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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-08-24 Work Session410 Dunn City Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, October 8, 2024 6:30 p.m., Dunn Municipal Building Minutes PRESENT: Mayor William P. Elmore Jr., Council Members Raquel McNeil, April Gaulden, Billy N. Tart, Alan Hargis, and Dr. David L. Bradham. ABSENT: Mayor Pro Tern J. Wesley Sills Also present. City Manager Steven Neuschafer, Assistant City Manager Billy R. Godwin, Finance Director Cary McNallan, Chief of Police Cary Jackson, Administrative Support Specialist Sydney McKoy, CityAttorney Tilghman Pope, and City Clerk Melissa R Matti. CALL TO ORDER AND INVOCATION Mayor Elmore opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Council Member Bradham gave the invocation and led in the Pledge of Allegiance. AGENDA ADJUSTMENT AND APPROVAL Motion by Council Member Bradham and second by Council Member Gaulden to adopt the October 10, 2024 meeting agenda. Motion unanimously approved. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND/OR DECISION Halloween Resolution Motion by Council Member Tart and second by Council Member Gaulden to approve the Halloween Resolution. Trick or treating is suggested to be from 5 to 8 p.m. on October 31st Motion unanimously approved. A copy of Halloween Resolution (R2004-35) as Attachment #1. Consideration of Friendly Road Development Agreement RP Wellons Land & Development, LLC City Manager Neuschafer explained that this project has been discussed a couple different times, but this is a proposed agreement that will come back to the council for a decision after it's been publicized later this month. Tonight they went over the agreement and the work that is proposed and gave supporting documents. Essentially, it's an agreement between the City of Dunn and RP Wellness Land and Development, LLC that stipulates since they already have some work to do on Friendly Rd. as part of their development that the city is asking them to extend and do some more work. This agreement sets out the amount of work and the total cost for the city not to exceed. A copy of the slide show is incorporated into these minutes as Attachment #2. Managers' Office Update Town Hall Meeting Police Chief Jackson & Captain Butler Chief Jackson shared that they had a really good response/turnout for the Town Hall Meeting. There were approximately 30 in attendance from the business community that showed up to speak with us and talk about their concerns. The Town Hall meeting was a good start. We need to continue to have follow up meetings. The Police Department offers meetings every month, like coffee with a cop and we try to pick a different business ever month for folks to come and express concerns. A copy of the Manager's Office Update complete slide show is incorporated into these minutes as Attachment #3. Sewer System Status City Manager Neuschafer Manager Neuschafer shared the status of where we're at after recent storms and rains that we've had the last several months. The three months that are highlighted for 2024 - our plant is rated for an average of 3.7S million gallons a day. For the last three months we have really been close to that limit. But last month, we were over that limit for the first time in a number of years just because we had so much rain from the storm and from previous time. Wastewater Treatment Plant City Manager Neuschafer Manager Neuschafer advised council that the wastewater treatment plant is at substantial completion. It's essentially done, other than a punch list The Machine Welding outfall line is under construction right now. We've got an effluent line (that's the pipeline that goes from the wastewater treatment plant to the Cape Fear rive) that's been bid and we're currently negotiating with some property owners for easements. Eastside Pump Station City Manager Neuschafer Manager Neuschafer informed the council that they handed out 90% design drawings today so that's getting close to being bid as well and we have negotiated with all the property owners for easements. Each of those projects" have to be bid and awarded by the end of this calendar year. These next few months will be pressed as far as time goes to get those bids awarded and the easements under control as far as being able to award the projects to the contractors because that's one of the stipulations, that you have the property and the easements under the city's control to be able to hand those off to the contractors. Those two projects that we're still negotiating we're just giving you a heads up that we still have not finished all of that work yet So we are coming to a time crunch for these two last projects. Manager Neuschafer explained that if we don't get these last two projects done in a timely manner, we may lose our funding. He went on to say that help's hard to find right now. If you're not able to get 411 control of your project and process it in time, they'll just give the money to somebody else that can get it done. He explained that we've been pressing the engineers to get their work done, so we have to have these bids awarded by the end of the year. Also, we have to have all these projects completed by the end of 2026 as far as construction. Each of the contractors we've talked to about timelines haven't said that there's any real issues with the actual construction timeline. It's more just being able to get the award and be able to get started as far as materials, parts, and things like that. There is not the concern anymore with having -materials available. NCDOT Assistant City Manager Godwin Assistant City Manager Godwin explained that he and Mr. Neuschafer had had a meeting with DOT to talk about some general routine maintenance issues on DOT right of ways here in the city. They met with the Division Engineer, his deputy, and their Maintenance Engineer and covered a number of topics. They brough some things to their attention like the stop lights on Broad Street particularly at Broad and Wilson, which is a city stop light. But, Broad and North Clinton, are not really synchronized and therefore they get backed up. So, we put that on their radar to look at. They agreed to have one of their signal people come in and take a look at that. A council member said that they had had people talk about an issue at the corner of Cumberland and 301. If you're coming from Fayetteville and coming into town, there's an arrow to the left. If you want to turn left, you can do that but if you're going toward Clinton on 421 and you get there and somebody's turning left on 301, there is no arrow and it is a big problem.. Sometimes those people have to sit there. That's one of the main complaints that they get - the lack of a left arrow. The same thing on Broad and N. Clinton. They also took them information on W. Cumberland St at the shopping center where Ace Hardware is. There's a stoplight where Wayne Avenue crosses. But when you go to the next block at Watauga there is not a stop light and if anyone comes out of that neighborhood by Canterbury, it's really hard to make a turn particularly because of the traffic. There's no light. But, then you go down to Wayne Avenue and there's a light there but there's very little traffic flow so we asked them what would be the likelihood of getting a stoplight at Watauga and Cumberland St. Basically the answer was of course they'll look into it. They also said it would help them if the city really wanted that it would be useful for us to formally request a light there and it helps them internally with processing. Another matter that was brought up was can we ask DOT to draw lines on 421. There are no lines on 421. They've all been worn out. Mr. Godwin answered that we can certainly ask that. That was one of the things that he was going to bring up on Granville Street. Yes, we can certainly put that in the request too. So there is a consensus authorizing the staff to prepare a letter formally requesting a stoplight atWatauga, if that's the will of the council. I-95 Update Assistant City Manager Godwin We casually asked the DOT officials, what is the correlation between infrastructure improvement like for example bridge widening and things like that witheconomic development. They said that anything's possible. But the gist of it was if there's a large enough economic development project that's in the works that required additional DOT type infrastructure, all those decisions must come from the top down. Basically, from Raleigh down. They're not bottom -up decisions. The I- 95 construction update as of yesterday, the local contractor sent me an e-mail with some updated timelines. Starting with the Pope Rd - Spring Branch Road. The bridge is out, obviously. To replace the bridge and reopen that bridge is 18 months. If you've been out in that direction, all the ramps north and southbound are closed at that intersection. Now where the Spring Branch Road or Pope Rd. is, that corridor from there to 421, the traffic flow is going to be from basically a parallel corridor. You can get from Spring Branch Road to the 421. It won't be a side street. It'll be a thoroughfare and the timeline on the northbound connector from Pope Road to 421 they anticipate reopening that connector in about 90 days. And when they say approximately, you know weather permitting and things like that. So, based on their timeline - approximately 3 months. In essence, they anticipate having the ability of opening the connector between on the northbound side from Pope Road.to 421 including the construction of a roundabout on that side. Basically, just on the other side of the bridge they are installing the drainage and grading. The southbound ramp from 421 to Spring Branch or Spring Branch 421 are going to stay open, well the southbound from Cumberland St. will stay open until the spring and then it to will close: You'll be able to continue to get on 95 S at 421. We're about another 120 days till the spring whatever they call the spring and then that will be closed for about 90 days while that connector is completed. I think the biggest take away is that the bridge is going to be out for 18 months and hopefully in about 90 days - three months, the northbound lane will be open connecting Hope Rd. Spring Branch Rd. with 421. Ann ouncements/Information Mayor Elmore announced upcoming events and activities. Adjournment With no further business to discuss Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m. �I- William P. Elmore Jr. �OCiPORAT�'. :Mayor Attest: _ �•� _ SEAR- •Q.; ASA AAALL7ASSSS� ' Melissa R. Matti, CMC, NCCMC City Clerk