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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/6/2009 - RegularMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING LOCATED AT 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET, VINTON, VIRGINIA. MEMBERS PRESENT: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor Robert R. Altice Carolyn D. Fidler William W. Nance MEMBERS ABSENT: William E. Obenchain, Jr. STAFF PRESENT: Chris Lawrence, Town Manager Elizabeth Dillon, Town Attorney Gloria Morgan, Administrative Clerk Mike Kennedy, Public Works Director Joey Hiner, Assistant Public Works Director Agenda A. 7:00 P.M. – Roll Call and Establishment of a Quorum B. INVOCATION C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U. S. FLAG D. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of Minutes: Regular Meeting of September 1, 2009 and September 15, 2009 2. Request to Cancel October 20, 2009 Vinton Town Council Meeting Due to VML Conference E. AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS F. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS AND PETITIONS G. TOWN ATTORNEY H. TOWN MANAGER I. MAYOR J. COUNCIL K. ADJOURNMENT WORK SESSION 1. Community Garden 2. Huntington Court – Roanoke 138 kV Trans Project – Appalachian Power Mayor Grose called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Following roll call, Tom Rotenberry gave the invocation and Mr. Nance led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Roll call, invocation and Pledge of Allegiance to U.S. Flag. The Consent Agenda was approved on a motion by Councilwoman Fidler and was seconded by Councilman Altice and approved with all in favor. Approved Consent Agenda Mr. Lawrence reported that he attended the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce 23rd Annual Small Business Awards on October 1st along with Laura Reilly and Lauren Hodges. He noted that the War Memorial was nominated for an award in the small business non-profit category and commented that although the Town did not win the award he felt this had been a great opportunity to showcase the War Memorial to the approximately five hundred people that had attended the awards dinner. Mr. Lawrence also pointed out that Creative Occasions and Fine Gifts was nominated for retailer of the year and M & W Fire Apparatus won the small business of the year manufacturing award. Mr. Lawrence reported that WDBJ Channel 7 news ran a short story today highlighting the fifth anniversary of the Colonial Downs Off Track Betting Parlor. Mr. Lawrence noted that staff is currently working on the 2010 Town Calendar. He explained that the theme is pictures from the community and encouraged everyone to get the word out to Town residents. Mr. Lawrence noted that pictures can be sent to Mary Beth Layman and extra pictures not included in the 2010 calendar will be considered for use on the Town facebook page or website. Comments from the Town Manager Mayor Grose thanked members of Council and town staff for a very productive work session that took place at the War Memorial on September 29th. He remarked that a lot of good discussion took place and he left with the positive feeling that even in these tough times there are things the Town can accomplish that will not strain the budget. Mr. Lawrence stated that notes from the meeting will be made into a report and submitted to Council for feedback. Mayor Grose mentioned that he and Chris Lawrence had participated in the Fall Waterways Clean Up this past Saturday. He remarked that it was always nice to have the opportunity to get outside, meet new people and do something good for the environment. Comments from the Mayor and members of Council Mayor Grose thanked Laura Reilly for the presentation she made on the War Memorial. He commented that after some discussion with Mr. Lawrence he had asked Ms. Reilly to come up with a figure to indicate how many people use the War Memorial for scheduled events. Mayor Grose noted that he had received a letter from Congressman Bob 2 Goodlatte in response to Town Council’s expression of concern about a request to remove water from the Kerr Lake Regional System. Mayor Grose pointed out how this letter highlights that our elected representatives pay attention and are responsive to concerns. Mr. Nance commented that he was very encouraged by the large number of staff that took time out of their private lives to come and share their thoughts about the future of Vinton at the September 29th work session. He felt the work session was very productive and had shed light on many improvements that could take place without taxing the budget during these tough economic times. He expressed concern about sign clutter within the Town and specifically mentioned the multiple “No Parking” signs located along Virginia Avenue. He stated that he understood law enforcement had concerns about removing the “No Parking” signs as this may make it more difficult to enforce the law if motorist stop in the road. He felt this concern could possibly be alleviated through some form of Ordinance. Mr. Nance remarked that as a prosecutor he often encounters individuals that are charged under a state traffic law and also a local ordinance. He suggested that creating an Ordinance making it prohibitive to park in or obstruct traffic in defined large traffic corridors would allow the Town to eliminate sign clutter and also help alleviate law enforcement concerns. Mr. Nance announced that October is Breast Cancer awareness month and asked that everyone consider encouraging the women in their lives to schedule regular mammograms. He also encouraged everyone to take time out during the month to remember breast cancer survivors who have played a part in your life and those who have lost their lives to breast cancer. Mr. Altice agreed that the September 29th work session had been productive and stated he hoped the sign clutter issue could be resolved. Ms. Fidler remarked that the work session had been an excellent opportunity to communicate ideas and concerns and felt the information produced would be very helpful for the Town. She was very pleased that several of the senior department heads had received a go ahead on certain projects. Mr. Kennedy spoke up concerning one of those projects and reported that 90 signs had been removed from the Town travel corridors to date. Ms. Fidler welcomed this news and expressed her appreciation to Mr. Kennedy. There was no further business and Mayor Grose adjourned the regular meeting at 7:21 p.m. Adjournment 3 WORK SESSION 1. Community Garden Mr. Lawrence reported that property owned by the Town had been indentified as a potential site for a community garden. He explained that the property is located in the historic neighborhood of Midway along Glade Creek and was originally part of property involved in a hazard mitigation FEMA project that removed homes located inside the floodway plain. Mr. Lawrence introduced Mark Powell, director of the Roanoke Community Garden Association (RCGA). Mr. Powell stated that RCGA is a 501(c) (3) non- profit organization that hopes to establish community gardens throughout the Roanoke Valley. Mr. Powell explained that a community garden is usually divided into plots and located within a neighborhood with the focus on growing organic vegetables, fruits and herbs, etc. He noted that there are many benefits to community gardens such as preserving green space, producing nutritious food, providing social interaction between different generations and ethnic groups within neighborhoods, reducing family food budgets, reducing crime, and in some instances creating economic benefits by producing foods to sell at the local Farmer’s Markets. He explained that each site has two coordinators to keep an eye on what goes on at the garden, establish rules and help maintain the garden. He also explained that RCGA draws up detailed lease agreements with land owners prior to establishing a community garden. He also noted that RCGA provides all amenities and tools needed to garden on the site. Mr. Powell noted that the community garden located in Southeast on 14th Street has been very successful. The plot is adjacent to the Morningside Manor high rise and has twenty eight plots measuring about three hundred square feet each. He also explained that a Community Development Block Grant had just been received to establish a community garden located within the Hurt Park neighborhood. Mr. Powell noted that RCGA has been fundraising with some help from Roanoke City in addition to a lot of grant writing to fund the community garden projects. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Powell explained that the first step would be to get out in the surrounding community and talk to people to determine the amount of interest in developing a community garden. Once the interest level is determined the next step would be organizing people. After that, it is just a matter of incremental steps, such as getting the ground plowed under, marking off lots, putting in pathways, thinking about a water source and a space to store garden tools and then waiting for the spring planting season. Ms. Fidler inquired if the water connections for the homes that were removed were still available for use. Mr. Hiner stated that the water connections had probably been abandoned. Mr. Kennedy noted that if the old lines are still underground there may be a possibility of reconnecting the water. Mayor Grose asked if Glade Creek could be utilized as a water source since it runs past the garden site. Mr. Altice suggested having a meeting at a church located in Midway to determine community interest in the project. Ms. Fidler remarked that the Vinton Voice newspaper could be utilized to promote the project and encourage participation by the community. Mr. Nance commented that using this property for a community garden would be better than having an empty lot. Ms. Fidler requested a schedule so the Town could be ready for the next planting season. Mr. Powell responded that he would forward this information back to Council within the next few weeks. 4 Mr. Powell remarked that he hoped the Town would look at this as a long term project. He stated he plans to start with minimal financial input so as not to impact Town coffers. Mr. Powell thanked Council for their time and interest in beginning a community garden within the Town of Vinton. 2. Huntington Court – Roanoke 138 kV Trans Project – Appalachian Power Mr. Lawrence introduced former Town Council member Tom Rotenberry. Mr. Rotenberry began with a brief overview of the Huntington Court – Roanoke 138 kV transmission line project. He noted that AEP announced the project in April 2008 with public workshops being held at Fallon Park School in May 2008 and the application filed with the State Corporation Commission in October 2008. He further noted that all affected property owners were notified in December 2008 with the State Corporation Commission hearing examiner approving the line route in September 2009. He stated that a certificate would be issued within the next thirty days authorizing AEP to proceed with the construction of the line with the expectation that the line will be in service sometime in 2011. Mr. Rotenberry explained this project is basically a 6.3 mile transmission line of which about 1.75 miles is located within Town limits. He then introduced Scott Kennedy and Bob Whitaker from AEP. Mr. Whitaker gave a power point presentation to Council showing detailed pictures and graphs of the proposed structures and line route. He pointed out a partially wooded lot located across from Southern States that is bounded by Walnut Avenue to the north, Tinker Creek to the south, Viking Fence Company to the west, and Glade Creek to the east. Mr. Whitaker explained that AEP proposes to place two 80 foot tall tubular steel structures above the 100 year flood plain on this property. He further explained that upon additional research it has been discovered that the deed to this property requires FEMA approval prior to placement of the two steel poles. Mr. Whitaker asked for the support of Council and noted that a denial from FEMA would stall the progress of the AEP project and result in having to re-route and re-file the project leading to a large delay in completion. Mr. Rotenberry also stressed that it is important that approval be obtained from FEMA. He asked that the Town request an exception and forward the AEP report along with a resolution of support from Council to FEMA. Mr. Lawrence confirmed that this property is owned by the Town and does lie in the flood plain. He explained that the property was purchased with grant money and the deed states approval from the director of FEMA must be obtained prior to installation of any structures on this property. Mr. Lawrence stated since the October 20th Council meeting had been cancelled due to the scheduled VML conference the earliest a resolution could go before Council would be on November 3rd. He proposed that a resolution be drafted and presented to Council at the November 3rd meeting along with an invitation to AEP to come back and answer any additional questions that Council may have. Mr. Kennedy commented that placement of the steel poles structures will require close coordination with the Town. He explained that two future Town projects will parallel sections of the proposed AEP line route. The first being the Walnut Avenue bridge replacement with the need for a temporary bridge to the south side of the now existing bridge. The second being replacement of a segment of the Glade 5 Creek sewer interceptor. He explained the Town has to have a buffer zone to allow access to sewer manholes and lines for maintenance and inspection work. Mr. Lawrence advised Council that the Virginia Department of Historic Resource would be taking a tour of the upstairs offices of the Health Department building on Thursday. He explained that the Health Department will be vacating the first floor of the building around December 1st of this year and the State Historic Preservation office is currently looking for a new office location. Mr. Lawrence reminded everyone that on November 4th and November 17th a work session will be held at 5:30 p.m. He noted this will take place prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. and will feature presentations and discussion by Mr. Kennedy concerning water and sewer rate studies. Ms. Fidler reminded everyone that the Fall Festival takes place this weekend. The work session adjourned at 8:43 p.m. APPROVED: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: Darleen R. Bailey, Town Clerk 6