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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-02-2017 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes November 2, 2017 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, November 2, 2017. 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 The mayor recognized Police Cpl. Adam Pendleton as September's Employee of the Month. She said he had been with the department since 2015. Fleisch commended Cpl. Jay Hughes for 20 years of service with the Police Department. Mary Camburn, accounting manager, was honored as Supervisor of the Quarter. Public Comment There was no public comment. Agenda Changes There were no changes to the agenda. Minutes King moved to approve the October 19, 2017, regular meeting minutes as written. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Alcohol License- NEW-Fairfield Inn &Suites, 295 Highway 74 North 2. Consider Appointment of Convention & Visitors Bureau Members - Adlington & Hooper 3. Consider Stormwater Maintenance Agreements-Sigvaris & Fairfield Inn Learnard moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1, 2, and 3. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 11-17-01 Consider RFP for Design-Build Bridges City Engineer David Borkowski presented information regarding the design of five bridges that would be built using Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds. He showed concept drawings and explained the location and purpose of each bridge. Borkowski said a curved pedestrian bridge was planned to connect All Children's Playground to Drake Field, possibly with bump-outs included to facilitate lake viewing. City Manager Jon Rorie expanded on Borkowski's comments, asking Council to observe that the design was similar for each project, with a focus on ease of maintenance and creating a cohesive theme around the lake. For instance, Rorie noted, there would be no wooden bridges; they would be made of COR-TEN, which had a rusted appearance. Cable would replace wooden pickets or spindles. Borkowski said the 54 Gateway Bridge would cross SR 54 between Wynnmeade and MacDuff Parkways and connect with the MacDuff Tunnel. Rorie added that work on the tunnel connection was already underway as part of the MacDuff Bridge project. Borkowski showed the conception of the Lake Peachtree Spillway Bridge, noting that the design had since been changed from one center pier to two. The Lake Peachtree Island Bridge would connect the City Council Minutes November 2, 2017 Page 2 north end of the island to the existing path. Rorie said this would be a pedestrian land bridge, constructed of stone with land filled in between the outer walls. Borkowski detailed the design process,which included a 30%completion mark to incorporate the theme, followed by a 60%completion mark covering engineering specifics, such as the size of bolts. After that plan was approved the builders would submit a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the City's approval. Then, construction could commence. Prebor asked how long this would take, and Borkowski said it would vary for each bridge.The 54 Gateway Bridge would take the longest, due to the need for State permitting. Rorie said it would also depend on cash flow from the SPLOST funding. Borkowski told Council that Staff recommended awarding the design-build contract for the Spillway Bridge to North Georgia Concrete because that firm was the contractor for the current spillway project. He and Rorie both said it was easier to have one contractor for both projects. Borkowski recommended Kiewit be chosen as contractor for the 54 West Gateway, All Children's, and Lake Peachtree/SR 54 bridges, adding that City staff could construct the Island Bridge. Rorie informed Council that, over the past few weeks, he had ordered some engineered plans for the boat ramps at Pinecrest and Battery Way and sent them to three concrete construction companies for quotes. He said the first quote had come back, and Council could expect a cost of between $30,000 to $60,000 for both. While this was an unbudgeted item, Rorie pointed out that Council should consider constructing these new ramps while the lake was down. He added that the boat ramps were not installed according to any design properly initially. Rorie added there were a number of inter-related projects going on now at Lake Peachtree. Learnard moved that the City award a design-build, cost-plus-fee contract to Kiewit for the design and construction of the Drake Field/All Children's Playground Bridge, the Highway 54 West at MacDuff Parkway Bridge, and the Highway 54 at Lake Peachtree Bridge, and to North Georgia Concrete for the design and construction of the Lake Peachtree Spillway Bridge. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 11-17-02 Consider RFPs for Skatepark Design & Construction Recreation &Special Events Director Quinn Bledsoe presented a proposal for the awarding of a contract to design and build a new skatepark. She explained that when she came to the Recreation Department six years ago, there had been a group of citizens who were interested in the construction of a new skatepark to replace the current facility at Shakerag Knoll. Bledsoe reported that she put out a call for other interested people and wound up with a core group of 10 or 12 who had been working with City staff on a proposal. Many of that group were present at the meeting, and Bledsoe commended them for their dedication. They conducted a lot of research, Bledsoe related, including visits to most of the parks in the area. She said their expertise was invaluable, especially in compiling a list of contractors. Finding a location was another challenge, Bledsoe noted, but it was decided that the Glenloch Recreation Complex would be best. She said the advisory group compiled a list of desired features for a skatepark, taking into account the need to accommodate skaters of all skill levels while staying within the budget. Bledsoe outlined some facts about the current skatepark. She said it was 3,510 square feet and consisted of an asphalt base, and a few purchased and donated plywood ramps that provided no flow for skaters. She went on to note that the asphalt base was problematic during the warm months because it softened, causing skateboard wheels to not roll smoothly and ramps to sink City Council Minutes November 2, 2017 Page 3 into the asphalt, marring the surface. Bledsoe noted that they considered upgrading and adding onto the existing park, but its location on a hillside and the asphalt surface meant a new facility was a better option. The proposed new facility at Glenloch would be 4,050 square feet, which Bledsoe said was adequate to accommodate all the desired features. It would be concrete, which meant reduced maintenance, increased longevity, and less noise. She said concrete was the standard for quality skateparks. Bledsoe presented a map of the area, showing the placement of the skatepark at the Glenloch Recreation Complex. She showed a design conception from the recommended contractor, 5th Pocket Skateparks, that included all of the desired features and met with the approval of the citizen skatepark group. A reference check showed high satisfaction with the company, Bledsoe reported. She said there were not a lot of skatepark builders in the United States, and 5th Pocket was in Pennsylvania, while most other firms were on the West Coast. She recommended that the contract be awarded to this company for an amount not to exceed $115,000. Rorie pointed out that this was one of 34 projects listed in the 2014 facilities bond. He said those projects were prioritized by necessity, and the goal was for all projects to come in 10% under budget.That was not always possible, but as other projects were completed over the past three years with budget savings, the building of a skatepark became more feasible. He said the skatepark addition would make Glenloch a community recreational facility. The skatepark was originally budgeted at$50,000, Rorie noted, but careful spending on other projects made it possible to spend more on the skatepark. Fleisch asked when construction would begin, and Bledsoe said it would depend on the contractor, but she expected groundbreaking within 30 days. Learnard had a question about shade, or the lack of it, in the area of the proposed skatepark. Bledsoe said there were no plans for awnings due to financial constraints. Rorie noted that the skate park would be in the wood line on the property, and Bledsoe added that the sun went behind the trees in the afternoon. Learnard then inquired about the fate of the existing skatepark, and Bledsoe and Rorie said it would probably be demolished and returned to a natural state. A citizen, Pam Kemp, noting the number of pine trees in the area of the new skatepark, asked if pine straw would be a problem. Rorie explained that City crews would keep the skating surface clear as they did with the tennis courts, and members of the citizens' committee said they were used to sweeping at the current facility. Learnard moved to award the contract to build a skatepark to 5th Pocket Skateparks LLC for an amount not to exceed $115,000. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Preview-Golf Cart Ordinance Revisions/Authorized & Prohibited Path Users Lt. Brad Williams of the Police Department explained proposed revisions to the Golf Cart Ordinance that would be brought to Council in coming weeks. He said there had been an increasing number of complaints over the past few years of golf carts exceeding speed limits along the paths, usually because they had been modified.The department obtained permission from the Georgia Department of Public Safety to use speed detection devices to determine if a cart was exceeding the speed of 20 miles per hour (mph) on a level surface,which was not a speed limit, but was the criteria for determining whether a vehicle was a golf cart. The next step was to ensure that the City code section was properly written to enforce the definition. City Council Minutes November 2, 2017 Page 4 Williams presented what he termed minor modifications to the golf cart ordinance, including the addition of the term "motorized cart" to the list of authorized users of the paths. Learnard asked about the difference in the definition of a golf cart and a motorized cart, and Williams explained State law capped the speed of a golf cart at 15 mph and a motorized cart at 20 mph. Other changes clarified Prohibited and Permitted Users. Williams noted that the language under Prohibited Users incorporated speed modifications to golf carts/motorized carts made by someone other than the manufacturer to provide consistency with the definition of motorized cart in the ordinance. Rorie said he wanted to address citizen concerns about these proposed ordinance changes, noting that low-speed motor vehicles (LSMV) were allowed on the paths. He emphasized that the proposed changes did not close discussion on other issues with the Golf Cart Ordinance. He noted there was some public confusion about what constitutes a motorized cart, and Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler noted that many people felt that if a motorized vehicle was not specifically prohibited, it was allowed. Tyler said this was not the case, and the changes clarified that issue. Williams said LSMVs had a mode that limited their speeds to 20 mph, and using that mode was required on the paths. Rorie said the police were increasing patrols and conducting education programs in an attempt to keep up with the evolving situation. He noted that the term "golf cart path"was outdated, and "multi-use path"was now the preferred term. Prebor asked if it was illegal to add bigger tires to a cart if that made its top speed more than 20 mph. Williams said, technically, it was illegal and did not fall under the definition of motorized cart since it was capable of speeds in excess of 20 mph. King asked if the illegal vehicles would be impounded, and Williams said usually a citation was issued, but the vehicle was not impounded. Many times, he said, it was at the officer's discretion. Ernst clarified that these citations were for violation of the permitted vehicle ordinance and were not speeding tickets. There being no further business, King moved to adjourn. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously.The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. A . ,..�vib .1 .1w hi.�� a -ha ar dale, Recor•ing ec - ary Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor