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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-07-20Minutes of the Pulaski Town Council meeting held at 7:00 p.m., January 7, 2020 in the Council Chambers of the Town Municipal Building at 42 First Street, N.W. In attendance were: Mayor: David L. Clark, presiding Councilmen Present: G. Tyler Clontz; Brooks R. Dawson; Gregory C. East; Joseph K. Goodman; Lane R. Penn; James A. Radcliffe Administration: Shawn M. Utt, Town Manager Nichole L. Hair, Deputy Town Manager Legal Counsel: Spencer A. Rygas, Town Attorney Press: Mike Williams, PC Patriot Staff Sgt. Sarah Grim, P.P.D. Chief Robbie Kiser, P.F.D. Jackie Morris, Assistant Finance Director Bill Pedigo, Town Engineer David Quesenberry, Clerk of Council Chief Gary Roche, P.P.D. Others Present: Carrie Adams Tracy Belcher Natlyn Black Shirley Matthews Monica Musick Donna Travis Jennifer Viers David Wright 1. Call to Order Mayor Clark called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. P/edge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilman Dawson. 3. Invocation The Invocation was given by Councilman East. C.R. Bopp John Travis 4. Roll Call After the Invocation, the roll was called. Present were Mayor Clark, Mr. Clontz, Mr. Dawson, Mr. East, Mr. Goodman, Mr. Penn and Mr. Radcliffe. All members of Council were present which established a quorum to conduct business. 5. Modification of the Agenda No modifications were made to the agenda. 6. Recognition of Guests and Visitors Mayor Clark welcomed members of the public and expressed thanks and appreciation for their attendance. Council then moved on to "Presentations" regarding concerns over deer and bus routes for apartments. 7. Presentations a. Deer Concerns, Lynn Loftus Ms. Lynn Loftus addressed Council on her concerns about the deer population. She requested some form of action and stated that the number of deer was becoming dangerous. Ms. Loftus encouraged Council to discuss the issue and mentioned the Urban Archery program. She welcomed hunters to her property and had received permission from several nearby neighbors for hunting (on her property). She told Council she hoped there could be at least "a little something done anyway." Page 1 of 8/January 7, 2020 Mr. Utt asked Ms. Loftus to contact him and informed her there was a volunteer group, called the Bow Pros from North Carolina, which did urban archery and had approached the Town several times. The Town had discussed with them the possibility of doing something in the Carriage Hill area. If there was enough land area, the group would come up or send members for a hunt. There was a short discussion as to when urban archery season was held. Ms. Hair said that the urban archery season was from January to March and was specific to two time periods. According to Ms. Loftus, the website said the season ran from September to March. Mr. Utt said he would get the information for Ms. Loftus. Council next heard a presentation concerning bus routes for apartments. b. Bus Routes for Apartments, David Wright Mr. Wright said he had apartments on Bob White Boulevard and that three residents were present at the meeting. He said that a few years ago, the Transit came by the apartments and picked up residents. Now, it bypassed the apartments which had ten out of seventeen units that do not have cars. As a result, they had no way to get anywhere and were concerned that they couldn't get to the store or the bank; they couldn't get anywhere. Mr. Wright said they would like to be put back on the route. He added he was told that the buses went right by on Bob White on the way to Dublin and did not stop. To access the buses, the residents had to go to DMV to meet the transit. Mr. Wright said anything that could be done would be appreciated. Mr. Goodman asked how far DMV was from the units. Mrs. Shirley Matthews, one of the residences, said it was three-quarters of a mile. She said she had glaucoma and could not walk along that road period. Mrs. Carrie Adams said she could not walk it either. Since all three residents were signed up to speak, Mayor Clark asked if Council could take care of two items, after which they would be at the part of the agenda where each citizen could speak. Since there were no public hearings, Council moved straight into the Public Comment Period. 8. Public Hearings No public hearings were scheduled for this meeting. 9. Public Comment Period With no public hearings on the agenda, Council then received comments from citizens about their problems getting bus service to their apartments. First speaker was Mrs. Natlyn Black (3904 Bob White Boulevard, David Wright apartments). She said the tenants had no ride to the store; they couldn't see a doctor and they couldn't pay their bills. Yet every day, she saw the buses pass by two or three times a day. She felt if the buses could stop at the top of the hill and offer rides to Walmart that would be fine. She added that all three of the residents got a letter (from PAT) enclosing a doctor's notice inquiring if the recipient was disabled or not. Their responses was sent in. After that, she continued, another letter arrived from PAT telling the recipient if they could get to DMV, they could be taken where they needed to go. Mrs. Black said she could not walk to DMV. If you were let out at DMV, she asked, how could you go shopping at Food City. She said she could not walk that far since she was on a cane. She said she had two additional letters from apartment residents that said the same thing. Mrs. Black said they needed help and would be thankful for assistance. Mrs. Carrie Adams (3902 Bob White Boulevard) told Council that she was in the same predicament. Since she was on oxygen she could not walk down Bob White Blvd. to the DMV. She had no transportation despite her need to go and pay bills, grocery shop and other things. The bus went past the apartments and no longer stopped. Mrs. Adams said before, she rode the bus all the time when it came to the apartments which was the only transportation. She added that everybody was going through the same thing. Page 2 of 8/January 7, 2020 Mayor Clark said he appreciated the resident's attendance and comments. He requested that they stay for a few minutes since staff from the Transit would address some of the issues regarding the changes that had been made. Next, Council considered the Consent Agenda. 10. Consent Agenda a. Consideration of the December 3, 2019, Council Meeting Minutes Mayor Clark called for a motion to approve the minutes of December 3, 2019. Mr. Clontz moved to approve the December 3, 2019 Council meeting minutes as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. East and approved by unanimous voice vote. Next item for review was the Project Summary Sheet. 11. Proiect Updates a. Project Summary Sheet Mr. Utt asked if Council had any questions. He reported that testing was underway on the Brookmont HAAS Project and there was the possibility of getting CDBG grant fund money that might cover most of the project's cost, instead of using a loan. The Filter Plant would be discussed later in the meeting. Mr. Dawson asked for a detailed update on the Downtown Revitalization. Mr. Utt told Council that the contract for the public spaces was signed and that a notice to proceed would probably be issued next week. Work was to begin in early February with a 120 day contract period with the work estimated to take 90 days. Contracts for the first five fagades had also been finalized. Ms. Hair added that the bids for the first five facades had come back high. With the CDBG program's emphasis on blight elimination, the architect and the contractor did the blight elimination piece with a "wish list piece" which allowed property owners to decide what else they could add or contribute to. These were being finalized. Mr. Utt said the grant would cover the blight remediation and the owner the "wish list". Ms. Hair said, about next set of facades, that bid packages should be issued in the next 30-45 days. The Town had to approach two boards for the Theater and the Elks Club to present the project and the process. Other participants were in place and it was her hope to do one more bid package and be finished and get the facades underway as soon as possible. Mr. Utt said that Town crews had cleaned out the "pocket park" to get it ready for the contractor. Mr. East asked specifically what the public spaces included. Ms. Hair responded that the public spaces would include: the "pocket park", the creek portion, and the alley entries. Mr. Utt added that the alley work would include lighting, rope lighting, the creek walk and the "pocket park". Mr. East asked if there were bids and contractors for that work (to which Mr. Utt assented) and also for the first five facades. Ms. Hair said it was more like six or seven facades, to which Mr. Utt added were being finished up. Ms. Hair said it was a bit more difficult since blight elimination had to be done and not the "wish list". Work was proceeding with those owners to be sure the blight was done and that things from their "wish list" could be fitted in. With reference to the "pocket park", Mr. Goodman asked if the Town or the contractor would be removing the plaster from the sidewalls. Ms. Hair said it was being considered as part of the facade program, if they could get the property owner to work with them. Those buildings she said had been slated for some mural projects. More work would be needed with the property owners to see what could be done. Mr. Goodman commented it was a shared wall but the Town was trying to put the onus on the property owner. Mr. Utt responded that the Town would do the work. Ms. Hair suggested that there needed to be conversations with the owner about fitting the project into a grant program in addition to doing the work. Mr. Utt said the Town could do the work, but the owner's approval was required. Mr. East asked, with respect to the other fagade bids, did we feel comfortable that firms would be bidding on those. Ms. Hair thought so. The company that was under contract for those, Taylor -Hollow, was finishing out Page 3 of 8/January 7, 2020 the other buildings they were working on, so they could be informed about the other opportunities. She expected that once the project got going there would be more interest. In contacts with our state representative, she said everybody was having issues finding contractors right now. Mr. Utt added that he thought the reason that Taylor -Hollow did not bid on the first seven facades was that they were under a time crunch to finish the West Main Development Projects. He expected them to bid on the next group. Mr. Goodman asked about the status of the plans for improvements at Oakwood and Pinehurst cemeteries. Mr. Utt replied that matter was with the Cemetery Trustees Board which had discussed the issue earlier in the fall and decided to wait until spring to choose what they wanted. There were some trees marked to come down, but they would have to come down before the new ones were planted. Mr. Goodman, noting the length of time the Trustees had considered the issue, hoped that they would report back since they would have to be funded in the new budget. Mr. Utt said the Trustees had their own funds and they would pay for the improvements. Mr. Utt estimated the Cemetery Trustees had just under $600,000 in their account and had budgeted approximately $100,000 for improvements to the two cemeteries. Given the cost of recent paving in the cemeteries, Mr. Goodman expressed concern if improvements kept coming out of the Trust Fund, there would not be enough funds for other things they should be doing. Mr. Utt said there was also a fence going up at Pinehurst along Thaxton Road. The fence and the landscaping were the two big projects that would be done this spring. Mr. East asked if there was a way to rotate the project list to include shorter term projects. Mr. Goodman suggested putting the longer term projects on the weekly update. If projects were changing quickly, that would be when Council would need to know. Mr. East agreed. Council next considered PAT's budget request and the Filter Plant issue under "Old Business". 12. Old Business a. Pulaski Area Transit Budget Request Monica Musick, Director of Pulaski Area Transit (PAT) addressed some questions asked by Mr. Penn regarding outlying areas and what those areas would be. She said it would be good for Mr. Wright and the residents present because Bob White was under consideration as one of the outlying areas. She said the reason the Transit was seen to go by a few times a day was that it was not the set bus stop route but it was the Dublin -Fairlawn route. Other outlying areas considered by the Transit's consultants to get ridership up were: Brookmont; Case Knife Road; Valley Road; portions of Dora Highway; and Morehead Lane. Mr. Utt asked Mrs. Musick for an overview of what the outlying areas were. Mrs. Musick replied that the RFP's were due next week so the Transit could start getting public input from those areas. The outlying areas would be serviced either daily, once a week, or twice a week. She added that the Transit was still in the process of trying to figure out how to get people in those areas picked up and brought to the route so they could get to where they wanted to go in the Town. Mr. Goodman asked for information from the last meeting on monthly passes. Mrs. Musick said she misspoke when the said the passes were tracked. The Transit sold 30 monthly passes each month. She asked the drivers of those 30 passes if the riders used their passes multiple times a day. They responded that 5 or 6 of those riders out of the 30 use them multiple times a day. Mr. Goodman asked if the 25 or so other pass holders used their passes a few times a week or a few times a month. Mrs. Musick replied it was usually to go and come back and not to make multiple stops each day. Mrs. Musick said another thing she looked at concerning the outlying areas was that persons would be able to purchase the passes which would help them as well as the fares. Mr. Goodman asked aside from the $20.00 for the monthly pass, would there be any other charges to get from the outlying area to the route. Mrs. Musick responded there had been discussions but there would not be an additional fee. Mr. East asked about the timeframe. Mrs. Musick replied that the RFP's were due back next Wednesday (January 15th) so she was hoping to start May 1St because public hearings had to be held. Mr. East asked if it Page 4 of 8/January 7, 2020 were based on the number of people in a location. Mrs. Musick said that was correct. Mr. East also asked if that was how outlying areas were determined. Mrs. Musick said once the route was started under the call-in method, documentation had been kept on the number of call -ins. There was a lot of ridership from Case Knife which was not present now. She also said there was a large trailer court on Dora Highway which was also not getting bus service. Mr. East said he assumed with the increased ridership there would be more money available from the state, etc. and asked if that was true. Mrs. Music replied that Transit was asking for a slight increase, but the match money would be the same. Presently, Mrs. Musick said Transit had four drivers in each loop, two for the morning and two for the afternoon. She proposed combining the route they had now making it one loop which would free up two drivers to get to those outlying areas and take people to the route. No drivers would be added. She confirmed in response to an inquiry from Mr. East, that it could be done with existing operations. Mr. Penn asked if people were picked up on Bob White, would they have to ride all over Town before they got to their destination. Mrs. Musick answered they were still trying to figure out how to do a route and drop riders off at the nearest stop. She suggested it might be that riders at that end if town would be picked up at a specific time and brought to the route. Mr. Penn inquired if they would be picked up where they were dropped off. Mrs. Musick replied they would, but they could get back on the bus anytime. She added that she had not gotten the details worked out. Mr. Goodman suggested that the buses might go in the opposite direction on a route. Mrs. Musick said that had been discussed and they would still meet the 30 minute wait -time. Mr. Goodman suggested, given the number of residents at the Bob White Apartments, that a stop should be considered there. Since Transit was already driving by he asked would it affect the schedule as much to stop for a couple of minutes. Then they would not have to be picked up and taken to the route. Mrs. Musick said she would check with DRPT to see if they would view it as a large route change. Mrs. Musick said, for the benefit of the residents in attendance, that Transit had a Senior Shuttle Program that they could ride to get to Walmart twice a month. They would only have to call the office to get the details. Mr. Dawson asked for a better understanding of what qualified persons for the ADA bus. Referring to physical difficulties in accomplishing a task to get to those routes, he inquired would that not qualify the residents for the ADA bus. Mrs. Musick replied that a couple of the residents did qualify, but the rules in the ADA application was % of a mile from the route as the crow flies. From the last point (on the route) they were a little past that. Mr. Dawson responded that he didn't realize that the ADA bus was only applicable further than that distance from the route. If someone was disabled and couldn't walk and were too close to the route, then they could not use the service. Mrs. Musick said that was right and that there had been an attempt to educate through the Senior Service Program that they also help people over 60 get to their non -emergency medical appointments. If they want the Senior Shuttle, they can get that service twice a month. Mr. Goodman said he would like to examine the ADA rules. To qualify for a handicapped pass the distance was 200 feet, far less than 3/4 of a mile. He thought it would be best to go back and redraft the ADA services provisions so that persons in a wheel chair would not be trying to get down Bob White Boulevard. Mrs. Musick said she would get with the consultants and check. Mrs. Viers said there might be a misunderstanding. She said they could not go any further than that (3/4 mile) to pick people up. Mr. Utt added that since 70% of PAT's funding was state/federal, their rules had restrictions from going door to door like they used to. When they had to go to the route system that caused a loss of ridership. It could not be a subsidized taxi service anymore, which had been struggled with over the last year and a half. Mr. Dawson asked for clarification that the ADA bus could not go more than % of a mile beyond the route. Mrs. Viers said that was correct. If you were within % of a mile of the route you could be picked up. Mrs. Viers said the ADA bus could not go farther than that (3/4 mile). She added that this was not going to really be a route change but it could be, which would result in being back in the same situation as before with greater Page 5 of 8/January 7, 2020 expense. They had discussed the ADA route, which might have to go off the regular route while the other would have to go to the more populated areas. Mr. Goodman said the point of the PAT system was to make sure persons who did not have transportation were able to obtain it. If key areas of Town were being missed, which might cost more money from the Town and the County, then the goal and purpose of the program was not being followed. He felt that should be addressed. Mrs. Viers responded that she felt that adding the extra route would really help with all these areas. Mr. East asked about a time frame to which Mrs. Musick replied May 1St which was mentioned in the RFP's. Mr. Radcliffe asked how PAT compiled its information. Mrs. Musick said she could check with DRPT. Mr. Radcliffe then asked about the former stop at the OK Barber Shop. His concern was riders were getting off there and crossing the four lanes to get to the other side. Was it possible to have a stop on the opposite side in addition to the existing stop? Mrs. Musick said she thought the sign had been put up. She would check but they were stopping there. Mr. East asked if routes were proposed to DRPT. Mrs. Musick replied that was required and that DRPT would issue a list of consultants that RFP's could be sent to. Once the consultant was picked, then a grant application would be submitted to DRPT to fund the work which normally was an RTAP scholarship. Mr. Goodman observed the state would give money for consultants who knew nothing about Pulaski. Mrs. Viers said that was why the process was a little different this time to secure public input while Mrs. Musick would make the recommendation. Mr. East asked Mr. Utt if there was a role for the Regional Commission in this issue. Mr. Utt responded that DRPT consultants had to be certified for transit. Unless the Regional Commission had certified staff he did not know if they could do that or not. Mr. Goodman urged that more local consultants be used to which Mrs. Musick said there were four. Mr. Dawson asked how difficult it would be to get a map of the uncovered areas that were outside the 3/4 mile radius. Mrs. Musick said a staff member might have it on their computer. Mr. Penn asked if there was a vehicle available for a citizen to see her case worker. Mrs. Musick said she could call their Senior Service Program at the Agency on Aging. After completing some paperwork and answering questions over the phone then transportation could be arranged. Mr. Utt said the request from PAT was for level funding for the next fiscal year. Due to grant application deadlines, PAT needed to know about the Town's contribution by the end of January which required an earlier commitment from the Town. Mr. Goodman said he had no objection to level funding, but over the next year before August there needed to be conversations over some of these concerns. Mr. Utt felt it would be appropriate to have a public comment session in a Council meeting. Mr. Goodman then moved to approve the PAT request for level funding for Federal Fiscal Year 2021. The motion was seconded by Mr. Penn and approve on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn Brooks R. Dawson Gregory C. East Council then reviewed the Filter Plant Issue. -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye b. Filter Plant Issue -Filter #4 Mr. Utt informed Council that the Town's insurer, VACORP, had denied the Town's appeal regarding Filter No. 4. Mr. Pedigo then briefed Council on the construction side of the matter. He said before Christmas he was able to contact the contractor who gave the low bid. After discussions, the contractor's associates said Page 6 of 8/January 7, 2020 they would honor the contract price quoted previously in September and would try to work the Town into their schedule. The Town had been working with the project consultant, CHA, who would develop a contract due to two issues raised by the contractor. Given the amount of money involved, Mr. Pedigo said a contract was a necessity. The contract was expected to be developed by January 17th. The contractor had hoped to arrive on the 17th to execute the contract and start with the demolition, if not then it would be on the 20tH Mr. Utt said regarding finances, he had been working with SERCAP of Roanoke who also had a partnership with Live Oak Bank. A low interest loan had been offered with 5, 10, and 15 year options. Mr. Utt said he would have the term sheet at the work session for Council's consideration. The loan total would be $290,000 which "recaptured" what was spent on the engineering side, as well the construction at the Filter Plant. Mr. Goodman said that the Town had three other filters like this one and asked if the grant writer had been instructed to search for grants. Mr. Utt replied she had. He added that something was being added to the new Filter 4 that was expandable to the other three filters that improved their function. Mr. Pedigo explained that an "air wash" would be added to Filter #4 that would help clean the filter. That would go to the new Filter #4 but would also go to the other three filters when they are updated. Mr. Utt added that the "air wash" was an expensive item to do for each filter, so they would be all done at once up front. Mr. Pedigo said that there were some issues beginning with filters one through three. He did not know what was going on, but he could not take other units out of service to check them until Filter #4 was returned to service. Some media was being lost which concerned him that the conical insert sections were failing. Filters one through three needed some rehabilitation. Mr. East said that was rather unnerving. Mr. Utt responded that he did not think the Town would lose another filter, but more media was having to be added back. Mr. Pedigo said there would not be a catastrophic failure as with Filter #4, but some level of maintenance would be needed. Mr. Goodman asked if there was a way that the plant could be shut down for a few hours (for maintenance). Mr. Pedigo replied no that the filter would have to be taken out; the area underneath inspected; and the media disinfected and reinstalled which would require a week to ten days. Mr. Utt said there would be action at January's work session. Discussion having concluded, Council moved on to "New Business". 13. New Business a. USDA Code of Conduct, Resolution 2020-01 Mr. Utt said initially the Town had applied for a USDA grant of $25,000 for the purchase of police cars, but this year qualified for $50,000. He referred to the Letter of Conditions in the packet as well as a Code of Conduct which states that the Town would follow a normal conflict of interest policy. The Code of Conduct was part of Resolution 2020-01 copies of which would be submitted to Sheriff's Association. Payment would be received hopefully by the end of the month. Mr. Goodman asked what these vehicles would replace. Mr. Utt responded that three patrol vehicles would be replaced by three all -wheel drive Chargers. Chief Roche added that the price for the vehicles had come down and that they would get the benefit of a four -wheeled drive without the cost of an SUV. Mr. Utt recommended the resolution be adopted as provided. Mr. Radcliffe moved to adopt and accept Resolution 2020-01 as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. Penn and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn Brooks R. Dawson Gregory C. East -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Following the vote, Council considered a Planning Commission vacancy. Page 7 of 8/January 7, 2020 b. Planning Commission Vacancy Mr. Utt reminded Council that there was a vacancy on the Planning Commission due to the retirement of Mrs. Hall. The Town had received an application from Mrs. Tracy Belcher for the Commission vacancy. Her application and resume, Mr. Utt noted, were included in the packet. He recommended her appointment to the Planning Commission and mentioned there was a draft resolution (Resolution 2020-02) in the packet appointing her if Council should choose to take action. Mr. Goodman moved to adopt Resolution 2020-02 as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. Radcliffe and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Council next entered the Closed Session. 14. Closed Session Mayor Clark then requested a motion to enter Closed Session for one item under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (A) 8, consultation with legal counsel concerning vagrancy and itineracy issues. Mr. Goodman moved to enter Closed Session. The motion was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Council entered Closed Session at 7:48 p.m. and returned from Closed Session at 8:57 p.m. Mayor Clark asked for a certification motion that Council only discussed the single item for which it went into Closed Session under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (A) 8, consultation with legal counsel concerning vagrancy and itineracy issues Mr. Goodman moved to certify the closed session. The motion was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye 15. Reminder of Future Council Meetings and Adiournment. Mayor Clark reminded Council of the upcoming work session on January 21 It. There being no further business, Mayor Clark then requested a motion to adjourn. Mr. Goodman moved to adjourn. His motion was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved by the uZ:vidZL.Cl; Council 9:00 P.M. Appro Mayor ATTEST: 1 6, Z - David N. Quesenberry Clerk of Council Page 8 of 8/January 7, 2020