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City Council could decide fate of Salvation Army shelter in West Savannah on Thursday Barbara Augsdorfer, Savannah Morning News Kwesi DeGraft-Hanson on the importance of a memorial for the Weeping Time Replay Video UP NEXT The Salvation Army of Savannah should find out on Thursday afternoon if it will finally be able to move forward with its proposed transitional use shelter on Augusta Avenue. The issue has been before the City Council at least three times in the past four months. Each time it has been on the agenda, it has been tabled or removed, sometimes without explanation. At the March 11 city council meeting, Michael Brown, Savannah’s city manager, requested a 30-day delay to conduct “due diligence” regarding a counter proposal submitted by a company with ties to District 1 Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier. ....
The due diligence took less than the requested 30 days and the item is once again on the council’s agenda. In his report, which is available online on the city s website at savannahga.gov, Brown includes a notation from the city s civil code which states, It is improper and illegal for a member of a municipal council to vote upon any question brought before the council in which he is personally interested. According to the most recent filing for 2020 with the Georgia Secretary of State, Lanier is still listed as the registered agent for the Ivory Bay Community Development Corp. ....
Savannah alderwoman says she has no conflict of interest over property development proposal Savannah alderwoman claims she has no conflict of interest over property development By Max Diekneite | March 10, 2021 at 8:00 PM EST - Updated March 11 at 12:24 PM SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier held a news conference Wednesday across the street from the site where the Salvation Army wants to build a new homeless shelter. The alderwoman has been a leader in the fight against the shelter’s proposed location - which is off Augusta Avenue near Interstate 516. It is the area of the historic Weeping Time site in Savannah. ....
Lanier explained that Ivory Bay was named as a partner in the “Weeping Time Village” concept plan without her knowledge when the developer, Rich Ferguson, presented the plan on paper to the city’s Planning Commission. “So in his mind, it was a good idea,” Lanier said. She added that when Ferguson listed Ivory Bay as a partner and also named the project Weeping Time Village, she had not had the opportunity to present the concept to Ivory Bay’s board, so it appeared that there was a conflict of interest on Lanier’s part. Before the plan was put on paper, Lanier said, we had verbalized for years what we wanted. But we had nothing on paper, we had nothing concrete to show anyone that reflected what we really wanted. ....
Questions over Savannah alderwomanâs opposition to homeless shelter, ties to competing proposal Questions over Savannah alderwomanâs opposition to homeless shelter, ties to competing proposal By Max Diekneite | March 4, 2021 at 8:39 PM EST - Updated March 5 at 3:10 PM SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - WTOC Investigates has confirmed an alderwoman on the Savannah City Council who has fought against the Salvation Army of Savannahâs efforts to build a new homeless shelter in West Savannah has ties to a proposal for the same land. Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier founded Ivory Bay Community Development Corporation (CDC) in 2005. Last week, a proposal for a development at 2305 Augusta Avenue was submitted to the Housing Authority of Savannah with Ivory Bay CDC listed as a partner. Two Savannah public officials - one on the Savannah City Council - expressed concern to WTOC about a potential conflict of interest regarding Alderwoman Lanier. ....