March 10, 2015

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Town of Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting
1036 Main Street, Blowing Rock, NC
March 10, 2015
6:00 p.m.

Call To Order

Mayor J.B. Lawrence

Approval Of Minutes

February 10, 2015 Regular Council Meeting

Special Recognitions And Reports

Recognition of Outgoing Board and Commission Members
Speaker: Mayor J.B. Lawrence

Highway 321 Valley Boulevard Construction Update
Speaker: Kipp Turner, Maymead Construction
This brief presentation is planned for each regular Council meeting to provide the public with an update regarding the project activities accomplished in the prior month, those planned for the coming month, and an update regarding current expectations of the overall project timing and completion.

Consent Agenda

Speaker: Scott Fogleman, Town Manager

Resolution Declaring Surplus Property and Authorizing Disposal
Speaker: Nicole Norman, Finance Officer

Various items that are no longer in use have been identified for disposal including 25 plastic chairs, 2 wooden doors with glass, 3 solid wooden doors, 6 windows, 1 pool vacuum, and a 2009 Police Ford Interceptor. The resolution declares these items surplus and authorizes their sale via electronic auction.
Budget Ordinance Amendment to Account For Various Items
Speaker: Nicole Norman, Finance Officer

Consistent with actions approved at previous Council meetings, various related budget ordinance amendments have been prepared.
Blowing Rock Elementary PTO 5K Race Date of May 16th
Speaker: Jennifer Brown, Parks and Recreation Director

The Blowing Rock Elementary Parent Teacher Organization would like to hold a 5K run in downtown Blowing Rock on Saturday May 16, 2015 to benefit Blowing Rock School Teacher requests. This event will begin at the school and end on Park Avenue and is being held in conjunction with their Annual Spring Fling event that will be based on health and wellness.

Public Hearings (Council may take action on each item following each respective public hearing)

Amendment to Land Use Code – Required BRAAC Membership Reduction From 9 to 7 Members
Speaker: Kevin Rothrock, Planning Director

A draft ordinance has been prepared to reduce the required membership of the Blowing Rock Appearance Advisory Commission from nine to seven members. The draft ordinance was recommended for Council approval by the Planning Board during their meeting on February 19^th.
Amendment to Land Use Code – Allowance of Accessory Apartments in R-15 and R-MH
Speaker: Kevin Rothrock, Planning Director

A draft ordinance has been prepared to allow accessory apartments in the R-15, Single-family and R-MH (Mobile Home) zoning districts. It also clarifies the definition of accessory apartments and clarifies the definition of a dwelling unit. The draft ordinance was recommended for Council approval by the Planning Board during their meeting on February 19^th.
Financing Agreement and Appropriation for the Public Works Building
Speaker: Nicole Norman, Finance Officer

A bid has been received from BB&T for a term of 15 years at an interest rate of 2.83%. A resolution has been prepared for Council approval documenting the financing terms for the building costs of $1,700,580. This funding will be used to pay for the Public Works Building Renovation project.

Discussion Agenda

Any item pulled from the consent agenda will be discussed at the end of this portion of the agenda.

Proposed Amendment to Section 3-3 Town Manager Portion of the Town Code
Speaker: Scott Fogleman, Town Manager

An amendment has been proposed to the Town Code to provide the Town Council flexibility regarding the residency requirement of the Town Manager in the event there are unique circumstances for each individual manager. The addition of the following underlined text would provide the Council with this flexibility.

Town Code Section 3-3 Town Manager. (A) Appointment. The Board of Commissioners shall appoint an administrative officer whose title shall be Town Manager. The Town manager shall be appointed with regard to merit only and need not be a resident of the town at the time of the appointment. It is desirable that the Town Manager, upon appointment, be a resident within the corporate limits of the town, however the Town Manager shall be required to reside within the Blowing Rock Fire District, unless otherwise approved by the Board of Commissioners. The Mayor or any member of the Board of Commissioners shall not be eligible for appointment as Town Manager.
Reimbursement Resolution
Speaker: Scott Fogleman, Town Manager

On November 4, 2014, Blowing Rock voters approved $13 million of general obligation bond authority to support capital projects in the areas of transportation, parks, water and sewer over the next seven to ten years. It will take considerable time to select specific projects, complete preliminary design for larger projects, get bids, and actually borrow the funds for the first phase of these projects. With the passage of this reimbursement resolution, the Town will be able to pay itself back for any bond project expenditures that are selected to move forward prior to the actual borrowing of the funds. In other words, this resolution will enable the Town to pay itself back with bond funds once they are borrowed. The Public Works Building, while not related to the general obligation bond financing, has been added to this resolution to allow the Town to reimburse itself for the related design costs.
Changing the Installation Location of the Chestnut Ridge Pump Station
Speaker: Doug Chapman, Town Engineer

Changing the location of the Chestnut Ridge Pump Station is being proposed to address requests for sewer service on the west side of Highway 321 while still serving Chestnut Ridge with gravity sewer. This change is expected to cost $186,000 and would be funded with fund balance from the utility fund. All granting agencies supporting the sewer pump station related work have been notified and are accepting of this alternative location.
Memorial Park Gazebo Replacement Project and Related Site Improvements
Speakers: Scott Fogleman, Town Manager and Doug Chapman, Town Engineer

The Watauga Community Band approached the Town last year about the possibility of donating funding to create a performance space in Memorial Park. Since that time, the Blowing Rock Rotary Club and many other community partners have stepped forward to create a plan to replace the existing gazebo in Memorial Park, which is approximately 40 years old, with a larger gazebo. In addition, related improvements to the area adjacent to the gazebo have been planned to complement the new gazebo. The Town funding identified for the gazebo itself is $3,000 and the improvements to the area around the gazebo have been estimated to cost $34,880.
Resolution Supporting the Application for the Eastern Federal Lands Access Program Grant Funding to Help Fund the Proposed Sidewalk from Main Street To Bass Lake
Speaker: Scott Fogleman, Town Manager and Doug Chapman, Town Engineer

A sidewalk from Main Street to Bass Lake has been identified as a priority for many years in the Town of Blowing Rock. A federal grant opportunity has been identified that if approved, would provide 80%, or $960,000 of the estimated $1.2 million total project cost. An official resolution has been prepared for Council’s approval that would become part of the grant application materials.

Speakers From The Floor

Prior to the meeting, anyone wishing to speak shall complete an index card supplied by the Town Clerk, on which they will provide their name, address, telephone number and the topic they wish to address. In deference to all who wish to speak, each speaker will be asked to limit his or her comments to no more than three (3) minutes.

Executive Session

An executive session will be called.

Adjournment

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