Oppose Rezoning of 525 Fifth Avenue-Albany, GA

Please don’t further erode our beautiful neighborhood. I want a safe place to walk and live.

I do not want this address rezoned.

I oppose the zoning change in this historic district.

Rawson Circle neighborhood not a place for this business. Keep it residential

Oppose the zoning change

Opposed to this.

5 years ago Featured

Please vote NO on this application. There is already so little respect for the few remaining historic neighborhoods and structures in Albany/Dougherty County, please do not support this application. If this application is permitted to proceed, the integrity of this historic house, lot, street and neighborhood will be further compromised. Thank you for your consideration.

I oppose this transition center being moved into the historic Rawson circle RESIDENTIAL neighborhood.

I oppose

This would be extremely detrimental to our Historic District as well as our neighborhood and the people that reside there .

PLEASE do not rezone this property and area.

I oppose the rezoning request.

I worked for the Department of Corrections and Department of Community Supervision (Probation and Parole) for 30 years, and Ms. Collins is completely misinformed of the processes and duties of Community Supervision Officer. I supervised offenders who lived in these homes in Albany, and their success in transitioning was meager. I worked at the Albany Transition Center, and besides complete supervision of all the offenders' movements, we provided classes to give them new tools for integrating back into society. We taught them how to interview for jobs, write a resume, be active parents to their children, and budget money…. the list goes on. We provided three meals a day, transportation to and from job interviews, took them to Goodwill for interview-appropriate clothing, substance dependency support classes, mental health support, parenting classes, provided an extensive range of religious experiences, taught them new job skills, and shopping trips weekly to Walmart. Another aspect Ms. Collins is unaware of is when an offender is released on either probation or parole, they are required to have a cell phone, so their officer can contact them, some will be required to wear monitoring devices that must be paid for, there are fees and restitution that some will be required to pay, not to mention clothes. They leave prison with one set of clothes, an ATM debit card with their remaining inmate account money, and transportation to the residence that an officer approved before release. Ms. Collins has not addressed any of the skills these offenders will need to transition successfully. Just having somewhere to live is simply not enough. These offenders need support to meet basic human needs. Where will they get money for food, transportation, toiletries, medications, and health care? With no processes in place, the offenders will become a drain on Albany's already strained indigent system. My other concern is with no guidance, they will fall back into the same habits that

I oppose the refining .

This needs to be somewhere else

I do not support this re-zoning request!!!

We must protect the value and purpose of single-family residential property in Albany.

I oppose the rezoning of this property.

I have multiple concerns mainly regarding the applicant Ms Collins. At the recent public hearing I believe she stated she lives in College Park, so Ms Collins has no vested interest in this community. Her knowledge of the Criminal Justice system appears to be extremely limited for someone operating this type of business. Ms Collins reported she would be very dependent on "probation and parole officers" to monitor the residents, yet in Georgia probation and parole officers are the same thing and called community supervision officers. Ms Collins apparently did not know this. Also, not everyone released from prison is released under some type of supervision. The community only has Ms Collins statements that the facility will not accept violent offenders, and will only accept offenders for "check writing" and similar offenses. There is no contract with the City holding Ms Collins to these promises. She represents a for-profit organization, and very few "check writers" go to prison. If Ms Collins has 8 spaces to fill, but only 1 "check writer" being released, she all most certainly will take whoever she can get to fill the empty beds. Ms Collins also reported the women transitioning from prison through this facility will not be local women, but from all over the State. So these women are not "transitioning" back to Albany, but merely passing through between prison and returning home. If any of these women were to chose to participate in criminal activity while at this facility, it would be doubly difficult for local law enforcement to catch them due to their transient status. Ms Collins also reenforced Mr Brimberry's concerns during the hearing regarding the negative effect this facility could have on Tift Park. Ms Collins explained she would not allow visitation at the facility, but rather residents would use Tift Park for visitation, thus possibly introducing criminal associates to Tift Park during the same time the Friends of Tift Park are attempting to conduct their

5 years ago Featured

As a 30 year resident of this neighborhood, I ask each of you to vote NO on this rezoning effort as this neighborhood is at the center of the Historic District and we all oppose this effort. Please support our neighborhood and help prevent further deterioration of in-town neighborhoods.