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Town of Farmville, Virginia |
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Home >> Town Government >> Town Council >> Meeting Minutes September 12, 2007 |
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REGULAR MEETING OF THE FARMVILLE TOWN COUNCIL HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 At the regular monthly meeting of the Farmville Town Council held on September 12, 2007 at 7:00 pm in the Council Chamber’s located on the second floor of the Town Hall, 116 North Main Street, there present were Mayor S.C. Newman, Jr., presiding and Council members D.E. Whitus, D.L. Hunter, H.L. Horton, O.S. Overton, A.D. Reid and E.I. Gordon. Also in attendance were Town Manager, Gerald J. Spates, Chief of Police, Stuart O. Dunnavant, Town Treasurer, Carol Anne Seal, Town Planner, Cindy Morris and Town Property Inspector, Kim Thompson. Reverend Price opened the meeting with a prayer. On motion by Mr. Horton, seconded by Mr. Whitus and with all Council members voting “aye”, the minutes of the August 8, 2007 regular meeting were approved, as previously presented to each Council member. On motion by Mr. Horton, seconded by Mr. Whitus and with all Council members voting “aye”, the minutes of the September 11, 2007 special called Council meeting were approved as presented to each Council members. FARMVILLE TOWN COUNCIL’S APPOINTMENT OF WARD B REPRESENTATIVE On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Reid and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Horton, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council appointed Sally Bovard Thompson as Ward B representative on the Farmville Town Council. Mrs. Thompson’s term will run through June 30, 2010. Mayor Newman addressed those candidates that had submitted letters of interest. He thanked them for their community involvement and willingness to serve. He spoke of their qualifications and the difficult decision Council members faced. In closing, he said he supported Council’s choice of Mrs. Thompson and welcomed her as Ward B’s representative. Mrs. Thompson will be serving the remaining term of Mrs. E. Anne H. Nase. Mrs. Nase resigned her seat effective August 9, 2007 in anticipation of her upcoming marriage and relocating to Amherst, Virginia. On motion by Mr. Horton, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with all Council members voting “aye”, the minutes of the August 16, 2007 special called Council meeting were approved, as previously presented to each Council member. On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Horton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Horton, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved the Treasurer’s Report. On motion by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Whitus and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Horton, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council approved payment of the following bills: (BILLS PRINTED IN MINUTE BOOK) REQUEST FOR ALLEY ABANDONMENT ON BEHALF OF CROSSROADS COMMUNITY SERVICE – 410 MARYLAND STREET On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Reid the request by Mr. F. Will Rogers on behalf of Crossroads Community Services to abandon the alleyway directly behind their property at 410 Maryland Street was continued. Town Manager, Gerald Spates suggested approving the alley abandonment contingent upon a joint meeting with the representatives from Crossroads Community Services and the residents of Maryland Street, to discuss those concerns expressed at the Public Hearing held this evening. Ms. Susan Lynch, of 408 Maryland Street and Mr. and Mrs. James Phaup, of 305 Maryland Street spoke of what they described as lack of adequate supervision for individuals living at the Crossroads Community Service facility located at 410 Maryland Street. They felt by Council granting the alley abandonment, Crossroads will be able to expand or build another facility closer to their residential homes. Council decided to take no action until the joint meeting could be held and concerns of the residents in the area addressed. REQUEST FOR ALLEY ABANDONMENT – MR. AND MRS. ROBERT SHANABERGER – 401 MARYLAND STREET On motion by Mr. Horton, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council authorized advertisement for a Public Hearing for an alley abandonment request by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shanaberger, property owners of 401 Maryland Street. Town Manager, Gerald Spates said the Board of Viewers has approved the request and all adjacent property owners are in agreement. REQUEST FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT – 120 EAST SECOND STREET – MS. TONI RUSSELL On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Horton, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council granted a conditional use permit to Ms. Toni Russell to operate an in-door flea market at 120 East Second Street. The permit allows Ms. Russell to operate on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Town Manager, Gerald Spates informed Ms. Russell prior to installing signage she will need to complete an application for a sign permit along with submitting drawings of the proposed signage. PROPERTY INSPECTOR’S REPORT Council members received copies of the August 2007 Property Inspector’s Report. Town Manager, Gerald Spates informed members that Town Attorney, Donald Blessing will be prosecuting violations on the new noise ordinance. Mr. Blessing will be asking the courts to allow first offenders to perform community service. Property Inspector, Kim Thompson will be overseeing this program. Council member Reid inquired as to the procedures for unkempt property violations. Mrs. Thompson explained the steps she takes prior to issuing a certified warning letter. COMMITTEE UPDATES: · Ethics Committee: Mr. Spates informed members that legal counsel at the Virginia Municipal League has reviewed the previously submitted, Code of Ethics for Members of Town Council and a copy of their suggestions is attached. · On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council referred the Code of Ethics for Members of Town Council to the Ethics Committee for further discussion and amendments. · Property Committee: Mr. Spates said the Property Committee needs to meet to discuss the wording for the plaque for the Police Administration floor. He also said he thought Council should create a committee to discuss the new Town Hall dedication. He continued by saying he has received offers from two catering businesses interested in donating food for the event. Council members Whitus and Horton recommended Mrs. Thompson serve on the committee. Mayor Newman referred this matter to the Property Committee – committee members are Mr. Horton, Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Reid. Mr. Spates updated members on the Streetscape project and commended the town workers and contractors for their hard work and dedication. · Street Committee: Mr. Spates reported the Street Committee needs to meet to make their recommendations to Council on a request for two new traffic lights. One to be installed at the intersection of Sunchase Boulevard and East Third Street and the second at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Third Street. Council continued this matter. SALE OF MUNICIPAL BUILDING On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, and Council member Horton abstaining stating “conflict of interest”, Council approved the sale of the municipal building to Mr. Keith Barber for $401,000.00. Mr. Spates said the Town received one bid for the building and Mr. Barber fulfilled the bid requirements by posting a certified check for 10 percent up front. Council member Gordon said he had received a number of calls on Council’s decision to sell the municipal building. He said he has told the callers that keeping the building is not feasible at the present time and continued by saying he felt Council will later wish they had been able to keep the property but it is not a viable option at this time. REQUEST FOR DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS / YMCA HALLOWEEN PARADE On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Mr. Horton and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council approved a request on behalf of the Southside Virginia Family YMCA to hold the annual Downtown Merchants YMCA Halloween Parade on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 4:00 pm. REQUEST FOR PARADE PERMIT – WESLEY FOUNDATION On motion Mr. Whitus, seconded by Mr. Horton and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council approved a parade permit request on behalf of the Wesley Foundation. The event will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2007 starting at 9:00 am at the United Methodist Church on Third Street. REQUEST FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT – DAVID HOOPER On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Overton and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council referred a conditional use permit request by Mr. David Hooper of 100 Jesse’s Way to the Farmville Planning Commission and authorized advertisement for a Public Notice. Mr. Spates said Mr. Hooper is interested in operating a web design and consulting/internet sales and service business from his home. The property is zoned residential district R1A and any home occupations in R1A zones require a conditional use permit. INFORMATION ONLY Mr. Spates provided Council members with a copy of the minutes from the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting held on August 14, 2007 for their information. TOWN CHARTER AMENDMENT – CONTRACT FOR POSITION OF TOWN MANAGER On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Horton and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council referred the matter of a contract for the position of Town Manager to the Finance and Ordinance Committee. Mr. Spates said this issue was referred to the committee at the August 8, 2007 council meeting. He said committee requested a legal opinion on the possibility of being able to offer a contract without amending the Town Charter. Mr. Spates said legal counsel at the Virginia Municipal League reported that localities may offer contracts by adopting a resolution. SALARY INCREASE FOR TOWN MANAGER On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Overton and with a recorded vote with Council members Whitus, Hunter, Horton, Overton, Reid and Gordon voting “aye”, Council agreed to increase Town Manager, Gerald Spates’ annual salary to $125,000.00 effective as of the next pay period. Dr. Gordon and Mayor Newman spoke of Mr. Spates’ dedication to the community and the excellent job he continues to perform. Dr. Gordon said Town Council has already reviewed salaries from other localities and the proposed salary of $125,000 is comparable. Mr. Hunter asked for the Town Manager’s current salary. Dr. Gordon said Mr. Spates’ makes $108,000 annually, the increase to $125,000 will be a 15.7 percent raise. He said with the community’s continued growth Mr. Spates’ responsibilities have increased and asked for Council’s support. Dr. Gordon and Mr. Spates thanked Town Council. REQUEST FOR ALLEY ABANDONMENT – MR. AND MRS. PAUL CAVE – 1203 FIFTH AVENUE On motion by Mr. Horton, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council continued this matter. Mr. Spates said he had received an alley abandonment request from Mrs. Peggy Cave, property owner of 1203 Fifth Avenue. He said it has been Council’s policy when abandoning an alley to abandon the entire alley - not all property owners had signed the petition and requested this matter be continued so all property owners could be notified. REQUEST FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT – NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS (TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER) On motion by Mr. Reid, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with all Council members voting “aye”, this matter was continued. Council instructed the Town Manager to schedule a Public Input Meeting with representatives from New Cingular Wireless to discuss their plans to construct a 195-foot monopole telecommunications tower and related equipment on the property to be leased from Buffalo Shook Co., located along Grove Street. Members believe more information needs to be provided prior to taking any action on this request. COMMONWEALTH REGIONAL COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES Dr. Gordon informed members of the CRC’s legislative priorities: · Priority one – High Bridge State Park, Phase 1 (from Rice to Prospect) – seek full funding for construction and operation expenses · Priority two – seek money from the continuation of the funding for the economic development program of the Commonwealth Regional Council · Priority three – funding for the last mile of connection for the broadband service throughout the region. DOG PARK On motion by Dr. Gordon, seconded by Mr. Hunter and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council directed the Property Committee to make recommendations to Council on the Town creating a dog park. Dr. Gordon said he had concerns with this idea because of his experiences in the medical field. WATER PARK (FOUNTAIN SQUIRING WATER) On motion by Mr. Horton, seconded by Dr. Gordon and with all Council members voting “aye”, Council referred the concept of a water park to the Property Committee for their recommendations to Council. Mr. Horton and Mr. Hunter spoke of their support for the project. PAVING STREETS On motion by Mr. Whitus, seconded by Mr. Hunter and all Council members voting “aye”, Council requested the Street Committee develop a list of areas in town needing paving. THE TOWN MANAGER REPORTED ON THE FOLLOWING · Update Council members on the bridge projects · Reminded members of the upcoming Virginia Municipal League conference · J. Harmon Saunders was low bid on the Landfill Closing project submitting a bid of approximately $683,000 TOWN COUNCIL REPORTED ON THE FOLLOWING: · Council member Gordon spoke of the Local Emergency Planning committee saying the committee will be holding a full-scale tabletop mock disaster exercise in the near future and they are looking into developing a Citizen Emergency Response Training Committee (CERT). He spoke of the committee as being in a state of readiness. There being no other business the meeting was declared adjourned at 8:23 pm. APPROVED: ATTEST: ________________________ _______________________ Mayor S.C. Newman, Jr. Lisa M. Hricko, Clerk |
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Town of Farmville, 116 North Main Street, Farmville, VA 23901 Telephone: 434.392.5686 |
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