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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-05-17Minutes of the Pulaski Town Council meeting held at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 5, 2017 in the Council Chambers of the Town Municipal Building at 42 First Street, N.W. In attendance were: Mayor: Robert N. Glenn, presiding Councilmen Present: David L. Clark; Gregory C. East; Joseph K. Goodman; H.M. Kidd; Lane R. Penn; James A. Radcliffe Staff: Shawn M. Utt, Town Manager Nichole L. Hair, Deputy Town Manager Spencer A. Rygas, Town Attorney Press: Mike Williams, Pulaski County Patriot Brooke J. Wood, Southwest Times Staff Dave Hart, Director Parks & Facilities Robbie Kiser, Chief P.F.D. Bill Pedigo, Town Engineer David Quesenberry, Clerk of Council Rebecca Reece, Finance Director Gary Roche, Chief P.P.D. Others Present: Nicholas Albert Justin Brown Angie Covey Steve Critchfield Ryan East Pat Huber John McElroy Clark Payne Jordan Persson Austin Stromme Erika Tolbert Mayor Glenn called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Councilman Kidd led the Pledge of Allegiance and Councilman East gave the invocation. Following roll call, Mayor Glenn noted there were no modifications to the agenda and proceeded to welcome guests and visitors to the meeting. First item on the agenda (Item 7a) was a presentation by Mrs. Angie Covey, Executive Director of the New River Community College Foundation concerning the Access to Community College Education (ACCE) program. Mrs. Covey began her remarks by introducing Dr. Pat Huber, President of NRCC and Mrs. Erika Tolbert who assisted with the ACCE program. She also thanked Councilman Penn for his service on the NRCC Board. The ACCE program, she explained, was a public-private partnership where the localities put up a portion of funding needed for tuition with the remainder secured by fund raising events. The purpose of the program was to give every single high school graduate access to NRCC, debt free for two Page 1 of 7/September 5, 2017 years. The economic development aspect of the program was to draw potential employers to the area with the prospect of a trained workforce. Mrs. Covey briefly reviewed some of the major requirements of the program. Participants must have at least a 2.5 GPA This requirement, Mrs. Covey continued, has resulted in high school students in one locality becoming concerned about their GPA, when presented with the opportunity to attend college. Students must also complete a federal student aid form (FAFSA) so they can use the federal dollars first, then use the ACCE funds to close any gaps in what federal financial aid covers and the total tuition bill up to 15 credits. Another requirement of the program was that students must perform 80 hours of community service work in their community to receive funds from the program. The program emphasizes students giving back to the community since the member locality had provided the opportunity for their education. In addition, a culture of accountability is also stressed since students must pay back funds if they are unsuccessful. New River Valley localities participating in the program included Radford City, Giles County, Floyd County, and Montgomery County. So far she added, the program had received a $25,000 contribution from the Randolph House Board. The cost for Pulaski County to participate would be $200,000 the first year and $400,000 the second year. Mr. Radcliffe asked if the Town donated money to the program, would it be certain that Town students would have a chance at the money; or was it County -wide; or did the funds go into a common fund for all five counties. Mrs. Covey, said any money coming from Pulaski would be restricted to Pulaski County. The program's goal was to provide a chance for every single graduating student in a given school and not to differentiate between Town and County students. She added that by reaching out to every student, there have been occasions where students interested in the program received full financial aid and did not require funds from the program. Mr. Radcliffe felt the program would be of great benefit by offering the Town's young people this opportunity. Mr. East mentioned he was familiar with the program through the Regional Commission and asked about how the federal aid form (FAFSA) played into the success of the program as far as getting students into the program. Mrs. Covey responded that she felt that many students would not have done the FAFSA if they were not informed of the prospect of having two years of college debt free. Mrs. Covey cited an example where 60 students applied through the FAFSA process and 20 received full funding, 20 received some funding from ACCE and 20 students got full funding from ACCE at a program cost of $45,000. Mr. Clark ventured that the numbers would change every time the program was offered and that the assistance with FAFSA was of help given the complexity of the process. Mrs. Covey said that part of the student success model was to assist the students through that process to reach a better life. Mr. Goodman asked what would be the reply to Town residents who complained about paying for non -Town residents to go to school. Mrs. Covey felt the program would go county -wide and could not be offered to Pulaski County H.S. unless all graduates were included. She offered that community dollars would be supporting students from the community but there was no way to tell ahead of time what the numbers would be. Mr. Goodman asked, given the flaws of FAFSA, what would happen if FAFSA indicated that education was affordable, but the student still could not afford it. Would this be where the program's full funding would come in? Mrs. Covey replied that it would. Page 2 of 7/September 5, 2017 Mr. Kidd said that he liked the sound of the program and that it needed to happen for years. Mr. Goodman said Virginia needed to support its students and that the Council needed to step up for all citizens of the County. Mayor Glenn asked if there were any cases where a student got no assistance at all. Mrs. Covey said that hadn't happened yet and hoped that it wouldn't. If it did, the estimated family contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA form would be used and funding would be stopped at a certain level of the EFC. However, she also felt others would step up and make up a shortfall. Mayor Glenn then asked about Pulaski County's stand on the program. Mrs. Covey responded that they had shared information with the County Administrator and members of the Board of Supervisors, but there had only been discussions thus far. Mr. Radcliffe asked if there was some way to get information to Town and County students to apply. Mrs. Covey felt the school system could help. Mayor Glenn asked at what grade level were GPA's discussed with students. Mrs. Covey said it depended upon the community's awareness of the program and gave an example of middle school students in one county asking about their GPA. Mayor Glenn then asked did the Town have to wait for the County and what funding would be needed to proceed. Mrs. Covey said they would need $200,000 to offer the program to all graduates of the high school. Partial funding would lead to differentiation between students which would not allow the program to work. To Mayor Glenn's question if monies were left over, Mrs. Covey said there had been funds left over and the money left belonged to the locality. Regarding administrative fees for the program, Mrs. Covey replied that the money went only for tuition. Mayor Glenn ventured that the Town would have to wait to see what Pulaski County did. Mr. East said that the Town could pledge the money, but nothing would happen until the County participates. Mr. East added he felt the program was a community effort. He then moved that the Town of Pulaski partner with New River Community College in the Access to Community College Education program (ACCE program) in the amount of $50,000, funding to be allocated from unassigned reserves. The motion was seconded by Mr. Penn and approved on the following roll call vote: Mr. Radcliffe -Aye Mr. Goodman -Aye Mr. East -Aye Mr. Kidd -Aye Mr. Clark -Aye Mr. Penn -Aye Next item on the agenda (Item 8a) was a public hearing on Planning Commission Case 2017-05SE concerning a request for a special exception for a virtual reality venue at 94 West Main Street. Ms. Hair reported that the Town had received an application for a special exception for a virtual reality venue at 94 West Main Street. The Planning Commission had reviewed the application on August 14th and had recommended approval under the condition that there be no gambling or other games. Page 3 of 7/September 5, 2017 Mr. Ryan East addressed Council on opening the first of two experienced based businesses in Downtown Pulaski. The first would be NextLevel, a virtual reality venue, followed by Crescent City Cafe, a New Orleans style cafe and grill. Mr. East reviewed the nature of virtual reality and the uses it could have for recreation, business and education. A video presentation was then shown to Council demonstrating various uses of virtual reality. After the presentation, Nicholas Albert gave Council an overview of the growing market share of video gaming sales and other applications of and current uses of virtual reality in fields such as education and business. Austin Stromme then briefly reviewed the demographics of groups likely to participate in virtual reality gaming. Data from a survey conducted by Virginia Tech's Pamplin School of Business found: most users were between 18-35 years of age; virtual reality gaming was family oriented; it provided a destination experience; and was favored by "Millenials". In addition to high school and college age participants, non- or low participating age groups indicated they were willing to drive at least 30 minutes to such a venue, indicating that a customer base for this venue is in place. Justin Brown then discussed with Council the second business, Crescent City Cafe. The cafe would feature Cajun dishes in a French Quarter atmosphere. With only three such businesses in a 100 mile radius the cafe would provide a unique destination experience. The two businesses, NextLevel and Crescent City would establish linkages to help create a common customer base through the use of coupons, active promotion or other means. Mr. East noted that the two businesses would be located in the revitalization district of the Town and would meet some of the goals of the district such as visitation, fostering entrepreneurship, small business development and supplementing the buying power of local residents. Mr. Goodman applauded the group's efforts noting his familiarity with immersive gaming and felt the proposal was great. Mr. Kidd asked about a timeline for startup of the businesses and what was needed from Council. Mr. East replied that the special use permit was needed and that the group was aiming for openings in December for Next Level and January or February for Crescent City Cafe. Mayor Glenn then opened the public hearing to receive any comments from the public. There being none he closed the public hearing. Mr. Goodman then moved that Council adopt the recommendation of the Planning Commission for Zoning Case No. 2017-05SE. Mr. East seconded the motion which was approved by the following roll call vote: Mr. Radcliffe -Aye Mr. Goodman -Aye Mr. East -Aye Mr. Kidd -Aye Mr. Clark -Aye Mr. Penn -Aye Next item on the agenda was the Public Comment Period (Item 9) with one registered speaker, Dr. John McElroy. Dr. McElroy noted that on August 1St Council began moving on the Peak Creek Wall issue. He thanked Mr. Utt and Mr. Pedigo for their efforts to get the Corps of Engineers involved. Given the Page 4 of 7/September 5, 2017 current hurricane activity, he asked if sandbags would be available before Monday to block floodwaters from these storms. Chief Kiser said that the department could start the next day preparing sandbags. Mayor Glenn asked if there was a plan for emergency crews, to which Chief Kiser responded that they would be working with the Emergency Services Coordinator. He also suggested that the media tell citizens to get prepared especially for flooding in basements. He also noted the department had sandbags and plastic available and could start preparations the next day. There being no further comments, Council proceeded to the Consent Agenda (Item 10). Mr. Kidd moved that the minutes for August 1,, 2017 be adopted with the amendment adding Mr. Clark to the listing of Councilmen Present. The motion was seconded by Mr. Goodman and approved by unanimous voice vote. The next item for consideration was Project Updates (Item 11a.). Mr. Utt highlighted a few items from the Project Update chart. Under Engineering, staff continued to look for funding opportunities for both PER's for Brookmont Water and Direct Injection for James Hardie. Regarding Finance, the auditors would be in during October to finalize the FY 17-18 audit. Staff had successfully researched several issues brought up by the auditors and returned those answers to them. Also different methods to collect delinquent real estate taxes were being reviewed for future discussions with Council. The Police Department reported that recent efforts had resulted in the vulture population at the Fire Department decreasing in number. With respect to the Fire Department, Chief Kiser reported that bids for the rescue truck had come in 10% over expected costs. Department personnel were working on options for things that could be taken off or other funding opportunities to keep moving forward. Thus far he continued, there had been no word received on the grant for the ladder truck. Mr. Goodman asked if the 10% overage for the rescue truck was about $70,000. Mr. Utt said the expected price was approximately $580,000, but the bid came in at about $640,000. Mr. Goodman reminded the Council that extra funds were coming in from cell towers. He asked if items being removed from the truck were really needed or were part of a "wish list". Chief Kiser responded that the cuts were down to the bare minimum. Mr. Goodman suggested that instead of cutting, discussion might focus on going into the unappropriated fund balance to put some items back in. Mr. Utt said he hoped to present at the work session some feedback from the Board of Supervisors, on what they would fund and come back to Council with a plan. He expected that using unappropriated funds was what would be done, but he wished to explore other funding possibilities. During the review of Parks and Facilities, Mr. Utt thanked Mr. Hart and his staff for their assistance on the recent Gatewood tour. In reference to the Senior Center renovations on the floors and cabinets, funding had been set aside in the CIP, but the project would likely be done in the winter. Mr. East suggested moving the task to the 3/6/9 list. Concerning the skate park, Mr. Utt reported that one potential site might not be suitable for recreation uses. Another potential site would be the former foundry site on First St., N.E. One option to be reviewed by Draper Aden would be to capping this area for a basketball court and a skate park, which would qualify as a cap for the site. By using EPA and grant funds, expenses to the Town could be minimized. The skate park group he reported, had managed to raise approximately $2,000. Page 5 of 7/September 5, 2017 On planning, besides the special exception hearing, Mr. Utt said the Planning Commission would review some proposed amendments for urban chickens at the September meeting. Mr. Radcliffe asked about the search for a new park maintenance operation site and noted the Cool Springs field house was under consideration. He questioned the choice due to flooding of the area as did Mr. Goodman. Mr. Kidd asked why a move was needed. Mr. Utt responded that by agreement with the current owner, the Town could use half of the Pierce Ave. structure as part of the Calfee sale until the owner needed the whole building. Following discussion on possible structures and the Cool Springs location, Mayor Glenn suggested that other areas be considered. Mr. Utt apologized for not having the 3/6/9 short term project list in the packet and would add the Senior Center indoor remodeling to the list. Mr. East asked if the park lighting would be on the short term list. Mr. Utt said the installation of the lights would begin the day after PulaskiFest. Mr. Kidd said he liked the direction the Rt. 99 project was taking. Mr. Utt said that the traffic signal at the Bob White/East Main Intersection had failed and was now being run by a replacement unit. Mr. East asked when the streetlights on Rt. 99 would be ready. Mr. Pedigo said he did not have any idea. Mr. Goodman asked how much longer the lane closures would be. Mr. Pedigo said he did not think there would be many more closures. Mr. Goodman asked if work was done on the lights to publicize it to inform citizens of delays. Council then considered scheduling for a Council retreat (Item 12a.). Following discussion of several dates and schedule conflicts, Mayor Glenn requested that Mr. Utt look at other dates and report back to Council at the work session. Next item on the agenda was "Fire Department and Public Parking Plans" (Item 13a.). Mr. Utt referred to two layouts in the packet of parking lots proposed along First St. N.W. from Jefferson Ave.to Randolph Ave. Based on a lease agreement with Jackson Park Inn for a corner parking lot, the Town would lease the hotel the corner parking lot with JPI doing the asphalt and the Fire Department would make use of the building now used as a garage. In exchange the Town would be able to turn the parking lot from the Fire Department building to Randolph Avenue into a public parking lot. The Town's portion of the corner lot renovation would be to upgrade the sidewalk to a comparative standard with the JPI sidewalks. Fortunately, funding for the sidewalk replacement would come from VDOT funds and not Town funds. Regarding the Randolph Avenue section, the Town learned that $77,000 left over from the Pulaski Parking Authority, which was dissolved by the General Assembly, would be available for the internal curb and gutter for the pavement, since the law required the former authority's funds be used for parking. In response to Mr. East's question on price, Mr. Utt replied the cost had not been priced out yet, but he thought the entire amount would not be used. Any "left over" funds would be applied towards improvements in other parking lots around Downtown. Mayor Glenn suggested that on this particular lot that part of the improvement could be to dress the creek bank out using riprap for flood mitigation, improved appearance, and protection of the existing trees. Mayor Glenn asked Ms. Hair if the new parking spaces were included in the parking space count that was recently done. She replied they were not. Page 6 of 7/September 5, 2017 Mayor Glenn asked Mr. Utt if Council action was needed or would he proceed with the bids. Mr. Utt responded that he would try to get some prices on the concrete and asphalt work. Mayor Glenn asked for the information at the next Council work session. Mr. Utt said it might have to be presented at the October meeting. Next item on the agenda was the Closed Session (Item 14). Mayor Glenn asked for a motion to enter into Closed Session under Virginia Code 2.2-3711, (A-7), consultation with legal counsel and briefing by staff for discussion of specific legal matters and matters subject to probable litigation for two items regarding (1) Sewer Billing Request; and, (2) Sewer Discharge Request. The motion was made by Mr. Kidd, seconded by Mr. Clark and approved on the following roll call vote: Mr. Radcliffe -Aye Mr. Goodman -Aye Mr. East -Aye Mr. Kidd -Aye Mr. Clark -Aye Mr. Penn -Aye Council entered Closed Session at 8:30 p.m. Council returned from Closed Session at 9:30 p.m. Mayor Glenn requested a motion that Council only discussed those two items for which they went into Closed Session under Virginia Code 2.2-3711, (A-7). The motion was made by Mr. Penn, seconded by Mr. Goodman and approved on the following roll call vote: Mr. Radcliffe -Aye Mr. Goodman -Aye Mr. East -Aye Mr. Kidd -Aye Mr. Clark -Aye Mr. Penn -Aye Following a review of future meeting dates and there being no further business, Mayor Glenn called for a motion to adjourn. The motion was made by Mr. Penn, seconded by Mr. Goodman and approved by unanimous voice vote at 9:30 p.m. Approved: Robeft N. Glenn, Mayor ATTEST: David N. Quesenberry, Clerk of Council Page 7 of 7/September 5, 2017