Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-18-2014 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes December 18, 2014 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met on Thursday, December 18, 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, and Mike King. Kim Learnard was unable to attend. Public Comment Jim Harris, owner of Yard Time and resident, said his business had winter hours and was now closed on Saturday and Sunday; however, he went by to check the mail on a Saturday. After leaving his business that day, a man tried to sell him pine straw. Earlier, a customer had reported to Harris that the same thing had happened to him. Harris reported his employees had received calls from other customers who told them someone had come to their homes and tried to sell them pine straw, saying that Yard Time had sent him. Harris said it would be wise for the City to require anyone who did business in the City to have a license, which would help protect the residents, business owners, and the City. He knew there had been pine straw scams recently, adding most of the people selling pine straw were unlicensed, had no insurance, no workers comp, and paid no City taxes. He said a list of businesses with licenses should be on the City's website. Fleisch asked Harris to give any information he had on the person selling pine straw to Police Chief Will McCollom. lmker added anyone selling door-to-door in the City had to have a permit. Harris said he understood anyone doing any kind of solicitation had to have a permit, but he did not know for certain. Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler said the City had limitations on issuing Occupational Taxes or Business Licenses. The business had to be based in the City to get one from the City, and people could have their businesses registered in other municipalities in the state and still conduct business in Peachtree City. There were also some exemptions for agriculture-based businesses, and she would have to check to find out about pine straw. However, they were required to have a solicitor's permit to go door-to-door. Residents did call the Police Department to find out if solicitors had permits, and officers would cite the person if they did not have a permit. Tyler said the City would look into the issue further, adding it was an unethical practice, if not illegal. Al Yougel of Keep Peachtree City Beautiful announced the annual Christmas tree recycling would be held on January 3, 2015, at the Kedron Kroger, Home Depot, and the Recycling Center on Rockaway Road. He encouraged everyone who had a natural tree to participate. Minutes November 20, 2014, Regular Meeting Minutes December 4, 2014, Regular Meeting Minutes lmker moved to approve the November 20, 2014, regular meeting minutes and the December 4, 2014, regular meeting minutes. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Monthly Reports lmker said the City's pension fund was doing very well, adding it was quite a bit higher than it was five years ago. The Pension Committee and the City's actuary, Clark Weeks, were doing a great job. Financial Services Director Paul Salvatore said the Pension Committee (Salvatore, City Manager Jim Pennington, and Human Resources & Risk Management Director Ellece Brown) met quarterly to review the fund, make adjustments, and manage risks. The pension fund had had a good ride. They had just moved the money out of a real estate-based fund, which had City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 2 taken a bit of a dive, into a more conservative fund. The committee tried to actively manage the pension fund. Imker continued by asking about the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) evaluation of the pension. Salvatore said the deadline was March 31, and there had been a lot of concern about the new standards of GASB 67 and 68 and how they affected pension funds. The City was still in very good shape with the new calculations and funding percentages. Imker referred to a lawsuit involving Bradford Pond, noting the lawsuit had been going on and off since 2008. The three previous lawsuits had been dismissed. The latest had been going on since 2012, and lmker said it was frivolous to him. Legal fees since 2012 had totaled $35,000, and the costs did not include the funds and time spent by the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency (GIRMA) or Integrated Science and Engineering (ISE) or staff. When this lawsuit was dismissed, Imker said the City should go after the plaintiff for attorney fees. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Appointments to the Peachtree City Airport Authority(PCAA)-Tom Fulton, George Harrison (alternate) 2. Consider Appointments to the Water& Sewerage Authority(WASA)-Phil Mahler, Glen Adams(alternate) 3. Consider Appointments to the Recreation &Special Events Advisory Board- Eric Snell, Joel Kinsman, LeRoya Scott, Beverly Ferguson (alternate) 4. Consider Appointments to the Convention & Visitors Bureau Board (CVB) ***Staff requested to continue this item to January 15, 2015. 5. Consider Alcohol License-NEW-Willy's Mexicana Grille, 2775 Highway 54 6. Consider Grant Application for Intoxilyzer 9000 from Governor's Office of Highway Safety 7. Consider Extension of Ground Lease Agreement with American Tower 8. Consider Sole Source for Structural Pipe Lining- Utility Asset Management, Inc. (UAM) 9. Consider Resolution for Abandonment for Line Creek Court and Portion of Line Creek Drive Imker said he had concerns with Consent Agenda items 2, 4, 8, and 9, removing them from the Consent Agenda for discussion. Imker moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2. Consider Appointments to the Water& Sewerage Authority(WASA)- Phil Mahler, Glen Adams (alternate) Imker said he had concerns about the appointments process, but he had no problem with the recommendations for the PCAA or Recreation and Special Events Advisory Board. There had been up to five applications for WASA, and he did not know who they were or if there were other applicants who were better suited. He wanted to add a discussion of the process to the Council Retreat so Council could find a better way of handling the appointments. Fleisch noted the appointments had been done the same way for the last five years, asking why Imker wanted to make a change. Imker recommended swapping the appointments, making the alternate the member, and the person recommended as the member the alternate. King said each of the Council Members had been asked to participate on the selection committees. Three members said yes, one declined for work reasons, and one declined to serve. If a Council Member declined to serve on a selection committee, then King said he had an issue with that Council Member questioning the judgment of the other three. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 3 King moved to approve the appointments to WASA, Phil Mahler, Glen Adams (alternate). Ernst seconded. Motion carried 3- 1(Imker). 4. Consider Appointments to the Convention & Visitors Bureau Board (CVB) Staff recommended this agenda item be continued until the January 15, 2015, regular meeting. Imker moved to continue Consent Agenda #4 to January 15, 2015. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 8. Consider Sole Source for Structural Pipe Lining- Utility Asset Management, Inc. (UAM) Imker recalled replacing some pipes in the same subdivision three to seven years ago, and he wanted to make sure it was not the same pipe being replaced. Stormwater Manager Mike Madison said he was not aware of this pipe ever being replaced previously. He had looked at it and it appeared to be the original pipe. Some other work had been done on the stormwater system in The Coventry, but not in this particular area. lmker said if this was the same pipe that had been replaced and the same contractor was going repair it, he was concerned that the pipe would fail again in five years, when it should last 30 - 50 years. Madison said this contractor had not been working for the City five years ago. lmker asked Madison to follow-up with him regarding the original installation and what company had done it. Madison said he would research the issue. Imker moved to approve Consent Agenda item 8. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 9. Consider Resolution for Abandonment for Line Creek Court and Portion of Line Creek Drive Imker noted this agenda item referred to The Overlook, the development on SR 54 West that would be across from Walmart. lmker said he had thought only Line Creek Court had been abandoned, pointing out Line Creek Drive from SR 54 to Line Creek Court was also included. Imker continued that this meant the City would just maintain the intersection with SR 54 and was abandoning the rest of the road and the cul-de-sac. The City would no longer be responsible for maintaining the road or for the costs associated with it. The appraisal had been $100,000, and the contractor was going to purchase the land. He had just wanted to clarify the issue for the citizens since this was an important issue. City Attorney Ted Meeker said a portion of Line Creek Drive would remain City property, 140 feet on one side going up the hill and another 193 feet or so depending on how the road laid. The balance of the road would be abandoned pursuant to the resolution Council was considering. Imker moved to approve Consent Agenda item 9. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Old Agenda Items 11-14-05 Public Hearing-Consider Request to Rezone 14.65-acre tract within the Kedron Office Park from 01 Office Institutional to LUC Limited Use Commercial(100 World DR) The applicant requested the public hearing be continued until January 15. King moved to continue agenda item 11-14-05 Public Hearing - Consider Request to Rezone 14.65-acre tract within the Kedron Office Park from 01 Office Institutional to LUC Limited Use Commercial (100 World DR). Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 12-14-02 Reconsider Bid for Rubber Tire Loader Replacement - ASC Construction Equipment Imker said he was concerned and confused, noting Council had approved a bid of $204,800 to purchase a rubber tire loader at the December 4 meeting, and $196,000 had been budgeted. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 4 At that time, the memo said there were two bids, and one of the bids failed to meet the bid specifications, and Council went with the remaining bid. Now, the memo said there were four bids. Salvatore said there were actually two bids for equipment approved on December 4. The one Imker was referring to was for a tractor, and the reconsideration on the agenda was for a different piece of equipment. Salvatore explained there had been four bids for the rubber tire loader, and the bids had a number of items (attachments, etc.) associated with them. He understood there had been a discrepancy in the price of an attachment where the numeral seven had looked like a three. The Purchasing Agent had called to clarify the amount, and staff felt the bid had to come back to Council since the bid amount had changed by$4,000. Imker thanked Salvatore for clarifying his confusion, noting it was good that the bid was now $1,500 under budget. Community Services/Public Services Director Jon Rorie said this had been a corrective action. It was for transparency. Staff recommended Council accept the bid from ASC Construction Equipment for$136,476, which was $1,524 under the budgeted amount of $138,000. Ernst moved to approve Old Agenda item 12-14-02 Reconsider Bid for Rubber Tire Loader Replacement-ASC Construction Equipment. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 12-14-05 Public Hearing - Consider Amendments to Annexation Ordinance Related to Step One and Step Two Application Process Senior Planner David Rast noted this agenda item was a housekeeping issue, noting that Council had asked to change the annexation process at the annexation workshop held in October so that City Council, Planning Commission, or City staff could bring annexation applications forward. Language had been added to the current ordinance. It had been taken to the Planning Commission for a public hearing, and the Planning Commission had recommended changing the language to City Council, Planning Commission, or the Planning and Zoning Department. Their concern was what some staff members might bring forward, and by limiting it to Planning and Zoning, the applications would be consistent with the annexation studies that had been presented to Council in October. Staff's recommendation was that Council approve the amendments with the changes recommended by the Planning Commission. The public hearing opened. Roch deGolian said he had attended the workshop, and he supported the measure, saying anything done to help the City's growth would benefit everyone. No one else spoke either for or against the proposed ordinance amendment. Fleisch closed the public hearing. Imker summarized that the proposed amendment would provide additional avenues to allow the annexation process to start. If approved, the Planning Commission or others could talk with a landowner to get the process started. Currently, the City had to wait for the landowner to bring an annexation request forward. Fleisch said there could be some unintended consequences, and she did not support changing the ordinance. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 5 King moved to approve agenda item 12-14-05 Consider amendments to the Annexation Ordinance related to the Step One and Step Two application process. Ernst seconded. Motion carried 3- 1(Fleisch). 12-14-06 Public Hearing-Consider Variance Request from Watershed Buffer Protection Ordinance to Permit Encroachment into 50-foot No Impervious Buffer(108 North Cove Drive) Rast gave a brief overview, noting applicant, Sherry Howell, wanted to add a covered porch off the main living area of the home at 108 North Cove, which would extend 12 feet from the rear of the home. The 0.57-acre tract included 89 linear feet of frontage on Lake Kedron and was subject to the City's Watershed Protection Buffer Ordinance [Section 1004(b)(4)b], which required a 50-foot no impervious buffer and a 100-foot undisturbed buffer measured from the lake elevation. This particular home was built without either a deck or outside porch off the main living area. Due to the placement of the home on the lot, one corner of the porch,which would be elevated with stairs going to the ground from the main area of the home, would extend 12 feet into the 50-foot impervious buffer, while the other corner would extend four feet into the buffer. He noted there was also a sanitary sewer easement within the 50-foot impervious buffer. There was really not an opportunity to expand the home to the rear without going through the variance process. Rast continued that staff had recommended installing pervious pavers on the surface at ground level underneath the porch so water could infiltrate the ground. This would be consistent with other variances allowed in North Cove. Rast noted a similar variance had been denied in North Cove recently, but that lot had a sufficient area behind the home without extending into the no impervious buffer. Staff recommended Council approve the variance with the following conditions: 1. The Applicant shall continue to coordinate with City Staff to ensure the disturbance within the impervious buffer is kept to a minimum prior to, during, and following construction activities. 2. The variance shall be limited to the encroachment as shown on the porch plans as prepared by Mitchell Guinn. There shall be no other encroachments permitted without first securing additional variances. 3. Following completion of construction and prior to issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy, the Applicant shall provide a revised Foundation Survey to the Building Official identifying the location of the new construction. The purpose of this survey will be to ensure the new construction does not encroach any further into the no impervious setback than permitted by this variance. Joe Cook spoke for the applicant, pointing out the owner had letters of support from both neighbors and North Cove's architectural review committee, adding it was a shame to have such a nice home without an outdoor living area. Fleisch opened the public hearing. No one spoke for or against the variance. The public hearing closed. Imker said he saw no reason to deny the variance request. He was always in favor of someone improving their property. King agreed, asking if there were homes on the opposite of the cove. Rast said The Retreat apartments were on the other side. City-owned greenbelt separated the lake from the property line of the apartments. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 6 Ernst said he had visited the property and walked the ground with the applicant. He said the deck would not come out as far as a pool located near the home and would enhance the property with an outdoor scenic view of the lake. Ernst moved to approve agenda item 12-14-06 Consider variance request from Watershed Buffer Protection Ordinance to permit encroachment into 50-foot no impervious buffer (108 North Cove Drive) with three conditions as reported by staff. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 12-14-07 Consider Award of Facilities Bond HVAC Projects-Shumate Mechanical Rorie gave an update on the 2015 Facilities Bond, noting there were 29 total projects on the list and four projects were underway, including the Clover Reach pool demolition, replacement of awnings at the Tennis Center, HVAC replacement at Glenloch Recreation Center, and roof replacements at the Peachtree City Athletic Center (PAC). All four projects were under budget. Rorie continued that the City Manager could approve anything under$40,000, and requests for proposal (RFPs) were usually sent for anything over $25,000. Based on a competitive process, Shumate Mechanical had been awarded all HVAC projects, replacements, and maintenance in 2012. These projects fell within the three-year contract. Staff was asking Council to look at the projects collectively so the process for would not have to be repeated for each project. The remaining HVAC projects included the Public Works Administration Building ($14,780), Kedron Fieldhouse replacement ($27,125), Tennis Center - multiple units ($29,350), and a 10% contingency fund ($7, 125). The project total was $78,360. Rorie said that amount exceeded the City Manager's approval limits ($40,000). Rorie said two additional HVAC projects were connected to the roof replacements for the Police Department and Fire Station 84. Rorie said staff recommended awarding the bid for HVAC projects to Shumate Mechanical for a price not to exceed $78,380. Ernst moved to approve agenda item 12-14-07 Consider award of Facilities Bond HVAC projects -Shumate Mechanical for an amount not to exceed $78,380. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 12-14-08 Consider Bid for Ambulance-Custom Truck& Bodyworks Fire Chief Joe O'Conor noted there was a revised memo on the dais, saying this was a replacement ambulance for the department's oldest ambulance with the highest mileage, and the bid package had been sent to 10 dealers. Only one had responded, Custom Truck & Bodyworks (Custom Truck) of Woodbury, which was consistently the low bidder. O'Conor explained the Custom Truck was a direct Ford distributor, which allowed them to bid without any added cost for dealer mark up. The bid price for the truck plus the Ford 100,000 Extended Service Plan totaled $218,051, and O'Conor added the additional cost to extend the warranty to 125,000 miles was not deemed appropriate ($222,046). Anticipated delivery of the completed vehicle would be approximately 180 days. King moved to approve agenda item 12-14-08 Consider Bid for Ambulance - Custom Truck & Bodyworks. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 12-14-09 Consider Bid for Disaster Debris Monitoring-Witt/O'Brien, LLC 12-14-10 Consider Bid for Disaster Debris Removal-Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. O'Conor said the discussion for these agenda items should be at the same time, noting the amount of money spent on disaster events. He recalled the City had been able to take care of City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 7 everything without the use of outside resources during last year's ice storm, but the reality was that similar events had cost local governments a phenomenal amount of money in trying to deal with disasters. O'Conor explained that Pete Nelms, the County's emergency management director, had suggested the County enter into a competitive bidding process for debris monitoring and removal for the purpose of having a "just in case" contract executed by this Council that could be drawn upon should the City find itself in a situation where outside help was needed. An evaluation team comprised of County and municipal staff, including the City's Purchasing Agent Angela Egan and Fire Marshal Dave Williamson, evaluated the RFPs. O'Conor said the reason there were two separate agenda items was that, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) point of view, the City was responsible for what happened within City boundaries even though it was part of the County. The City and County were able to use a common process to select the vendors, and staff felt comfortable moving forward with the two contracts. This was advance planning, and the City's purchasing rules would still apply. Each entity in the County would have its own separate contract. Approving the agreements would eliminate the need for a competitive process when an emergency was underway and the City's purchasing power would be at its weakest. O'Conor said this had been a prudent process. lmker asked what debris monitoring entailed. O'Conor said they were learning after each disaster. Two issues had been identified for removing debris - the debris needed to be sorted, with hazardous materials separated, and every truckload had be calculated and recorded. Debris monitoring would provide a checks and balances system by two different organizations not under the same management structure,working in the City's best interests. Ernst clarified that neither company would come unless they were called by the City. O'Conor said that was correct. The clock started when the City called them. The City and Public Works had resources that would be fine for some situations. But in some circumstances, the City's resources would be exceeded quickly, and the City would make the decision to call them in. The likelihood of FEMA reimbursement was not high. O'Conor noted that the vendors had prepared the agreements for the City Manager's - asking motion. nature Council to include that authorization in the motio . Ernst moved to approve agenda items 12-14-09 the bid for disaster debris monitoring - Witt/O'Brien, LLC and 12-14-10 the bid for disaster debris removal -Ceres Environmental Services, Inc., and to authorize the City Manager to sign the agreements. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 12-14-11 Consider FY 2015 TruGreen Right-of-Way Mowing Contract Rorie said the current contract had expired, and a new RFP would be sent out for FY 2016. Staff was asking Council to extend the agreement with TruGreen through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2015). This would allow the City to go through the end of the fiscal year with TruGreen plus give the staff the ability to request enhanced services. Rorie continued that the mowing cycle would start prior to April 1, when the weeds were knee- high. Mowing would start in mid-February with one cycle and two mowing cycles in March. The idea was to get a jump on the growth rather than trying to play catch-up in April. There would be an increase in cost. The contract amount was to not to exceed $230,000. The RFPs would go out in July for the next fiscal year, which would provide time to see how the changes in the mowing cycle had worked before the RFPs were sent out for another three-year period. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 8 lmker said $250,000 was budgeted, asking how other$20,000 would be used. Rorie said this had come in under budget, but the agreement would now expire at the end of the fiscal year (September 30) rather than the calendar year (December 31). Previously, there had been budget carryovers every year to be dealt with for the completion of the contract. Changing the timing of the agreement would change that. The only issue was that the City would be well into the budget process in July when the RFPs would go out, so Rorie said he would anticipate a cost increase. Imker asked if the City mowed in October. Rorie said it did. lmker suggested that the remaining $20,000 might be shifted to the next fiscal year. Ernst asked if staff was satisfied with the job being done by TruGreen. Rorie said staff was not satisfied with any of the outsourced contractors' performance. Any time the contractor did not perform, the City did not pay them. Going forward, the goal was to have the contractor perform. Even though the City might hold the money, the work still had to be done, which was one of the reasons staff had looked at insourcing services. When it came to right-of-way mowing, 98 of 131 miles were involved, so Rorie said he had not been distressed at the job TruGreen had been doing. By starting early, staff hoped to get ahead of the growing season. Using contractors on the right-of-way mowing was effective as long as mowing started earlier and was monitored. King moved to approve agenda item 12-14-11 Consider FY 2015 TruGreen Right-of-Way Mowing Contract. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 12-14-12 Consider Cart Path Crossings on State Routes Rorie provided information on House Bill 877, signed in July, which allowed personal transportation vehicles (golf carts) to cross state highways. Rorie said the bill was 15 pages long with very limited scope and standards to follow. There was no administrative guidance from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) on how to implement the crossings. Pennington noted GDOT had suggested the City submit plans to them. Rorie said staff had recently asked if there was any guidance, and GDOT said the same thing. Staff was flying in the dark, according to Rorie. Any recommended site would have to be approved and evaluated on a case-by- case basis by GDOT. Staff was not recommending any location, but suggesting potential sites. The evaluation criteria staff used included the speed limit (85th percentile), side street volumes, whether there were multiple/single lanes of traffic on side streets, the percentage of truck traffic, accident history (side roads rear end accidents, side road left turn and opposite through movements, disregarding traffic signals), intersection configuration/timing (sight distance, geometry, signal timing), and available connectivity to existing tunnels/bridges (29/35 total - 7/4 on state roads). Rorie said the criteria had been used on each of the nine locations that would be discussed. Safety was the utmost concern. Staff recognized there was a common sense perception to consider- if a pedestrian could push a button to cross the road, then a golf cart driver should be able to do the same thing. There was going to be a balancing act between the practical side, public safety, and the limitations as Council moved forward to consider the policy. Rorie continued that staff was not recommending whether any of the nine locations were good, bad or indifferent, only that Council consider the intersections and prioritize them. Peachtree City was a unique community and would be unique among the communities requesting the crossings from the GDOT. The concern was that taking nine locations to GDOT at one time would overload them. Since there were no standards, staff's position was to gain momentum by prioritizing the sites into smaller bites and to learn about the process. Staff's understanding was City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 9 the locations could be approved by the regional office, but the standards would still have to go to GDOT in Atlanta for review. The nine intersections considered included SR 74/Cooper Circle (south side/isolation), SR 74/Crosstown (tunnel 2.6 miles/10 minutes away), SR 54/MacDuff Parkway (tunnel 1.4 miles/six minutes away), SR 54/Planterra Way (tunnel 0.8 miles/three minutes away), SR 54/Willowbend Road/Flat Creek (tunnel 0.43 miles/two minutes away), SR 54/Stevens Entry (tunnel 1.4 miles/five minutes away), SR 54/Walt Banks Road (tunnel 3.5 miles/15 minutes away), SR 54/Lexington Circle (one side in the County), and SR 54/Sumner Road (one side in the County). Rorie said staff would go over three of the proposed crossings with Council. City Engineer Dave Borkowski said one of the requirements the City had been given was to sign the crossing, so staff had come up with a simple sign plan. The signs were basically an advanced warning sign with the golf cart symbol on them that would be placed prior to the intersection with the crossing, so people would know what was coming up. On the side streets, there would be signs with arrows showing where the golf carts could cross. Borkowski looked at the Cooper Circle/SR 74 intersection, noting it was signalized and the speed limit on the side streets was 30 to 35 miles per hour (mph). The volume on the side streets was also low, and there had been a low number of accidents/injuries (17/1), with only one rear end accident on a side street. This crossing would get cart traffic to the industrial area, which had previously been inaccessible. Carts would have to cross four lanes of traffic on SR 74. There was a probable high volume of trucks in the area since one of the side streets was the truck entrance to SANY, and evaluation of the signal configuration/timing was needed. Rorie noted the accident/injury statistics were for a three-year period. Borkowski then moved to the Crosstown Drive/SR74/TDK Boulevard intersection, saying a special design would be needed for this location. The signalized intersection would require carts to cross five lanes of traffic on SR 74, which had a 50 mph speed limit. However, the 85th percentile speed was 60 mph. The 85th percentile speeds on Crosstown were 47 mph eastbound and 45 mph westbound. The speed limit on TDK Boulevard was 30 mph. There had been 91 accidents with 25 injuries at the intersection, including 19 side street rear end accidents, three side street left turn accidents, and seven disregard signal accidents. The traffic volume on Crosstown was 6,328 vehicles per day, which would increase substantially with McIntosh Village. There were multiple lanes on side streets and merging traffic concerns. Evaluation of the signal configuration/timing was needed, and there were sight distance concerns on TDK Boulevard going over the bridge and the hill on Crosstown past Wendy's. A tunnel under SR 74 was located at Kelly Drive, approximately 2.6 miles away (10 minutes on a cart). Stevens Entry/SR 54 was also signalized, and an evaluation of the configuration and timing was needed. The side street volume was unknown. There had been 35 accidents with six injuries at the intersection, including four rear end side street accidents and two left turn side street accidents. There was a tunnel that went under SR 54 located 1.4 miles from the intersection, or five minutes on a cart. Most people used the tunnel anyway based on where the homes were located. If carts crossed at the intersection, there could be confusion on how to get the carts back on the path system and off the street, so an ordinance amendment could be needed to allow carts on Stevens Entry. Inexperienced drivers frequented the area twice a day (McIntosh High School was located nearby). The speed limit on the side streets was 30 mph, and the approaches from the side streets were single lanes. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 10 Rorie discussed Lexington Circle/SR 54 and Sumner Road/SR 54, noting the one side of the highway was in the City and the other side was in the County, so the question was who enforced the road, which was the County. He suggested taking these two off the list and focus on the remaining seven within the City limits. Rorie referred to the intersections of Walt Banks Road/SR 54 and Stevens Entry/SR 54, noting the City had a significant amount of money had been invested in the tunnels and asking if an additional five minutes to use the tunnel was too much time for high school students. A policy decision would be needed from Council. At Willowbend Road/SR 54, a bridge over SR 54 was located 0.43 miles from the intersection (two minutes on a cart). A tunnel was located 1.37 miles (six minutes on a cart) from MacDuff Parkway/SR 54. As for the SR 54 West corridor, the signal timing and the possible Green T signal installations could be problematic, Rorie said. Introducing a golf cart crossing on SR 54 West could disrupt the signal timing for the whole corridor, which the City had been fighting to correct for a long time. Moving too fast on these intersections could be a problem. There had been a suggestion for a pedestrian crossing at the proposed Green T intersection at Line Creek. He asked if the focus was vehicular traffic or pedestrian traffic, reiterating that significant time and effort had been spent in infrastructure costs to separate the different modes of travel. Rorie noted the location at Cooper Circle/SR 74 was isolated, but that would be a non-issue if there was a connection to the tunnel under SR 74 South at the PAC. Rorie reiterated it would not be good to move forward with nine locations at one time, which would create an overload on GDOT since there were no standards to follow. Engineering studies would be needed in some areas, and there were no traffic engineers on staff, which would create a back and forth scenario with the state. Staff felt it would be best to focus on a couple of intersections, and Rorie asked Council to provide guidance. Fleisch noted that carts had crossed at SR 54/Peachtree Parkway in the past, and that intersection was not on the list. The sidewalk had gone up, and carts did not cross there anymore. Borkowski said there was signage prohibiting crossing at the intersection because there were no permitted crossings in the City. Fleisch said it had been used often. Ernst recalled that a resident who used an electric wheelchair used to live in Glenloch, and he went to Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church on the corner. Crossing SR 54 was the only way the resident could get to church. When Ernst was a police officer, Ernst worked the church crossing every Sunday, and he would ensure the resident got across the highway safely to the church and back home. Eventually, golf carts started crossing SR 54 at the intersection. King said a lot of golf cart drivers were very familiar with certain routes, and the vast majority of people used the tunnel under SR 54 near McDonald's rather than crossing SR 54 at Peachtree Parkway. He would not consider the Stevens Entry location. Ernst said the crossing at Crosstown/SR 74 would be used because of Planterra Golf Course, the planned bowling alley, and the other recreation businesses located near the intersection. One of the issues was how long the batteries lasted in the golf carts. The timeframe and the distance to get to the tunnel at Kelly Drive were not the issues having the power to get there and back was the primary concern, especially for those who lived in parts of Braelinn Village. King said another problem with golfers trying to get to the golf course was they used their carts for transportation to the venue, then used the cart to play 18 holes, which added more miles to the process. Due to the danger and issues at Crosstown, King said it made sense to do City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 11 something south of Crosstown/SR 74, but there was not a place. Rorie said there were connection and sight issues from Crosstown to Rockaway Road along SR 74. The Master Path Plan addressed the crossing at Cooper Circle/SR 74, and Rorie said he was talking to WASA about other possibilities. Ernst said Georgian Park/SR74 was a possibility that was not on the list, since low speed motor vehicles (LSMVs) could cross the highway at that intersection. Golf carts could not cross at the intersection and used the tunnel near Kedron Fieldhouse. Rorie said additional locations would be evaluated as the process started. Fleisch asked if, other than accident counts, there was any other concerns from the Police Department. Rorie said that the Police Department had been involved from the beginning, and two meetings with staff had been held. The focus was how to safely add the highway crossings. Rorie continued that, if he were a GDOT engineer, he would not rubberstamp a crossing at Crosstown/SR 74 without as much data as possible. Staff would get with the City's traffic consultant, but that intersection would demand time, money, and energy. Ernst noted that if GDOT approved that intersection, then the remaining intersections would not be as much of a challenge. Pennington said the agenda item should have been for discussion rather than consideration, since there were so many issues to review. King suggested looking at two of the lesser challenges first, then the City would know the process. The next process might not be as difficult. Fleisch said if the City could legitimize the Lexington Circle/SR 54 and Sumner Road/SR 54 intersections, it would be the best focus since people were crossing there anyway. Rorie said that would involve the County, and he did not know what would happen. Fleisch said the City had been working with the County on getting golf carts to Starr's Mill school complex. These two intersections might be easier to work through the issues. Rorie said those intersections would be appropriate. Pennington agreed with Fleisch, noting the City and County had to work together on the Redwine Road connection to the school complex, which would affect a number of City residents. Rorie clarified the Council consensus was to work with the County to legitimize the Lexington Circle/SR 54 and Sumner Road/SR 54 intersections. It would help with working with the County on Redwine Road and learning the process with the state. He clarified that the consensus was to do nothing with Crosstown/SR 74 at this time. Pennington said that, after doing those two intersections, the City would have experience working with GDOT. The City would need an encroachment permit from GDOT for the crossings, and that could be handled at the divisional level, but certain circumstances would be forwarded to Atlanta. Rorie said staff could focus on legitimizing the two intersections discussed and work through the process. 12-14-13 Consider Resolution to Amend WASA Terms of Service to Four(4) Years Ernst said the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) had asked to continue this agenda item until January 15. Fleisch suggested continuing the agenda item indefinitely, so WASA could discuss it and bring it back. City Council Minutes December 18,2014 Page 12 King moved to postpone indefinitely agenda item 12-14-13 Consider Resolution to Amend WASA Terms of Service to Four (4) Years, until WASA was came back to Council. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Hot Topics Pennington said work had begun on extending MacDuff Parkway, and he expected more information to be available after the first of the year. Pennington continued there was a great deal on the horizon, including several economic development related items. All he could say was they were moving forward. Imker said Council was planning a Retreat on January 9 at the Delta Credit Union, and he would like to add a discussion on the status of the impact fees update to the list of topics. He wanted to ensure changes would be implemented before a lot of new houses were occupied. Pennington said a proposal should be coming in January. There was some interesting language in the legislation. Imker asked about the status of the County's RFP for dredging Lake Peachtree, asking if Council would be able to vote on whether the City should move forward with the additional dredging on January 15. King said he had spoken to the County Commission Chairman earlier that day, and he was told everything was on time. He had asked for additional information for additional information regarding the dredging recommendations, and King hoped that would come to fruition. Imker hoped Council would be able to make a decision at the January 15 meeting. King moved to convene in executive session to discuss threatened or pending litigation at 8:51 p.m. Ernst seconded. King moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:05 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to ad. the meeting. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9. 6 p.m. Pamela Dufresne, Dep)City Clerk Vanessa Flees c T a or