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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-06-2014 regular meeting ~ City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met on Thursday, February 6, 2014, at City Hall. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other Council Members attending: Terry Ernst, Eric Imker, Mike King, and Kim Learnard. Announcements, Awards. Sceclal Recoanltion Mayor Fleisch gave a statement on how the City handled the snow and ice storm event that occurred January 27 - 29, saying the City should be proud of the way the event was handled. The Public Works crews had pretreated the City's major road and bridges, and the crews worked 12-hour shifts, spreading 270 tons of sand and salt on the roads. The Public Works, Police, and Fire Departments were in constant communication to facilitate road closures and help with emergency access to areas across the City. The Fire Department reported a below average call volume for the three days. On the first day of the storm, Tuesday, January 28, there were no calls to the Fire Department after 6:00 p.m. The Police Department deployed 20 police officers across the City on Tuesday to help citizens, and they assisted citizens on the cart path through Thursday. The Police Department provided traffic updates nearly every four hours during the event, and 12 roads in the City were deemed too slick for traffic and were closed. Fleisch thanked all the City employees for their work during the storm and for what they did every day. Fleisch said appreciative residents sent videos and photos of employees at work during the three-day weather event. She also thanked City residents for heeding the advice to stay off the roads, which allowed City employees to do the work that was needed. ~ 10-Mlnute Talk Paul Lentz, secretary of the Friends of the Library, gave the 2012 - 2013 report. Lentz said there were several categories of membership, including annual membership categories of $100, $500, and $1,000. Activities over the last few years included partnering with the City for the "One Peachtree City" project, authors and book signings, Women's History Month, family holiday programs, two Terrific Turtles programs, joining with the City for astronomy programs, a science program on the atmosphere, Jim Scott and 3-D Readers, a photo contest in conjunction with a local author's book release, Great Brunswick Stew Cookoff, Facebook presence, and the annual poetry contest and workshop. Support and donations included 1,377 volunteer hours in CY 2012 and 1,441 volunteer hours in 2013, re-donating more than $20,000 in books and DVDs, re- donating more than $4,000 in paperbacks to Honor Racks, purchasing more than $10,000 in books, serving as a clearinghouse for donations to purchase books, replacing batteries in older electric scooter, purchasing a stuffed dragon for children's area, purchasing a discwasher, spending more than $9,000 on the vacation reading programs, providing supplies for the volunteer program, providing three shelving carts. All administrative costs were paid by a private grant. Future plans included expanding the partnership with the Library for an adult summer reading program, hosting the 4th Annual Poetry Contest and Workshop, holding workshops for writers and book signings, and working with agencies to expand the use of the library spaces and facilities for education/outreach. The challenges facing the Library included funding, the cost of e-books, and technology for the reference area. ~ Public Comment Bob Grove told Council it was so easy to complain, then gave kudos to the City for how it handled Snowjam (the name given the weather event the last week of January), especially Public Works and Mayor Fleisch for her efforts to keep citizens updated on road conditions. City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 2 ,~ Paul Schultz thanked Council for having a moment of silence prior to the Pledge of Allegiance rather than a prayer. A practicing Nichiren Buddhist, Schultz said the United States was a Christian majority nation, and he accepted public Christian prayer, but he had noticed more and more people were not participating. He also congratulated Council on how they were leading the City, asking them to disagree in private, encouraging smiles, handshakes, and possibly a group hug in public. Aaenda Chanoes City Manager Jim Pennington noted that Consent Agenda item 2. Consider Resolution Authorizing Submittal of GATEway Grant Application for SR 54/SR 74 Landscape Enhancement Project had been pulled from the agenda, adding the agenda item had nothing to do with SR 54 West, but with the City sign at the intersection of SR 54/SR 74. The item was delayed as more information was needed before Council could make a decision. Pennington continued that New Agenda item 02-14-06 Consider Participating in Design of Multi- Use Path from Peachtree City to Senoia had also been pulled from the agenda. The item had been discussed at the Senoia City Council a week prior to this meeting, and both mayors had decided to postpone any action until further information was gathered. Learnard moved to move New Agenda item 02-14-10 Consider Amendment to FY 2014 Amphitheater Budget prior to item 02-14-01. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. ~ Minutes January 16, 2014, Regular Meeting lmker moved to approve the January 16, 2014, regular meeting minutes as written. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Aaenda 1. Consider Stormwater Maintenance Agreement with Hearthslde at PTC, L.P. 2. Consider Resolution AuthoFizing Submittal of GATE'.\'ay Grant Application for SR 54/SR 74 Landscape Enhancement Project 3. Consider Bid Award for TDK Bridge Repairs - Massana Construction King moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 and 2 as written. Imker corrected the motion to Agenda Items 1 and 3. King accepted. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Old Aaenda Items 09-12-06 Facilities Bond Projects status Report/Update Pennington updated Council on the status of the Facilities Bond projects, noting that 24 of the 28 projects that had been funded were completed. Two projects remained active and in progress, two projects had been "parked" with initial funding reallocated to other projects, and two projects should be deleted from the list (Riley Field sewer upgrade and Baseball/Soccer Complex parking lots). He continued that contingency (unencumbered) funds totaled $75,000, and staff recommended reallocating $50,000 of those funds to begin work on the replacement of the Battery Way dock/pier. No action was required. - New Aaenda Items 02- 14-10 Consider Amendment to FY 2014 Amphitheater Budget Amphitheater Manager Nancy Price said the Frederick Brown, Jr., Amphitheater would celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Concert Series this year, and a special lineup was planned that would require an increase in the Program Talent Expense, which would be offset with an increase in Summer Concert Series Revenue and Sponsorships. She requested Council approve City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 3 - the budget amendment to increase the revenue and expense in the amphitheater budget by $126,453. Learnard moved to approve the 2014 Amphitheater budget amendment as presented. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-14-01 Consider Amendment to Fire Protection and Prevention Ordinance Fire Marshal Dave Williamson addressed Council, noting the ordinance was being updated to reflect the latest adoptions by the state of the 2012 International Fire and N FP A 10 1 Life Safety Codes as modified by the Georgia State Fire Marshal's Office, as well as some housekeeping items in the ordinance. King moved to approve the amendment to the Fire Protection and Prevention Ordinance, agenda item 02-14-01. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-14-02 Consider Amendments to Landscape Plan Procedures for Retail, Commercial and Industrial Properties Ordinance Planning & Zoning Administrator David Rast said staff and the Planning Commission had been working on the ordinance for several months. It was essentially the same, but there had been some reformatting and housekeeping items that would be addressed by repealing the entire ordinance and adopting the newer version. The significant changes included how tree replacement requirements were calculated, and the adoption of the national standards set by the American National Standards . Institute, Inc., for plant selection, plant maintenance, and warranties for retail, commercial, and industrial properties. l'!t!6i1!l'A!~, Imker moved to amend the Landscape Plan Procedures for Retail, Commercial and Industrial Properties Ordinance as presented. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-14-05 Consider Signal Application for SR 54 W / Line Creek DR Intersection Consider Initiating Abandonment Process for Roads and Right-of-Way of Line Creek DR and Line Creek CT Consider Request to Allow Private Road Connection across City Property from The Overlook Retail Development to Planterra Way Jim Lowe of Trinity Development Group addressed Council, saying there were individual top quality tenants lined up for every larger space in the proposal. However, Lowe said he was not prepared to announce the tenants at the meeting. Lowe briefly went over the history of the proposed traffic signal at Line Creek/SR 54 West noting the City had filed an application for a signal in 2008 that had been reviewed and approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The permit was issued for the location, but due to the time frame and the economy, the development was not able to move forward. As a result approval for the signal had been rescinded. 02-14-03 02- 14-04 Lowe continued that RaceTrac, at the corner of Line Creek and SR 54, owned the property for its gas station. Although Chick-fil-A had abandoned its plan to locate next to RaceTrac, there were several fast food chains in line for the location. The retail parcel located behind the commercial area with Jimmy John's and Grazing Here could be a restaurant. but its use was flexible. ~, There was a 25,000 - 28,000 square-foot grocery store planned. Each box was less than 32,000 square feet. so a special use permit would not be needed, Lowe said. There would be a significant buffer to the rear, and it was 75 feet in width at its highest point. He continued there City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 4 ~, would be a continuous six-foot high berm along the back of the property, with a six-foot high screened fence on top of the berm and trees planted behind the fence. Lowe addressed the proposed connection to Planterra Way, saying the connection had been discussed for years. The individual tenants had seen the site plan, and they would like a signal at Line Creek and the connection to Planterra Way. Lowe said he did not think connecting to the light at MacDuff Crossing would be a good way to move traffic, and that connection had been taken off the plans. There was an approved site plan in place, and the developer wanted to modify the approved plan. Lowe introduced Naveed Jaffar of .GCA, Inc., who discussed the traffic study. Jaffar said the study had been conducted following normal guidelines for a traffic study and included the four intersections on either side of the development. He explained that Levels of Service A through 0 were typically acceptable, while E and F were failures. Two major signals were operating acceptably (SR 54/MacDuff Parkway and SR 54/Planterra Way). The study also looked at the no-build condition of the intersections for 2015, and found that conditions at the MacDuff signal were slightly unfavorable during the morning (0), but were acceptable during the evening peak (C). When the development traffic was added in 2015, there was really no change in the level of service. The level of service for the light at Planterra Way was currently a D. In 2015, the level of service for the morning peak would remain a 0 if the retail development was not built, and the afternoon peak level of service would decrease (E). When the traffic from the development was included in 2015, the morning peak level of service would remain a 0, and the afternoon level of service would remain at E. Jaffar said the projected development traffic volume included 267 trips in and out of the Shopping center, fast food restaurant, and gasoline service station during the morning peak hour, while 378 trips were projected during the afternoon peak hour. A signal warrant analysis had also been conducted, Jaffar said. The development had satisfied the warrants for signal warrant 1 B, and Jaffar added that GDOT typically required warrants must be met to install traffic signals. Learnard pointed out that the intersection at SR 54/Planterra Way currently had a level of service of 0, clarifying that the 0 level of service at the intersection would continue in 2015 with or without the development and the level of service would get worse in the afternoon peak hour. Jaffar said that was correct. Learnard referred to the signal at the MacDuff Parkway signal, which showed the level of service would drop from a 0 in 2013 to an E in 2015 during the morning peak time with or without the development. The B level of service during the afternoon peak would drop to a C without or without the retail center. Jaffar said the traffic conditions would not worsen just because of the development. He said traffic counts were collected at all the intersections, and they had also looked at the historical data kept by GDOT to see how much traffic would grow in the future. King said there was a misconception, noting the traffic study done by Chick-fil-A said a signal was warranted with the business in place. Then he had been told a light was not warranted without Chick-fil-A. Now a light was warranted. Jaffar said they had looked at the site as though it were fully built out, adding that if Chick-fil-A did not build on the outparcel next to RaceTrac, then another fast food restaurant would build and generate traffic. Learnard asked what warranted a traffic light and whether it was a C or 0 level of service. Jaffar said it was traffic volumes on the main line and the side streets. They had looked at traffic City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 5 ~> volumes over a 12-hour period (7:00.a.m. until 7:00 p.m.) on the main line and the side streets. If the criteria were met for eight hours of the day, then typically a signal was warranted. Typically, GDOT wanted to look at eight hours of volumes, rather than four hours or just peak hours. The study determined criteria 1 b was met. which meant there was not enough time to make a left turn. Ernst asked what the peak hour time frames were considered. Jaffar said peak hours were typically 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. They counted from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. They took the volume of the highest hour from those periods, but he was not sure which hours those were. Learnard asked if Council should have seen the study. Lowe said the traffic study was submitted with the package. He was sure staff had reviewed it. Fleisch said side street traffic along SR 54 was an issue and asked Jaffar if that traffic would be measured. Jaffar explained that a portion of the traffic going in and out of the retail development was assigned to Line Creek Drive. Fleisch asked Jaffar if he was familiar with the Traffic Responsive System and if it Worked. Jaffar said he had heard of it. but he did not know when it would be implemented. Fleisch said the system should be installed in the spring, and they were taking counts now, but there was not a definite date. She asked Jaffar if he had any experience with the system. Jaffar said GDOT would control all the signals to improve the traffic flow. He continued it was an impressive system, saying it was more of a thinking system that adjusted the timing of the signals based on the traffic volumes approaching an intersection on all sides. Fleisch said GDOT was concerned about keeping the traffic moving on SR 54, and GDOT told the City anything they did would be to keep the traffic on SR 54 moving, letting the side streets suffer. The new system had been offered as a response to concerns about vehicles on the side streets. Jaffar agreed GDOT would want to keep traffic moving along the main line. Learnard asked to see a copy of the traffic report, and Lowe gave her a copy. Lowe recommended Council rely on City staff and their consultant for comments when it came to the traffic report. He asked Council to submit a signal application to the state, along with the report. Sending in the application only meant the state would consider the light. Lowe continued they had done what the City had asked. The City had asked for quality tenants, and the tenants had asked for the signal. Lowe asked Council to consider abandoning the roads and rights-of-way for Line Creek Drive and Line Creek Court. They would like to swap or purchase the property, whichever mechanism the City required. He noted that. per the Memorandum of Understanding agreed to a few years ago, a third party was to provide an appraisal. Lowe said the appraisal had been done and submitted with the application. The appraised value of the roads and rights-of-way was $100,000. Lowe continued that they would like to connect the retail center to Planterra Way by lining up a two-way road at the Tennis Center and a golf cart connection. King asked if a light was proposed for that road. Lowe said no, and the study showed that would be a low-volume connection. _. Learnard said she was looking at the traffic data for the first time, asking where she could find the capacity analysis. Jaffar said. the information was in the chapter entitled, "Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis." City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 6 ,~ Fleisch asked Richard Fangman of Pond and Company, the City's consultant, about the Chick- fil-A traffic analysis and the study for The Overlook. Fangman said the volumes in the study for just Chick-fil-A and RaceTrac justified a signal, adding the study for the retail development appeared to meet the volumes required by GDOT for eight-hour criteria, which was the more difficult standard. However, the proposed signal did not meet the signal spacing criteria, which was at least 1,000 feet from adjacent intersections. He continued that the adjacent intersections were operating near capacity, adding traffic engineers always strove for a D rating or better. Fleisch noted that GDOTalready acknowledged there was a problem with stacking at the signal at The Avenue because it was too close to SR 74/SR 54. Learnard referred to page 23 of the traffic study, noting the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) listed eight warrants that could be considered when determining whether an intersection should be signalized. She read the following paragraph: The MUTCD states that "The satisfaction of a traffic signal warrant or warrants shall not in itself require the installation of a traffic control signal." However, one or more warrants should be met before a signal is installed. Learnard said a signal could not be installed willy-nilly. Fangman said a signal caused additional delay for vehicles on the mainline, and there was a cost of maintaining the signal. That was why the criteria for volumes had developed. Learnard read from page 23 the following statement: For the purposes of this traffic study, Warrants /, 2, and 3 were evaluated based on GDOT's " /00% criteria: and not to include right turning traffic on the side streets in the analysis. Learnard noted that Warrant 1 was Eight-hour Vehicular Volume, saying if the intersection met that warrant, then it should meet the criteria for Warrant 2, Four Hour Vehicular Volume. Warrant 3 was Peak Hour traffic. Fangman said that was not entirely accurate, adding there were different thresholds that had to be met. He continued that it appeared GCA used a more conservative approach than what was in the MUTCD, which was what GDOT preferred. He explained that right turns were not usually included because, unless there was a special case, right turns could be made even in congested conditions. Learnard said the developer had done everything they had been asked; she wanted to make sure she understood the data. Fangman briefly went over the warrants and what was met, noting that for the Build conditions, the intersection met Warrants 1 B (Eight Hour-Interruption of Continuous Flow) and 2 (Four Hour Volume). Learnard noted that the intersection met the requirements of Warrant 1 B, which was the most difficult warrant to meet. Fangman confirmed that was the case. Fleisch opened the floor for comments from those attending the meeting, limiting the comments to 15 minutes for each side, pro and con. ~ Steve Brown said there were no easy decisions on SR 54 West. In the 2000s, the City enacted the Big Box Ordinance and required traffic studies. Traffic was a nightmare, then the state finally got the money to widen the highway. The Traffic Impact Ordinance was enacted by the City, and anything that impeded traffic would not be allowed. The intersection of SR 54/SR 74 was in critically poor condition, and there were very few solutions. The problem was more than the intersection, including the ancillary roads and other shopping centers. Getting traffic flowing on City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 7 ~ SR 54 hurt the traffic on the ancillary roads. The light did not meet the distance standards set by GDOT. He hoped Council mode a good decision. Caren Russell said development on this parcel began in 2007. Several residents had been involved all that time. Several Council Members were opposed to the cut-through to Planterra Way recently. Russell called for Council to hold a public hearing on the proposed cut-through, saying the residents of Planterra and Cardiff Park had less than a week's notice of this meeting. She noted the developer had also token out the connection to MacDuff Crossing and the light at that intersection, saying people who were shopping at MacDuff Crossings would have to get back onto SR 54 to get to The Overlook, which was forcing more cars onto the highway. Russell said the last time the citizens group met with the developer was March 2013, and the residents had suggested a compromise regarding the connection to MacDuff Crossing, and they had not heard from Lowe. The compromise was only a right turn in, but no right turn out onto Planterra Way. The right-hand turn lane would need to be extended onto Planterra, maybe doubled, and the timing would have to give the Planterra vehicles enough time to make a left-hand turn. Russell said the location proposed for the connection to Planterra Way was where the traffic backed up to a standstill. The rightturn lane from Planterra Way onto SR 54 also needed to be extended. lola Snow said she was not a traffic engineer, but good common sense told her that 50 - 100 cars came through Planterra going to and leaving from the Industrial Park. Only three to four cars were usually able to get through the light at peak times. The subdivision had 435 homes, which was a lot of traffic with just the residents. A grocery store would create even more traffic. The cut-through to Planterra Way had to go. ~c Fleisch asked City Engineer Dave Borkowski if the MacDuff frontage road would be part of the City's traffic study approved at the January 16 meeting. Borkowski said it was one of many alternatives that would be looked at. Fleisch asked Borkowski to outline what the City's study of the SR 54 corridor would entail. Borkowski said the study would look at a frontage road, traditional intersection improvements, and extending the medians on SR 54, as well as some out- of-the-box improvements. He said staff met with GDOT, and a traffic responsive system in addition to synchronization would be installed in April. Georgia DOT wanted the City to look at different things in the study. King asked if the signal application would be forwarded to GDOT if Council said no to the light. Borkowski said the application could not be forwarded without Council's approval. King clarified that an application for a signal at the intersection had been approved once before. Borkowski confirmed this. - Imker said there were additional issues of concern, such as the liability to the City of not signalizing the intersection. A warrant was common sense, and common sense said another light would make traffic worse. Imker said he wanted to abandon the roads and rights-of-way, but he also wanted to include a connection to MacDuff Crossing as part of the abandonment, which was key to the whole project. All that was needed was a 400-foot connection to get to the MacDuff light. As for the connection to Planterra way, Imker said he was not willing to make the same mistake that was made with Wal-Mart and Home Depot, with only one way in and out. A connection made sense, but maybe with a left out only onto Planterra. He did not want more traffic going southbound on Planterra Way. He also wanted to see two left turn lanes at the Planterra Way/SR 54 signal, as well as an extension of the right turn lane onto SR 54. No one wanted to be trapped in their own residential area because of the traffic. The completion of MacDuff Parkway to SR 74 was also important, and it would change the dynamics of SR 54. City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 8 .~ Imker asked who paid for the study, saying the City had not paid for it and it was specific to the development. He was not prepared to support a light at SR 54/Line Creek. Fleisch suggested tabling the agenda items to February 20 so Council could get more detail on the traffic study. She said the same ground rules would apply to comments from the public. None of the safety aspects had been discussed. Ernst asked the citizens to consider what impact having no-right turn out of the center onto Planterra Way would have on Planterra residents. Several things had come up during the discussion, and Ernst agreed CounCil needed more time to look at the traffic study, as well as other things. Imker said he was prepared to vote on the abandonment of the roads. -, Learnard said that was based on the assumption the developer could move ahead with the abandonment without a light anda connection. She continued that the first big decision she had to make as a new Council Member in January 2010 was whether or not to approve a beautiful development that needed a light, and she had voted against the light. That was how the City had ended up with a gas station. She said Council forgot to ask themselves what else could go on the property four years ago. Lowe had worked with the neighbors for months on the plan presented in 2010, and Learnard had voted against it because of the light. She had not known that a light at Line Creek Drive had been in the City's plans for over 10 years, or that a citizens committee had recommended a light at Line Creek. She was willing to discuss the issues again in two weeks, adding Lowe faced constraints on his time and money. If the City wanted a quality development of any kind, it had to be willing to come to the table. Ernst said if Council said no, the state could still say yes. Learnard said the traffic situation on Planterra Way should be Council's first priority. The MacDuff connection would be good, and the median was designed to add more lanes. Cutting through Planterra Ridge was onerous, but it was better than the alternative, which was why the City was doing the traffic study of the areq. She was not comfortable voting for only one of the three agenda items. Voting abandoning the roads and rights-of-way should be fine, Lowe told Council. adding that was a structural component. He had no problem with tabling the other agenda items. There was also an issue of crossing City property with the connection to Planterra. Lowe asked Meeker if that discussion should be vetted at this meeting. Meeker said the relinquishment of City property had to be via either a land swap or the land had to be put up for bid for anyone to buy. It was not as simple as the road abandonment for Line Creek Drive. The plan showed the connection, and the Planning Commission needed guidance from Council. Lowe asked Council to consider an easement or some mechanism that would allow the connection to go across City property. Meeker reiterated there would have to be some sort of swap. ,~ Imker said the potential land swap, with Southern Conservation Trust also involved, could also help make the connection to MacDuff Crossing happen. Imker said they should direct staff to look into what would be best to make a potential connection to Planterra Way happen. City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 9 <~. Imker read the list of businesses that were allowed on the property as it was zoned, including fast food, nail/hair salons, pawn shops, title loan emporiums, bars, massage parlors, tattoo shops, used car dealers, bail bonds, and novelty stores. All were legitimate uses for the property as zoned, and Imker did not think the developer wanted to do that. Imker agreed a traffic light had been in the plans for line Creek Drive 10 years ago, but that was before Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and the other lights were there. Ernst asked Lowe if he was available to return on February 20. Lowe said he was. Imker moved to continue Agenda Item 02-14-03 Consider Signal Application for SR 54 W /Line Creek DR Intersection until February 20. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. King moved to authorize staff to initiate the abandonment process for roads and right-of-way of Line Creek Drive and line Creek Court. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Imker moved to continue 02-14-05 Consider Request to Allow Private Road Connection across City Property from The Overlook Retail Development to Planterra Way until February 20. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-14-07 Consider Bid for Guns- Smyrna Police Distributors Police Chief H.C. "Skip" Clark addressed Council, asking them to approve the replacements of the Sig Sauer P220 and GLOCK 27 service pistols with brand name GLOCK 17 and GLOCK 26 pistols. He added that staff recommended using the existing weapons, duty gear, and ammunition as a trade in to minimize the transition cost, which would be $2,236.. Clark continued that the Department's firearms instructors had been asked to look at the current service weapons and consider whether the Department should transition to another firearm. The instructors analyzed several weapons, as well as ballistics and staffing, and they came back with the recommendation before Council. Ernst noted that he used a 9mm when he started with the Department 21 years ago, then the standard became a 40mm, then 45mm. He asked why they were moving back to a 9mm pistol. Clark said a .38 special was used when he started in 1978, then it was a .357 magnum, then a 9mm. Things had come full circle. He continued it was about ballistics and shot placement, not just the caliber. A 9 mm was better than a larger caliber weapon when the officer could not hit the target consistently with it. Sergeant Brad Williams added that they were also looking at shootability, because it was about shot placement and improving the officer's accuracy. It was more about stopping the threat from harming the officer or citizens. Based on extensive research, Williams said the GLOCK 17 was a better gun to teach officers to shoot and to maintain their shooting ability. Ernst asked if the new weapon would stop the threat and protect the officer. Williams said it would. - King asked if they would change back to another weapon in five years because of another study. Clark said they were looking at the value of the weapon and making the transition with the least effect on the budget. They could wait a few years, but there would be more wear on the current guns and the cost to transition would be greater. He added there would also be a cost savings with the ammunition. Ih five or 10 years, things could change, but it was about the shot placement, the financial cost, and the trade-in value. King commended Clark for being City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 10 ~ able to change out all the weapons for $2,200 or so. King understood the GLOCK 17 would be issued to uniform officers across the board. He recalled an organization he was in that issued a Colt 45 to everyone, but one size weapon did not fit all. Clark said they would never satisfy everyone. There were a number of adjustments on this generation of GLOCKs that could be made on the back strap to fit different sized hands. King asked if the same restrictions were on the backup weapon. Clark said the Department did not issue backup weapons, but there were some criteria they had to meet. Ernst moved to approve Agenda Item 02-14-07 Consider Bid for Guns - Smyrna Police Distributors. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-14-08 Consider Bid for Lake Peachtree Bridge Handrails - Beatty Construction Borkowski said the handrails to be replaced were on the pedestrian bridge over Lake Peachtree. The condition had significantly deteriorated over the years. Two bids had been received, and staff recommended accepting the bid from Beatty Construction for $56,000. If approved, staff asked to transfer $12,000 from another bridge project to his project to cover the difference from the $44,000 budgeted. Learnard asked if it was just the spindles that would be replaced. Borkowski said the whole thing was coming off down to the concrete. Learnard asked if the bridgewould be closed. Borkowski said the bridge would have to close, but staff would coordinate with the company so it did not impact any special events that wer~ planned. Learnard noted it was a well-used bridge, so the City would need to let the community know, as well as the schools. ~ Fleisch asked when the work would start. Borkowski said 30 days had been allocated to replace the handrails, but staff would have to contact the company after the bid was awarded. Staff would work closely with the bidder to keep the project moving quickly. Learnard moved to approve awarding the Lake Peachtree bridge handrails to Beatty Construction as presented. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-14-09 Consider Bid for Landscape Maintenance - Hybrid Insourcing/Outsourcing, with Outsourcing to True Green, Brickman Group, and Valley Crest Community Services Director/Public Services Interim Director Jon Rorie said the City had outsourced landscaping for years and had found they were not getting the best results possible. An evaluation had been needed to see if the City was getting the best return for its investment. A Request for Proposal (RFP) was submitted. The work was broken out into five sections, and vendors were able to bid on one section or all five. Staff was then able to compare internal costs with external outsourcing costs and what could be done to accomplish the same goals. Three bids had been returned, and staff recommended awarding the RFP to each of the companies and then insourcing (hiring additional personnel) to take care of the municipal parks and facilities. - The recommendation included selecting the Brickman Group for SR 54/SR 74 for $49,000; Valley Crest for the right-of-way tree trimming along primary and secondary roads for a cost not to exceed $100,000; True Green Landcare, LLC, for landscape services for the subdivision entrances and over 500 City landscape islands for $129,500; and insourcing landscape services along primary and secondary roads and municipal facilities and parks. City Council Meeting Minutes February 6, 2014 Page 11 ~. For the insourcing segment, Rorie asked Council to approve hiring four full-time and two seasonal/temporary workers. The estimated cost for FY 2014 for the employees and equipment was $170,000. The ongoing annual cost was estimated at $223,000. Imker asked what the net budget impact would be for the plan. Rorie said $222,000 would be taken from General Fund reserves for the remainder of the fiscal year. Imker asked if there would be an ongoing addition of $200,000 to the budget for FY 2015 and beyond. Rorie said there would be. Imker continued that Council needed to make a decision. There would not be a need to increase taxes, pointing out they had already budgeted a new $3 million Facilities Authority bond for City facilities, which would cost the City approximately $300,000 annually for 10 years. The current list had approximately $1 million in projects, and there should be no problem coming up with another $1 million. The amount of the future bond should be less than $3 million, which would save money that could be used to cover the landscaping costs. Imker wanted the citizens to understand that the hiring of the additional employees would help the City approach the level of service that was in place before the 2009 lay-off and outsourcing. He said the residents should see an improvement in the landscaping. Learnard moved to award a $49,000 annual bid to Brickman Group, an annual bid not to exceed $100,000 for right-of-way tree trimming to Valley Crest. an annual bid totaling $129,500 to True Green Landcare, and approve hiring four full-time and two part-time employees with the associated equipment. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. ,~ Council/Staff TODics Pennington reminded Council that the County would conduct the tornado warning drill on February 7. Pennington commended staff for the work that was done during the ice storm. Pennington continued that he met with County Administrator Steve Rapson, reporting that Lake Peachtree would be lowered until the end of March to allow residents to perform maintenance. Rapson and Lee Pope of the Water System were putting together a proposal for the dredging of the lake that would be presented during the Commissioners retreat. The dredging would be done during the winter months. Learnard moved to convene in executive session to discuss acquisition or sale of real estate and threatened or pending litigation at 9: 18 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Learnard moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:41 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, Learnard moved to adjourn the meeting. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:42 p.m. ~ '~~ Vanessa Fleisch, May r ~