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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-2019 regular meetingCity Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 20, 2019 6:30 p.m. The City Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, June 20, 2019. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst, Mike King, Kevin Madden, and Phil Prebor. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition Fleisch recognized Mark Maguire of the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) as April's Employee of the Month and Code Enforcement Officer Molly Drennen as May's Employee of the Month. Lieutenant Brad Williams introduced the newest graduates of the Citizens Police Academy. Prebor thanked everyone for their support upon the recent death of his wife. Public Comments Charles Wilson thanked Council for getting the water back in Lake Peachtree and also for preventing the Great Wolf Lodge water park from opening in the City several years ago. Larry Dove, referring to the scheduled June 27 budget workshop, said he had a way to save the City about $80,000: leave the Community Garden at its current site on Kelly Drive. He said he understood the City was proposing to move the garden to Glenloch Park and planned to foot most of the costs of that relocation, which he estimated at about $80,000. However, none of the gardeners supported that move. Dove remarked that City Manager Jon Rorie often mentioned that certain things were "a want, not a need," and relocating the garden was one of those "wants." Dove also said he wanted to know why the City wanted to sell the Kelly Drive Park site to a developer. Minutes Ernst moved to approve the May 14, 2019, Retreat Workshop Minutes, the May 16, 2019, Regular Meeting Minutes, and the June 4, 2019, Special Called Meeting Minutes, with a change to the May 16 meeting minutes. The minutes as written quoted him as saying the Calistoa project was a "fabulous location, wrong proposal," and he said it should read "fabulous proposal, wrong location." King seconded. Motion carried 4-0-1, with Prebor abstaining. Consent Agenda 1. Consider FY 2019 Budget Adjustment 2. Consider Amendment to Sprint Ground Lease Agreement (City Hall Tower) 3. Consider Acquisition of McMurrain Property for Cart Path/54 West Bridge 4. Consider List of Roadways Approved for Speed Detection Devices Update 2019 King moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1, 2, 3, and 4. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 06-19-05 Consider Adoption of CIE Annual Update Planning and Development Director Robin Cailloux noted that at a previous meeting Council approved transmitting the Capital Improvements Element (CIE) to the state for its review and approval. This document was required annually of any jurisdiction that collected impact fees and provided a five-year proposed plan on the capital expenditure of those fees. The state approved the plan, and its adoption by City Council was required to maintain the Qualified Local City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 2 Government status, Cailloux reported. Staff recommended that Council adopt the 2019 annual update to the City's CIE. Ernst moved to approve New Agenda Item 06-19-05, adoption of CIE annual update. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 06-19-06 Consider Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon at Crosstown Drive Civil Engineer Jonathan Miller explained that this was for the multi -use path crossing on Crosstown Drive and was a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) project. Staff had the design completed and put it out to bid. Two bidders came back, with R.J. Haynie submitting the lowest bid. The City had worked with them in the past and found their work to be acceptable, so staff recommended that the contract be awarded to R.J. Haynie for $113,514. King moved to approve New Agenda Item 06-19-06, pedestrian hybrid beacon at Crosstown Drive for the amount of $113,514. Madden seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 06-19-07 Consider Purchase of Ambulance Fire Chief Joe O'Conor noted that this ambulance purchase had been discussed over the last few meetings. It would be partially funded by impact fees paid by new property owners. The Department's research showed that it would be in the City's best interest to build an ambulance similar to the last two they had purchased. They used a cooperative purchasing group that did a national search for competitive pricing. Using that pricing model, they arrived at a figure of $271,907 for the ambulance. This was more than they had paid for the prior ones, but that primarily had to do with the stretcher lifting system that was purchased separately for the prior ambulances, O'Conor explained. Since this ambulance was not replacing an older one, the Department would have to buy the lifting system new. They would not have one to transfer from an older ambulance that was being moved out of service. O'Conor asked for authorization to purchase one Braun Chief XL ambulance from Ten -8 Fire Safety Equipment of Georgia for an amount not to exceed $271,907. He noted there was an additional $125,000 or so to purchase equipment for the ambulance, including an additional cardiac monitor, an additional stretcher, and other equipment. Those purchases would follow the purchasing rules to the City Manager's limit. Otherwise, they would have to bring the purchases before Council. Rorie asked O'Conor to clarify that he was asking for approval for the ambulance and equipment. O'Conor said he was, for a total cost of $396,907. King moved to approve New Agenda Item 06-19-07, purchase of ambulance and equipment not to exceed $397,000. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 06-19-08 Consider Presentation/ Proposal for Commercial Boat Rentals and Services on Lake Peachtree Fleisch pointed out that this was strictly a presentation, not an item Council would be voting on at this time. Rob Rothley introduced himself as a 24 -year resident of Peachtree City and owner of Leisure Lifestyle Products, LLC, for the past six years, selling boats and small pontoon watercraft out of a warehouse on Dividend Drive. They supplied boats to individuals as well as to corporations, cities, and counties around the country. They also exported internationally. He said he had visited lakes and boating operations all over the country that rented small, environmentally -friendly watercraft. City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 3 Rothley stated that he thought Lake Peachtree would be a great location for individuals to rent watercraft on an hourly basis. The vision was to provide a fun, family-oriented adventure with a variety of watercraft. He noted that taxpayers of the City did not necessarily have good access to the lake. It was difficult to store and transport a boat. He was proposing opening up Lake Peachtree by renting quality, brand-new watercraft and adding docks and an activity center at Picnic Park. His company supplied paddle boats to Georgia's state parks, Rothley said. They were a distributor for Connect -a -Dock, which was a plastic modular system that would be a good solution in Peachtree City for docks and, possibly, a bridge that could connect Picnic Park and Drake Field. Lake Peachtree was the focal point of the City, Rothley stated. Taxpayers had made a substantial investment in a $4 million dam and park upgrades. Citizens who did not live on the lake had very limited use of it. The storing and hauling of watercraft was difficult. Rothley reported he had received a lot of feedback for church groups, senior citizen groups, and youth organizations saying they would like to be able to enjoy activities on the lake. Peachtree City was striving to attract younger residents, and Rothley noted that a venue such as this on Lake Peachtree would be attractive to them. This process started, Rothley explained, when the CVB approached him in February about bringing a handful of boats for a venue during the City's 60th birthday celebration. At a significant expense to them, his company brought some brand-new boats and served around 60 customers in five hours. Rothley surveyed each customer after their rides, and all were happy. Many asked him why this could not be a permanent operation. Rothley said his company, which sold boats, got calls almost every day from people asking if they could rent a boat in Peachtree City. He had to tell them he was not allowed to do that, but that he was looking into it. He met with City management soon after the birthday celebration and said he got a lot of positive feedback about his plan. They exchanged a lot of ideas, and he developed business plans, presentations, and agreements. He was told the plan would have to go before City Council. However, the idea was just dropped by the City, Rothley stated. He solicited feedback, but got very little information, so he decided to ask to come before Council to present his plan. In the meantime, he posted his ideas on The Bubble Facebook page and got more than 700 "likes" and "loves." They got more than 250 comments, mostly favorable, but he did extract a lot of concerns, which he would address later. The objective of what Rothley proposed was to provide green boating - all pedal and paddle activity. There could be an Aqua Cycle, which was like a golf cart on the water. There were other watercraft that provided a bicycle -type experience on the water. Paddle boards would be an option, as would kayaks. They wanted to serve residents of all ages. Most importantly, Rothley emphasized, this would cost the City nothing. No capital expenditure on the part of the City would be required. His company would pay for the infrastructure and the boat rental activity center. Facilities fees collected as part of the rental operation would be remitted to the City to pay for those infrastructures and go into the pocket of the City once those were paid off. The goal was revenue neutral and would be revenue enhancing to the City through the fees collected with every rental. The proposal for the boats included 10 kayaks, 10 stand up paddle boards, two to four Hydro Bikes, and five Aqua Cycles. There might be one canoe. That would fit the area proposed here, Rothley commented, plus it was a modest number. The people who lived on the lake really should not notice so few additional watercraft. Also, it would not be economically feasible for him to have City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 4 more boats that would only be rented a few days a year, he noted. Plus, they needed the infrastructure to store them and put them on docks. Rothley showed a photo of the Aqua Cycle ll, which was a four -person boat powered by the pedaling of two of the four riders. Another version was the Four by Four, which required all four passengers to pedal. Another watercraft they could offer would be the Hydro Bike, which accommodated one pedaling passenger. All these boats went at a speed of about three or four miles per hour. The infrastructure Rothley proposed was an activity center in Picnic Park on the edge near the trees. It would be similar to the existing structure at Drake Field that was used for food service. The dock would be nearby, with a gangway and about 50 feet of dock with the boats off of there. A small motorized raft or pontoon boat would be on hand to use as a rescue boat. All staff, which would number two or three on a busy day, would be trained to go out and get people onto the rescue boat. The configuration of the modular docking system could be changed very easily, Rothley noted. It was totally maintenance free and would not fade from its original light brown color. The docking was very stable, and Rothley said it was ideal for this type of operation. The same system was in use at Lake McIntosh; they installed that dock for the rowing team. The infrastructure they were proposing had a retail value of about $30,000. As a dealer, he got a discount, and that was the level of investment he was willing to put in to make sure the infrastructure was funded by Leisure Lifestyle Products. He said he had worked with City leaders to design an activity center that was compatible with the existing structure, and his budget would be $20,000. He would provide that money. The building would be nestled in the trees and have a screened -in storage area at the rear where the small watercraft could be stored out of sight. Connecting Drake Field and Picnic Park was an idea that came up during discussions with City leaders. Currently, people had to do quite a bit of walking. It would be good to provide a little connector for wheelchairs or pedestrians, not golf carts, to get from one to the other. They had a design, with railings, that would be cost-effective. It would cost about $43,000, and Rothley said he would be able to provide a very substantial discount to the City if they were interested in pursuing that or they could build it into the operating agreement. Funds from the boat rentals could perhaps be used to fund this type of upgrade. The boat rental pricing would be the standard $10-$30 an hour depending on the type and the number of hours rented. There would be a discount for members of the military and first responders. Discounts and promotions would encourage use in off -times. The operations would be on weekends for March through May. In June through August, it would be daily, going back to weekends in September through October. There would be an online rental reservation system, or people could walk up and rent them. Rothley told Council his company would provide all liability and property insurance; the City would not have to do that. Renters would have to sign limited liability waivers and adhere to all Peachtree City rules and Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulations. Life jackets would be required on every rental, and employees would be trained on first aid basics. Sun block and other things would be available free for guests. They would have a weather policy, canceling operations in advance of any forecasted weather events. Water temperature would be monitored because that would dictate which boats they would be able to rent. City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 5 Guests would be instructed to stay within 100 feet of shoreline any time there was a motorized boat on the lake. Motorized boats were not allowed within 100 feet of the shore. Through this policy, Rothley said, they could create minimal conflict between the rental craft and the motorized boats from the west shore. He noted that those instructions were not given to anyone on the lake today, so this should improve safety overall. Every boat would have either a cell phone or a two-way radio. A red flag would be attached to each boat, so if anyone had an issue, they could wave the red flag. Safety was first and foremost, Rothley stated, and he was open to any ideas anyone had related to safety. Rothley noted again that he was a 24 -year resident and did not want to do anything that would be a detriment to Peachtree City. He wanted positive change and felt that opening up the City's huge investment to more people and facilitate that through his company's resources would be the right thing to do. He mentioned that the Water Guardians did good work keeping the City's waterways clean and said that every time they had an event, he would make his boats and staff available to participate. The contract could stipulate that his company would help maintain the park they occupied. His employees would do daily garbage sweeps at Picnic Park and keep the park in good repair. That was common in many municipal contracts, Rothley remarked. The goal, he noted, was for them to be able to say that Rob came in and created a beautiful venue for residents and guests, and everything was better than before. Rothley also noted that they could partner with other local businesses, such as Adventures PTC, which offered paddle board lessons. They could use the same infrastructure. There were people who would like to do yoga and Pilates on a paddle board. A kayak launcher would be available for citizens who owned their own kayaks. If the docks at Battery Way were crowded, they could come to this location to launch their kayaks or paddle boards. Partnerships were important, and the City could use their equipment or facilities any time, free of charge, he added. Rothley said he had encountered four major objections during in-person talks and on social media. Firstly, the residents, or at least the leadership, on the west side of Lake Peachtree seemed totally in objection. Concern over a public-private partnership also was an issue. A third concern was Peachtree City's regulation that only City residents and their guests could use the lake. The final complaint that had come up was that Lake Peachtree was not big enough for this type of operation. The leadership of the Lake Peachtree residents had circulated a petition urging defeat of this proposal. Rothley said he did not know exactly why they were against it. They had cautioned people not to share their true objections on social media, but they seemed to want to focus on commercialization. They had urged residents of the west side of the lake to attend meetings, but not say where they were from. Rothley noted that he was entirely open about his business and where he came from, and he hoped others would be as well. As far as commercialization, he pointed out that the City contracted with private businesses in many areas. Local roads were paved via contracts with private contractors. There were standard use agreements with many non -profits over use of public recreation areas. The City allowed dozens, if not hundreds, of private companies to work on public lands and assets, he said. Leaders of the Lake Peachtree residents did not object to private partnerships when building the dam and did not object to or send around private communications to object to private contracts to pull weeds or dredge the lake or manage the waterfowl on City property. However, they did really seem to object to a public-private partnership when it meant they would have to share the lake with a few additional people. Rothley said he understood where they were coming from, musing that if he had a private lake experience that the public paid for, he might be protective of it, as well. It was standard for municipal and state governments across the country to operate boat City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 6 rentals with private contractors. Rothley said he was solicited with these proposals all the time. There was nothing unusual about this. Enforcing the rule about residency was a "sticky wicket," Rothley declared, saying he did not believe the rule was proactively enforced at the present time. He had never heard of anyone being asked about residency as they launched kayaks. The rule was contrary to the efforts of the CVB, which tried to attract people to the City, and he said he had seen evidence of that rule being overlooked. However, he went on, they would honor all regulations and ask renters to show proof of residency. The objection that Lake Peachtree was not large enough was not true, Rothley said. Leaving the lake open for larger boats utilizing the rules he had described would give west side residents the entire center of the lake for their use. The impact of his watercraft would be minuscule, he noted, saying one jet ski would cause more disruption than their entire fleet. The biggest disturbance residents would have to endure would be the laughter of a family having a good time out on the lake, Rothley remarked. Rothley said he was confident the objections would change into "well, your proposal was different." It was different. It would bring smiles, exercise, and adventure to thousands of families in the community, Rothley claimed. It would make the City more livable and fun, thereby attracting more young people. It would cost the City no money, and, in fact, would generate revenue for taxpayers. If they could not work together to figure out a way to open up the lake to residents, he would recommend that they add three words to the sign over the $4 million spillway. It read "Lake Peachtree," and Rothley suggested they add "Look, don't touch." Rothley asked that the City Council move on to the next step to develop an agreement with Leisure Lifestyle Products to rent watercraft on Lake Peachtree. They might decide that he was not the right person; that was fine. The most important thing, Rothley stated, was that they get a venue and open up the lake to the citizens. He said he loved boats and loved serving people, adding that he was at the right time of his life and had the right business skills to do this. If he was not the one, he asked Council, then please move forward and create a venue because this lake begged for an opportunity to allow the community and taxpayers to enjoy it. He said it would be a pleasure to work with the City to create a first-rate, wonderful experience for citizens. Rorie said he wanted to provide some background to this proposal. Any resident could purchase a kayak or paddle board, strap it to their golf cart and ride along a public path to launch it from a public boat launch. Any resident could rent a golf cart for use on the public path system. He said he did not see why renting a kayak, canoe, or paddle board for use on a public lake should be prohibited. However, when a company delivered to the respective lakes, it leaned toward commercialization, and further review was warranted. Rorie wanted to explain more of what Council should consider, so he read: "No person shall locate, and/or conduct a business from a mobile vehicle upon the public sidewalks, streets, alleys, walkways, parks, parking lots, right-of-ways or other public lands of the City or on state rights-of- way within the City limits." Lake Peachtree was a public lake, Rorie noted, owned by the public. What he read came from Section 58-7, Chapter 58, of the City ordinances in regard to peddlers and solicitors. This proposal, Rorie stated, would be a violation of City ordinance. That's why further review was warranted. When Rothley asked to be placed on the agenda, Rorie agreed because Rothley came with some reviews, research, and answers, but there were still questions. They were talking about using a public asset for profit to a private enterprise. Rothley was in the boat business, not the lake City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 7 business. That was the essences of a "P3" (public-private partnership). They would be marrying these resources to provide something to benefit the public. Rorie pointed out that Rothley mentioned that they restricted Lake Peachtree to residents and their guests. Rorie did not know how that would impact the business model, but that was not his problem. Returning to the regulations on peddlers and solicitors, Rorie stated that once one permit was given, the City would in the business of issuing permits for different P3 projects. He noted that Ordinance Section 58-7 prohibited lemonade stands in the parks. When talking about entrepreneurial efforts, what was to stop him from strapping a kayak to his golf cart, driving to a lake, and putting out a sign offering kayak rentals by the hour, Rorie asked. Rorie also asked Council to consider if this created a risk exposure due to safety or simply from more people being on the lake. This was a big stormwater pond, part of the reservoir system, he said, asking how could that be regulated. Rorie stated that he was for paddle boats as a customer, but he was not an advocate for paddle boats as City Manager. However, this proposal was what a P3 was about. It opened up access, and if demand was there, the market would provide it. The City did not have to provide financial backing and support. Rorie said he was all for considering the proposal, but again stressed that further review was warranted. It was better to make a good decision, not a quick one. This was a public policy issue that needed to be carefully considered. Madden asked Rorie about the storage structure at Drake Field. It was designed to be compatible with the pavilion, asking how much it cost. Rorie said he believed about $14,000. He said Rothley proposed a smaller building, but it could be a bigger cost. They could not just take a shed and put it down there. Modifications were needed. King commented that on any given Saturday, there were 50-150 residents swimming around Battery Park. It would not be wrong to increase that number. The City would be providing another service. It was not a private lake; it was a public lake. Because it was a reservoir, there were probably some Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations they needed to look at. King went on to say that if they could do it, they ought to really look at it and consider it. It could not be a quick decision, but something they needed to look at down the road. Prebor said this was something he felt like he would utilize, as would many citizens in Peachtree City. He noted that Rothley made an excellent presentation, but they needed to give equal opportunity to anyone else who wanted to offer the service. Rorie noted that by permitting this, the City would end up taking on a regulatory role. Prebor asked if they could install buoys to mark the area 100 feet from the shore. Rothley said they could. Prebor said that would be a concern with residents who skied on the lake, with King pointing out that the last thing they needed was another set of orange buoys on the lake. Ernst said there were lot of citizens who could not use the lake. Something like this would be an excellent idea, especially for kids. Of course, there were a lot of things they needed to consider. One was changing the ordinance. He liked the idea, but there was a lot to talk about. Rothley offered to help Peachtree City get in touch with other cities that had similar agreements with private companies. City Council Meeting Minutes June 20, 2019 Page 8 Fleisch concluded that they would further consider this proposal as time and priorities permitted. King moved to adjourn to executive session for pending or threatened litigation and acquisition and disposal of real estate at 7:25 p.m. Madden seconded. Motion carried unanimously. King moved to reconvene in regular session at 7:57 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to adjourn the meeting, Ernst seconded. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:58 pm. IA c--�� 'Martha Barksdale, Recording ecretary Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor