 20 years. In the final plan, the land swap would include an {{convert|8|acre|m2|adj=on}} project encompassing a new city hall, police department, senior center and public forum area.<ref>Davis, M., "Snellville gives the go-ahead for City Center", ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', July 26, 2003,</ref>

Groundbreaking for the new city hall began in March 2004 with the demolition of the Oakland Village Shopping Center. [[Hogan Construction Group]] of [[Norcross, Georgia|Norcross]] was awarded the $7,400,000 contract to construct both the new city hall and new Senior Center. The original completion date was pushed back because of poor weather conditions. Crews also had to blast granite under the [[building foundation]], further delaying the project and adding $200,000 to the cost.<ref>Burk, J., "Crews plan late summer opening for Snellville center", ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', June 27, 2005,</ref>

On March 12, 2006, the city officially dedicated the new city hall, located at the corner of Oak Road and Main Street East (US 78). Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer was quoted that arriving at the dedication day took "five years, four elections, three architectural firms, and two lawsuits".<ref>Ghirardini, J., "Snellville City Center: Big day for new City Hall; After five-year journey, centerpiece makes debut", ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', March 13, 2006,</ref> The city hopes to one day expand the complex by adding a parking deck and a new [[public safety]] annex.

[[File:Oakland village out parcel.JPG|thumb|right|city hall complex with the remaining Oakland Village Shopping Center out-parcel in front]]
On August 13, 2007, the city council awarded a $52,000 contract to Smithco Construction of [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]] to demolish and remove the remaining piece of the old Oakland Village Shopping Center. The area has now been converted into an open [[Open space reserve|green space]].