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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-18-2016 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes February 18, 2016 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, February 18, 2016. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst, Mike King, Kim Learnard, and Phil Prebor. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition Mayor Fleisch declared March as DeMolay Month in the City in celebration of the 97th anniversary of the Order of DeMolay. Members of the Peachtree City chapter accepted the proclamation. Police Chief Louis Dekmar of LaGrange presented the Peachtree City Police Department with the Gold Standard with Excellence re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This was the eighth time the City's department had earned the accreditation. Public Comment Rich Van't Hof addressed Council concerning the dredging of Lake Peachtree. He said the lake was a significant landmark that had added to the aesthetic and property values of the City. He understood that plans were in place to fill with lake with water without a thorough cleaning to the bare lakebed. He noted that property values had significantly declined for those homeowners with rights of usage. He said the cumulative loss of tax revenue for those homes was valued at approximately $750,000, which meant the City received less in property taxes. He urged Council to restore Lake Peachtree to the beautiful lake it was. Minutes February 4, 2016, Regular Meeting Minutes King moved to approve the February 4, 2016, regular meeting minutes as written. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Monthly Reports Fleisch noted that Fayette Senior Services had donated two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the City, and she thanked them for the donation. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Ordinance Amendment- Police Officer Qualifications 2. Consider Ordinance Amendment- Board of Health Fees 3. Consider Ordinance Amendment-Collaborative/Cooperative Purchasing 4. Consider Approval of AT&T Easement- Petrol Point Ernst moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 - 4. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 02-16-03 Public Hearing - Consider Step One Annexation Request, Starr's Mill Academy Preschool & Child Care, Inc., 1361 Hwy 74 South Planning & Development Director Mike Warrix addressed Council. He pointed out this was a Step One annexation application that had been submitted by Starr's Mill Academy Pre-School and Childcare Center. It was an almost-seven-acre tract located off SR 74 South across from the Starr's Mill School Complex, and was adjacent to the City limits at The Gates subdivision. The City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 2 property was zoned Agricultural Residential (A-R) in the County, and the future land use map had the property as future office use. The tract had approximately 450 feet of frontage along SR 74 and had been included in the City's 2014 annexation assessment. If Council approved the initial application, the Planning Commission would then hold a public hearing for the formal annexation application (Step Two) and zoning and make a recommendation to Council prior to Council's public hearing for Step Two. Jerry Peterson represented the applicants, owners Ramelle and Glenn Dinofer. He said the building was on a 6.7-acre tract adjacent to The Gates. The 11,000 square-foot building was constructed in 2000, and it had been operated as a day care since that time. The current owners purchased the business in 2002. The child care center served 200 children ages six weeks to 12 years. There were 35 parking spaces, and 56,000 square feet of fenced-in play area with well-maintained play equipment. The hours were 6:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. The path system and sewer connection would connect through The Gates subdivision. Peterson continued that the building was on a septic system, and sewer was important. There were 16 bathrooms and a kitchen on a septic tank. There had not been any problems, but getting on sewer would be the right thing for the facility to do. The drainage from the site went through the middle of The Gates, to Meade Field, then down to Line Creek. There was an existing median cut on SR 74. Senior Planner David Rast had suggested the parcel be zoned Office-Institutional (01) if the annexation were approved, which allowed for day care centers. A petition had been turned in that had been signed by many City residents. The existing City sign was very close to the site. Having schools on both sides of the highway would provide a nice entrance into the City. Fleisch opened the public hearing. No one spoke for or against the Step One annexation request. Prebor recused himself because his wife was employed by Starr's Mill Academy. King asked where the sewer line would go. City Engineer Dave Borkowski said public sewer existed in a cul-de-sac in The Gates,which was 200 feet away from the property line. Learnard moved to approve advancing the Step One annexation application for the Starr's Mill Academy tract. King seconded. Motion carried 4-0-1(Prebor). 02-16-04 Consider Approval of Nulink Contracts for Fiber Lease & Internet Services Financial Services Director Paul Salvatore went over the contract highlights, saying the pricing was fixed for five years with 1.5 GB of internet access at$1,850/month and the dark fiber lease at $5,860/month. If the City chose not to renew the agreement for each year of the five years, the fees for the remainder of the time would be due to NuLink, so they could recoup their capital costs. The City would own and manage the network equipment. The agreement included new locations not currently served by fiber, including Fire Station 83, Glenloch Recreation Center, and the Public Works maintenance building. Installation was expected to be complete in 60 days. The operational impact of the agreement would be an increase from 100 MB to 1.5 GB (15 times the current speed) for internet access. The bandwidth would increase from 100 MB to what the City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 3 City's new equipment would handle (a 40 GB maximum). The City would have full control over bandwidth between City facilities. The network structure would be less complicated since NuLink would remove their current switches. The network would be more secure since the fiber would not be shared. Salvatore continued that the City had budgeted approximately $87,000 for services as staff had anticipated an upgrade this year. The NuLink contract would cost $92,520 annually, which included the three additional facilities. The additional $5,000 would be easily absorbed in the City's operating budget. No budget amendment would be necessary to go to the higher service level. Salvatore said staff recommended approval of the contract for services with NuLink as presented in the Council packet. Learnard asked if there were any warranties. Salvatore said NuLink was responsible for maintaining the fiber in the field. The service level would be the same the City would have if municipal fiber had been built. The City was responsible for the equipment in the building that controlled the fiber. Fleisch confirmed the Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) on SR 74 South already used NuLink, and the pole barn at the Peachtree City Athletic Complex (PAC) would be added. Salvatore said they were all adjacent so it would be a short run. King said the City would save quite a bit for the amount of service it would get. He thanked staff for all their work, saying it had led to the best outcome for the City for the next 10 years. Prebor moved to approve New Agenda item 02-16-04. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-16-05 Consider Approval of Bids for Networking Equipment& Installation Salvatore said an upgrade to the City's equipment would be needed to handle the faster speeds, adding the same situation would exist if the City had built its own broadband. The City's consultant, Allen Davis of Community Broadband, handled the bid process for the equipment. Bids were sent to eight vendors, the bids were placed on the City's website, calls were received from several vendors, but only two responses were returned. Cpak Technology Solutions submitted a bid of $209,178.19 (the lowest bid; Cpak provided the City's IT services), and Presidio Networked Solutions, LLC, submitted a bid of $229,862.59. Salvatore recommended Council accept the low bid. Salvatore continued that it was very important to have the equipment installed and configured by the same firm that would manage and operate the equipment - there would be no finger- pointing among vendors if there were a problem. Staff highly recommended acceptance of the brand-name quote from Cpak for those services. He said Cpak had demonstrated competitive pricing. The staff estimate for network equipment and installation was $365,000, or debt service of $73,000 per year if financed for five years. The actual cost would be $262,768 for equipment and installation. The debt service would be $40,000 per year, If financed for seven years. Salvatore added that the equipment should last seven and one-half years. The FY 2016 debt service budget included sufficient funds to handle the remainder of the fiscal year without budget City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 4 adjustments. Budget adjustments would be needed to recognize the full equipment cost and to offset loan proceeds. The budget impact for FY 2017 and future years would be positive, Salvatore said. The five-year model included $266,000 debt service for broadband equipment and installation, and that had been reduced to $40,000. Salvatore pointed out the expenses incurred in municipal broadband financing would not go to waste because the bank that won the financing bid had agreed to repurpose the loan for FY 2016 equipment purchases. Salvatore added that debt financing would be on the March 17 agenda, which would wrap up broadband as well as the remainder of capital equipment purchases. Several debts would be retired soon, Salvatore continued. The debts included the 2001 Bricks & Mortar loan with $416,934 in annual debt service retiring on December 1, 2016; Highway 54 land purchase with annual debt service of $86,880 retiring June 15, 2017; the 2003 General Obligation bond retired on January 1, 2018, with an annual debt service of $198,816; and the Library General Obligation bond retired on January 1, 2019,with an annual debt service of$427,708. Ernst moved to approve New Agenda item 02-16-05, bids for networking equipment and installation. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 02-16-06 Consider Spear Road Project Change Orders Borkowski said the contractor was ready to finish the work on Spear Road, which included paving and installing a guard rail. The change orders totaled $51,040.21 for additional paving, grading, and the guard rail. Borkowski showed an overhead view of the road, noting that the road would have a patchwork effect, with new paving in the area of the culvert replacement, old and deteriorated pavement (180 feet heading towards the City limits), and then new pavement in the County. The new paving would be needed fairly soon anyway, and staff wanted to take advantage of the contractors already being on site. If Council approved the change orders, the contractor said they would work through the weekend and should complete the project by March 1. The completion date staff had advertised was March 15, so the project would be completed early. Learnard moved to approve New Agenda item 02-16-06. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Update on Convention & Visitors Bureau Activities Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Executive Director Jennifer Johnson gave an update on the CVB's activities. Johnson added she had taken the executive director position four months ago, and it was close to the mid-point of the fiscal year. Some of CVB's goals and strategic plans had changed, and there were new staff members and board members. Staff members included Johnson; Eric Matos, group sales manager; Nikki Sheets, marketing and communications; John Harttett, Southern Hollywood Tour driver; Karen Dorsey, payroll and Visitor Information Center; and Carrie Cotrill, Visitor Information Center. The board members included Mike Regli (hotel/motel representative and new chairman), Vendo Toming (tourism professional), Jonathan Fralick (Tennis Center), Hope Macaluso (Airport Authority), Mike King (City Council), Eric Snell (Recreation & Special Events Advisory Board), Scott Porter (retail), and Rick Adlington (hotel/motel alternate). Johnson noted the purpose of the CVB: City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 5 The Peachtree City Convention and Visitors Bureau is our City's Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) which means, in many ways, we are Peachtree City's marketing agency. The Peachtree City Convention and Visitors Bureau is designed to spearhead the proactive, strategic, visitor-centered economic and cultural development of Peachtree City by reinvesting a portion of the visitor-paid room occupancy tax back into the promotion and marketing of Peachtree City. The CVB promise was: To fuel the local business climate and broaden the local tax base by attracting and serving visitors as a means of bringing money into the community, generating personal income,jobs, and tax revenue by marketing and ensuring Peachtree City as a destination. The CVB vision: The Peachtree City CVB is the heart, soul, and energy of Peachtree City as a destination. It's the defender of Peachtree City's image to newcomers and promoter of its unique sense of place. Johnson continued that the CVB's varied program of work had been constructed by the CVB staff and approved by the CVB Board of Directors, which was appointed by City Council. All work was evaluated to support the goal and mission of the CVB, which was ultimately to bring visitors to the City and increase the City's hotel/motel tax income. They were trying to get their work and duties more in line with a traditional CVB, rather than a quasi-governmental entity due to the split duties of the previous executive officer, who had also served as the director of the Frederick Brown, Jr., amphitheater (The Fred). The overarching goals for 2016 included targeting and attracting visitors to the City, encouraging visitors to spend (more) money in the City, ensuring consistent brand messaging about the City, helping to make sure the product delivered on the promised experience when visitors got here, and securing adequate resources for the above efforts. The strategic objectives included updating and adapting the destination branding and positioning of the City, developing a messaging platform that engaged target audiences, engaging in conversation with partners and elected officials about a long-term strategy for increasing income for the City and insuring resources to further the CVB's mission, educating and engaging the community to assure the CVB was regarded as an essential component of a healthy and vibrant economy, supporting and working with lodging partners to create a new and innovative sales strategy, and providing exemplary hospitality services for groups and individuals. Efforts to educate and engage the community and the CVB's shopping/dining/lodging partners included visiting and presenting. Hotel visits were conducted monthly, and presentations were being made to groups such as Retired Leaders Enriching and Nurturing the Community by Offering Resources and Experiences (ENCORE) and Leadership Fayette. A Calendar of Events was sent out monthly for alerts and participation in promotions. Staff was attending conferences and educational opportunities provided by Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), Governors Tourism Conference, and the National Tour Association (NTA). To provide hospitality services to groups and individuals, a Mobile Visitor Center golf cart was purchased and outfitted to engage visitors at sporting events, conferences, and other events in City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 6 the City. A familiarization tour (FAM Tour) was set for the Georgia Department of Economic Development staff for new eateries, the Dixie Wing Museum, the Amazing Escape Room, a look at the Crown Plaza plans, and more. Learnard asked how the marketing was changing. Johnson said the efforts in marketing had been fractured, with four or five people making ad campaigns. Staff had taken that in-house to make it uniform. Johnson said she had spoken with Recreation & Special Events Administrator Cajen Rhodes regarding the sports focus, and the community was the priority for the City's sports fields, with the events filling in the gaps between the community's use of the facilities. The focus of the CVB needed to be more targeted. Meetings and conventions could fill the City's hotel rooms all the time, and it was a better use of the marketing money. Learnard asked who was taking care of the social media, and Johnson responded she was able to do that. Now that the executive director position was full-time, there was time to refine the message. Two other positions had also been half-time with the CVB and half-time with the Fred. The CVB changes were good for the City. Report from Spray Park Exploratory Team Recreation Administrator Cajen Rhodes addressed Council, noting the committee had formed in August 2015, and in addition to himself, the members included Quinn Bledsoe, programs manager; LaRoya Scott, Recreation & Special Events Advisory Board; and residents Erin McDowell, Laura Thompson, Jolene Robichaux, Will Harper, and Jed Munford. The committee's goals had included determining if a spray park would be a popular feature in the community, finding an ideal location with accessibility, ensuring sustainability through user fees, providing realistic operating expenses including staffing, and reporting back to Council in February 2016. Rhodes continued that usage and revenue had been going down at the Glenloch pool since 2012. The revenue in 2012 had been $6,773, and there had 2,470 users. In 2013, there were 1,913 users and $5,468 in revenue. Users in 2014 numbered 1,826,with $6,166 in revenue. In 2015, 1,501 users brought in $5,489 in revenue. In his opinion, the decline was due to the need to update the facility. The building, restrooms, tennis courts, and basketball courts had been renovated. A great deal of money was spent on the soccer fields, and a pre-bid meeting to resurface the tennis courts had been held earlier that day. There had also been a bid opening that day to improve the playground at the facility. McDowell reported that the members had surveyed 11 cities, with a total of 28 splash pads. She noted some of the cities surveyed were similar in size and income than Peachtree City. The questions ranged from cost, staffing, days open, fees, satisfaction, and population. All of the communities had been satisfied with the community investment, and most said they would build more if they had the money. Some did have the money available, and they were in the process of building more. Three points were very clear - higher entrance fees should be charged, an existing pool should not be eliminated (charge extra to get into the splash pad; add features to add interest), and concessions should be sold. After reviewing the various facilities, the team selected Glenloch Recreation Center as the proposed venue. Robichaux presented the team's three options for Council to consider. The first option was to repair the immediate needs at Glenloch, which included installing three new ladders for $2,340; adding tables and a shade structure, $4,700; adding stairs with a handrail, $4,500; repairing the City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 7 non-functioning baby pool, $5,000; and adding a slide (optional), $20,000. The total for the repairs was $36,540. Option 2 was converting the pool to the Glenloch Spray Park, with a total project cost of $310,200. The design would include demolishing the large pool, and utilizing the existing space within the current fence, which was approximately 9,700 square feet, allocating 2,800 square feet for "private party" spaces, and having a wet play area of 3,600 square feet. The turnkey cost estimate was $230,000, which included a design and engineering packet for Department of Environment Health and Building Department approvals; 3,600 square feet of wet-play deck using two colors and approximately 6,100 square feet of dry deck; all spray effects, water management and automation system for 380 gallons per minutes of sustained flow; and installation. The age cap for a spray park usually was 10- 12 years. Some of the cons were that the City would lose Glenloch's pool for swim lessons and summer camps, which could create overcrowding at the Kedron pools. Option 3 was a hybrid of Options 1 and 2. The design would add 1,200 square feet of splash pad, 600 square feet of concrete decking and moving/additional fencing. The splash pad would include a treated water management system and automation for 290 gallons per minute of sustained flow, separate party space amenities, a pool slide, and pool steps. The turnkey cost estimate for the splash pad only was $150,000. The total project estimate, which included the necessary repairs in Option 1 and resurfacing of the pool during construction, was$288,340. Bledsoe looked at the cost of the options, noting the cost of repairs without the addition of the splash pad (Option 1), was $36,540. The cost of pool demolition and building a spray pad was $310,200 (Option 2). It included the additional paved parking ($51,000) and pool demolition ($8,000), addition of shade/benches ($6,000), tables ($10,200), and more fencing ($5,000), as well as estimated cost to build the spray pad ($230,000). The estimated construction cost for Option 3 (the hybrid of Options 1 and 2) was $288,340. It included the all the repairs from Option 1, additional fencing at $10,000, $51,000 for additional paved parking, $29,000 for resurfacing the large pool, and construction cost of the spray park at$150,000. McDowell said the committee recommended Option 3 because it appealed to a wider variety of ages, helped gain sustainability at Glenloch Pool, added to the overall appeal of the Glenloch recreation facilities, and would enable the City to continue offering swim lessons at Glenloch, as well as absorb the lessons from Pebble Pocket Pool. The location was central for golf cart access, had space for ample parking, and would appeal to a wide variety of age groups with the pool and splash pad. She said it would be a positive impact to the community, offering activities for young and old. Rhodes asked Council to consider including Option 3 in the FY 2017 budget discussions. Learnard and King thanked the committee for the presentation, and Fleisch thanked the volunteers for their time. Learnard wanted to start looking at the operating costs. Bledsoe briefed Council on the revenue and expense projections for Option 3. The 2015 actuals for Glenloch included a total of $9,007 for admissions and lessons. Expenses were $18,090, so there was a 50%cost recovery. The expected cost recovery with the splash pad addition was 71%. Revenue from admissions, lessons, and rentals was expected to be approximately $15,496, with expenses expected to be $21,756, which included staffing and pool chemicals. Bledsoe said admission revenue was City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 8 111 expected to double, which was a conservative estimate. She continued that Kedron had 11 birthday party rentals during the summer months in 2015, and it was only available on Saturday and Sunday. Glenloch's party rentals would be available during operating hours as well as after hours. Pebble Pocket pool had two private parties in 2015. Bledsoe said the expected admissions revenue with Option 2 (splash pad only) was $10,978 plus another $1,000 for rentals, with expenses of $20,224. The estimated cost recovery was 50%. Admission revenue should double. Bledsoe continued there were no other private or public facilities similar to a splash pad in Fayette County. It would draw a younger population and would be very appealing to young families, especially with the repairs to the baby pool. King asked if the parking lot would be oriented for golf cart parking, taking care of City residents first. Bledsoe said the gravel lot proposed for paving had been used for golf cart parking during the Back to School Bash, and it held many golf carts. Fleisch asked about the summer camps held at Glenloch. Bledsoe said the camps used Glenloch pool three days a week in the summer, and 60% of the parents chose the City camps because swimming was onsite. The potential for rentals would be great. Learnard noted that Option 1 had not included pool resurfacing. Bledsoe said there would not be any basic construction with that option. There would be in in Option 3. The pool would need resurfacing in a few years, but it would be more appropriate to do it during the construction. Prebor thanked everyone for their work and the information, saying Council had a lot to work with. Rhodes then discussed the closure of Pebble Pocket pool, saying a minimum of $40,000 in repairs were needed before the pool would be operational. It had only lasted this long because people had put in a lot of hard work and dedication to make it last. A new pool cover was needed at a cost of $8,100. The estimated cost of demolition was $8,000. Since 2011, Pebble Pocket had only been open for swim lessons and pool parties. Staff recommended demolishing the pool but leaving the building, which housed restroom facilities, which would provide options for the prime recreation area later. The pool was built in the 1980s or earlier and was the second-oldest pool in the City. Rhodes showed photographs of the issues with the pool. Fleisch noted the City owned the large field behind the pool, adding there was the potential for a lot of things to be done at the location. She asked if Council needed to vote on it. Rorie said Council would not need to vote. Staff and the Recreation & Special Events Advisory Board had looked at the issue. The recreation master plan included centralizing parks across the City. The City could either spend money doing a little bit of work on several facilities, or focus on the quality of fewer but better amenities. Rhodes added the Splash Pad Exploratory Team had given serious consideration to Pebble Pocket, but there was limited parking at Pebble Pocket, and the pool would have to go anyway. Rorie said the City needed to at least start making repairs at Glenloch, especially with the baby pool. Prebor asked if those repairs could be done right away. Rorie said they would bring it back to Council once a funding source had been identified. City Council Minutes February 18, 2016 Page 9 Rhodes discussed the Interlochen "Old Mill" Park project, pointing out that the open roof of the structure was rotten, all the concrete was black, the rocks were always painted with graffiti, the picnic table was in bad shape, a tree was getting ready to fall into the creek, and there was a bench located in the stormwater runoff area. The park was only accessible by via cart path. Staff's goals for the park were to remove all the rotten wood; pressure wash everything including the concrete, columns, and rocks; paint the structure, table, and benches; remove the problematic tree and bench; and put measures in place to help with erosion. Rorie said staff had been asked its goals in 2012, and the answer had been "green and clean." It was taking time, and he commended staff on their programming and process to keep things moving forward. Executive Session Learnard moved to convene in executive session for pending or threatened litigation at 8:46 p.m. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Learnard moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:18 p.m. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:19 p.m. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Pamela Dufresne, De uty City Clerk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor