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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/21/2004 - Special April 21, 2004 303 Vinton War Memorial 814 East Washington Avenue Vinton, VA 24179 April 21, 2004 The Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia met this day atthe Vinton War Memorial, 814 East Washington Avenue, Vinton, Virginia, this being an adjourned meeting from April 13, 2004, for the purpose of a joint meeting with the Vinton Town Council. IN RE: CALL TO ORDER Mayor Donald L. Davis called the meeting to order for the Town of Vinton at 5:40 p.m. The roll call was taken. MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Donald L. Davis; Council Members Robert R. Altice, Bradley E. Grose, Thomas A. Rotenberry MEMBERS ABSENT: Vice Mayor William E. Obenchain STAFF PRESENT: Kevin Boggess, Town Manager; William L. Heartwell, III, Town Attorney; Anita McMillan, Planning Director; Mary Beth Layman, Special Programs Coordinator; Carolyn S. Ross, Town Clerk; Darleen Bailey, Assistant Town Clerk Chairman Flora called the meeting to order for the County of Roanoke at 5:42 p.m. The roll call was taken. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Richard C. Flora; Vice-Chairman Michael W. Altizer, Supervisors Joseph McNamara, Michael A. Wray MEMBERS ABSENT: SupervisorJoseph B. “Butch” Church STAFF PRESENT: Elmer C. Hodge, County Administrator; Paul M. Mahoney, County Attorney; John M. Chambliss, Assistant County Administrator; Dan O’Donnell, Assistant County April 21, 2004 304 Administrator; Teresa Hamilton Hall, Public Information Officer; Mary V. Brandt, Acting Clerk to the Board IN RE: WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Mayor Davis introduced the Council members, staff, and Carolyn Fidler who is running for council. He expressed appreciation to the County for their support of the Town and noted that they have proven that a lot can be accomplished by working together. Examples of this cooperation include the Cardinal Glass project and the gain sharing agreement. Mayor Davis thanked Vice-Chairman Altizer for all he has done since joining the Board of Supervisors. Chairman Flora introduced the Board members and asked Mr. Hodge to introduce the staff. He noted the importance of maintaining the relationship between the Town and the County and continuing to work together. Chairman Flora commented that the Parkway was one example of the issues the Town and County had successfully worked on together, and he thanked Vice-Chairman Altizer for his work on behalf of this project. IN RE: REQUESTS TO POSTPONE, ADD TO, OR CHANGE THE ORDER OF AGENDA ITEMS IN RE: DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Update on Gainsharing Agreement (Elmer C. Hodge, County Administrator) Mr. Hodge advised that the agreement between the County of Roanoke and the Town of Vinton runs from July 1, 1999 until July 30, 2019. He stated that the April 21, 2004 305 purpose of the agreement is to recognize that by working together, the Town and the County will both be a better place to live. In order to make this happen, the Town and County negotiated an agreement that in exchange for sharing certain revenues and the costs of certain public services, Vinton would agree to waive certain annexation rights. Mr. Hodge reviewed the formula used to calculate the payments. He reported that Roanoke County agreed to pay the Town of Vinton 50 percent of certain local tax revenues collected for newly constructed property in East County. This amount is reduced equally by 50 percent of the costs of the County’s providing services for fire & rescue, public safety, and solid waste collection and disposal. The amount of the payments would never be less than $31,000. Mr. Hodge reported that the County paid the Town $31,000 each year for the first three years; but for the fiscal year 2002- 2003, the amount was calculated to be $79,400. In fiscal year 2003-2004, the amount should be $100,000. Mr. Hodge advised that the Vinton Business Center is not included in the agreement. Mr. Hodge noted that it is a good report and asked if there were any questions. Mayor Davis asked if it was correct that the dollar amount Vinton receives annually increases as time goes on. Mr. Hodge stated that was correct. April 21, 2004 306 2. Public Safety Updates (a) Radio System (John Chambliss, Assistant County Administrator) Mr. Chambliss advised that there are two aspects of the public safety radio communications system that the County has been reviewing for the past year, particularly as the County evaluates the possible construction of a new public safety building. These include: (1) The paging system for Fire and Rescue personnel was installed in 1978 and has undergone four revisions. This system alerts the volunteer fire and rescue personnel so they can respond to calls. Both the transmitter and receivers carried by volunteers need to be updated and the system expanded for better coverage. Money has been identified for this purpose. (2) The 800 MHz Radio System, which is comprised of mobile and base station radios, and is currently being used by the City of Roanoke, County of Roanoke, Town of Vinton, the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority, the City of Salem Fire and Rescue Department, and the Roanoke Regional Airport. The system was installed in 1987 with one site and seven channels as a public safety system for the County and the Town of Vinton. In 1991 two additional sites were added and improvements were made to the microwave network between those sites. In 1996 six new channels were added and the microwave technology was again upgraded. In 1999 Roanoke City added a fourth site and ten new channels, bringing the number of sites to four and the total number of channels to 23. April 21, 2004 307 Mr. Chambliss advised that according to industry standards, the life cycle for this type of equipment is 10–12 years. The County’s current equipment will reach the end of its life cycle in 2008. He reported that the County also needs to consider converting from analog to digital to meet new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards, and noted that it is necessary to stay with the same vendor as each vendor’s equipment is proprietary. Mr. Chambliss stated that the move to the new public safety building will have an impact on the system. In order to prevent interruptions in service, some equipment will have to be duplicated. The County also needs to determine the best time for the move to a digital based system. He advised that the County will keep the Town informed during the coming months as they move forward with this project. Mr. Chambliss reported that there are other pieces of technology that the County is reviewing including a 911 wireless upgrade, GIS compatibility, computer aided dispatch system, and a records management system for Fire, EMS, and Police. He advised that the County plans to keep the parties involved in the system informed as they proceed. Council Member Rotenberry asked if the $20 million cost for equipment reported in the Roanoke Times was correct. Mr. Chambliss responded that it was correct but that as a comparison, James City County and York County in the Tidewater area are spending approximately $21 million to convert their system, which is similar in size to the one in the Roanoke Valley, to digital. The County will be converting April 21, 2004 308 approximately one half of the system at a time at an approximate cost of $10 million depending on how it is phased. Mayor Davis asked if the County system would remain compatible with the Town’s until they are ready to upgrade their equipment. Mr. Chambliss responded affirmatively. (b) Public Safety Building (Dan O’Donnell, Assistant County Administrator) Mr. O’Donnell advised that the currently public safety facility on Peters Creek Road is approximately 40,000 square feet and has been occupied by the County since the mid-1980’s. It was constructed as a school building in 1939; and although the building is structurally sound, it was not designed as a public safety building and lacks many features now considered standard for public safety buildings housing emergency communication and emergency operation functions. It was not designed with security in mind and the space constraints have become significant due to growth in Police, Fire and Rescue, dispatch and Information Technology staffing and equipment. Mr. O’Donnell reported that Roanoke County accepted an unsolicited proposal from Northrop-Grumman Corporation under the Public Private Educational Facility and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) process, which is a new procurement process established in 2002 which allows private developers to essentially propose facilities without a request for proposal issued by the County. This is a design build concept. Mr. O’Donnell stated that as a response to the proposal, competitive proposals were April 21, 2004 309 solicited as required under the law and as a result, a consortium called Public Facility Consortium was invited to submit a detailed design proposal along with Northrop- Grumman. The due date was to be May 14 but the County has just granted a two week extension due to the complexity of the facility and the County’s desire to keep the overall size of the facility under 80,000 square feet, which forced Northrop-Grumman to significantly modify their design. The due date for the proposals is now June 1, 2004. Mr. O’Donnell reported that the proposed location of the new facility is the current site of the School Board warehouses in front of the School Board Administrative Offices on Cove Road. The building is proposed to contain Fire and Rescue Administration, County Police, Information Technology, the Emergency Operations Center, the Emergency Communications Center, and the Emergency Radio System. Mr. O’Donnell stated that if the Board of Supervisors goes forward by accepting one of the proposals and negotiating a comprehensive agreement, construction could start as early as late fall with an estimated two-year construction time table. He noted this is an aggressive time table but that is one of the benefits of this process in which the design is completed before it is accepted. This is a faster, less expensive way of procuring a facility. Mr. O’Donnell reported that the County will make sure the project includes all current connectivity between the Town of Vinton and Roanoke County in terms of radios, phone systems and computer data. There should be little or no change in the way the Town and County communicate and function. April 21, 2004 310 Mr. O’Donnell advised that the County is currently in the process of evaluating two proposals from A&E firms to provide technical assistance in analyzing the two proposals and choosing the best design. The County plans to contract for these services prior to the end of May. He noted the old building will be returned to the School Board for their use when the project is completed. (c) Vinton Fire and Rescue Facility (Kevin Boggess, Town Manager) Mr. Boggess advised that the Town is experiencing similar problems with the Volunteer Rescue Squad building as Roanoke County has with its Public Safety Building. The building is old, outdated, and was not designed to serve as a public safety building. It is not functional for the services that the Town needs to provide. Mr. Boggess reported that according to a space study done approximately 1 ½ years ago, it became clear that renovation of the existing facility was not a cost effective option. After consulting an architect and Roanoke County staff, the Town determined the most cost effective way to approach this project was to look at the existing Fire Department building, which is very well suited to its function, and add on to that facility so that some of the space could be shared by the rescue squad. Mr. Boggess reported that there is a room upstairs in the Fire Department building measuring approximately 68 feet by 38 feet that is not heavily used and would be suitable for renovation. The decision was thus made to renovate the existing Fire April 21, 2004 311 Department building, add an addition to the building, and install an elevator to make the building ADA compliant. Mr. Boggess advised that Town Council is in the process of reviewing plans for the project. He noted that the County has included funding in its budget for this project and the Town will at least match what the County has agreed to pay. He reported that funding was appropriated at the Council meeting yesterday to consult an architect for the design and layout process to develop a combined building for use by the Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Volunteer Fire Department, thereby minimizing the amount of new space that will be needed and effectively utilizing the existing space. Mayor Davis reported that the Public Safety Committee met last night to review the project. The departments will be working together to achieve their goals, and he noted that the new facility will be an asset to the Town. 3. Status of Vinton Business Center Development (Kevin Boggess, Town Manager) Mr. Boggess presented a three-dimensional model of the Vinton Business Center which illustrated the footprint of the Cardinal Glass building. He reported that the design of the building had been changed to reduce the building’s visual impact. Cardinal Glass is building their facility on 26 acres and much of the construction is complete. The pad footers are finished, and the building will be brought in next week on tractor trailers. Once the steel is up, the concrete floor will be poured. He reported that the Town of Vinton would not be as far along with this project without the assistance of April 21, 2004 312 the County, particularly Dough Chittum in Economic Development, Janet Scheid in Community Development, and their respective staffs. Mr. Boggess reported that Supervisor Altizer has been to several of the Town’s community meetings to help address neighborhood concerns such as trails and fish ponds. As a result of this project, two additional building sites were created which the Town is beginning to market. Mr. Boggess advised that the Town is currently working on getting infrastructure and utilities into the site to be ready for Cardinal Glass by the end of July. Mayor Davis expressed appreciation to Supervisor Altizer for helping to keep the community informed about this process. He reported that the Town made sure that the promises they made were kept; one example being a wet pond that was changed to a dry pond, another being an alteration in the grading of the roadway. Supervisor Altizer reported that the County and the Town have really worked together on this project. He stated that it was decided in the beginning that communication with the citizens would be a priority and he reported that the Town had been very supportive of this approach. He advised that including amenities such as walking trails, picnic facilities, or placing trout in the wet ponds are important features for the citizens. April 21, 2004 313 4. Comments and Overview (Elmer C. Hodge, County Administrator) Mr. Hodge advised that the County and Town now need to focus on the coordination of their respective comprehensive plans. He noted that the Town’s comprehensive plan has just been completed and that the Roanoke County comprehensive plan will be finished in the next several months. He requested that the County and Town meet to review their respective plans to ensure that the high level of cooperation continues to exist. Mayor Davis stated that the Town was waiting for the final draft of its comprehensive plan; and when it is received, they will schedule a meeting with the County to review it. Ms. McMillan reported a final draft of the plan should be received from the consultant in the near future. In response to an inquiry from Supervisor Flora, Ms. McMillan advised that KW Poore and Associates and Hill Studio in Roanoke were the consultants for the project. 5. Update on Town of Vinton Comprehensive Plan (Donald L. Davis, Mayor) Mayor Davis advised that Town Council had worked hard to include the citizens of Vinton in the process of developing the Town of Vinton’s comprehensive plan. He noted that the Town used various methods over the years to encourage citizen participation such as neighborhood meetings, holding an academy, and hiring a consultant, KW Poore and Associates, who held a series of meetings. He reported that five areas of concern were identified through this process: the town entrance; downtown April 21, 2004 314 redevelopment; economic and community development; neighborhood development; and greenways, parks and recreation. Altogether approximately 140 people participated in the process. After the primary areas of concern were identified, various committees were appointed and held meetings to decide what should be done next. The final community meeting was held a few months ago with KW Poore and Associates and Hill Studios participating. The purpose of the meeting was to have the citizens who attended prioritize the issues identified in the five areas of concern for the final draft of the plan. Mayor Davis stated that his goal was to have a high level of community participation, and he was proud of the community plan that had resulted from this process. He added that citizens need to be involved in this type of community planning. 6. Future Cooperative Initiatives Between Town of Vinton and Roanoke County (Michael W. Altizer, Vice-Chairman) Supervisor Altizer advised that he was honored to have worked with Mayor Davis for the last year and a half and he appreciated their strong working relationship. He added that the Town and the County work well together and he appreciates the cooperation he has received from the Town. He stated that he would like to see more of these joint meetings. He noted that it is not necessary to have a lot to report on specific items of business, that having joint meetings such as this one enable the Town and County to get together and get to know each other better. It goes a long way to solidifying the trust that the Town and County have in one another. He April 21, 2004 315 suggested that once the Town of Vinton’s comprehensive plan is finalized, that a joint meeting be scheduled to discuss how the County can assist the Town in accomplishing various projects such as the downtown revitalization. Looking forward to the future, he noted that the Town and County should continue to look for ways to improve services for their citizens. Mayor Davis responded that although it is difficult to work these joint meetings into everyone’s schedules, it is a great opportunity to share things with each other. He also announced the following upcoming events: (1) The Vinton Dogwood Festival which started today and will end Saturday with a parade at 12:30 p.m. and a reception at the Vinton War Memorial, (2) In December 2004, Roanoke County and the Town of Vinton will hold a New Year’s Eve party in Vinton that will be alcohol free involving local churches, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and other locations around town. The event will be called Enchanted Eve. IN RE: RECESS Mayor Davis advised that there was an item of business that the Vinton Town Council had to attend to and called for a brief recess at 6:43 p.m. to allow the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors to adjourn their meeting. IN RE: ADJOURNMENT Chairman Flora adjourned the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors meeting at 6:44 p.m. until the April 27, 2004 Board meeting at 2:00 p.m. April 21, 2004 316 Submitted by: Approved by: ________________________ ________________________ Mary V. Brandt Richard C. Flora Acting Clerk to the Board Chairman