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| The following summary minutes have not been approved by Simpsonville City Council. An official copy of the minutes will be available after adopted by City Council at City Hall 118 NE Main St. Simpsonville. Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, notice of this meeting date, time, place and Agenda was posted on the bulletin board at City Hall and faxed to the newspapers, radio stations, television stations and any concerned citizens. |
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SIMPSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES WORKSHOP SESSION January 22, 2008 6:30 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor: Call the January, 2008 Workshop Meeting of Simpsonville City Council to order. Ms. Bodkins would you call the roll please.
ROLL CALL: Ms. Bodkins: Yes sir: Councilmember Bridges: Here Councilmember Garrett: Here Councilmember Sanders: Here Councilmember Bagwell: Here Councilmember Curtis: Here Councilmember Larson: Here Mayor Waldrop: Here
INVOCATION Mayor: Is there anyone here who would like to ask blessings on this meeting in your own personal way. All right, Council Member Curtis would you ask blessings on this meeting in your own personal way please.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor: Thank you. Would join us now in the Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag please.
Mayor: I’d just like to report that our City Attorney is off with another higher ranking branch of the government tonight doing some work and we have given him permission to leave us so anything you say or do tonight may be used against you in a Court of Law and all of that stuff…
CITIZEN COMMENTS Mayor: This is the portion of our meeting where we invite citizen comments. We had no one placed on the Agenda and did we have anyone sign up.,
Ms. Bodkins: No sir.
Mayor: All right so we’ll move right along to Council Comments. Did we leave off the – Mr. Hawes are you going to give us a report before council comments or –
Mr. Hawes: Typically there is no Administrator’s Report on a workshop session.
Mayor: We like to hear from you all the time.
Mr. Hawes: I’ve actually got a couple of things
Mayor: I know you do that’s why I asked that question so –
Mr. Hawes: That is no problem and I appreciate your calling on me.
Mayor: We’ll pretend that’s on the Agenda.
Mr. Hawes: All right. First of all I would like to announce that we received the official framed American Society of Landscape Architects President’s Award for Heritage Park . We’re going to try to place this in City Hall right down stairs. This was given in recognition of outstanding professional achievement with regard to the design, landscape architecture and architecture overall of Heritage Park, which City Council and Mayor over saw right from its inception as an idea to provide recreation and different types of amenities that were currently not offered in the City. To all the citizens of Simpsonville and to make Simpsonville a destination – a tourism destination looking to the future. And of course Heritage Park opened in 2005, April 2 nd and to win this award I think is – you all would agree with me is a great achievement for the City of Simpsonville and to have this presented down stairs is just – is a great thing.
Mayor: Absolutely. Let’s all pat ourselves on the back.
Mr. Hawes: And also I want to mention along a similar vein that we received bids today for you all’s information on the amphitheater stage covering. We had an apparent low bidder that’s Manhattan Construction with a bid of 1.655 million dollars and we will be working to see if we can I guess value engineer that thing down to where we originally envisioned that project.
Mayor: Okay. Thank you. Is that it.
Mr. Hawes: That’s what we’ve got so far.
Mayor: That award along with the many others that we’ve received for Heritage Park do you think here at City Hall or down in the CentrePlex would be a better place to display it. Does anybody
Mr. Hawes: You know I’m open to any thoughts on that.
Mayor: Anybody got any thoughts on that.
Mr. Larson: I think the CentrePlex is a place where more people would see it. Most people who come in to City Hall are here on business and they’re just in and out.
Mr. Hawes: We can put it in the CentrePlex with no problem at all.
Mayor: Along with all those hundreds of others we received.
Mr. Hawes: We’ll place it at the CentrePlex if that’s the feeling of Council.
Mayor: I see lots of nodding so maybe that’s what we should do.
Mr. Hawes: No problem.
Mayor: Prominently displayed as they say
Mr. Hawes: You’ve got it.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT/COUNCIL COMMENTS Mayor: All right, this is my favorite part of the meeting. The Council Comments section. So would anyone like to speak. Ms. Bagwell
Ms. Bagwell: I just want to make a note to say thank you to the Fork Shoals Robotics Club that came in last week and gave a presentation. We had a mock council session for them. I was impressed with what they did and they gave the City quite a few good ideas and they took their time and their effort to do that – and I just wanted to say what an inspiration it was to see these kids doing what they were doing and really enjoying it. And bringing that to us.
Mr. Hawes: I can say it was a pleasure working with the kids when they first came in and we appreciate that council was able to come in on fairly short notice and sit with them and listen to what their concerns were. And I know that City staff is going to take those concerns and take a look at what we can do to be more efficient energy wise.
Mayor: Maybe we can robotize council. Mr. Curtis.
Mr. Curtis: I have just a few things. I wanted to speaking to the City Administrator mention that I went out to Hunters Woods and have seen that the paving has been done there and is much improved over what was originally there. And they have done a good bit of treatment which is certainly an improved situation. It’s still not where – it’s not a finished state – but I do understand what’s going on and I appreciate the efforts of your trying to make that happen. I’d like to call your attention as well to the construction that’s going on off of I believe it’s Smith Street – I may not have the right street name – in the vicinity of Richardson where that
Mr. Garrett: South Street
Mr. Curtis: South Street – I called it by the wrong name. Any way there’s some I believe it’s apartment construction – multi-family housing construction going on there – due to the recent rains there is a lot of mud being generated. I do believe there are some regulations relating to mud mats and the amount of mud that is transferred back into the street. I’ve noticed a significant amount and I’ve heard some negative comments about it from citizens. I’d just like to make sure that the Administrator is aware of that and keep an eye on it and make sure they’re complying with the rules that the City has and the County and State as well.
Mr. Hawes: We’ve actually met with that contractor to make sure that he does everything in his power to adhere to all of the ordinances that are appropriate there with regard to mud and tracking mud out on the City streets and so forth. So we have met with him and we’ve had our Code Enforcement Officer on site with him.
Mr. Curtis: Okay. Finally I have noticed that there is a just off of Main Street near the entrance to the Subway down near Hwy 14 – there is a sewer connection box – there is a sewer access point that the steel top has been dislodged on and it might allow for material to enter the sewer system or small animals. I’d like you to make sure also that that gets addressed.
Mr. Hawes: Okay. Certainly.
Mr. Curtis: That’s all I have.
Mayor: Okay thank you Mr. Curtis. Mr. Larson.
Mr. Larson: Oh I was just going to thank the Public Works Department and Fire Department, Police Department, Rec Department for Heritage Park the work they’ve done – Freedom Weekend Aloft. I think the City has done an outstanding job and these awards just show what a fine effort these guys have done. I’m just looking forward to the next year with Heritage Park and the development coming along.
Mayor: Thank you. Well put. Mr. Bridges
Mr. Bridges: On E. Curtis Street I noticed it looks like they tried to clean that drain in front of where that old house was –
Mr. Hawes: Right – the Cannon House.
Mr. Bridges: Yeah, right. It’s still a lot of water puddle up there. It’s – it could be hazardous if somebody hits it pretty hard. Of course that would be speeding.
Mr. Hawes: Well we’ll take a look at that – we’ll see if we can alleviate that problem.
Mr. Bridges: And one other thing I’d like to thank all of the council members for voting me in as Mayor Pro Tempore. Thank you very much.
Mayor: That’ll teach you to be absent.
Mr. Larson: Well you better be careful because Mr. Dyrhaug made a pretty good Mayor Pro Tempore for the robotics club.
Mayor: All right. Anyone else. Mr. Larson
Mr. Larson: Mr. Hawes is there any update on that water that was draining out the back of Patewood Place into those yards on Tamwood. I had a message that I think someone from Public Works had gone over there this past rain…
Mr. Hawes: As I understand it DHEC – the Department of Health and Environmental Control for the State has gone out on site to determine if there were any violations of the designs that DHEC had approved in regard to storm water control for construction and for the subdivision once it’s complete. And we have not received anything back from DHEC that indicated that they found any violations.
Mr. Larson: Do you know if they’re still looking into it or –
Mr. Hawes: I don’t know if they’re looking into it further or not.
Mayor: Okay – Ms. Bagwell
Ms. Bagwell: I meant to ask you – I know last Thursday we had some inclement weather but that place on Hunters Hill Road is still not fixed. I know you had speculated about that – can we get an update on that. Because I know we’ve had a couple of days here but it’s just – no it doesn’t look bad but if your car hits it – take my word for it it’s not a pretty site.
Mr. Hawes: Joe would be best called on here – do you know what the status is.
Mr. Carter: It’s too cold to hold a patch right now.
Ms. Bagwell: What does the temperature – where does it need to be so I won’t be – approximately – I’m not going to hold you to it – a certain number.
Mr. Carter: In the mid 50’s.
Ms. Bagwell: Okay so it could be a couple of weeks maybe
Mr. Carter: We’ll have to use a cold patch …….
Ms. Bagwell: I mean I understand – I don’t mean to be nit picky or just staying on you about it – it’s just one of those things that you go by it every day and I know other people are to. It just kind of sticks in your mind a little more. Thank you.
Mayor: Any one else. All right, thank you council for all the comments.
NEW BUSINESS • GCRA Action Plan Mayor: Mr. Hawes you’re going to talk to us about GCRA Action Plan.
Mr. Hawes: Yes Mayor and Council, this is a standard action that we do every year. The City Council approves the City of Simpsonville ’s action plan with regard to Community Development Block Grants for Home Grants. This action plan involves a course of action regarding mitigation of drainage in the Boyd/Morton neighborhood or mitigation of drainage issues – non drainage basically in the Boyd/Morton neighborhood as well as rehabilitation of housing structures in qualifying neighborhoods in the City of which Boyd/Morton is one and Westwood is another. So, this plan will be drafted and completed with a Resolution for the acceptance of the funds at your February Business Meeting which is February 12 th this year. Just wanted to give you a heads up as to what exactly the funding is projected to be. Last year the City received virtually the same amount of funding as this year, within just a few thousand dollars. So this year CDBG is $146,487 with Home Funding of $63,737. And City Council had previously allocated a good share of this toward the Boyd/Morton drainage project and that should be underway in the next couple of months. It actually went through two separate engineering firms that GCRA dropped one after all the work had been done and hired another firm to do it and it was rather frustrating to us and Public Works because we had basically had everything resolved to get that work under way – but GCRA decided to go with a different firm and to basically re-invent the wheel on this project. So that’s where the bulk of the CDBG of our project funding will go. Of course some of it will be allocated to programs such as the Senior Center and to Housing Rehab. That’s just a heads up that that resolution will be coming so it doesn’t surprise you when you see the resolution on February 12 th . And we’ll have a Public Hearing before that meeting as well.
Mayor: All right. We appreciate the information. Anyone have any questions regarding that. All right, thank you Mr. Hawes.
• Davenport Road Improvement Project Mayor: All right moving right along if you will to the Davenport Road Improvement Project.
Mr. Hawes: Yes sir, Mayor and Council back in February when the City Council issued bonds to do street resurfacing, Davenport Road was one of the roads on that project list as a high priority for resurfacing in the City. Every other road on that project was able to be done with the funding that was available through bond issuance. However, when we did the bond issuance we intentionally left Davenport Road off of the funding because it was clear that that road needed more than just resurfacing. It needs to be basically re-engineered to make it safer through this project. And what we have done in the months since is get the engineering estimates, we’ve worked with Co-Transco which is the C-Funds designated administrator for these types of projects. And we have received a $300,000 grant from C-Funds with half of that being the City’s match. So it’s basically $150,000 and $150,000. So we have $300,000 for the Davenport Road project. Now that was envisioned at the very least as resurfacing the road and adding a foot of pavement on each side and creating one foot dirt shoulders on each side. SO you would go from a 20’6” paved surface to 22’6”. That’s still about a foot per lane less than what the standard lane would be. It would be acceptable. That project is $414,731 project of which we have $300,000 allocated. That would provide full-depth patching and resurface the entire road with no drainage improvements and possible a 3-way stop at Hunters Hill Road which would help mitigate the dangerous site distance and hill problem there. What you have before you here is 3 options so that was option 2 that I just mentioned. And that I think had been contemplated because it was close to the amount of funding that we have been allocated. However, option 1 would widen the pavement of Davenport Road 3 feet on each side, which would allow a paved shoulder and full 12 foot lanes. It would improve drainage in the street and this would involve actually piping and redoing the ditch work along the edge of the road because you’d be regarding the road. It would provide full depth patching. It would regrade the hill at Hunters Hill Road . Basically shave that down so it’s no longer a site distance problem and resurface the entire road. Now the estimated cost on this project is $862,299.30. It would require an additional $600,000 C-Fund allocation. I’m planning on going to the C-Funds committee meeting this Thursday as long as City Council does not have a problem with that to see if we may be able to acquire that funding to complete that project. Both Public Works and I and Co-Transco are in full support of Option 1 as the best treatment for what is ailing out there. It would take care of the hill at Hunters Hill Road – it would take care of the width of the road – it would create shoulders where there are none and it would utilize our $300,000 that we have currently - $150,000 from the City and $150,000 from the C-Funds that had already been allocated. And if we can receive the additional $600,000 of C-Fund allocation from the committee I think that would be a worthy approach for that grant.
Option number 3 you see at the bottom is basically cost prohibitive under any current funding scenarios. And I just do not see a way that we could get that work done at this time.
Mayor: Okay – just for clarification before we start any discussion that we may have about this. The C-Fund Committee is what we call or what was the County Transportation Committee that has most recently been named the Legislative Delegation Transportation Committee. So for those of you who are new on the scene – when you hear us use these three different terms we’re talking about the same committee. It was called the C-Fund Committee almost forever – I think back since Abraham Lincoln or something – but at any rate it’s called the C-Fund Committee because that funding which is actually gas tax allocations back to the County which was originally called C-Funds. I don’t know what the C stood for – do you.
Mr. Hawes: I heard what it stood for and it made no sense. It was like Conditional or something like that
Mayor: But at any rate just to avoid confusion that we may have because these 3 terms have been tossed about pretty freely. Okay – anyone have any questions about that. Ms. Bagwell
Ms. Bagwell: I notice the – on Option 1 improving the drainage in the street there – when you and I had talked at one point in time down there in that area in front of Mr. Parker’s house will that do anything to that huge pipe that’s underneath the street. Will we be replacing that – will that change any of that at all.
Mr. Hawe: In this estimate that is not included. That’s something that we could look at and the answer I can give you there is it really depends on what we can work into the project.
Ms. Bagwell: Okay and then the other question concerning that is at that scenario it’s basically – it’s basically a bridge basically because it’s over the creek. Would we be putting up any guard rails or things like that in this scenario.
Mr. Hawes: Standard requirements for any road upgrade would be included in this project – so if they’re required yes.
Ms. Bagwell: Those were all of my questions.
Mayor: Okay. Anyone else. Mr. Larson
Mr. Larson: Would this – this is including the whole length of Davenport where it goes into the County.
Mr. Hawes: From the County to State – the City’s portion of it.
Mr. Larson: So that’s basically from Grandview to almost the end of Neely Ferry
Mr. Hawes: Well just beyond Mr. Parker’s property. It is not quite to Neely Ferry and not quite to Grandview . The state portion actually begins about 300’ from Grandview .
Ms. Bagwell: And stop right past Pinionwood.
Mr. Larson: So the distance that’s short between – from Grandview – will anything be done to that or can we work with the State to have them
Mr. Hawes: Well the State’s already brought it up
Mr. Larson: Oh where it turns off right there. Okay – it still seems like there’s some big mud holes and things on the shoulders right up there.
Mr. Hawes: The State actually had addressed their shoulder issues as I remember. Because there was one where cars would basically fall down to their axle and we called the State in and they got in that day and filled that with gravel.
Mayor: Excuse me for interrupting but you said just seconds ago the State is going to take care of the 300’ from the state right of way – did you mean the County on the other end. And you mentioned Grandview – so were you talking about the other end.
Mr. Hawes: I’m talking about both ends have already been done by those respective entities.
Mayor: The 300’ part is what you were talking about before – you’re talking about the County end – you’re talking about Neely Ferry –
Mr. Hawes: I’m talking about the end closest to Grandview – about 300 feet worth of state highway there – that has already been done – resurfaced and widened.
Mayor: Just for clarification. Excuse me – Mr. Larson –
Mr. Larson: So Grandview is a state road.
Mr. Hawes: Grandview certainly is yes. But I’m saying that the little section of Davenport that extends from Grandview about 300 feet down Davenport is state. Then it becomes City and then when it comes out of the City beyond Pinionwood beyond the little bridge over the creek that area becomes County road and they’ve resurfaced their end of it as well.
Mr. Larson: Do you have any kind of a figure on what it would cost to include the sidewalks – maybe part of the distance – like from Hunters Hill to Davenport or Grandview
Mr. Hawes: We don’t have partial costs on sidewalks. Option 3 is basically adding curb and gutter and sidewalks – which if you put sidewalks you would probably do curb and gutter because of the way the ditches are there – that makes it a much larger project when you go to curb and gutter and sidewalk than just redoing the ditch work and regarding the road.
Mayor: Okay – Mr. Curtis
Mr. Curtis: All right just so I understand about these C-Funds – you mentioned that option 1 would use the $150,000 that we would contribute plus $150,000 from C-Funds and you’re looking to pursue additional money needed from the C-Fund group as well. Would we also have to match that part or would that be entirely from the C-Funds.
Mr. Hawes: I would approach a request that we would ask for a full allocation without a match.
Mr. Curtis: Without a match. Okay – and does this option 3 estimate would it include purchasing property – is that part of why it’s so high.
Mr. Hawes: I believe it does include some right-of-way acquisition because you’re adding quite a bit to the width of what’s existing out there.
Mayor: Okay anyone else. Mr. Larson
Mr. Larson I have a question. Mr. Holmes what’s the difference in resurface entire road in option 1 and then the other two options provide full depth patching and resurface entire road.
Mr. Hawes: They’re exactly the same – option 1 says provide full depth patching and then – it just wasn’t included in the same bullet point.
Mr. Larson: I was just looking at the bottom line.
Mr. Hawes: That’s fine.
Mayor: Okay – well since we began this conversation about Davenport Road I said that I think it’s a waste of our money if we don’t take care of the hump right there at Hunters Hill Road which is – I mean it’s definitely a blind spot and a danger. The 3-way stop sign may be a solution to that. I don’t know. But unless we can take care of that problem and regrade the road and take some of the crown off because there’s places that the crown is so high on that road that it’s really difficult to control your vehicle when you’re going down through there. So – it appears to me that the only one of these options that would take care of that would be option number 3 is that correct. Am I correct in that
Mr. Hawes: No Option 1 grades the hill at Hunters Hill Road . As far as the crown – there would be full depth patching.
Mayor: So that doesn’t include the regarding of the road bed itself.
Mr. Hawes: I don’t think any of them include regarding of the entire road bed
Mayor: Well 3 if they’re going to put curbs and gutters and that sort of thing they’re going to have to do some regarding.
Mr. Hawes: Yeah just defacto I guess.
Mayor: However, option 3 would require – we’d have to dedicate our paving money and match money for two years running to this one project – is that correct.
Mr. Hawes: Option 3 is cost prohibitive under any funding scenario that I’m aware of.
Mayor: I’m sorry option 1 – these people are bothering me up here I can’t focus.
Mr. Hawes: Option 1 if we received an allocation of $600,000 we would not have to allocate – it would just basically be treated as a separate project rather than a resurfacing project. It would not go into this year’s resurfacing projects. It would have to be engineered and so forth and go out as a separate project by Co-Transco. If the C-Funds Committee were to fund it with $600,000 no we wouldn’t have to put any more than the $150,000 that we’ve already allocated to that project.
Mayor: Have we had any discussions with the County engineers since this is partially a County Road and it’s a short section on the end – but have we had any discussion with them about perhaps using some of their C-Fund money to contribute to this project so that we could do the entire length of it and perhaps piggy-back – I mean they’re going to piggy-back off of us – but piggy-back off of their money somehow to extend our money.
Mr. Hawes: No but I’ll say I think the County has done what they feel is appropriate with their section of road because they just finished repaving it last year.
Mayor: So they’re done.
Mr. Hawes: I would wager so yes.
Mayor: Just trying to think outside the box. Okay. So what do you need from us tonight – this is not a voting meeting so.
Mr. Hawes: I’m not – I just want you all to be aware that it would be my intent to go to C-Funds Committee with a proposal that we request the additional $600,000 allocation to get this project done as in option number 1.
Mayor: Okay – you’ll report back to us. Okay that’s fair enough. Now all of a sudden I see hands going up. Mr. Larson
Mr. Larson: Mr. Hawes I hate to see us go out and spend a lot of money on this project and not get it fixed properly. In your opinion do you think option 1 is going to fix the problem on Davenport Road
Mr. Hawes: Yes. In my opinion it would make Davenport a much safer road than what we have right now. You’re talking about shaving that hill down – adding 3 feet of road width on each side. Yes, I think that’s a good safe treatment to what we have out there compared to what we have right now.
Mr. Larson: I’d hate to spend half a million dollars or more and the thing still not be the way it’s supposed to be.
Mr. Hawes: I don’t see it as spending half a million dollars and not having it the way it’s supposed to be. It really puts it at a much higher quality road than what it is now.
Mayor: You report back to us and we can all be thinking about it and make a decision. Thank you for the report.
PRESENTATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR BOZA Mayor: All right, Ms. Bodkins you have a presentation of applications for the vacancies on the BOZA Committee I believe.
Ms. Bodkins: Yes sir, Mayor and Council. You have right now one opening on the BOZA Board, created when Mikelene Loe moved to the Planning Commission. I have two applications I’ve received, one from Barbara Riley, sponsored by Mr. Bridges and one from Hans Wiegert sponsored by Mayor Waldrop and you have both of those applications in your packets. And I will have a vote taken at the next regular business meeting to fill that position.
Mayor: Okay – fair enough. Thank you very much. And all of our other committees are fully staffed, well stocked
Ms. Bodkins: Yes I believe we’re all right on everything else.
Mayor: All right, thank you Ms. Bodkins.
ADJOURNMENT Mayor: All right – gee – next item on the Agenda is – would someone like to make a motion regarding anything.
Ms. Sanders: I move we adjourn the meeting of January 22 nd City Council
Mayor: I have a motion to adjourn. Do I hear a second
Mr. Curtis: Second Mayor: Thank you Mr. Curtis for your second. All those in favor signify by saying Aye (AYE) Opposed No. Aye’s have it we are adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
PAMELA J. BODKINS City Clerk |
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| 118 N E Main Street, Simpsonville, SC 29681 |
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