The Auburn City Council held its second February meeting on Tuesday night. While a variety of topics were discussed, zoning issues were the main topic of conversation.
The Fountain Gate Church, located at 1415 Moores Mill Rd., wanted to rezone to the Limited Development District (LDD). They wanted to rezone 11.27 acres.
“They requested the rezoning to LDD to accommodate their current expansion that they’re attempting and any future expansions that they want to do to accommodate their new sanctuary,” said Justice Wahid Cotton, Auburn’s Planning Director. “The current restrictions and rules are far too restrictive and LDD would allow them to pursue future expansions.”
For now, the church has been having their services in a gym. They are looking to build a sanctuary on the old football field that is currently in the LDD.
The Industrial Development Board also rezoned from the Rural district to the Industrial district.
The council approved a motion to renovate the bathrooms at the Auburn Public Library. The library is building more family bathrooms for $597,756.
“That really is the point, to make it as safe as possible for a parent and a child,” said Mayor Ron Anders.
The council also authorized the use of various funding sources, totaling $1.8 million, to assist the Auburn Housing Authority with Ridgecrest Apartment remodeling.
“This is a great step forward in really bringing this area up to current standards. It also provides more of an aesthetic that is comparable to modern housing,” said Beth Witten of Ward 3.
Council Member Tommy Dawson of Ward 8 agreed.
“I think it’s a great idea. I think it’ll help fight crime in the area and make the area look better. I’m very happy to see the City of Auburn take this step,” Dawson said. “We’re going to be very proud of this change – it’s going to be dramatic.”
Ridgecrest Apartments will be remodeling 56 units.
“This is great for 56 families," Anders said. It’s a great day for Auburn. All of us should care about those that need housing the most. This is a great day for our community. This will be a bright, shining star on Donahue Dr. for us to drive by."
The motion was carried unanimously.
Following these resolutions was the citizens’ open forum. An ongoing issue regarding the childrens’ books at the Auburn Public Library was brought back to light.
Citizen Martha Shamp addressed the council to discuss her thoughts on the ‘filthy’ books at the library. A couple citizens had a response to this.
“We need more books like ‘My Shadow is Purple,’ not fewer,” said citizen Kerry Hill regarding one of the books Shamp discussed.
According to citizen Jeff Walker, this argument has been going on for the past year.
“Making this go away removes the freedom of choice from all parents in this community," Walker said. "The antagonists would have you believe that they and certain special interest groups know what best type of content should be available in literature for checking out in our library. The antagonist would have you believe that their opinion on this matter is righteous and all this content should be banned.”
Walker went on to argue that banning books from the library takes away a parent’s right to choose how to raise their children.
“We need to celebrate our differences, even those we don’t necessarily agree with,” Walker said.
The next city council meeting will be March 5 at 106 N. Ross Street.
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Sam Vise, junior in journalism, is the community reporter for The Auburn Plainsman.
