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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-20-05Minutes of the Council Work Session held April 20, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building. There were present: Charles L. Wade, Mayor Council: Jeffrey S. Worrell, Dan Talbert, Jr., Bettye H. Steger, Lane R. Penn John T. Bolen, Joel B. Burchett, Jr. Staff: John J. Hawley, Town Manager David N. Quesenberry, Asst. to the Town Manager Patricia Cruise, Clerk of Council Sherry Boyd, Finance Director Bill Pedigo, Town Engineer Terry Nester, Asst. Town Engineer Gary Roche, Police Chief John White, Economic Development Director Others: Jim Neblett John Johnston Debra Surface Debbie Linkous Teresa Andrews Ken Bowling Jennifer White Jack Martin, Press Mayor Wade called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Councilman Penn moved to adopt the March 15, 2005 minutes, seconded by Councilwoman Steger and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - Aye Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye The next item on the agenda was Gatewood review. Mr. Hart, Parks and Facilities Director gave an update on ongoing work at Gatewood Park and tried to address some concerns that had arisen at the previous Council meeting regarding Gatewood. He advised that the electrical work had been started and the grading was almost complete. He added that as soon as the electrical work is finished, topsoil and grass seed can be installed. He noted that some bull pines had been lost, but when the work is completed, staff planned to replace them with hardwood trees. He advised that the old picnic tables will be replaced with new metal framed, wooden plank type tables. New camp site markers will be installed as well as fire pit rings at each site. He commented that the new camp sites would be available to tent campers as well as RV campers. He advised that the work is continuing on the bath house sites with siding going up on the outside and a green metal roof to follow in a few weeks. Councilman Worrell inquired about the proposed location for the picnic shelter. Mr. Hart advised that the proposed site is about half way in to the camp site on the campground road. He added that work on the picnic shelter probably would not begin until the fall. Councilman Worrell also asked if the road would be overlayed with new paving materials? Mr. Hart advised that no money had been budgeted for paving, however, staff would patch the road breaks when the work was done. Any further paving work would have to be budgeted. Councilman Burchett inquired into the fee structures for the new sites? Mr. Hart advised that staff had not settled on the fees yet, but were discussing $15 for tent camping and $25 for a vehicle needing electricity. Mayor Wade inquired if staff was still considering building a bridge across to the store? Mr. Hart advised that he thought it was a good idea, but felt that it would be more of a fixed in place dock with an arch in the middle so that boats could go under it to the far cove. Councilwoman Steger inquired how large the proposed picnic shelter would be? Mr. Hart replied that it would probably hold 50 to 70 people. He added that once the site had been fully surveyed and layed out, staff would be able to give definitive answers as to the size of the shelter, the amount of parking available etc. Councilwoman Steger inquired whether the bath house had been increased in size? Mr. Hart answered no. Mayor Wade inquired whether the shower stalls had been increased in size? Mr. Hart answered that they are the same size, however, they were gutted and are being replaced with all new materials. Councilman Bolen stated that the Town allocated $169,000 for the Park renovation. He inquired into the status of the expenditures. Mr. Hart advised that he had not prepared an updated report, but could provide one to Council. Mayor Wade directed the Finance Director to bring a financial project update to the next Council meeting. Councilman Talbert inquired as to the current completion date for the Park? Mr. Hart advised that the Park is scheduled to be open for Memorial Day weekend. Councilman Bolen commented that he would like to see swimming at the Park, but his preference would be to have a swimming pool. He felt it would preserve some of the allure of Gatewood, by not allowing swimming in the lake. Mr. Hart responded that the way the ground lays prohibits many items that staff would like to include. From the public, Debbie Linkous commented that if swimming was allowed, then she felt that only the campers should be allowed to swim and that the pool should be in the camping area. Mayor Wade inquired if staff had started on the dock yet or was that planned for a later time? Mr. Hart replied “at a later time”. Next, Mayor Wade called on Dr. John Johnston and Jim Neblett to give an update on Peppers Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority. Mr. Neblett and Dr. Johnston summarized the history of the Authority. Mayor Wade thanked Mr. Neblett and Dr. Johnston for their service on the Committee. He commented that it appeared that over the years, the cost for using the facility kept going up. He requested that in the future, Dr. Johnston and Mr. Neblett notify Council of any upcoming vote that could affect the cost to the taxpayers, so Council could discuss it. Dr. Johnston replied that Peppers Ferry had done a good job in keeping the costs down for Pump Stations 4A and 4B advising that those costs had gone down over 50%, especially recently. He advised that the capital costs for the coming year should be relatively low, but would go back up the following year. He noted that over thirteen million dollars worth of improvements and upgrades had been completed. Mayor Wade suggested that Dr. Johnston and Mr. Neblett make a presentation on a quarterly basis and at any other time that they felt it was necessary. Discussion ensued regarding the cost of the sewage bill to the citizens and the possible necessity of increasing the rates. Mayor Wade advised that some areas charge a fee for the storm water runoff footprint of a resident or business. He inquired whether staff would investigate this possible option for the Town? Mr. Hawley agreed to look into this option. There being no further questions for the Peppers Ferry representatives, Mayor Wade moved on to the next item on the agenda. Regarding one final item for Gatewood, Mr. Hawley advised that expenditures to date for Gatewood was $31,580, not including undelivered orders. The next item on the agenda was the Hardie site plan review/contractor update. Mr. Hawley advised that Council needed to review a site plan submitted by James Hardie Building Products and the Town of Pulaski for a 51 acre industrial site located in the Pulaski Business Park. Site plan review does not require legal notice to adjacent property owners nor a general legal notice to the general public, so none was sent. The Planning Commission reviewed the request and recommended approval. Mr. White and Mr. Pedigo reviewed the site plan and answered questions from Council. The contractor, Mr. Bowling, fielded questions from Council, including whether he could meet the deadline? Mr. Bowling advised that work was being focused on the zone 1 area so that Hardie could install their trailers and equipment. He added that he had four drills on site and they were keeping up with the work. He advised that he had notified Hardie that the storm drain system needed to be addressed, and Mr. Bowling was not contracted to do that work. Mr. Hawley reminded Council that covenants were adopted several years ago for the Business Park. Council would have to waive those covenants for the Business Park and approve the site plan and direct the Town Attorney to prepare an Ordinance for adoption. Councilman Talbert moved to waive the covenants for the Business Park, approve the site plan and direct the Town Attorney to prepare an Ordinance for adoption, seconded by Councilwoman Steger and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - Aye Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye Mayor Wade moved on to the Junior Fire fighter. Mr. Hawley advised that Chief Webb had advised that the department rules for a Junior fire fighter were stricter than required by state code. He requested that the Ordinance be changed to meet the state code requirements, allowing junior fire fighters to fight fires once they are state certified as a firefighter 1. The feeling was that this might aid in recruiting firefighters. Following discussion, Councilman Penn moved to direct the Town Attorney to amend the Ordinance regarding junior firefighters so that it meets the state code, assuming that there is no liability, seconded by Councilwoman Steger and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - Aye Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye The next item on the agenda was deer control. Mr. Hawley advised that as a result of Mrs. Strassers’ comments at the last Council meeting regarding a deer problem, staff had gotten copies of the urban archery season programs. Several localities do utilize the program. He advised that according to the police department, there were twelve traffic related incidents in the last fifteen months in the Town. He added that the average traffic related accident due to deer in the previous year had been one per month. He advised that he did not have a recommendation at that time. Staff was not opposed to deer control, they just weren’t sure if it was necessary at this point. Following discussion, Mayor Wade suggested that unless the number of deer accidents increased strongly, that the Town should not implement deer control. Mr. Hawley suggested contacting Inland Game and Fisheries for recommendations to be given to individual property owners. Mr. Quesenberry was asked to gather the information. Mayor Wade moved on to funding communications equipment upgrade. Mr. Hawley told Council that the Police and Fire Departments were concerned about the funding for the emergency communication system. He advised that a packet of information had been included in the packet. He added that if something was done this year, it would have to be included in the debt service. Chief Roche advised that a study of the emergency communication system was done in January 2004, which determined that the equipment was in serious need of renovation or replacement. There are certain areas where communication equipment will not work, which endangers the Police Officer. He summarized other problems with the system. Mr. Hawley advised that some of the communication upgrades recommended in January 2004 for the Fire Department had been accomplished. However, funding is needed to complete the recommended projects. Following discussion, Mayor Wade opined that a consultant should come and determine what is needed to provide the proper coverage for the Town and the potential cost. Councilman Talbert added that staff needed to compose an operational requirements statement before the consultants were called. Mayor Wade advised that he could provide companies to contact. Councilman Talbert volunteered to review the operational requirements statement when it was composed. Councilman Worrell inquired whether the Police department had cell phone communication between the officers? Chief Roche answered that the Town does not provide cell phones for the officers, however, some of them use their personal phones when they were in an area where radio communication was not possible. Mr. Hawley confirmed that staff was being asked to develop the operational needs and system expectations and return to Council. Mayor Wade encouraged more discussion with the County regarding the disposition of Homeland Security funds. At 6:55 p.m., Mayor Wade called for a ten minute break. At 7:05 p.m., Mayor Wade reconvened the meeting and asked Mr. Hawley for his report on the architect visit for Wades. Mr. Hawley advised that several years ago a set of plans had been approved for the Museum/Fine Arts Center project. Since those plans were drawn up, a decision was made to scale down the project. VDOT will not allow the project to move on until a new set of plans have been drawn up. Mr. Hawley advised that the recommendation from the Museum Expansion Committee was to ask Council to allocate some of the money for Wiley and Wilson to draw up a set of plans. The funds would be removed from the Museum budget. Following discussion, Councilwoman Steger moved to direct the Town Manager to continue the agreement with Wiley and Wilson and schedule the work as soon as possible. The motion was seconded by Councilman Penn and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - No Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye Mayor Wade moved on to the budget briefing. Mr. Hawley distributed the newest version of the proposed 05-06 working budget. He reviewed portions of the working budget with Council and asked them to continue the review at home and address any questions to him. Mayor Wade inquired as to the amount in the un-appropriated fund balance? Ms. Boyd advised that she did not have an exact amount with her, but stated that the amount was over three million dollars. The next item on the agenda was Resolution 2005-21, Issue of $5 million General Obligation Bond to be sold to Wachovia. Mr. Eley, the Town Attorney, advised of a change in the Resolution, section 13… the wording was changed to show that it would be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and also that any litigation that occurred would be filed in the Circuit Court of the County of Pulaski. Councilman Penn moved to adopt Resolution 2005-21, as amended, seconded by Councilman Talbert and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - Aye Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye Mayor Wade moved on to the Round Table discussion. Councilman Talbert inquired how much latitude staff had in utilizing the street eligible funding? He was not familiar with the process. Mr. Hawley responded that the state provides roughly 1.4 million dollars to be used for paving, mowing, snow removal, and electric bills on street lights and stop lights. He added that approximately $187,000 of that amount was for administrative costs that go back into the general fund. Another $150,000 is reimbursement for equipment costs that go back into the general fund. Mayor Wade moved on to the next topic, opining that the Town should pay for a membership in the Thorn Spring Country Club. He thought that it would provide a nice venue to meet with potential businesses considering locating in Town. He asked Council to consider the idea for inclusion in the budget. Moving on, Councilman Worrell commented that the Town owns two cemeteries and he wondered if it would be cost efficient for staff to dig the graves. His research showed that the cost to dig a grave is generally $300 to $500 per site. He thought it might provide some additional income for the Town. Following discussion, staff was asked to research the idea and return to the next meeting with the information. At 7:35 p.m., there being no further comments, Councilwoman Steger moved to enter into Closed Session under Va. Code 2.2-3711, (A-7), Consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members pertaining to actual or probable litigation where such consultation or briefings in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the Town. The motion was seconded by Councilman Talbert and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - Aye Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye At 7:48 p.m., Council returned from Council and adopted the Certification Resolution for the Closed Session on motion by Councilwoman Steger, seconded by Councilman Talbert and carried on the following recorded vote: Jeffrey S. Worrell - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Dan Talbert, Jr. - Aye John T. Bolen - Aye Bettye H. Steger - Aye Joel B. Burchett, Jr. - Aye There being no further business, Councilwoman Steger moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilman Talbert and carried on voice vote.