REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING (6:00 PM)C40217A2-DBB8-4AAB-9690... · Minutes of the Columbus Town Council Thursday, September 18, 2014 1 1 Town of Columbus 2 Minutes of Columbus Town Council

REGULAR MEETING OF TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA

October 16, 2014 RULES FOR PERSONS ADDRESSING COUNCIL

1. Each speaker will identify himself or herself by giving his or her name and place of residence. 2. Each speaker will be limited to speaking one time on any topic. When you are finished speaking, please step

away from the podium and be seated. 3. Each speaker will be limited to three (3) minutes and each group's representative will be limited to a maximum

of ten (10) total minutes. Each group is encouraged to designate a single spokesperson for their group. 4. Each speaker will confine himself or herself to the general question before the Council and avoid irrelevant

comments.

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

(6:00 PM)

1. Invocation 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comments 4. Agenda Adoption 5. Approve Consent Agenda (All matters listed are considered to be routine and non- controversial

by Town Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion unless a Council member so requests, in which case the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately.

a. Approve September 18, 2014 Regular Council Minutes (5a) b. Approve September 29, 2014 Special Meeting Minutes (5b) c. Approve October 2, 2014 Special Meeting Minutes (5c)

6. Appearance by Diane Rickman, Communications Director (6) 7. Appearance by Brian Tripp, Engineer with W.K. Dickson (7) 8. Appearance by Joe Cooper, Chairman of the Polk County Appearance Commission (8) 9. Discussion Regarding Parking Requests (9) 10. Consideration of employment contract for Timothy Barth, Interim Town Manager (10)

11. Reports

a. Council Members Report (11a) b. Managers Report (11b) c. Public Works Report (11c) d. Police, ABC, and Fire Department reports (11d)

12. Closed Session –To prevent the disclosure of information that is privileged or confidential, approval of closed session minutes – NCGS §143-318.11(a)(1)

13. Adjourn

Minutes of the Columbus Town Council Thursday, September 18, 2014 1

Town of Columbus 1 Minutes of Columbus Town Council 2

September 18, 2014 3 4 Mayor McIntyre called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. 5 6 In attendance were Mayor McIntyre, Councilmen McCallister, Hall, and Denton, Councilwoman 7 Metcalf, Interim Town Manager Timothy Barth, Town Attorney Bailey Nager, Police Chief 8 Chris Beddingfield, Public Works Director Robert Rosseter and Town Clerk Devon 9 LaFromboise. 10 11

Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. 12 13 Invocation 14 Councilman Hall led the invocation. 15 16 Public Comments 17 Mayor McIntyre opened the floor for agenda item three, public comments. Shelby Harris of 121 18 Hampton Court signed up to speak at the public comments. Mrs. Harris spoke about the 19 proposed street name change of Hampton Street. Mrs. Harris has been a resident of Hampton 20 Street for 40 years. Mrs. Harris reminded Council of the effect of the change. She believes a 21 simple solution is to add the correct numbers on Hampton Street and Hampton Court in the GPS 22 and 911 systems. Mr. Harris spoke to Town Staff years ago when the new sign was erected 23 noting the street as Hampton Street, she believes it was 18 years ago. Mrs. Harris claimed there 24 are nine streets with a "fox" in the name and she asked if the County would be required to make 25 eight changes because of the "fox" being in the name. She believes the proper numbering of the 26 street addresses would resolve the problem. 27 28 Approve Regular Agenda 29 Mayor McIntyre asked for any changes to the agenda. Councilwoman Metcalf asked if item 10 - 30 Appearance of Ernie Kan could be moved to item 6 - Public Hearing on Amending the Zoning 31 Ordinance, and item 6 could be swapped to item 10. Interim Manager Barth informed Council 32 that quotes for Gibson Street are not available and asked to remove item 11 - Consideration of 33 Awarding a contract to resurface Gibson Street. Mayor McIntyre asked to have it added to the 34 October 2014 agenda. Councilwoman Metcalf asked to add item 11 - Letter to Town Council 35 regarding parking issues. Councilman Denton moved to approve the agenda with the following 36 changes: to remove item 11 Consideration of Awarding a contract to resurface Gibson Street and 37 add item 11 – Letter to Town Council regarding parking issues and to move item 10 to 6 and 38 item 6 to 10, Councilman Hall seconded, motion carried. 39 40 Approve Consent Agenda 41 Mayor McIntyre asked for any changes to the consent agenda. There were no changes to the 42 consent agenda. Councilwoman Metcalf made a motion to approve the consent agenda as 43 written, Councilman McCallister seconded, motion carried. 44 45 The consent agenda and following items were unanimously approved. 46 47 48


1. Proclamation for POW/MIA Recognition Day for September 19, 2014 49 2. Proclamation for Military Suicide Awareness Month (September) 50 3. Proclamation for Ann Panteleakos, National President of the Ladies VFW Auxiliary 51 4. Approve August 21, 2014 Regular Council Minutes 52 5. Approve August 28, 2014 Recessed Meeting Minutes 53

54 This concludes the items approved in the consent agenda. 55 56 Town Clerk read the Proclamation for POW/MIA Recognition day for September 19, 2014, 57 Proclamation for Military Suicide Awareness Month, Proclamation for Ann Panteleakos, 58 National President of the Ladies VFW Auxiliary. 59 60 Appearance of Ernie Kan Regarding A Street Name Change 61 Ernie Kan presented the new proposed name of Hampton Street. The proposed name is for a Dr. 62 Roy Morgan who worked in Columbus. His practice was started in 1966 and he lived on Fox 63 Mountain Rd in Columbus. The option presented was to rename the road to Morgan Dr. 64 Councilman McCallister asked how many residents were in agreement; Mrs. Kan confirmed that 65 four out of the five residents were in agreement. 66 67 Councilman Denton asked if there was a preference to keeping it as Hampton Street; Mrs. Kan 68 did not discuss the option of keeping it as Hampton Street. Mrs. Kan explained that the 69 discussion was presented as a change requested by emergency personnel. 70 71 Marche Pittman, Interim County Manager, explained that a caller giving directions can cause 72 confusion for emergency personnel. Manager Pittman explained that the name is a two digit 73 designator, not the street type. This designator is what leads emergency personnel to the correct 74 location for emergency calls. Manager Pittman asked if the Emergency System Coordinator 75 could attend the next meeting to discuss the issue in depth. 76 77 Council agreed to invite Bobby Arledge, Emergency System Coordinator, to speak at the next 78 town council meeting. 79 80 Council directed Interim Manager Barth to send a letter to the residents of Hampton Street 81 informing them of the issue. 82 83 Councilman Hall asked what would have to be changed if the name of the street was changed. 84 Manager Pittman explained that there would be data entry and a GIS edit to make the change. 85 Manager Pittman feels the change would not be difficult. Attorney Nager explained the Town 86 would only have to inform the County of the change; however, the residents would have to 87 change their records to reflect this change. 88 89 Council decided to table the discussion until the next council meeting. 90 91 Appearance of Frank Ortiz to Present to the Town a Designation as a Regional Site for the 92 Observance of Veteran’s Day 2014 93 Mayor McIntyre introduced Frank Ortiz. Mr. Ortiz presented the Town of Columbus a certificate 94 of recognition. This certificate designates the Town of Columbus as a regional site for the 95 observance of Veteran's Day 2014. The national committee consists of members who represent 96


all the veterans and military associations and organizations throughout the U.S. The committee is 97 chaired by the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs. 98 99 Mr. Ortiz explained that only 62 such awards are made throughout the country. Mr. Ortiz 100 presented the certificate to Mayor McIntyre. 101 102 Appearance by Robert Williamson to Speak about the Tryon International Equestrian 103 Center 104 Mayor McIntyre introduced Robert Williamson to speak about the Tryon International 105 Equestrian Center. Mr. Williamson discussed the economic opportunities that will be available as 106 a result of the center. 107 108 Mr. Williamson explained the event held at the center in July of 2014 attracted 2,000 visitors 109 with a $900,000.00 economic impact. Today, September 18, 2014, a six week series of events 110 will commence and Mr. Williamson will oversee an economic study of the demographics of the 111 visitors and their activities. Mr. Williamson spoke with representatives from Spartanburg and 112 Rutherfordton Counties who are gearing up for the inflow of visitors and the pressure that will be 113 put on local business services. 114 115 The existing businesses may need to adjust operating times, and new businesses could spring up 116 as a result of these events. Mr. Williamson predicts the visitors will have a desire to experience 117 local culture, with some possibly seeking permanent settlement in and around the area. There is a 118 need for lodging in the local areas to encourage visitors to remain in town. 119 120 Mr. Williamson emphasized that Polk County wants to encourage the economic boom while 121 maintaining the small town heritage. Mr. Williamson is coordinating with local businesses and 122 surrounding counties to maximize opportunities. Mr. Williamson is asking Council to become 123 involved, share ideas, and to ask questions. 124 125 Mayor McIntyre asked how many rooms are available in the hotel on the property. Mr. 126 Williamson estimated that there are 150 rooms in the Salamander Resort and 200 rooms in the 127 second hotel, but they will not be ready until 2016. Mr. Williamson explained that growth will be 128 limited due to infrastructure. Manager Pittman also discussed the problem with traffic counts not 129 being high enough to encourage hotel growth in the area. 130 131 Councilman Denton asked how long the season will last. Mr. Williamson explained the different 132 seasons and the timeframes. A 6-9 month season is under discussion. 133 134 Manager Pittman extended the resources of Polk County to the Town of Columbus to work 135 together for economic growth. 136 137 Consideration of a Resolution Approving the TAG Grant Request for Water System 138 Improvements 139 Interim Manager Tim Barth briefly discussed some of the water issues that have prompted the 140 need for a technical assistance grant. 141 142 Items include water storage, inspection and testing of the Skyuka Rd well, inspection and 143 monitoring of the overall system, creation of a drought management plan, identifying future 144


service areas, determining a second water storage reservoir, and a review of water availability. 145 This is a grant to study and plan; this is not a working grant. It is a $50,000.00 grant with no 146 Town match. McGill and Associates will write the grant and the resolution will allow Interim 147 Town Manager Barth to sign the grant application. This will be a basis to apply for additional 148 grants for improvement work. 149 150 Interim Manager Barth explained that right now staff is providing information regarding the 151 system to McGill and Associates for preparation of the grant. Mayor McIntyre asked if the grant 152 would be all or nothing, Interim Manager Barth reassured Mayor McIntyre that it could be any 153 amount of funding. 154 155 Mayor McIntyre asked Director Rosseter to explain the issues with the Skyuka well. Director 156 Rosseter explained that if there is over 100,000 gallons pumped in a day, the well will start 157 sucking in air and air locking the lines. 158 159 Mayor McIntyre asked for clarification on the idea of temporary storage. Interim Manage Barth 160 explained that it was a suggestion made by McGill and Associates. Interim Manager Barth 161 believes there may be a way to use the interconnection along with temporary tanks to provide 162 service for a short period of time to allow tank drainage. The current storage tank may last for 163 several more years, but it needs to be drained and inspected. A second permanent storage tank 164 needs to be in place to allow for inspection and repair of the first tank. Director Rosseter 165 explained there would be no fire protection if the tank is drained without a back up tank. 166 167 Councilwoman Metcalf asked if the study would lead to a water authority. Interim Manager 168 Barth was adamant that that is not the direction intended in these studies and feels the Town 169 having control of the water and wastewater systems is in the best interest of the town. This study 170 is to keep our system viable and operational. Director Rosseter explained the grant will help the 171 Town look ahead to possible issues in maintenance, functionality, and demand on the system. 172 173 Councilman Denton asked if the State inspects the wells. Director Rosseter confirmed the State 174 inspects the wells every two years and there have been no violations. 175 176 Councilwoman Metcalf asked for clarification on remaining cost of project wording. Interim 177 Manager Barth explained it is standard grant language to say the Town will commit to the level 178 required. McGill and Associates guaranteed that there is no Town match. Councilwoman Metcalf 179 asked Interim Manager Barth to get a letter guaranteeing the requirement. 180 181 Councilman McCallister made a motion to approve the resolution to apply for the Technical 182 Assistance Grant contingent upon Interim Town Manager Tim Barth receiving in writing 183 confirmation that no monies will be required for any matching funds whatsoever, Councilman 184 Hall seconded, motion carried. 185 186 Public Hearing on Amending the Zoning Ordinance 187 Mayor McIntyre opened the floor for the public hearing. There were no public comments. 188 189 Mayor McIntyre asked Attorney Nager if the wording "individual for profit business" would 190 encompass everything. Attorney Nager confirmed the wording would not apply to nonprofit 191 businesses. The wording also would not apply to political signs. 192


The public hearing was then closed. 193 194 Consideration of Zoning Ordinance Amendment 195 Councilwoman Metcalf made a motion to approve the Ordinance Amending the Zoning 196 Ordinance regarding temporary signs, Councilman McCallister seconded, motion carried. 197 198 Letter to Town Council Regarding Parking Issues 199 Town Clerk LaFromboise read the letter to the town council aloud. The letter was from a local 200 business owner who was requesting designated parking along Ward Street. Councilman Denton 201 asked Attorney Nager if the Town could designate parking on a public street for a private 202 business. Attorney Nager believes the Town could not designate the parking spaces. 203 204 Mayor McIntyre asked if the business owner could put up a sign requesting no parking without 205 the town’s involvement. Allowing that could cause an issue. Councilman Denton reminded 206 Council that if the business put up the sign it would fall under a for profit business. 207 208 Council considered designating the parking as 2 hour parking. 209 210 Council discussed many options including parking behind the Womack building, parking for the 211 Second Chance Thrift Store parking for employees, and parking along Owens Street. 212 213 Interim Manager Barth suggested allowing staff to review the issue and bring a recommendation 214 to Council. Council directed staff to investigate and inform Mrs. Bridgeman that staff will 215 evaluate the possibility of making a change. . 216 217 Consideration of the Brush Policy 218 Director Rosseter explained that the wording was cleaned up and the specific fee was eliminated. 219 Interim Manager Barth explained that if a request doesn't comply with specific sections of the 220 policy, then the Manager and Public Works Director would evaluate the situation. 221 222 Attorney Nager made the following suggestions: 223

1. Under item 1(f) – “clearing of lots,” – Attorney Nager suggested removing the comma 224 after the word lots. 225

2. Under item 1(f) and section 2 – Change “reasonable fee to cover the Town’s disposal 226 expenses” to include “reasonable fee to cover the Town’s collection and disposal 227 expenses.” 228

3. Under item 1(f) and section 2 - Change "will" to "may" then add a comma after 229 “approve” and add "at his or her discretion" – add another comma after discretion and 230 then continue with “approve the arrangement...” 231

232 Councilman Denton made a motion to approve the brush policy with the change of wording in 233 section 1(f) and section 2 to read “pick up arrangements at Town Hall. The Town Manager may, 234 at his or her discretion, approve the arrangement and may set a reasonable fee to cover the 235 Town’s collection and disposal expenses, Councilman Hall seconded, motion carried. 236 237 Council Reports 238 Councilwoman Metcalf complimented Shannon Bailey on the landscaping work he did around 239 the Town Hall and the Police Department. 240


Councilman Denton was in agreement with Councilwoman Metcalf. 241 242 Manager’s Report 243 Interim Manager Barth presented his report on the following topics: 244

• Mediation for the regional water system litigation was held last Thursday, September 11, 245 2014. There was no conclusion reached at the mediation. Attorney Nager will go into 246 further detail in the closed session portion of the meeting. 247

• The North Carolina League of Municipalities Annual Conference will be in Greensboro 248 on October 12, 2014. Interim Manager Barth invited Council to attend the conference. 249

• There is no decision on the Tryon Estates litigation. 250 • The waste water treatment plant is complete and in operation. There may be some 251

savings with the new sludge holding facility. The sludge is able to settle out of the water 252 and the water is run back through the system. The sludge will be thicker and will not 253 require pumping as often. Director Rosseter and Interim Manager Barth are planning to 254 meet with the engineer in the next week to 10 days to resolve as many issues as possible 255 and any issues not resolved with be brought before Council at a special meeting. 256 257

Public Works Report 258 Mayor McIntyre asked to clarify the location of the small sink hole. It is located on the round-a-259 bout. The Town has a water line in the area and if the sinkhole gets large enough it could damage 260 the waterline. 261 262 Mayor McIntyre then asked after the sinkhole with the Columbus Marketing Property. Director 263 Rosseter explained the issue is establishing grass in the area but the weather is not cooperating. 264 265 Councilwoman Metcalf spoke with a citizen who would like to have Christmas lights along East 266 Mills Street. Mayor McIntyre asked the cost of the project. Director Rosseter would like to have 267 a scope of the project before trying to establish a cost. Director Rosseter asked Council if the 268 decorations would extend from Blanton Street to Houston Road. After the area is decided, then 269 Director Rosseter can get quotes. 270 271 Councilman Denton asked if the lampposts will have garland in the downtown area. Director 272 Rosseter confirmed the lamp posts from the Central Business District and along the courthouse 273 can be decorated. From Houston Road to the Food Lion shopping center is risky to get the wiring 274 back in, it would have to be underground but fiber optics and water lines exist in that area. 275 276 Council asked Director Rosseter to get an estimate for decorations from Houston Rd to Blanton 277 Street. The two poles the Town purchased have an electrical box, but the rest of the poles cannot 278 be plugged. 279 280 Councilwoman Metcalf asked if trees and lights can be used in Veteran's Park; she asked 281 Director Rosseter to check into decorating Veteran's Park. Councilman McCallister suggested 282 working with Food Lion and other stores to decorate the store fronts. Councilwoman Metcalf 283 asked Interim Manger to get in touch with the businesses to decorate the store fronts for 284 Christmas with white lights. 285 286 287 288


Police Department Report 289 Chief Beddingfield presented his report on the following topics: 290

• Councilwoman Metcalf asked Chief Beddingfield if he had been successful with getting 291 online the security cameras at the Food Lion store. Chief Beddingfield explained that 292 getting the cameras operational is very tough because the system is owned by the Food 293 Lion Corporation. 294

• The Columbus Police Department is very proud of Lieutenant Nicholas Stott’s recent 295 certification as a Drug Recognition expert. It was an 80 hour class with an 8 hour written 296 examination. He is the only DRE in Polk County and there are only 118 in the state of 297 North Carolina. 298

• Chief Beddingfield road the motorcycle to the Outer Banks for a class. In doing so he 299 earned 600 points; these 600 points translates to $600.00 earned for the Columbus Police 300 Department. Another result of the ride was positive promotion of the Town of Columbus 301 and the Town’s dedication and leadership. 302

• A disturbance call resulted in a big identity theft case. The case included numerous 303 arrests, drug charges, and checks passed off in the local area and upstate. The case is 304 ongoing. 305

• Tryon Rotary gave the Explorers a $1,000.00 grant for uniforms. 306 • Chief Beddingfield briefly discussed the police presence on the St. Luke’s campus. 307

308 ABC Board Report 309 The ABC Report was noted. Mayor McIntyre asked Attorney Nager about social media and the 310 remarks made on social media relative to board members. Attorney Nager did not see where 311 there are any remedies available and felt that criticism is protected under freedom of speech, 312 unless the statements are liable or slander. These statements would not apply under the conflict 313 of interest of the ABC board. 314 315 Fire Department Report 316 The Fire Department Report was noted. 317 318 Councilman McCallister made a motion to enter closed session per NCGS §143-318.11(a)(3)(6) 319 Attorney/Client Privilege and Personnel Matter, Councilwoman Metcalf seconded, motion 320 carried. 321 322 Council returned from closed session; no action was taken. 323 324 There being no further business, Councilman Denton made a motion to adjourn, Councilwoman 325 Metcalf seconded, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m. 326

327 _________________________________________ 328

Mayor 329 330 __________________________________________ 331 Town Clerk 332



September 29, 2014 3 4 Mayor McIntyre called the Special Meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. 5 6 In attendance were Mayor McIntyre, Councilman Hall, Councilwoman Metcalf, Interim Town 7 Manager Timothy Barth, and Town Clerk Devon LaFromboise. 8 9

Special Meeting 5:30 p.m. 10 11 Consideration of a Resolution to Amend the 20 Year Capital Improvement Plan 12 Mayor McIntyre briefly explained the reason for the special meeting. McGill & Associates 13 requested a special inclusion in the Technical Assistance Grant application. Interim Manager 14 Barth further explained that if the analysis was added to the 10 year projects, the Town could get 15 extra priority points. 16 17 Interim Manager Barth reiterated that applying for this grant will not commit the Town to any 18 specific project. This amendment will only promote the priority of the grant application. The 19 priority points will help make the grant application more competitive at the state level. 20 21 Mayor McIntyre and Interim Manager Barth discussed the clear well situation and how this grant 22 could assist with resolving the storage tank inspection and temporary storage capacity. Interim 23 Manager Barth explained that the Town would not be committed to a water authority, any special 24 funding, or to make any purchase. Mayor McIntyre reiterated that this grant is only for a study of 25 the water system. 26 27 Councilman Hall made a motion to amend the 20 Year Capital Improvement Plan for the Town 28 of Columbus to include the study by McGill & Associates, Councilman McCallister seconded, 29 motion carried. 30 31 There being no further business, Councilman McCallister made a motion to adjourn, 32 Councilwoman Metcalf seconded, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 5:41 p.m. 33

34 _________________________________________ 35

Mayor 36 37 __________________________________________ 38 Town Clerk 39

Minutes of the Columbus Town Council Thursday, October 2, 2014 1


October 2, 2014 3 4 Mayor McIntyre called the Special Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 5 6 In attendance were Mayor McIntyre, Councilman Hall, Councilwoman Metcalf, Interim Town 7 Manager Timothy Barth, and Town Clerk Devon LaFromboise. 8 9

Special Meeting 6:00 p.m. 10 11 Councilman Hall made a motion to enter closed session per NCGS §143-318.11(a)(6) Personnel 12 Matter, Councilman McCallister seconded, motion carried. 13 14 Council returned from closed session; no action was taken. 15 16 There being no further business, Councilman McCallister made a motion to adjourn, 17 Councilwoman Metcalf seconded, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:12 p.m. 18 19

20 _________________________________________ 21

Mayor 22 23 __________________________________________ 24 Town Clerk 25

MEMORANDUM FOR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

To: Mayor & Town Council From: Timothy J. Barth, Interim Town Manager Re: Appearance by Dianne Rickman, Communications Director for Polk County Date: October 16, 2014 Background At the September 18 Town Council meeting there were a lot of questions about naming and renaming streets. This was brought about when the Town Clerk noticed Hampton Court was not listed on the updated 911 list that had been provided to the Town, and subsequently it was found that there was some confusion for emergency services personnel between Hampton Street and Hampton Court. As a result, a request was made by the Polk County Fire Marshal (Bobby Arledge) to change the street name of a portion of Hampton Street. Bobby Arledge is unavailable this week because of out-of-town training, but he asked Dianne Rickman, who is the Communications Director with Polk County, to give a presentation on street naming and renaming. She has a power point presentation and will be available to answer any questions that she can. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Problems

• Road names with similar names that are located in close proximity are very confusing to emergency service personnel as well as the 911 telecommunicators. • When 911 receives a call they ask the caller to verify the address. If for some reason the caller is the one who is in need of help sometimes they may not be understandable. • They may have a medical issue not allowing them to speak clearly or they might be on a cell phone and don't have very good service. • During emergencies, people are under tremendous stress. They are not thinking like they normally do. If names are similar they might give you the wrong name themselves.

• The 911 system is a very good system. The problem in this day and age is the number of people using cellular phones as home phones. If you call from a landline the address you are calling from shows up when you dial 911. If you call from a cell phone your address will not appear when you call.

• Cell phones are prone to break up and 911 may not be able to understand you clearly. They may hear the first part of what you are saying and not the last part.

• In this case they may hear Hampton but not street or court. • This could cause a delay in the response of emergency personnel, if they went to the wrong address first.

• When every second counts, we need to make sure the 911 communication center can send the appropriate help to the appropriate location when help is needed and not try to figure out where to send the help and cause delays in getting someone help.


To: Mayor & Town Council From: Timothy J. Barth, Interim Town Manager Re: Appearance by Brian Tripp, Engineer with W.K. Dickson Date: October 16, 2014 Background With the exception of some very minor, superficial items all of the work at the wastewater treatment plant is complete. It is time to move toward closing the project out. Robert Rosseter and I met with representatives from W.K. Dickson, Buchanan Construction, and with a representative from NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources on October 2. After walking around the entire plant and talking for two hours a proposal emerged from Buchanan Construction. The proposal is to do all of the items on the punch list and three other things (at no charge) including: Work Change Directive #4 – Influent piping for Clarifier #1 Change out the heater in the well house Raise the screw conveyor to provide more room between discharge chute and concrete pad. In exchange for doing this the Town would not file for liquidated damages, which the Town would probably have to go to court to collect. By following the above course of action, the Town gets the project finished with some small upgrades and with approximately $22,000 to spare in the contingency line item, and the contractor gets all of the money for his work, and no one ends up having to sue anyone else in court. I have attached a memo from Brian Tripp summarizing the status of the project as well as the punch list with items struck through having already been completed. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.


To: Mayor & Town Council From: Timothy J. Barth, Interim Town Manager Re: Appearance by Joe Cooper, Chairman of Polk County Appearance Commission Date: October 16, 2014 Background The Polk County Appearance Commission has put together a plan to be done in the four beds that are on Courthouse Street. Joe Cooper is the Chairman of the Polk County Appearance Commission, and he will be at the meeting to explain the proposal. I have included the sketches for the four beds behind this memo along with the list of the proposed plants. The proposal from Thompson Landscape Professionals is for $8,442.71, and this includes one year of maintenance. In my discussion with the County Manager he indicated that he would ask the County Commissioners for $6,500.00, which would mean the Town’s share would be $1,942.71 and provide maintenance after the first year. If the Town Council is in agreement with moving forward with this project, then I would suggest approving it contingent upon the County Commissioners approving their portion of the project. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.


To: Mayor & Town Council From: Timothy J. Barth, Interim Town Manager Re: Discussion Regarding Parking Requests Date: October 16, 2014 Background The Town received a letter from Melissa Bridgeman, (who owns the Cuts of Columbus), that was discussed at the September 18 meeting. In the letter she asked if the Town would designate two parking spaces at the corner of Ward Street and Owens Street. Since that time I have also received a request from Polk County Farm Bureau to designate spaces on East Mills Street for that business. There are certainly times when parking spaces are being used because of court, however, even when court is in session there are still available spaces in the downtown area. These spaces may not be convenient to certain businesses, but the spaces are available. The other issue is if the Town were to restrict spaces for these businesses, then we would have to for every other business in the downtown. The only place where the Town currently restricts parking is on East Mills Street between Peak Street and Blanton Street. In those spaces, there is a two hour limit between 10:00a.m. and 3:00p.m. Monday – Friday. With the three restaurants in that one block, the two hour limit makes sense there. The Town could designate some more spaces with a two hour time limit, but enforcement becomes the problem. If there is only one officer on duty it is difficult enough to patrol the East Mills Street section without adding more spaces to patrol. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.


To: Mayor & Town Council From: Timothy J. Barth, Interim Town Manager Re: Consideration of an employment contract with Timothy Barth to be Town Manager Date: October 16, 2014 Background Attached is the employment contract with Timothy Barth to be Town Manager. The contract has all of the provisions that were agreed to previously. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

October 16, 2014 Town Manager’s Report Prepared for Columbus Town Council

Friday October 10, 2014

1) Meeting with USDA Representatives: The Chief of Police and I met with three representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Section to talk about potential funding for the possible expansion of the Police Department. They have both grant and low interest loan money for projects like this, but they cannot tell how much grant versus loan until we fill out some paperwork. The first thing that the Town must do is send a letter to the Area Director asking for assistance with the project. I have sent that letter to the Area Director, and we will keep you informed on what they tell us.

2) July 4 Planning Committee: The Fabulous Fourth Planning Committee met on Thursday October 9. I explained to the committee that the Town loses money putting on the event and that it might be time to begin asking certain entities if the would help sponsor the event. Entities like the Tryon International Equestrian Center, Polk County, and the towns of Tryon and Saluda. The event has become one that attracts people from a wide area and has become somewhat of a burden to the citizens of Columbus to fund.

3) Asset Mapping Meetings: I attended the North Carolina League of Municipalities Annual Conference in Greensboro Sunday October 12 through Tuesday October 14. I will have a brief report on the conference at the time of the meeting.

4) Tryon International Equestrian Center event for Government Officials: I was not able to attend this on event on Tuesday, but I know that some did attend including the Town Clerk and I just wanted to know what everyone thought about the event.

TOWN OF COLUMBUS

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT

SEPT- OCT 2014

About two years ago, Duke Energy replaced utility poles on some streets in Columbus. I believe this was an upgrade to the utility. This left the old utility poles in place next to the new ones with telephone and cable remaining on the old poles. I called Windstream, the local telephone and Cable Company, to ask if they could switch their telephone and cable over to the new utility poles. I spoke to the person at Windstream in charge of this, and was told yes. That was at least two years ago. It has not been done. The reason for removing the old utility poles (there are 13), is that some are leaning, it is unsightly, and now is interfering with the addition of Christmas ornaments on the new utility poles that I am currently working on with Duke Energy.

Since my calls to Windstream have not produced any results, I was wondering if the Mayor and Council could ask that a letter be drafted to Windstream, asking for the removal of these 13 utility poles, and see where that gets us.

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Robert

TOWN OF COLUMBUSUTILITY POLES TO BE REMOVED/PHONE LINES MOVED TO NEW POLES

THORNE STREET

HOUSTON HAMPTON N PEAK HAMMET OGLE

WEST RT 108 MAIN STREET EAST

WALKER

COURT GIBSON S PEAK BLANTON PARKHOUSE

WARD STREET

COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT Department Head Report

October 16th 2014 Council Meeting Chris Beddingfield, Police Chief

• Statistical Data

• Suspicious Persons Call Results in 5 Arrests Related to Breaking and

Entering and Drug Crimes o Solved Breaking and Entering and Recovered Stolen Property

Before Victim Knew Residence Had Been Broken Into o Subsequent Search Warrants Resulted in Seizure of Significant

Amounts of Marijuana and Two Firearms

• Operation Pill Drop and Child Safety Seat Check Held By Our Officers at CVS Pharmacy in Columbus

o Huge Success-Tons of Positive Comments From Public/Participants

o Various Medicines Collected and Turned Over to the S.B.I. (State Bureau of Investigation)

o 17,172 dosage Units Collected and Hand Counted by Our Officers and Administrative Assistant

• Police Motorcycle Activities o Led and Assisted with Exotic Car Rally-N.C. Lotus Group

Tryon and Columbus o Led Benefit 5k Run/walk

Saluda o Conducted Bike-Safe Class in Columbus and Assisted Gastonia

Police with a Bike-Safe Class (500 points=$500)

• Participated and Provided Honor Guard Leader and Display Vehicle For Basic Law Enforcement Graduation at Isothermal Community College

• Networked with Town Manager on Parking Issues, Tractor Trailer Issues, USDA Grant and Financing Opportunities for Police Building Expansion, and Funding for Vehicle Replacement

Operation Medicine Drop a Success in Columbus, NC Local event collected medications for safe, secure disposal.

We asked North Carolina to clean out its medicine cabinets, and people in Columbus answered the call! On September 27, 2014, the 9th National Take Back Initiative was held across the country to safely collect and destroy expired and unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications. The Columbus Police Department held an event at CVS Pharmacy and collected 17,172 dosages of medication. Operation Medicine Drop is an effort coordinated by North Carolina Department of Insurance, Safe Kids North Carolina, the State Bureau of Investigation, Riverkeepers of NC and local groups to prevent accidental poisonings, substance abuse and protect our waters. “Every time we collect and destroy a dosage of excess medication, it’s a success. We’re keeping these drugs out of the wrong hands and out of our waterways,” said Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. “I commend the Columbus Police Department for actively engaging their community in this very important initiative and I thank the public for taking responsibility to dispose of medications in a safe, secure way.” With unintentional poisoning deaths on the rise in the state, Operation Medicine Drop reminds parents and caregivers to:

• Keep medicines locked up and out of reach of children. • Always read labels, follow directions and give medicines to children based on

their weights and ages. Only use the dispensers packaged with children’s medications.

• Avoid taking medicine or vitamins in front of kids, and don’t call them candy. • If you suspect poisoning and a child is choking, collapses, can’t breathe or is

having a seizure, call 911. Otherwise, take the product to the phone and call the national Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222.

For more information about Operation Medicine Drop, go to www.ncsafekids.org.

For Immediate Release: September 29, 2014

Contact: Chief Chris Beddingfield (828) 894-5464

http://www.ncsafekids.org/

Columbus Police Department Monthly Activity Report

September 2014

Calls Answered Wrecks 22 Alarm Calls 7 Talk with an Officer 142 Domestic 0 Suspicious Vehicles 60 Suspicious Person 11 Assist Fire/EMS 9 Larceny 5 Stranded Motorists 9 Disturbance 5 Involuntary Commitments 0 Breaking & Entering 1 Suicide Threat 1 Hit and Run 2 Armed Robbery 0 Total Calls Answered: 698 Premise Checks Residence Checks 326 Business Checks 11,152 Church Checks 329 Total Checks 11,807 Charges Speeding Citations 32 No Operators License 5 Driving While License Revoked 2 Drug Charges 33 Uninsured Motorists 2 Careless & Reckless Driving 12 Open Container 0 Total Charges 147 (Traffic & Criminal) Arrests Felony Arrests 11 Misdemeanor Arrests 18 DWI 3 Fugitives Arrested 6 Total Arrests 29

Training Topics Report Writing & RMS HSI Task Force Officer Course Verbal Judo Introduction to IEDs Basic Crime Scene for First Responders Aggressive Driving Enforcement DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Tests Introduction to DNA for Law Enforcement Investigation of Social Networking Sites Introduction to Cybercrimes Total Training Hours Received: 207 Requested to Assist Sheriff’s Office, City Police Departments & Other Agencies Calls 36 Hours 31

Documents

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING (6:00 PM)C40217A2-DBB8-4AAB-9690... · Minutes of the Columbus Town Council Thursday, September 18, 2014 1 1 Town of Columbus 2 Minutes of Columbus Town Council