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Town of Farmville, Virginia |
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Home >> Town Government >> Town Council >> Meeting Minutes June 13, 2007 |
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REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE FARMVILLE TOWN COUNCIL HELD ON JUNE 13, 2007 At the regular monthly meeting of the Farmville Town Council held on June 13, 2007, at the Farmville Train Station located at 510 West Third Street, Farmville there present were Mayor S.C. Newman, Jr., presiding and Council members D.E. Whitus, D.L. Hunter, A.H. Nase, O.S. Overton, A.D. Reid and E.I. Gordon. Also attending were Town Manager, Gerald J. Spates, Town Planner, Cindy Morris and Town Property Inspector, Kim Thompson. Reverend Price opened the meeting with a prayer. On proper motion, duly seconded and carried, the regular order of business was dispensed with to hear from guests. Town Manager, Gerald Spates welcomed Mr. Timothy Cocrane and his family. Mr. Spates said Mr. Cocrane was invited to the Council meeting to be presented with the resolution of recognition for his brave actions on the morning of March 3, 2007. Mr. Cocrane entered a fully engulfed residence on First Avenue. His actions that morning attributed to saving the lives of three people. Mayor Newman presented Mr. Cocrane with the resolution Town Council had adopted at their regular meeting held on March 14, 2007. Mrs. Abby O’Connor addressed Council with her concerns with a request for a conditional use permit from Walk2Campus for the property located at 505 Beech Street. Walk2Campus is interested on converting a single-family residence to a two (2) apartment dwelling. Mrs. O’Connor spoke of her feelings on the loss of single family neighborhoods, additional traffic concerns along with the additional demands on the infrastructure capabilities in certain areas of town. Mayor Joe Morrissett of the Town of Burkeville appeared before Council to express his appreciation to Town Council and the Town Manager for their continued generosity to the Town of Crewe. Mayor Morrissett thanked the Town for the recent donation of a vehicle that will be used by the Burkeville Police Department. Mr. Jim Garrett, business owner of Kinex, addressed Town Council with his concerns on what he described as the lack of posting of sufficient signage alerting the public of the towing policy at the Mid-Town Square development. Mr. Garrett spoke at great length about his out of town customers’ displeasure at having their vehicles towed because they parked in the retail parking spaces at Mid-Town Square. In closing, he expressed his feelings on how poorly this reflects on the Town and asked Council to create an ordinance requiring additional signage. Town Manager, Gerald Spates reminded Council that this area is private property and the required signage is posted. Council member Reid spoke of parking problems experienced by the First Baptist Church. Council member Gordon suggested the issue be referred to a committee for further investigation. On motion by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with all Council members voting “aye” the issue of requiring the posting of additional towing enforced signage at the MidTown Square development was referred to the Street Committee for their recommendations. Mayor Newman suggested the Town Manager write a letter to developer, Mr. William Park. On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with all Council members voting “aye”, the minutes of the May 9, 2007 regular Council meeting were approved, as previously presented to each Council member. On motion by Mr. Overton, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with all Council members voting “aye”, the minutes of the May 14, 2007 reconvened Council meeting were approved, as previously presented to each Council member. On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with all Council members voting “aye”, the minutes of the May 29, 2007 reconvened Council meeting were approved, as previously presented to each Council member. On motion by Mrs. Nase, seconded by Mr. Overton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved the Treasurer’s Report. On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Whitus and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved the payment of the following bills: (BILLS PRINTED IN MINUTE BOOK) REQUEST TO AMEND TOWN ORDINANCE CHAPTER 29 ZONING DIVISION 11. BUSINESS DISTRICT B-3 SEC. 29-312 USES On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Overton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye” Council adopted the following amended ordinance: Chapter 29 Zoning Division 11. Business District B-3 Sec. 29-312 Uses (28) Private or public detention or holding facilities for adult immigrant Level 1 detainees, with a conditional use permit. The Town Manager clarified that this amendment specifically addresses the Leve1 classification. REQUEST FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT – MR. TROY DAVIS On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Mr. Reid and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council granted a conditional use permit on behalf of Mr. Troy Davis. Mr. Davis requested the permit to operate an auction service at 2737 A West Third Street. This is an allowed use with a conditional use permit. REQUEST FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT ON BEHALF OF WALK2CAMPUS PROPERTIES, LLC. On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Hunter a motion was made to continue the request for a conditional use permit on behalf of Walk2Campus Properties, LLC to convert a single-family residence to a two (2)-unit apartment dwelling at 505 Beech Street. Council members discussed this matter at length, addressing concerns expressed by Mrs. Abby O’Connor at the Pubic Hearing. Members were not able to substantiate Mrs. O’Connor’s distress with the possibility of overloaded electrical service or potential infrastructure problems. Mr. Spates said the request for the apartment unit is an allowed use with a conditional use permit. He continued by saying, according to Town ordinance - no action taken by Council would automatically grant the request after a certain amount of days. On substitute motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Overton with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved a conditional use permit on behalf of Walk2Campus Properties, LLC to convert a single-family residence to a two (2)-unit apartment dwelling at 505 Beech Street. REQUEST FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT ON BEHALF OF IMMIGRATION CENTERS OF AMERICA-FARMVILLE, LLC On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Overton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council granted a conditional use permit on behalf of Mr. Russell Harper with Immigration Centers of America-Farmville, LLC to establish a private immigration detention facility to house Level 1 classified detainees at property located off Waterworks Road. REQUEST TO REZONE PROPERTY AT 836 BUFFALO STREET On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council denied a rezoning request by Ms. Cynthia Bergstorm Devlin to rezone the property at 836 Buffalo Street from Residential District R-2 to Residential District R-3. Council members and the Town Manager reported that they were contacted by adjacent property owners and who reported they were against the rezoning request. REQUEST TO REZONE PROPERTY AT 806 OAK STREET On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with the recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council granted a rezoning request by Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Joyce to rezone their property at 806 Oak Street from Residential District R-2 to Residential District R-3. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COMMONWEALTH REGIONAL COUNCIL IN 2007-2008 On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council agreed to withdraw the Town of Farmville from the Commonwealth Regional Council, effective July 1, 2007. Prior to any discussion and vote, the Town Manager was updating members on the proposed 2007-2008 budget appropriations beginning with the Commonwealth Regional Council’s amended request for funding. Mr. Spates said the request for 2007-2008 was $15,700; the CRC has requested an additional $8,500 to fund a lobbyist position, amending their request for 2007-2008 to $24,200. Council member Gordon, who is Council’s representative on the CRC, shared his concerns with what he addressed as a lack of accomplishments and effectiveness of the CRC. Dr. Gordon recommended the Town of Farmville withdraw from the CRC in 2007-2008. He said the Farmville was the only town allowed to join the CRC and by withdrawing Town would still receive representation but it would fall under Prince Edward County. PROPOSED 2007-2008 FARMVILLE BUDGET On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Mr. Overton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye” Council approved advertising for a Public Hearing on the proposed 2007-2008 Town Budget. Council members agreed to advertise the proposed 2007-2008 Town budget with the following amendments: withdraw request for appropriations from the following organizations – Commonwealth Regional Council, YMCA, P.E. Youth Association, Hampden Sydney Music Festival, P.E. Community Center, Mulligan’s Sports Grille and the Youth Empowerment Center also to amend the request from Scope from $7,500 to $1,000. Mr. Spates reminded members the proposed budget includes the sale of the current municipal building. Mayor Newman spoke of his support of the sale and highlighted major maintenance repair issues that would need to be addressed prior to being able to rent the building. Dr. Gordon supported Mayor Newman’s findings. Council members Nase and Whitus expressed concerns with selling the property. Mrs. Nase said the property is a key piece of real estate located between the courthouse and new town hall and felt the Town should maintain ownership. Mr. Whitus spoke of financial concerns stating the balancing of the Town budget should not be dependent on the sale of the building. Members requested a tour of the municipal building prior to a decision being made on the sale of the building. PROPERTY INSPECTOR’S REPORT Council members received copies of the May 2007 Property Inspector’s Report. RENEW LINE OF CREDIT On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council authorized the Town Treasurer to renew the $1,000,000 line of credit with Sun Trust Bank with an interest rate of .67% of one month LIBOR plus .85%. There will be an unused fee of .0029% on the balance. REQUEST FOR PARTIAL BUSINESS LICENSE REFUND – EARTHSCAPE, INC. On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved a partial 2007-business license refund of $502.88 to Mr. Roy J. Taylor, Jr. on behalf of Earthscape, Inc. Mr. Taylor reported that Earthscape, Inc went out of business on April 30, 2007. REQUEST FOR PAYMENT FROM THE NARCOTIC’S FUND On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved payment to Security Alliance Command Center for $20.00 from the Narcotic’s Fund. INFORMATION ON THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND ECONOMIC INTEREST STATEMENT On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Hunter this matter was continued. Dr. Gordon said he still has outstanding questions on the Statement of Economic Interest and Freedom of Information Act in reference to Council member Horton and Poplar Hill. He asked that this matter be continued and discussed at a Council meeting when Mr. Horton is present. LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE Mr. Spates provided Council members with a copy of a letter he received from the NAACP requesting information on the criteria used by Town Council in naming of town facilities. He also reminded members that the Property Committee (Council members Horton, Nase and Reid) need to meet to discuss their recommendations to Council. TRANSFER OF LAND TO THE FARMVILLE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Overton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council authorized the transfer of an additional thirty acres of land located off Waterworks Road to the Farmville Industrial Development Authority. Mr. Spates said Council had previously authorized the transfer of twenty aces of land to the FIDA to be used towards the proposed ICE facility. He said the intent was to transfer the Bollinger property, approximately a fifty-acre parcel – this action is an amendment. FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Dr. Gordon a motion was made to grant Town employees a half day holiday on Tuesday, July 3rd in observance of July 4th holiday. Council members Whitus and Gordon withdrew their motion. On motion by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Reid and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council granted Town employees a holiday on Tuesday, July 3rd. Town offices will be closed on July 3rd and July 4th, 2007. DONATION OF COUNCIL TABLES On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Nase, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council agreed to donate the Council tables to the Moton Museum. TOWN COUNCIL REPORTED ON THE FOLLOWING: · Council member Nase requested an update on the status of the burned house of First Avenue. Mr. Spates said Town Attorney Don Blessing is addressing this issue. · Council member Nase said she has been approached by community residents asking for the process for filling her seat if she resigns from Council. Mr. Spates said in the past Council has asked for letters of intent from residents living in that ward then Council appoints a person to serve the remaining term. He said the process can not be started until the seat is vacant. · Council member Gordon reminded members that they had previously agreed to look at amending the Charter and suggested members consider revisiting this issue and appoint a committee to start the process. TOWN MANAGER REPORTED ON THE FOLLOWING · Reminded members of the July 3rd fireworks at the Farmville Regional Airport On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with all Council members voting “aye”, the meeting was recessed until Tuesday, June 26th, at 12:00 pm for the joint Town and County meeting. Members also agreed to schedule a Public Hearing at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, June 27th at the New Town Hall Council Chambers to hear citizen comments on the proposed 2007-2008 Town budget. APPROVED: ATTEST: __________________________ ___________________________ Mayor S.C. Newman, Jr. Lisa M. Hricko |
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Town of Farmville, 116 North Main Street, Farmville, VA 23901 Telephone: 434.392.5686 |
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