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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/2/2017 - Work SessionMINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TOWN OF VINTON PLANNING COMMISSION HELD ON THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017, AT 6:00 P.M., AT THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET. MEMBERS PRESENT: Dave Jones, Chairman Keith Liles, Vice Chairman Bob Benninger Bill Booth Bob Patterson STAFF PRESENT: Anita McMillan, Planning and Zoning Director Karla Turman, Associate Planner/Code Enforcement Officer Julie Tucei, Planning and Zoning Coordinator Anne Cantrell, Finance Director/Treasurer AGENDA WORK SESSION—6:00 P.M. I. Call to Order—Roll Call II. Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) FY 2017-2018 III. Upcoming Special Events IV. Next Meeting Date V. Comments of Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff VI. Adjournment of Work Session The work session of the Vinton Planning Commission was called to order at 6:09 p.m. by Chairman Jones. All five members were present. The first item on the work session agenda was the presentation of the Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) FY 2017-2018. Ms. Cantrell, Vinton’s Finance Director/Treasurer, provided the commissioners with a copy of the entire CIP list, as well as the Town Manager’s recommended for funding list, copies of which will be made a part of the permanent record of this meeting. Ms. Cantrell briefly went over each item on the Town Manager’s recommended list beginning with the General Fund items. She said that the refuse truck item is for a seven year lease payment fee. Chairman Jones asked if the truck the Town has now is leased or not. Ms. Cantrell said the Town owns the trucks. She mentioned that the maintenance is very high on the older trucks. She stated that the Town’s dump truck is in same situation—old with high maintenance costs. Next on the Town Manager’s list for the General Fund CIP, is money for bridge maintenance. This would be for setting aside some funding each year to be able to perform the necessary maintenance on the Garthright Bridge on Gus Nicks Boulevard. Mr. Booth, in regards to the trash truck, wanted to know why the Town does not have a one arm bandit. Mr. Liles said Joey Hiner, the Public Works Director, is looking into options for refuse pickup for Town Council currently. He said Mr. Hiner is looking into about how much it would cost to get a one arm bandit type of truck or to retro fit a regular truck and also how much it would be to provide the trash cans to residents. Ms. Cantrell stated that those are the only three items to be funded in 2018 for the General Fund. Chairman Jones asked how much was funded in last year’s CIP. Ms. Cantrell said last year’s was $85,000. She stated that this year’s is $99,000. Chairman Jones asked what the amount that can be funded is based on. Ms. Cantrell said that personnel costs are figured first, and then they look at PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MARCH 2, 2017 PAGE 2 the other numbers. She said that it is the revenue minus costs, and then what is left over can be used to fund the CIP items. Ms. Cantrell stated that the Utility Fund is in better shape to fund CIP items than the General Fund because the payments received from water and sewer bills fund the account. The first item on the Town Manager’s list under the Utility Fund is the water meter reading system upgrade. She said that the water meters are being replaced with radio meters, and the meter readers can just drive by the meter to get the usage reading. She stated that the new meters monitor the lines and usage better, and they can help detect leaks sooner. Mr. Benninger asked what company the Town is working with on the meter system. Ms. Cantrell said they are using Mueller systems for the new meters. Next for the Utility Fund is to replace the camel truck with sewer jet/vac combo truck. Chairman Jones asked if that would be purchase or a lease. Ms. Cantrell said it would be leased. The next Utility Fund item is a dump truck with a snowplow and a spreader. Ms. Cantrell said the dump truck the Town currently owns is a 1999 model. Next for the Utility Fund CIP would be for funding for an air compressor. Ms. Cantrell said the Town’s current one is in poor condition. The next item for funding in the CIP for the Utility Fund is GIS development for and mapping of the Town’s utilities. Ms. McMillan stated that years ago several companies mapped the lines on paper, but those have never been digitized. A lot of developers and engineers would like to be able to easily access that information, like they currently are able to do with the Western Virginia Water Authority’s (WVWA) system. Ms. McMillan mentioned that sometimes they find lines that are not documented at all. She said they recently found a sewer line on a greenway project that was not on the maps. Chairman Jones said that WVWA went through this process several years ago using interns. Mr. Benninger said it has taken them years, and in fact, they are still working on it. Ms. McMillan mentioned that the storm sewer mapping was done by interns who worked with the County a few years back, but it did not include the water and sewer lines. Ms. Cantrell said we would work with Roanoke County and an outside vendor on the GIS mapping of the lines. Mr. Benninger asked if the vendor will be chosen through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Ms. Cantrell said if they do a RFP, it will not include the portion of the service the County provides since we already work with them on the GIS and IT items. Ms. McMillan asked if they will tie that into the City Works program they recently acquired. Ms. Cantrell said they hope to tie it into City Works, if the Town decides to keep City Works. Ms. Cantrell said the next item for the Utility Fund CIP is to renovate and upgrade the 3rd Street sewer lift and the waterlines along Jefferson and Cleveland Avenues. She said both of those items will have to be bond issues. Ms. Cantrell mentioned that phase one is already funded. She said that this funding will complete the project—phases 2 and 3. Chairman Jones asked if all the gas lines being installed in that area recently are due to this project. Ms. Cantrell said the gas line installations in the area are unrelated to this project. The next item under the Utility Fund CIP on the Town Manager’s list is the waterline replacements on Landfair and Aragona. She stated that both are old lines that need to be replaced. Ms. Cantrell said that the other CIP list that they were given is the longer list that shows all the proposed projects, but the ones which are not listed on the Town Manager’s short list will not be funded until future years. Chairman Jones asked why the Town isn’t able to fund the other dump truck out of Utility Fund. Ms. Cantrell said everything has to be justified to the auditors as far as where the funds are coming from and what the equipment is going to be used for. She also mentioned that they have an agreement with Roanoke County not to use funds from Utility Fund for equipment that is not specifically used for utilities. Ms. McMillan said she thinks there is also a section in the state code about it. Chairman Jones asked about last year’s purchase of the hook truck for Public PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MARCH 2, 2017 PAGE 3 Works. Ms. Cantrell said that the hook truck is up for sale now as it is not working out as they had planned. For the Stormwater Fund, the Town Manager has recommended the replacement of the street sweeper under a seven year lease purchase. Ms. Cantrell stated that the Town will receive money from VDOT to help cover this purchase. She mentioned that the Town does not have a stormwater fee yet; therefore, the Utility and General Funds will help to fund this. Ms. Cantrell asked if they have any questions about the CIP. Chairman Jones mentioned that they usually include items for other types of things, for example items for the firehouse. Mr. Liles stated that they did firehouse items last year. Ms. Cantrell stated that Vinton’s Deputy Chief Linkous is currently looking into grants they may be able to obtain in order to purchase a new fire truck. Chairman Jones asked about the police cars. Ms. Cantrell noted that the police car lease ends in 2019. She said it was a five year lease plan. Chairman Jones asked how Ms. Cantrell feels about the list. She said she wishes they could fund more items, but she feels good about the list that was presented. She said items like the refuse truck are really necessities. Chairman Jones said that it looks like they have really done their homework on the CIP. Ms. Cantrell said these lists come from the Town Manager, Barry Thompson, who has worked with the departments and knows their needs. Chairman Jones said they know best what is needed and what they have to work with for the CIP items. Chairman Jones asked about the two schools that are being renovated into apartments. He asked if they will help bring in revenue. Ms. Cantrell said they will bring in some money, but there are revenue agreements on those, like there is for Macado’s Restaurant. She mentioned that the cigarette tax revenue went down this year again, which is good for community health, but not good for revenue. Mr. Liles asked about the Garthright Bridge. Ms. Cantrell said Public Works asked for $160,000, but have only been allocated $30,000 of that amount. She stated that they may be able to set up a restricted account to save the funds so the projects like that can be tackled later. In regards to the Roanoke City’s bridge project recently on Virginia Avenue, Mr. Liles said he wished the City would have widened it enough to include sidewalks. Ms. McMillan said the cost was too great for the City to be able fund widening it for sidewalks. Mr. Booth asked again about the one arm bandit refuse truck. One option Ms. Cantrell said they might have is to retrofit a regular truck to make it a one arm bandit type of truck. She said she has heard that there is a way to convert the trucks. Chairman Jones wondered how it would work since one arm bandits compact waste to the rear of the trucks, and regular trash trucks compact waste to the front of the trucks. Chairman Jones said it would be a shame to have to wait seven years to go to those types of trucks. Ms. McMillan said the trashcan cost for each household in the Town would also be very high. PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MARCH 2, 2017 PAGE 4 Ms. Cantrell said it would be about $50 to $60 per trashcan multiplied by 3,400 households. Chairman Jones said once again that Ms. Cantrell has really done her homework on this CIP. Mr. Liles asked about the section of the CIP that covers traffic signals. He said that the light at Hardy Road and Vinyard Avenue at McDonalds should be looked into. He asked about the traffic controllers. Ms. Cantrell said they have a list of the controllers within the Town. Mr. Liles said on the long CIP list, the traffic controllers are listed twice—once by itself and once with a study. Mr. Benninger said the study would probably determine what controllers needed to be replaced. It was suggested that the signal at Clearview Drive needs to be looked at. Mr. Patterson stated that the light at Clearview Drive and Hardy Road is a very long light. Chairman Jones suggested they revise the CIP listing regarding the traffic controllers. Ms. Cantrell surmised that it may be listed in this way to allow the study and perhaps to replace one controller. Mr. Patterson asked if the camera traffic detectors would be the type that would issue tickets. Ms. Cantrell said they would just detect traffic and control the lights. Mr. Liles said on the Washington Avenue and Mountain View Road stoplight, they should put the flashing strobe light in the red light to make it easier to see especially when the sun is in your eyes. He mentioned that there are many wrecks at that light. With there being no further questions about the CIP, Mr. Liles made a motion to recommend approval of the CIP recommended funding list to Town Council as submitted by Mr. Thompson and presented by Ms. Cantrell. The motion was seconded by Mr. Patterson. A roll call vote was taken, and all members voted in favor of the motion. Chairman Jones asked about the green zoning ordinance books they received tonight when they arrived at the meeting. Ms. McMillan said they should begin reviewing the zoning ordinance. She said what was provided to them tonight is an up-to-date, complete copy of the ordinance. Ms. McMillan said consideration needs to be given to whether or not we will use the bones of the current ordinance or go to performance based type of ordinance. She mentioned that they have already done a lot of work on the sign ordinance, which is the most difficult thing to enforce. Ms. McMillan asked Ms. Turman to mention the temporary sign policy that the Town might implement. Ms. Turman said Roanoke County has issues with banner signs being put up without permits. She said that the County has in their zoning ordinance, a regulation which allows a business to get one temporary sign permit for banner signs good for the entire year. Ms. Turman said the business can change the banner whenever it wants to, and they only have to obtain and pay for one permit per year. She stated that this is much easier for the businesses and for code enforcement. She mentioned that a lot of businesses don’t like being limited to only having banners six times per year for 21 days per time. The only exception to the Town’s regulation is for tax preparation companies who can display a banner sign throughout the tax season, but they still pay the fee equivalent to all six permits. Mr. Liles said the Town needs to do something about this, especially if businesses aren’t able to adequately display what they are selling. He said it would be a good policy to try. Ms. Turman said they could do a pilot program on it starting in January 2018. Ms. McMillan asked them to also consider when a citizen advisory committee should be formed for the zoning ordinance update. She mentioned that we have added the Mixed Use District (MUD) and might want to add a limited business district because there is such a huge difference between the current Residential Business (RB) District and the General Business (GB) District. Ms McMillan also said they got many calls complaining about the large garage on Duke Drive. She mentioned that the majority of lots and PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MARCH 2, 2017 PAGE 5 houses in the Town are smaller. She said they spent months talking about the issue of allowable sizes for accessory buildings, and then nothing was changed in the zoning ordinance. She stated that there are no design standards in the Town and no lot coverage regulations. She mentioned that the Town is only 3.2 square miles total, but it does have limited staff to interpret and enforce the regulations within the Town. Ms. McMillan stated that, by the end of April, she is hoping to have a draft of how to tackle the ordinance update. Chairman Jones asked if staff had discussed looking into hiring a consultant. Ms. McMillan stated that today was the last day for professionals to submit their responses to a request for proposals (RFP) for professional services for the Town. She said they received 21 proposals for it. She stated that zoning was included in the RFP, plus a lot of other items. She mentioned that growth in the Town is limited right now due to the sewer capacity. She also mentioned that variance requests have been very low, which could indicate the zoning ordinance is not too bad the way it is. She said they may only need to look at updating certain sections of it, instead of the whole thing. The next item on the work session agenda was discussion of upcoming special events. She mentioned that this coming Saturday, the trash pickup with Town Council and Staff would take place. She asked them to let her know as soon as possible if they would like to participate. She said it would take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. They will meet at the Big Lots parking lot at Lake Drive Plaza, near where the recycling center used to be located. She mentioned that the Roanoke Valley Greenway Plan update is underway. She updated them briefly on the progress of the Glade Creek Greenway in Vinton. She said the regional meeting for the Greenway Plan update is at the Vinton War Memorial on April 10, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. Ms. McMillan said the ribbon cutting for the downtown Vinton project will be on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at 10:45 a.m. Everyone is invited to come and celebrate the recent completion of the revitalization of downtown Vinton. Ms. McMillan mentioned that the Dogwood Festival would be held from April 26 through April 30, 2017. She also said that Party in the Park is moving their concert series to the Vinton War Memorial and the Vinton Farmers’ Market this spring and summer. Ms. McMillan had provided them with a list of upcoming Town events. Mr. Liles pointed out that it appears that every weekend has an event scheduled. Ms. McMillan noted that Clean Valley Day this year will be held on April 1st. She said that the Town’s Arbor Day celebration will be on April 13th at the Vinton Library for the educational program, and then will move to the Vinton History Museum for the tree planting. PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MARCH 2, 2017 PAGE 6 Chairman Jones mentioned that he volunteered at Manna over last weekend. He said a gentleman from Vinton who lives in A. Porter’s Haven had told him what a great community that is and how happy he is to live there. Chairman Jones said it was good to hear unsolicited feedback about Vinton. Chairman Jones asked if there was anything going on with yet with the Vinton Pool. Ms. McMillan said it is gone. Chairman Jones asked if it will be torn out. Mr. Liles said one day it probably will be taken out, especially due to insurance regulations. He mentioned that there is still talk of trying to put a hotel in at that site. Chairman Jones asked if there was interest in somebody running the pool again. Mr. Liles said there was some interest last year, but what they proposed was not feasible for the Town. Ms. McMillan mentioned that the Town plans to submit a planning grant for a feasibility study on the former Holdren’s Country Store property. Mr. Liles said it could be transformed into something like the Green Goat Restaurant in Roanoke City, which is at the old transportation museum in the Wasena area. He mentioned that the Green Goat planned ahead for future flood events when renovating the building. Next on the agenda was the discussion of the upcoming meeting date. Ms. McMillan said she would contact them about a date by email soon. The last item on the work session agenda was comments from the Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff. There were no further comments. Therefore, with there being nothing further to discuss, the work session was adjourned on a motion by Mr. Booth and a second by Mr. Patterson at 7:17 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Anita McMillan Planning Commission Secretary