The Douglas County Board of Commissioners (BOC) gave its unanimous approval Tuesday to an agreement with Moreland Altobelli Associates Inc. to handle right-of-way acquisition services for the Lee Road widening project.

The action came at the regular 10 a.m. BOC meeting in Citizens Hall at the county courthouse.

Randy Hulsey, county Department of Transportation (DOT) director, said 141 land parcels must be purchased for the Lee Road project, which includes expanding the road’s interchange with Interstate 20 to eight lanes and widening the road from State Route 92 to I-20.

The acquisition work will include displacement of 10 residential homes and two commercial properties, he said. He said the owners will receive assistance in finding new property.

“The action you’ve taken today allows us to begin preparing preliminary titles and other documents to set up purchase of the land,” Hulsey said.

He said the right-of-way acquisition phase of the project will take about 24 months.

“The engineering plans are now 90 percent complete,” he said. “There will be a few minor design changes, but the project footprint has been set. Right-of-way funding has been authorized by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).”

Hulsey called the Lee Road project the beginning of a new “major mobility corridor” for the county, part of the long-range transportation plan. He said future projects will look at ways to move traffic east and west, possibly an extension of Lee Road to Bomar Road and Chapel Hill Road.

He said the county has applied for a $16.2 million Tiger II federal grant for the project and should learn within 45 days if the application is approved.

In other action, the BOC unanimously approved the following agenda items:

• a proclamation declaring September as “Walk Georgia Month” in Douglas County;

• acceptance of $1,301 donation to animal control shelter from the Woodie Fite Senior Center’s Young at Heart line dancing club event;

• budget amendment to transfer $55,000 from General Appropriations to the public defender’s budget;

• budget amendment to transfer $35,000 from General Appropriations to Superior Court Operations to fund court reporting and interpreting services through the end of 2010;

• agreement to receive electronic payments for emergency medical services (EMS) billing;

• budget amendment to transfer $60,000 from General Appropriations to line item 52.3900 (juror and witness fees) for Superior and State courts to continue to operate through the end of 2010;

• application for the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) continuation funding for the district attorney’s office in the amount of $89,558 with a county match of $17,912;

• approval of a Juvenile Court attorney contract with Cynthia Adams;

• extension of the federal NSP (Neighborhood Stabilization Program) to purchase and renovate foreclosed properties;

• acceptance of sponsorships of $21,000 for the 2010 September Saturdays Festival;

• and awarding bid for electric power and external site lighting for the Douglas County Adult Detention Center and Law Enforcement Center to Georgia Power Company.