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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-20-2016 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes October 20, 2016 7:00 p.m. The Peachtree City Mayor and Council met in regular session on Thursday, October 20, 2016, at City Hall. Mayor Pro-tern Mike King called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst, Kim Learnard, and Phil Prebor. Mayor Fleisch was unable to attend the meeting. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition King recognized Stephen McDuffee of the Peachtree City Umpires Association, noting the City's appreciation for his 20 years of service to the City's softball leagues. Jeremy Carlisle of the Fire Department was recognized as the Supervisor of the Quarter for the third quarter for his work to help restore the Fire Department's original 1949 fire truck and get it in driving condition. Sergeant James Harris and Corp. Brandon Akins of the Police Department received The Effort Always Matters (TEAM) recognition for their actions in assisting a resident who had profuse bleeding from both arms and saving the resident's life, according to the EMTs. Public Comment Keith Larson of the SouthSide Cycling Club discussed a new safety promotion the club was participating in called 3 Feet Safety Awareness, which encouraged the three-foot standard for motorists passing bicyclists. He noted the Georgia Legislature made the three-foot standard state law in 2014. The "Share the Road" signs meant nothing to most people. Club members would work with the City to look at alternate messaging. Approximately 1,000 bumper stickers were being distributed through the City to help get the message out. Minutes October 6, 2016, Regular Meeting Minutes Ernst moved to approve the October 6, 2016, regular meeting minutes as written. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Alcohol License- NEW-Willie Jewel's Old School BBQ, 2015 East SR 54, Ste. 101 2. Consider Elimination/Replacement of Position- Code Enforcement 3. Consider Extension of Pipeline TV Pipe Cleaning and CCTV Services Contract Ernst moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1, 2, and 3. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Old Agenda Items 06-16-05 Consider Revisions to 2017 SPLOST Projects City Manager Jon Rorie said staff had been working on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) project list for almost one year. The original draft had been completed in the spring, but it had been based on a five-year term for the SPLOST. The Board of Commissioners had approved a six-year SPLOST and had also decided not to move forward with funding for a Performing Arts Center. The City's original project list had been for a five-year SPLOST term and a total funding estimate of$37,580,607. The six-year SPLOST term would increase the funding estimate by$7,892,229, for a total of $45,472,835. The City's allocation for the Performing Arts Center had been $2,494,000. Combined, that totaled $10,386,228 that needed to be allocated. City Council Minutes October 20,2016 Page 2 Rorie continued that the Board of Commissioners had approved the six-year SPLOST at its July 14 meeting. On September 6, the Commissioners reviewed the transportation projects submitted by the Transportation Committee. On December 10, a project exhibit was planned for the Fayette Visioning summit. The County would coordinate the meetings, and the City would participate. On December 20, the call for a SPLOST would be sent to the municipalities. Project exhibits would be held at North Fayette Elementary, McIntosh High School, and either Rising Star or Bennett's Mill Middle School so citizens could learn about each municipality's and the County's plans. The call for the SPLOST election would be on February 9. Plans had been made to talk with civic clubs, homeowners associations, veterans groups, and other organizations. The SPLOST election was scheduled for March 21. The City's SPLOST project categories included roads, multi-use paths, public safety, Parks and Recreation, and Category 1 dam/spillway enhancements for Lake Peachtree. Rorie said no changes to the Parks and Recreation project list were recommended. Rorie noted that Fayette County was upgrading the existing 911 radio system, and he recommended increasing the funding for new radios, which was already on the SPLOST public safety list, from $494,100 to $1,467,100. He continued that the County had $18 million in upgrades for the 911 Center on its list, and just their radios would cost $3 million. The upgrades would be digital. Some funding had been included in the Public Improvement Program (PIP), but with additional funding available, the radios had been moved to the SPLOST list. In addition, Rorie recommended increasing the funding for the bridge and path realignment for the Lake Peachtree dam/spillway project list by $300,000. Work on the design for the bridge over the spillway and the path realignment was continuing. A huge investment was being made in the multi-use path infrastructure, Rorie said. He was recommending that several Tier 2 projects be elevated to Tier 1, including a path to the Police Station, Kedron path relocation (moving path away from entrance to shopping area), widening of the SR 54/Lake Peachtree bridge, Line Creek Nature Area (path in the Georgia Transmission easement), and engineering only for the Crosstown/SR 74 bridge, which would help with long- term connectivity of the system. Rorie explained that funds for engineering only were requested until the proper vetting and engineering could be done. A connection to the Police Station on the south side of the City was also important to connectivity. Rorie continued that the SR 54 bridge over Lake Peachtree was a main thoroughfare for the path system for golf carts and pedestrians. The project would widen the bridge to 14 feet. Currently, only one cart at a time could use the bridge, and possibly some pedestrians. The additional funds included $672,951 for the Tier 2 projects, $519,000 for a sixth year of path resurfacing (materials and labor), and $465,495 in matching funds to leverage outside dollars for path/trail connectivity to neighboring communities. Rorie explained that while the SPLOST was for six years, they would have five years after the end of the SPLOST to complete the project list. They needed to look long-term and have a vision for the future. A master plan had been developed for the multi-use path system, and it was time to act. The Georgia Recreational Trails Program Grant was an annual competitive grant for diversified trails (trails that accommodated both motorized and non-motorized recreational trail use), and a trail construction grant was worth up to $100,000. A 20% match was required, and only one project per sponsor was accepted each year. If no opportunities for matching funds arose, those funds would revert to road projects already identified in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects list. City Council Minutes October 20, 2016 Page 3 Rorie discussed two areas in the City - one area started at Spear Road and went along Robinson Road where there were gaps in connectivity and the other was at the opposite end of Robinson Road, where the City plan and the County plan both included proposed connections to the other entity's system. The area also included Redwine Road, which was in Fayette County, but was a connective gap for the City. The matching funds could allow the City to partner with other entities on the border areas to make the connections a reality, Rorie said. Connecting all the City and county pieces would create a 13-mile loop. Changes to the roads project list included increasing resurfacing from seven miles per year to eight miles per year, $2,820,000. Adding a sixth year to the resurfacing schedule would cost $3,227,700, and a sixth year of seal coating was $279,980. Rorie asked to put $1 million aside to use as matching funds to leverage outside dollars for additional intersection improvements along the SR 54/SR74 corridor. The $1 million could be converted into as much as $8 million for projects. If no opportunities for matching funds arose, those funds would revert to road projects already identified in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects list. Rorie said the City Engineer and the traffic consultant from Pond & Company would give a presentation on upcoming Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) projects at the end of the meeting, adding numerous hours had been spent with the regional office to look at the City's 2014 traffic study for the corridor and how to get things moving. Short-term improvements in the SR 54/SR 74 corridor would cost $2.7 million, and those improvements would help ease traffic some. Staff wanted to get those projects on GDOT's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) in hopes of getting the additional funding, whether it was state or federal dollars. Learnard asked if the short-term and long-term improvements were on the SPLOST list. Rorie said the improvement projects at MacDuff Parkway/SR 54 and Planterra Way/SR 54 were on the list. The other SPLOST projects were along SR 74 at North Kedron and Crosstown/Peachtree Parkway. Projects at SR 54/SR 74 were also part of Fayette County's list. Rorie said approximately 69% of the SPLOST funds would be dedicated to roads, 21% to multi-use paths, 4% to the Lake Peachtree dam/spillway, 7%to Public Safety, and 2% for Parks and Recreation. Prebor said the recommended additions looked good. Learnard agreed, adding that she liked that the majority of the SPLOST funds were planned for roads and cart paths. Rorie said Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler was working on updating the project manual. They needed to move forward. Every city's project list would be included on the other entities' webpage. Rorie said it was a County-wide initiative. He asked for Council's approval to modify the project list, whether by vote or direction. Council consensus was given. New Agenda Items 10-16-04 Public Hearing-Consider Variance, Stormwater Runoff Requirements, Midwest Food Bank King noted there had been a request from staff to continue this item until November 3. Learnard moved to continue the Public Hearing for the variance request regarding stormwater runoff requirements for the Midwest Food Bank to November 3. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-16-05 Consider Extension of Step One Annexation Request- Heritage Assisted Living, SR 54 East Planning and Community Development Director Mike Warrix said Heritage Peachtree Assisted Living was requesting an extension of the Step One annexation approval. The original request had been granted in October 2014, and the time limit had expired after one year. Per the City Council Minutes October 20, 2016 Page 4 annexation ordinance, Council could grant an extension of six months. Staff recommended approval of the request and at least a three-month extension. Staff had been working with the applicant over the last year. Ernst asked what was taking so long. Warrix said there were different moving pieces involved. The facility was in the process of hooking up to the City's sewer system, and construction was to begin in November. The letter also said they had been unaware of an expiration date. Rorie added that the request was the result of staff follow up on the original request. King asked Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) member John Dufresne if he could provide any insight. Dufresne said the hold-up was on Heritage's end. The pump station was in and functioning for the Foot Pain Clinic. He knew there had been issues with contractors, but the only thing left was for them to do their part to hook into the pump station. King asked if WASA had recommended a contractor. Dufresne said they did not recommend contractors for obvious reasons. The main line was WASA's responsibility, and the customer's responsibility was to connect to WASA's line. Learnard moved to approve the extension of the Step 1 annexation request for Heritage Assisted Living. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-16-06 Consider Amendments to Peachtree City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws Mike Regli, CVB chairman, and Jennifer Johnson, CVB executive director, addressed Council regarding the proposed changes to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Johnson noted that Council had received a bound copy of the state tourism organization's assessment prior to the meeting. Johnson continued that one of the recommendations included reorganizing the City's eight- member board of directors, saying it was cumbersome and not to industry standards. Council would appoint five members of the proposed seven-member board, including one Council member to serve. The CVB board would appoint two at-large members to one-year terms. The proposal included eliminating one position, which would be the Recreation & Special Events representative. Some of the position requirements were simplified and would a more generalized definition of "tourism/hospitality" rather than hotel/motel representative, recreation venue operator, or business owner. It would provide an opportunity to appoint people who might not have a business/skill in the traditional definition of tourism, but had the right background and skills. Johnson continued that the biggest change would allow the CVB board to appoint two at-large members, each for a one-year term, especially those working on specific events or projects. It was also a good way to groom future appointees. Regli reported that the board supported the proposed changes, and agreed the new board composition would be preferable and more effective in promoting tourism. Johnson added that a quorum would always have a majority of City-appointed people. King said nothing would change from a Council perspective, except for the two at-large members. The proposed changes included the following: 3.3 Manner of Appointment and Term of Office. The Board of Directors shall be comprised as follows: City Council Minutes October 20, 2016 Page 5 1. Four(4) members who are citizens of or persons conducting business within the City of Peachtree City with current or previous tourism/hospitality related experience desired to serve a two year term. The Board Members shall serve for a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. These members shall be appointed by the City Council. The process of appointment used by the City Council shall be the same process utilized for the appointments of members of other boards, authorities and commissions of the city. 2. Two (2) at-large members who are citizens of, or persons conducting business within the City of Peachtree City who is an owner or manager of a tourism/hospitality related business in Peachtree City or has prior tourism related work experience. Such persons to be selected in October of each year by the Peachtree City Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors for a one-year term. 3. One (1) City Council Appointee (ex. City Council Member, City Staff Member or other designated appointee of the City Council). This member can be directly appointed by the City Council as a governing body, or as recommended for appointment by the City's selection committee. The City Council appointee will be appointed to a one (1) year term in October of each year. Regli continued that, if Council adopted the amendments, the board recommended extending two of the current terms for one year so the roll-off of appointees would be staggered. Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Board Current Board Action Item New Board Rick Adlington Move to Hospitality Sector; Hospitality Sector Hotel Rick Adlington Hotel/Motel Alt. change term roll-off date per 1/1/16- 12/31/17 FY change from Dec. to Sept. 1/1/16-9/30/17 Jonathan Fralick Move to Hospitality Sector; Hospitality Sector-Attraction Recreation Venue re-appoint to a new term per Jonathan Fralick 1/1/15- 12/31/16 FY change. 10/1/16-9/30/18 Scott Porter Move to Hospitality Sector; Hospitality Sector-Business Owner Business Owner change term roll-off date per Scott Porter 1/1/16- 12/31/17 FY change 1/1/16-9/30/17 Mike Regli-Chair Move to Hospitality Sector, re- Hospitality Sector- Hotel Hotel/Motel appoint &change term roll-off Mike Regli-Chairman 1/1/16- 12/31/17 date per FY change 10/1/16-9/30/18 Mike King City Appointee Council Member Re-appoint to a new one Mike King-City Council 1/1/16- 12/31/16 year term per FY change 1/1/17-9/30/17 Vendo Toming Convert to"At-Large"; Appoint At-Large Appointee Business Owner to initial two year term for CVB Appoints At-Large Member 2/6/15- 12/31/16 transition period Term to be: 10/1/16-9/30/17 Hope Macaluso- Sect/Treas. Convert to"At-Large" At--Large Appointee Airport Authority Hope Macaluso 1/1/16- 12/31/17 10/1/16-9/30/17 (next term: 4/1/17-3/31/18) Eric Snell- Vice Chair Recreation & Eliminate Position on Board SE Board 1/1/15- 12/31/16 City Council Minutes October 20, 2016 Page 6 Prebor moved to approve New Agenda item 10-16-06 Consider Amendments to Peachtree City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-16-07 Consider Peachtree City Jobs Grants Emily Poole, vice-president of economic development for the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA), noted the City's Jobs and Investment Grant Program had started in 2011. It was designed to encourage jobs creation and capital development in existing and new businesses. The grant, $500 for each new job, had been awarded to Panasonic last year. Businesses eligible for the grant must have created at least 25 new jobs that paid at or above 125% above the per capita income, or $45,000 - $54,000. Assa Abloy and Wencor, two new businesses in the City located in the two former Photocircuits sites, had applied for the grant. Poole said the FCDA recommended Council approve the applications, noting Wencor had added 34 new jobs ($17,000 grant) and Assa Abloy had created 28 new positions ($14,000 grant). The grant funds would be disbursed through the FCDA. Learnard said she knew Assa Abloy made locks and lock parts, asking what Wencor did. Poole said Wencor was an aviation group that had consolidated, then moved their corporate operations and warehouse operations to the City. Ernst moved to approve New Agenda item 10-16-07 Peachtree City Job Grants. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Hot Topic -Temporary Burn Restrictions Due to Drought Conditions Fire Marshal John Dunlap reported that Fayette County was now in severe/extreme drought, and there was only one higher category left. There had been some fires that had gotten into the greenbelts during the last week. One of the issues was that City ordinances required outdoor fires to be 50 feet away from structures, which for many was on the back of the property near the greenbelt. The dryness of the brush was a concern. There had been two fires, one on Landaulet Lane and one on Terrane Ridge, which had rekindled from earlier fires and burned over an acre. No burn permits would be issued until there was a change in the weather pattern. Learnard asked if there had been any warnings regarding water. Tyler said she had checked the status of water restrictions, which were issued through the Department of Natural Resources, and Fayette County was one of 53 counties in the Level 1 Drought, which did not change the use of water. An increase in public education was required, but there were no additional restrictions. GDOT Projects Overview City Engineer Dave Borkowski and Richard Fangmann from Pond & Company, the City's traffic consultant, gave an update on GDOT plans, as well as City plans. Rorie said a lot of time had been spent looking at the projects to see if things could start moving forward. Some projects were finalized. Borkowski noted that SR 54 would be resurfaced from the Coweta County line through the City 111 of Fayetteville in March -April of 2017. Some portions would be repaved, and other areas would get full depth reclamation (FDR). Rorie added staff had asked GDOT to do as much work as possible at night. City Council Minutes October 20,2016 Page 7 Borkowski noted the 2014 traffic study, saying a 60% increase in traffic was predicted on SR 54 by 2040 (35,000 vehicles per day to 60,000 vehicles per day), and the predicted increase on SR 74 would be 13% (29,000 vehicles per day to 33,000 vehicles per day). Recommendations to improve traffic flow ranged from $17 million to $27 million. Borkowski briefly discussed the proposed short-term improvements planned along SR 54 at MacDuff Parkway, Line Creek Drive, Planterra Way, Marketplace Boulevard, and Commerce Drive. On SR 74, the improvements included a signal at Aberdeen Parkway and widening the left turn lane from SR 74 onto SR 54 going east. In addition, an interparcel access road through Line Creek Nature Area was needed between The Overlook and MacDuff Crossing. A continuous flow intersection (CFI) was in GDOT's plan for the SR 54/SR 74 intersection. GDOT's plans for Planterra Way included a quick response project in February/March of 2017 that would extend the left-turn lane storage into the Walmart area from SR 54, Borkowski said, adding that currently the traffic in the left-turn lane backed up into the through traffic. A GDOT quick response project was capped at$200,000 so the projects could be done quicker. Borkowski continued that GDOT was looking at the proposed long-term improvements in the City's study for the SR 54/SR 74 intersection itself, specifically a CFI that moved left-turning vehicles across the opposing direction of traffic prior to reaching the intersection. The design removed the need for a protected left turn phase and allowed use of a simple two-phase signal. The other option was a grade-separated overpass for left turns that also allowed for a two-phase signal. Rorie emphasized that the CH was a concept plan that GDOT had loaded in as a project, and there could be changes. It was not an engineered plan at this point. The cost range for the long-term improvements was $5 million -$15 million. King referred to a video that had been shown showing how a similar intersection in Florida would work, and he noted the narration said the intersection handled 1,400 cars an hour. He said that was approximately 5,000 an hour if that number was for each of the four directions. The City had more than 29,000 vehicles coming into the City every morning. He was concerned that the capability of the CFI would be maxed out before it was operating. Fangmann said the example showed 1,400 cars per hour, but that was not the maximum capability of the CFI. King asked if the CFI would be worth it if the intersection actually needed improvements capable of handling a lot more traffic. Fangmann said there was a capacity problem overall on SR 54. The various improvements chipped away at the problem. The biggest challenge of this intersection was the left turn coming northbound from SR74 onto SR 54. Their analysis of the CFI showed it could be used into the future as an alternative to the grade separation. King asked what the maximum capacity per hour of a CFI would be. Fangmann said he would have to run the numbers as there were many variables to consider. King said that, if this was done, it should at least be effective for eight- 10 years. King noted there were no pedestrian crossings, asking if golf carts could be part of the equation. Fangmann said more of the movements would be protected by a traffic signal, so it would be simpler for someone walking across the intersection, but they could work on it. Rorie said there was a lot going on in this corridor with the paving and the lane extensions, adding there was also a need for more lane extensions at SR 74/SR 54, SR 54/MacDuff Parkway, but the primary need was going in and out of the retail area at Planterra. GDOT was trying to use some of its quick response funds to help with the situation. The CFI was being considered as an improvement with a construction timeline of 2020. Staff's response to the CFI was the long- term outcome and what options were available to make if a long-term project in reality (20 years or 50 years). City Council Minutes October 20,2016 Page 8 Borkowski said GDOT would hold public meetings on the CFI. Learnard asked if 2020 was when GDOT would have discussions or start engineering plans. Rorie said GDOT staff had indicated construction would be in 2020. They were already analyzing the project. Prebor said they would just be getting traffic through the intersection faster to stop further down the highway. Fangmann said there were two CFIs under construction now in Gwinnett County. Fangmann said traffic would be loaded onto the road, and that was part of the discussion about additional capacity, particularly in the commercial area along SR 54. The County's Comprehensive Plan was coming up, and some of the larger projects could be carried through the process for federal funds by the County and the Atlanta Regional Commission. Prebor asked Rorie to keep working on having the repaving start in Fayetteville so the bridge and MacDuff Parkway would be completed before GDOT was working in the City. Rorie said the timing for the City's intersection projects was also important. It made no sense for GDOT to do the lane improvements and repaving, only to have the City tear it up. The engineered plans for Planterra Way and MacDuff were complete. Borkowski said GDOT needed paper sets of the plans to get driveway permits, and he would need a few months to get easements, then the City would be ready to go. Rorie said the projects needed to be lined up so they made sense. Executive Session Learnard moved to convene in executive session to discuss personnel at 8:33 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Learnard moved to reconvene in regular session at 8:50 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business to discuss, Learnard moved to adjourn the meeting. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m. 11, , , Pamela Dufresn-, Deputy City Clerk Mike King; +oreco em