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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-19-2016 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes May 19, 2016 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and City Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, May 19, 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 Fleisch proclaimed May as Bike Month in Peachtree City. Chief Joe O'Conor recognized Libby McCleery for assisting in the resuscitation of a drowned three-year-old due to her knowledge of CPR. Public Comment Keith Larson, bicycle community advocate for the Southside Cycle Club, encouraged Council to automatically consider adding bicycle lanes when making road improvements and educating the public on safety and appropriate behaviors on the paths. He also felt Peachtree City needed to achieve recognition as a "Walk-Friendly" community in addition to the current "Bike-Friendly" and "Ride-Friendly" designations. Agenda Changes There were none. Minutes King moved to approve the minutes of the May 5. 2016, regular meeting. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Alcohol License- NEW - Sprouts, 2015 Highway 54 East 2. Consider Termination of Courtview Contract 3. Consider Non-profit Funding for FY 2017- Promise Place 4. Consider Non-profit Funding for FY 2017- Fayette Senior Services 5. Consider Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement 6. Consider Sale of Surplus Property, 402 Harbor Loop 7. Consider Approval of Drainage Easement, 208 Flat Creek Court Learnard moved to approve items 1 - 7 of the Consent Agenda. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Old Agenda Items 05-16-02 Public Hearing - Consider Variance Request, Front Setback Requirements, 565 Dividend Dr. The applicant had requested the hearing be continued to the following month. Learnard moved to continue the item to the June 2 agenda. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 05-16-04 Public Hearing - Consider Variance Request, Side Setback Requirements, Tract 14, Ebenezer Rd. Staff noted the applicant had requested the item be continued to the June 2 agenda. Fleisch expressed concern that this application was for one variance, but the paperwork indicated they City Council Minutes May 19 2016 Page 2 would need several others to build on the property. Council consensus was that the cpplicant be strongly urged to bring forward all the variances at one hearing. King moved to continue the public hearing to the June 2 agenda. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 05-16-05 Consider Change Order for Stormwater Pipe Lining Stormwater Manager Mike Madison addressed Council, saying staff was requesting a change order in the amount of $140,800 to pay for additional stormwater pipe lining. Earlier this spring, staff had received calls from residents in the Hampton Green neighborhood who had sink holes developing along a stretch of storm drain. Staff was also notified of a void developing under the cart path behind St. Simons Cove. Inspection of the pipes revealed severe corrosion and holes had formed in the pipes as a result. Utility Asset Management (UAM), the City's contractor, was already in the process of pipe relining projects. Via the existing contract, UAM provided a cost for adding the Hampton Green and St. Simons Cove projects: $137,200 to line a 686-foot section of pipe along Hampton Green and $3,600 for lining the 20 feet of pipe behind St. Simons Cove. Madison concluded by saying funds were available in the Stormwater budget. Rorie added that UAM was selected through a competitive bid process. King moved to approve the change order in the amount not to exceed $140,800. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Presentation- Infrastructure Advisory Group Fleisch thanked the residents who served on the Infrastructure Advisory Group (IAG) for all their work. Those residents were: Pam Kemp, Mike Latella, Eric Imker, Jay Scheibler, and Patrick Philips. Rorie then introduced IAG member Jay Scheibler to begin the presentation. Scheibler said the IAG had been formed in February with representatives from each village in Peachtree City. The group had been tasked with evaluating approximately $84 million in infrastructure projects and prioritizing the projects to meet potential funding realities. The resulting list was broken down into eight categories: Categories Multi-Use Path Projects Extensions/Expansions $ 8.6 Mil Multi-Use Path Maintenance $ 3.3 Mil Multi-Use Path Tunnel/Bridge Maintenance $ 700 K Intersection Improvements $ 3.6 Mil Streets and Road Resurfacing Projects $19.8 Mil Recreational Amenities $ 1.4 Mil Spillway/Dam Upgrade $ 2.2 Mil Capital Purchases $ 2.1 Mil Total Estimate $42 Million The goal of the IAG was to return with a list of possible Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) projects totaling $42 million. Although most of the discussions involved new paths and roadway improvements, key projects were identified for each village, and other projects were included that would benefit the entire community. The resulting list should be more thoroughly evaluated for feasibility and cost before listing them on any final SPLOST ballot. The IAG also felt City Council Minutes May 19 2016 Page 3 that everything related to the specific projects and their ongoing status should be made transparent so citizens could check on project status and dollars spent along the way. Pam Kemp then addressed Council, noting Peachtree City had 179 miles of City-owned streets that the City was responsible for maintaining, and 68 of those had a condition rating below 80 (out of 100). The group felt that it was fairly simple to add streets for paving within a given year because the work could be contracted. The IAG members also felt that seal coating of streets, which was a relatively inexpensive method of prolonging street life, should be added to the City's standard maintenance. For the street resurfacing, the group had designated $19.8 million in total. Discussion of street infrastructure would not be complete without a discussion of the traffic issues on SR 54 West, and the group had designated an additional $3.6 million for intersection improvements, three of which were in that corridor. The projects included the intersections of SR 54 at Commerce Drive, Planterra Way, and MacDuff Parkway. The group also felt that the addition of turn lanes at Crosstown Road and Peachtree Parkway South would benefit the peak traffic flows at that intersection. These three projects were considered the priority from the original list of 15 potential intersections. Patrick Phillips then addressed Council saying multi-use paths also were a major component of the group's focus, and attention was paid to both extensions/expansions of the path system, as well as maintenance of the paths and the associated tunnels and bridges. Kemp said Peachtree City's Multi-Use Path System Master Plan had last been updated in October 2010. It identified 59 new path projects totaling 24.61 miles, five new bridges/tunnels, and 10 replacement tunnels. The total estimated cost at that time was $15.5 million, and paths were prioritized using an evaluation matrix that factored in connectivity, design and construction. safety, and funding. Phillips continued that the IAG looked at prioritizing these projects independently, and the first effort was done with no cost data associated to the list. The IAG also added a few projects that members felt were crucial to the group's stated mission. Key projects that made the committee's final 15 included a connection from the Methodist Church on Robinson Road to the Peachtree East Shopping Center. A second important component for connectivity along Robinson was a small stretch from Whitfield Farms to Spear Road. A third path connected Crosstown Road to the Peachtree City Athletic Center on SR 74 South. Rorie said another project the IAG included was the pending spillway and dam for Lake Peachtree, with the inclusion of a golf cart bridge over the spillway to eliminate the narrow roadside crossings in place now. The IAG also looked at recreational amenities, including the splash pad that a separate committee had investigated and recommended. The committee also felt that a passive park amenity could be added on the island in Lake Peachtree, along with a bridge connecting the All Children's Playground to Drake Field, permanent restrooms at the Line Creek Nature Area and Battery Way, and finally, a mobile restroom trailer for special events in different locations. The IAG also recommended incorporating several capital purchases in the City's Public Improvement Program (PIP), including an ambulance, self-contained breathing apparatus for the Fire Department, a new aerial unit for the Fire Department, and COBAN camera replacements and upgrades for the Police Department. One of the possible County projects included a new 911 radio system, and the IAG felt including the replacement radios for Police, Fire, and Public Works in the SPLOST would be appropriate. City Council Minutes May 19, 2016 Page 4 Rorie reiterated that the projects recommended for a SPLOST by the IAG were stif tentative based on feasibility. He said it was important not to make promises about projects that could not be completed. The list totaled $42 million. Rorie continued that the estimated revenue for Peachtree City from a five-year SPLOST was $37.5 million. That did not cover the $42 million recommended by the IAG. Some projects on the list (such as path and street maintenance) would be generalized statements, but other items would be specific. The point had arrived when the municipalities needed to enter into negotiations with the County about the SPLOST. The Fayette County Board of Commissioners held the sole authority to initiate a SPLOST. Any SPLOST that was proposed for greater than five years required an intergovernmental agreement among the municipalities and the County on the distribution of the funding. Anything less than that would be distributed based on the existing Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) distribution. Rorie said that the city managers in Fayette would be meeting to draft an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with distribution based on the 2010 census and would be recommending a six-year SPLOST, which would bring in an estimated $42 million to Peachtree City. Rorie noted that there had been some discussion about including a performing arts center in a SPLOST shared among the County, municipalities, and the Board of Education. Ultimately, there was no perfect strategy for creating a SPLOST list in which every citizen supported every project, and the voters would ultimately decide. Rorie said he had a spreadsheet listing the items recommended by the IAG. For example, the list currently included three gateway bridges to help address path connectivity (SR 54 West, SR 74 at Westpark. and SR 74 near Crosstown). Those three projects represented $6 million, and the feasibility of these still had to be investigated before they could be listed in the IGA for a SPLOST. He indicated that the IGA language would probably indicate adding a specific bridge or bridges, but would indicate path bridges, tunnels and connections. Rorie would forward the complete list to Council once additional review had been done. Fleisch asked how the cost estimates were derived. Rorie indicated some were directly from previous price quotes or previous projects of the same type. So while not exact, the estimates should be close. Prebor asked about the timeline and process for reviewing the list. Rorie said the goal was to have the project list ready for the Board of Commissioners by their second meeting in June. Prebor asked when the decision would be made on whether the SPLOST would be a four-year, five-year, or six-year. Rorie said he was going to suggest the recommendation for that should be made at the same meeting. However, the County did not have to officially call for a SPLOST until 30 days prior to an election. He also said that the City's list had to have some flexibility because they did not know the duration of the SPLOST, which would ultimately dictate how many projects could be completed. Learnard thanked the IAG for their hard work, saying they had combed every corner of the City on their own time. She asked about the Snake Island park and the cost difference for a bridge there versus the one at the All Children's Playground (ACP). Rorie said the ACP/Drake bridge had a much greater distance to cover to stay out of the stream area that would require permitting by the Corps of Engineers. Rorie noted that some of the land clearing at the island would also be done in-house, so the reflected cost for that project was really just the bridge. City Council Minutes May 19, 2D16 Page 5 Learnard asked about the project identification being on the ballot. Meeker clarified that state law required the ballot language to be fairly generic, and the County would be responsible for that. The projects would be identified in the intergovernmental agreement. The City would have to abide by the list identified in the IGA. Learnard asked if the projects would be prioritized. Meeker said it was optional in an IGA; Council would ultimately decide on the priority. Learnard recommended that the description of the projects describe what is being proposed. Fleisch asked if anyone in the audience would like to comment. Jay Scheibler asked if the IGA and the detailed list would be available to the public before the SPLOST vote. Meeker said absolutely, and it should be available from the minute the County called for the referendum. Scheibler said it was important to secure the trust of the voters. Ernst agreed. saying he felt the last SPLOST failed due to a trust issue, and the public did not really feel like they knew what the money was being used for. Debbie Britt said she lived immediately behind the Lake Peachtree island, and she began by commending the IAG for the job they undertook and completed. She said that the island and the bathrooms at Battery Way would impact the immediate neighbors. The decisions needed to be made as a community, not only for what we wanted now, but also for what it would be ten or 20 years from now. The island was put in as a cost savings measure and had become something of a nuisance. so incorporating neighbor input would be important. The SPLOST had to be tangible and relevant to everyone, it had to solve problems, and it had to be sustainable. Learnard said the current listing showed "Splash Park/Lazy River" for Glenloch, but those were very different things. She felt it could be a gem in that location, but was subject to some misinterpretation unless it was further clarified. Rorie and Meeker said that staff and then Council needed to finalize the projects list in anticipation of an IGA. Rorie said that time-frame was in the next four weeks, and he could provide an update at the next Council meeting. Council again thanked the IAG for their efforts. Meeker said Council needed to convene into executive session to discuss pending or threatened litigation. Learnard moved to enter executive session for pending or threatened litigation at 8:05 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. King moved to reconvene into regular session at 9:08 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 9:10 p.m. (OP :etsy Tyler, C y erk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor