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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/23/2023 - Work SessionMINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TOWN OF VINTON PLANNING COMMISSION HELD ON TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023, AT 6 P.M., IN THE TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING MEMBERS PRESENT: Keith Liles, Chairman Robert “Bob” Benninger Jonathan McCoy MEMBERS ABSENT: David “Dave” Jones, Vice Chairman Sarah Reid STAFF PRESENT: Richard “Pete” Peters, Town Manager Cody Sexton, Assistant Town Manager/Acting Treasurer Anita McMillan, Planning and Zoning Director Nathan McClung, Assistant Planning and Zoning Director Fayula Gordon, Associate Planner Julie Tucei, Planning and Zoning Coordinator OTHERS PRESENT: None AGENDA WORK SESSION—6 P.M. I. Call to Order—Roll Call II. Briefing 1. Review of the proposed FY 2024 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). III. Comments of Planning Commissioners and Planning Staff IV. Adjournment of Work Session Chairman Liles called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. He asked Ms. Tucei to call the roll. Ms. Tucei called the roll, and all members were present, except Vice Chairman Jones and Ms. Reid. The following members of Town Staff were also present: Pete Peters, Cody Sexton, Anita McMillan, Nathan McClung, Fayula Gordon, and Julie Tucei. Before beginning the briefing portion of the work session, Mr. McClung reminded everyone of the upcoming Virginia APA 2023 Annual Conference that will be held in Roanoke. Mr. McCoy mentioned that there is planned to be a class held during the conference for Planning Commissioners. The first item on the work session agenda was the briefing/review of the proposed FY 2024 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Mr. Peters began the briefing on the FY24 CIP. He presented a PowerPoint presentation, a copy of which will be made a part of the permanent record along with other CIP documents he provided prior to the meeting. First, he began by revisiting the previous CIP and briefly went over the status of some of the projects with the members. He said the CIP in the past was mostly used for replacing critical equipment needs like fire trucks and public works vehicles. He said there was a lot of backlog on other projects that were needed, and the Town is now catching up on those. He listed some of the projects that were completed recently. He also highlighted the paving program and said the last several years more money has been spent catching up on the paving needs in Vinton. Mr. Benninger asked if VDOT money was used for paving. Mr. Peters said the Town gets nowhere near a million dollars from VDOT, but there was some money that did come from VDOT. Mr. Peters mentioned that the McClung parking lot project off Walnut Avenue should be getting underway in June or July. He stated they have also pre-funded some PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MAY 23, 2023 PAGE 2 stormwater projects near Thrasher Church where there are some known issues. He said these projects will be more like a revenue sharing project with the church. Mr. Peters mentioned that the first phase of pool closure has been underway, but was somewhat delayed by some other projects like the HIVE office renovation for Town Staff. He said the pool will be filled in this summer. Mr. Peters stated that for the Glade Avenue property acquisition, the plan is now for the Town to purchase the property on its own without any FEMA funds. Mr. Peters briefly mentioned the redevelopment of the Cleveland Mart into an office and apartments. He also stated that the hotel market study is again underway. He said this is a new, updated study because the last study was done during the pandemic and things are much different in the hotel industry since COVID. Mr. Peters noted that the Gish Mill project is delayed by some paperwork for the closure on the property. He mentioned that there were some incentives given for the new 107 Pollard South restaurant. He said the restaurant’s sewer project involved putting in a new line to serve only the restaurant, whereas before it had been a smaller shared line. He stated that they also had some water line needs. Mr. Benninger asked when the restaurant plans to open. Mr. Peters said they are hoping to open in June. He also mentioned the HIVE office renovation and said that some Town Staff offices will be relocated to that building. Mr. Peters briefly discussed the Cleveland Avenue waterline project that the Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA) is working on. He said that the Town partnered with WVWA on the project and will pave the road when the line replacement is finished. Paving should take place in June. Mr. Peters mentioned the gateway signs which were prioritized by Council. He said that the Town will follow the uniform sign guidelines established by the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. Each locality’s signs will be somewhat unique, but also will be of uniform design throughout the region. Mr. Peters discussed the new snow plow equipment that had been obtained for Public Works. He also mentioned the Wolf Creek Greenway permanent bathroom facility project. He stated that Ms. McMillan has applied for a grant for the project that the Town would need to match if the grant is awarded to the Town. Mr. Peters told them that the Pollard Street and Virginia Avenue intersection traffic light still needs to be replaced. He stated that 10 of 11 traffic light intersections in the Town have already been replaced. Next, Mr. Peters showed a list Town Manager’s recommended list of CIP items, a copy of which has been made a part of the permanent record of this meeting. This list is what he is seeking their approval of and is what he plans to recommend to Town Council. He asked for questions or comments on the list. Mr. McCoy asked about the multi-generation park development that is on the list. Mr. Peters said that is what has been planned to replace the swimming pool behind the War Memorial. He mentioned that a few years ago when the Town did a survey of the swimming pool usage, it showed that most users were not even from Vinton. He stated that about 70 percent of pool users were from other localities. Mr. Peters mentioned that Thrasher Church ran the pool one year as a community outreach, but decided not to do it beyond that year. He said that the Town did try to find a private firm to operate the pool, but there were no useful proposals received. Mr. Peters stated that the new park will include playgrounds for all ages of children, plus pickleball courts. He said it will be a low-maintenance, passive-use facility. Also, in the next year, he mentioned that the Town will be working on more paving projects. He stated that, within the last seven years or so, over 50 percent of the Town’s lane miles have been repaved. Mr. Peters showed them the paving list for FY24. He said they plan to concentrate on roads that have recently received many utility cuts by Roanoke Gas and Shentel. He also showed them a map of the roads that are planned to be paved this year. He mentioned that a road inventory has been completed within the last six weeks measuring the pavement quality and lane widths. Mr. Peters went over how the CIP is being funded and showed the revenue funds. He said some money is still from ARPA funds. He also stated that the balance of the utility fund was retained when the WVWA took over the PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MAY 23, 2023 PAGE 3 utility system. He said the Town is able to use just interest on that money to fund CIP projects currently. Mr. Peters mentioned that the Town also plans to restore the proceeds from Rosie’s towards the CIP projects. Mr. Benninger asked what the revenue stream value is from Rosie’s. Mr. Peters said it is about $1.4 million. Mr. Benninger asked if it should continue to grow. Mr. Peters said it has continued to grow and should continue to grow because the Town also gets a percentage of funds from their other machines that are spread throughout the state. Mr. Peters mentioned that Rosie’s was recently purchased by Churchill Downs. He stated that there has also been some good revenue growth by Rosie’s in their restaurant and bar. He said he thinks they have a good mix of recommended projects for this CIP and that his only concern is Staff capacity to get them done. Mr. Peters asked for questions or feedback on the recommended list. Mr. Liles said he thinks it is great for the Town to be in this position. Mr. Benninger said Staff is doing a great job on getting all these projects done. Ms. McMillan said that with the hiring of Jamie Hurt, Staff feels more confident about getting grants now that Mr. Hurt is able to oversee the construction phase of the projects. With that, all members of PC indicated that they are in favor of the recommended CIP list as indicated by nodding their heads. The next item on the agenda were the comments of the Planning Commission and Staff. There were no further comments from Commissioners or Town Staff. With there being nothing further to discuss, the work session was adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Anita McMillan Planning Commission Secretary