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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-05-2010 workshop minutes ~ City Council of Peachtree City Workshop MeetingMinutes October 5, 2010 6:30 p.m. The Mayor aod Council of Peachtree City met in workshop session on Tuesday, October 5, 2010, to discuss the development of the 2011 Citizen Survey and to develop a prioritized list of topics for discussion at the 2011 City Council Retreat. Mayor Haddix called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Other Council Members attending: Vaoessa Fleisch, Kim Learnard, aod Eric Imker. Doug Sturbaum arrived at 6:45 p.m. City Maoager Bernard McMullen said that, as part ofthe budget process, Council had asked for a discussion of several capital items. McMullen noted that staff had added a discussion of several traosportation projects that had been desigoated as "at risk" of losing funding by the Atlaota Regional Commission (ARC). The Gathering Place Leisure Services Director Raody Gaddo reviewed the possible expaosion of the Gathering Place. The proposal included 3,750 additional square feet, with a passageway around existing rooms, a sound-buffered room for multiple uses, ao additional meeting room, restrooms, storage, ao expaoded covered porch, furniture, fixtures, equipment, aod bond issuaoce costs. The projected cost for the project was $789,000. "....., Imker felt the construction costs could be reduced aod asked if the desigo was not already in place. Gaddo aod McMullen clarified that only a concept plao had been created for the previous, much larger proposed expansion. The costs provided were estimates. Imker asked staff to look at ways to reduce the costs aod to allow the expaosion to provide a single large room doubling the existing large room, rather thao two smaller rooms adjacent to the larger room. Gathering Place Maoager Jaoet Werner said she expected that the room would be divided more often thao not, aod said they currently used room dividers for multiple, non-noisy events in the large room. Imker also asked about the potential for a future basement. Gaddo said they would have to look at the topography, aod Imker asked that they do so. Haddix supported building flexibility of use into the desigo. Imker suggested having a survey question with a $600,000 price tag. He asked, if support were great, why the City could not proceed with the desigo aod engineering. McMullen asked that they discuss the survey questions wording at the end, after discussing all the projects. He said Council could move forward with the desigo at their discretion. Kedron Bubble Replacement Gaddo said this was originally discussed for the 2012 Public Improvement Program (pIP), aod the estimate was $250,000, with a corresponding one-time millage rate increase of 0.137 mills. McMullen noted that the finaocing for this project was included in the current five-year model. ",....,. (,^ Imker asked how often the small pool was used aod if it needed to be covered. Gaddo said the therapeutic programs were in that pool, aod the pools saw about equal usage. Leamard asked City Council Workshop Minutes October 7.2010 Page 2 - about the availability of the "bubble" product, aod Gaddo said it was still available and there had been remarkable improvements. The original bubble had been in place for 15 years aod had been warraoted for 10. The newer models were warraoted for 15, so he could foresee ao even longer life for the new one. Traffic Signal at BSC Gaddo said obtaining a sigoal at the South 74 Baseball Soccer Complex (BSC) had been ao ongoing effort since 2006. Several traffic studies, done by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), indicated the intersection failed to meet the warraots for them to install a sigoal. Following discussions with Senator Chaoce aod Representative Matt Ramsey, the GDOT said they would consider a sigoal that only functioned when high volumes of traffic were exiting the facility, but there had been no follow up from the GDOT on that consideration. Gaddo said subsequent requests for flashing lights or warning sigoage were also deemed not appropriate. Gaddo said the GDOT had indicated they would not approve a sigoal, even if the City paid for it, unless the intersection met the warrants. As a cost comparison, Gaddo said the Wisdom Road sigoal had cost the City $157,000. The City could also hire a private consultaot for a traffic study at a cost of $7,000. Imker asked how close the intersection came to meeting the warraots, aod City Engineer Dave Borkowski said it was not close. Haddix said the GDOT had indicated they would look at the intersection again after the highway widening had been completed. ,..... Sturbaum agreed with Gaddo that this was a common sense traffic safety issue dealing with large numbers of families aod children accessing a facility, including visiting special needs teams using the Field of Hope. Leamard asked if a fatality at ao intersection chaoged the requirement for warraots. Gaddo said that, unfortunately, seemed to be the case. McMullen noted that part of the warraots included the number of accidents at an intersection, aod Borkowski said accidents reduced the required number of total car trips required. McMullen cautioned that there was no history at the intersection as it would be operating after the expaosion. Imker asked ifthere were some way to commit City funds for a sigoal aod work with the GDOT to allow the sigoal. McMullen suggested setting up a meeting with the GDOT Commissioner aod the State Representatives, aod include the entire Council, rather thao just the Mayor, to meet with them. Imker asked Police Chief H.C. "Skip" Clark to assigo the resources necessary to the intersection to help prevent any tragedies. Responding to Gaddo, Borkowski said that, if the City received GDOT approval in time, they could approach the current highway expaosion contractor to install the light before they finished the widening project. Haddix asked Gaddo to appeal to the sports associations to voice their concerns as well. If petitions were created, Council could take them to the meeting with the DOT Commissioner. ,..... Other Leisure Services Capital Projects . Library Exterior Resealing, 2012 - $35,000 . Kedron Small Pool Resurfacing, 2012 - $32,000 ~ , . ,..... f.: , \~ !'c. \..,~,. ,.., City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 3 . Kedron Large Pool Resurfacing, 2014 - $50,000 . Dredging upper pond at 3-Ponds, not prograrruned - $200,000+ . Resurface Riley Track, 2012 - $35,000 . Meade Adult Restrooms, not programmed - $150,000 Gaddo said these were other projects that would be needed. Imker asked if the larger-ticket items could be spread out over multiple years in the PIP. McMullen said some of the items could be eligible for Brick & Mortar loan financing. Sturbaum asked and McMullen confirmed that the development agreement with Somerby included up to $75,000 for the restrooms at Meade. Hwy 54 West Landscaping Community Development Director David Rast said the City had a long-range landscaping proj ect on SR 54 that began in front of City Hall and had extended to the City's eastern border in several phases. The design was completed for SR 54 west ofSR 74, where the medians had not been landscaped. The price estimate was approximately $200,000 if the City were to perform the work, with an additional $50,OQO for the two-year maintenance and guarantee. The GDOT had opened a new Transportation Enhancement Grant Program. Rast said that the City would look at whether to apply for a grant because it would take several years and require all the environmental permitting of a transportation proj ect. Haddix asked about the apparently dead trees on SR 54 East in the newest landscaped section. Rast said they would be replacing those in the fall, and noted that some had only been in shock and had come back. Resident Caren Russell said the developer who was slated to pay for this landscaping was now gone, and all the commercial development had gone to that side of the City with no benefit. She asked that the City move forward in making the western side of the City look like the rest of the community. Imker asked if staff would move forward with a grant application. McMullen said the Gateway Grant excluded medians, and Rast said the indication he was getting was that GDOT was going to be more selective on the Landscaping Grants, so he needed to check further into that program. Railroad Crossing Upgrades for Quiet Zones Borkowski said the requirement for quiet zones included having public at-grade crossings at each end, upgrading all public crossings, and the municipality paying for all design, installation, and maintenance improvements, and providing additional liability insurance to indenmify the railroad from any liability. Borkowski noted that, even in a quiet zone, engineers could blow the horns when leaving a siding such as the one between SR 74 North and Cedarcroft. Fire Chief Ed Eiswerth said the safety arms broke frequently, noting the crossing immediately next to Fire Station 81. Sturbaum asked staff to research ifthe City would also be liable for any damage to trains. Imker said he was frustrated that communities were allowed to locate so close to the train tracks. McMullen ad~ed there was currently an 80-acre tract, zoned industrial, City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 4 ,...., immediately adjacent to the tracks. Chief Clark and Learnard noted that, having lived adjacent to railroad tracks, it took very little time to become accustomed to the trains. Borkowski said implementing such a zone would be most useful at the northern end of the City. The associated costs for pre-engineering ($80,000) and constant warning time upgrades at a cost of $240,000. In lieu of installing the upgrades, staff recommended working with developers of the West Village and Comcast to close all the private crossings north of SR 54. Haddix asked if there was consensus to pursue closing the private crossings but that paying for the crossing improvements was cost prohibitive. lmker asked how close they were to closing the crossings. McMullen said that there had been an agreement with the Wieland annexation to route traffic from those sites west to the MacDuff Parkway Extension, but that annexation was still in litigation, Council agreed not to pursue funding crossing improvements and having staff continue to pursue closing the crossings. Amphitheater/Cast House Roof McMullen said, as part of the transition of the management at the amphitheater, Amphitheater Manager Nancy Price had the City Facilities Manager perform an assessment of the facility. The cast house, stage area, and upper pavilion/concession all needed roof replacements at an estimated cost of just under $45,000. ,...., lmker asked if the Convention & Visitors Bureau could fund the improvements. McMullen said Hotel/Motd Tax could probably not be used, and that realistically, excess funds in the Amphitheater budget would be more appropriate. Mowing/Landscaping Levels of Service Public Services Director Mark Caspar reviewed the changes in mowing and landscaping for roadways, sports fields, subdivision entries, and City facilities, from when City crews performed the work versus the new contract entered into in 2009. Many duties were kept at the same frequency, but some locations were reduced in frequency, and some services (such as spraying weeds in gutters and drains) were eliminated completely. Additional duties that were no longer performed included the regular trimming of brush and trees from rights-of-ways for safety and site clearance, blowing off roadways after windstorms, mulching tree beds along primary roads, and immediate response for landscaping and mowing issues. lmker asked if there had been a full cycle of service following staff meeting with the contractor to outline expectations. Caspar said yes, but a comparison was difficult because the growing season was trending down and leaf season was trending up, so there would have been a change in the types of complaints regardless of any changes in service. Gaddo added that growing seasons varied each year depending on rain amount. Learnard asked about including a carefully worded survey question that addressed both satisfaction and gauged any desire for additional funding and services. Caspar said the clarification also needed to be made on whether citizens liked how the contractor performed the work as well as the frequency of that work. Fleisch said issues like weeds behind guardrails and City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 5 in gutters, which were not included in the contract, had a big impact on the appearance of the roadways. Caspar said the contract had one more renewal option (for the third year) at the bid price, but would be rebid at the end of2011. Keep Peachtree City Beautiful Director Al Yougel noted that litter was also a problem behind the guardrails and in the undergrowth that was not mowed or maintained regularly. He felt this should be addressed regularly, but understood it was not part of the TruGreen contract. Learnard stressed she wanted the survey to get good input on what the citizens wanted. Lake Peachtree Dredging Borkowski said the City had a contract with Fayette County to maintain Lake Peachtree south of SR 54. The City also owned the lagoon area north ofSR 54. The last dredging of the lake was done in 2003-2004, but did not include the lagoon. The evaluation of the lake for dredging was due again in 2012. ,...., Borkowski said that, in terms of long-term operations and maintenance of the lake, the City had several options. They could work with a consultant and Fayette County to determine the lake depth and sediment levels, vegetation management, re-vegetation of areas around the lake, bank stabilization projects in places like Drake Field, Picnic Park, and Battery Way, and developing a long-term plan for managing the lake. Borkowski said the City could also work with a consultant to look at water quality during rain events. Borkowski provided cost estimates for lake evaluation (2012 budget, $36,000), bank stabilization ($25,000 for desigu and permitting, not including construction), and said the City share for the lagoon-only part of the lake evaluation would be $10,000. Staffrecommended working with the County to explore opportunities for funding the lake study and bank restoration, re-vegetation, and that the City budget the lagoon portion of the lake evaluation. Council asked about costs to dredge the lagoon, and McMullen provided a very rough estimate of $500,000 depending on the depth of the dredging, noting that the primary cost was disposing of the dredged material. Learnard asked about the consequences of not dredging the lagoon. McMullen said, the last time he kayaked on that section, there had been areas less than two feet deep. The challenge was that they did not know how fast the silt was accumulating in the lagoon. Learnard said, if the City could partner with the County in a study, they should do so. Y ougel said the area between SR 54 and the lagoon, which was hidden by shrubs, was always tremendously littered from people fishing, with line, tarp, bait containers, and drink bottles removed from along the banks every month. r-: ; Imker asked that they also look at the connection of Cherry Branch and Flat Creek, and see if, during heavy rains, Flat Creek was backing up into Cherry Branch and exacerbating the flooding in Tinsley Mill. Haddix said the previous study showed that occurred, and McMullen said staff City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 6 ,....., would review the study again, but there were multiple factors that contributed to the flooding at Tinsley Mill. "At Risk" Transportation Projects Borkowski said the ARC had developed a list of transportation projects as part of the Plan 2040. The "At Risk" projects had phases that had been delayed multiple times or had funding shortfalls, resulting in them being at risk of losing federal funding and being removed from the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). Borkowski said ARC had requested a decision on project viability by December 2010 on the following projects: 1. TDK Boulevard Extension - This project was recommended to be removed from the local transportation plan, and staff recommended seeing if the funding could be transferred to other projects. Council agreed. 2. Coover Circle to BSC Path(southwest side of Hwy 74 S) - This project was not on any Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) list for potential funding, no design work had been done, and it currently ranked 40 out of 59 proposed paths in the Path Evaluation Matrix. lmker asked about the use of this path, and Borkowski said it was eventually plarmed to connect to Dividend Drive. McMullen said it was just one segment of the plan to connect the Industrial Park to the path system. Staff recommended r-: canceling the project and seeing if funding could be transferred to the Peachtree Parkway/Crosstdwn intersection project. Council agreed with canceling the project but asked to see the full list of projects eligible for funding. 3. Peachtree Parkwav/Crosstown Drive Intersection Improvements - The traffic study was completed, the concept report was approved, but the design was not complete. Staff recommended partnering with Fayette County for SPLOST funding, and initiating a study on whether Crosstown Drive would need to be widened. Council asked if there were safety issues at the Parkway/Crosstown intersection. McMullen said the issues dealt more with the levels of service. The concern was that, if the City reduced the improvements below what was approved by GDOT, whether the City could retain the $440,000 in funding. Borkowski confirmed that any revisions would have to go through the approval process again, and the City would have to prove that the level of service through 2027 could be attained without the traffic signal. Haddix said there was also a line of sight issue on Crosstown approaching the signal, possibly requiring elevating the road. Borkowski said that would be part of the design for the intersection improvements rather than the Crosstown widening project. lmker asked if the County SPLOST could fund turn-lanes only if the state funding were lost, and McMullen said he thought that would be possible, but it would be up to the County. Borkowski said additional turn lanes with no signal would also make the intersection more confusing. ,....., lmker said there were already four right-tum lanes, and he felt extending the dedicated right turn lanes only would provide a significant improvement to traffic flow without adding confusion. McMullen clarified that, in plarming for future traffic through 2027, the expectation had been City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 7 ,...... 1"" ,', that TDK Boulevard would be conrtected before these projects wouid be started. That scenario had changed. 4. Widening of Crosstown Drive (SR 74 to Peachtree Parkway) - A traffic study was needed to determine whether the project was still necessary in light of the cancellation of the TDK Boulevard extension. Staff recommended partnering with Fayette County to fund study with SPLOST funds. Leamard acknowledged she was not qualified to analyze traffic patterns, but said she had difficulty finding the rationale for the Crosstown widening. Haddix agreed that he understood the need ifTDK had been extended, but without TDK it did not make sense. Leamard asked what the negative ramifications would be if Council cancelled this project. Council could not come up with any. McMullen said, if a study were done, it would make assurnptions on growth. McMullen said the study on Crosstown was not required for the Crosstown/Parkway improvement project. Council consensus was to cancel the TDK widening project and not do the study. Due to significant citizen opposition to a traffic signal at CrosstownlParkway, Council asked staff to approach the County about right-turn lanes only at the Crosstown/Parkway intersection and approach the County about funding the total cost through SPLOST since the other projects r had been eliminated. Borkowski clarified that there was no established methodology for improvements at an unsignalized intersection with this many lanes, so there would not be a way to evaluate whether the right turn lanes helped. Haddix asked if changing the design would jeopardize the SPLOST funding, and Borkowski said if the County approved it. Haddix encouraged staff to take that route but come back to Council if there were any issues. 5. Gatewav Bridge at SR 54 and Wvnnmeade Parkwav - the concept and environmental reports had been approved, and staff was evaluating using timber approaches to reduce costs. Staff planned to award the design on October 21. Staff recommended partnering with Fayette County for the unfunded balance, and Council concurred. McMullen said he felt staff should begin discussing the remaining two projects, the CrosstownlParkway intersection and the Gateway Bridge, with Fayette County right away, and he did not see significant issues because the other major projects had been cancelled. r Path System Priorities & Criteria PlannerlEconomic Development Coordinator Tony Bernard reviewed a listing of all proposed path segments to complete the long-term path master plan. All 59 path projects were evaluated in terms of their connectivity, design and construction issues, safety requirements, and funding mechanisms for a total score. The total project list came to $4 million, with an additional $5.5 million in tunnel and bridge replacements and $6 million in new bridges and tunnels. The connectivity element included evaluating whether a new path provided a shorter route and a way for people to get to work, medical care, church, school, recreation, shopping, and/or dining. City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 8 ~ , Design and construction concerns included factors affecting changes in the topographic grade, whether City-owned property was already available, if Public Works could perform the work, if the path would require the removal of vegetation or the relocation of utilities, and if additional state or federal permitting would be required. The safety matrix evaluated whether the path eliminated or added street travel, mid-block crossings, or at-grade crossings. The funding matrix included developer-required installation, whether some funding was already available, if the path would be eligible for grant funding, and what percentage of funding would be required by the City. Leamard asked if the Georgia Tech study recommendations on increased connectivity had been included. Bernard noted that they had not been completely included because some recommendations did not take into account the use of existing parking lots for connectivity and some assumed grade crossings of state highways, which were not allowed. The top prioritized paths, based on overall ranking, were: 1. Crosstown Dr. to Flat Creek Bridge 2. Meade Field to Somerby 3. Aster Ridge Trail to Holly Springs Rd f!'"'"'! 4. MacDuff Crossing (formerly Shoppes at the Village Piazza) to MacDuff Parkway ~ 5. Line Creek Nature Area to MacDuff Crossing 6. Willow Road (Aspen Drive/Twiggs Corner to SR 74) 7. Flat Creek Bridge to BSC Tunnel 8. SR 54 West to Crown Court 9. Prime Point to N. Peachtree Parkway 10. Tuxedo Lane to White Springs Lane McMullen noted that the City was spending a good amount of time and effort on projects with no identified funding. The Comprehensive Plan Update included the path master plan, and he said everyone needed to focus on realistic goals for the path system. He recommended developing a list of projects that was realistic, met the goals that Council set, and that Council designate a certain amount of funding to meet those goals. Haddix agreed and said, since they would be spending the tax dollars of all citizens, they needed to focus on what projects obtained the best return on that investment Citywide. Council and staff discussed potential survey questions, including a listing of the top ten proj ects with the opportnnity for citizens to rank them. The survey should also ask citizens if they supported a dedicated tax percentage for continued expansion of the system. ,...... McMullen stressed that it was going to be vital to attach an implementation element (funding mechanism) to all the elements of the Comprehensive Plan as it was revised. City Council Workshop Minutes October 7. 2010 Page 9 .,--.., Resident Mary Giles commented that path maintenance was more than just the asphalt. It included the tree growth, fallen branches, vines, and obstructions alongside the paths. She said the latter often presented a safety issue because path users could not see around bends due to underbrush. She also felt there should be a scheduled sweep of the debris at the edges of paths. Even if a path were not widened, making sure the vegetation was maintained would allow carts to pass without passengers getting scratched. Resident Survey Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler presented a sample question for the 2011 Resident Survey that listed possible projects, their total cost, the potential annual or one-time cost, and asked residents for their level of support. Tyler noted that some of the elements would change based on the discussion that evening. Imker said he liked the format and asked if a list of items covered that evening would be provided, and how the questions might be used to gauge what the community wanted. McMullen indicated staff would develop a revised listing of projects and questions, based on the discussion that evening, and bring them back to the November 9 workshop. Haddix adjourned the meeting at 10:34 p.m. ,- . d~Jclm ~y~ ,.,.."