Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-1996 Meeting I I I PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - February 13, 1996 4:00 P. M. PRESENT: Hons. Larry E. Sconyers, Mayor; Mays, Chairman; Kuhlke, Vice-Chairman; Zetterberg, member; Heyward Johnson, Acting Transit Manager; Miller Meyer, Director License & Inspections; Steve Atha, Manager of Bush Field Airport; Jim Wall, Interim Attorney; Tom Wiedmeier, Director of Water Pollution Control; Mark Avery, Manager of Augusta Golf Course; Nancy Morawski, Deputy Clerk of Commission-Council and Martha King and Betty Murphy of the Clerk's Office. ABSENT: Hon. Moses Todd, member. Also Present: Wayne Partridge of the Augusta Chronicle. Mr. Chairman: We have five items that we need to add to the agenda. Mr. Kuhlke: I move approval. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from Mr. Matt Stovall regarding the renaming of the Augusta Golf Course in honor or Mr. George Fisher. (Referred to Public Services Committee by Commission-Council in meeting February 6, 1996), was read. Mr. Stovall: We wanted to rename the Golf Course in honor of George Fisher. He played regularly at the course and I can't think of a more fitting tribute to him than to do this. We have a petition here with over 200 names and others are still out for signature. Mr. Chairman: I think we want to keep this as a public facility. Mr. Kuhlke: I would suggest that we don't let this die but that we need to look at a number of things in the new government and determine what the direction the golf course should take and I wouldn't want to do anything now until we get a better feel for that. I would say that you should come back in about a year and let us consider it again at that time. After further discussion, Mr. Kuhlke: I move that we accept this as information at this time. Mr. Zetterberg: I'll second that. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from the Acting Transit Manager stating I have recently received Augusta Public Transit FY96 Operating Assistance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This year's operating assistance is $312,976 a reduction of $284,024 or approximately 47% over last year's. In light of this information, I request the recommendations stated below be placed on the next Commission Councilor Public Service Committee Agenda for their consideration. 1 (al. Eliminate the use of transfers (i.e. you pay the appropriate fare each time you board the bus. $ 53,476 Change the student hours to 5:30 A.M. _ 9:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. instead of all day. Allow only one (1) child free per fare paying adult instead of 3. Determine child by height of farebox 40". Allow the purchase 30-trip coupon book for $20.00 (person saves $2.25) 2. Combine East Boundary and Delta Manor routes and rename it East Augusta $ 22,451 3. Eliminate four hours of operation and Saturday service on Sand Hill Eliminate Central Avenue Route Eliminate one hour of service on the Lumpkin Road Route 6. Eliminate one hour of service on the Barton Chapel Route 7. Eliminate approximately five hours of service on the Downtown Shuttle Route. 8. Eliminate approximately two hours of service on the AC Route. b. c. d. e. 4 . 5. $ 41,670 $117,280 $ 7,717 $ 8,404 $ 21,279 $ 10,643 Total $282,920 In order to get the full effect of these recommendations for 1996, they should be acted upon as soon as possible. If approved, a public hearing would be scheduled for February to discuss these changes in transit service, was read. After a lengthy discussion, Mr. Zetterberg: I make a motion that we take Mr. Johnson's proposal and approve it in Committee and that it moves to the full Commission for a vote and direction. Mr. Kuhlke: I'll second that. Motion adopted with the Chairman abstaining. Communication from the Acting Transit Manager requesting approval to begin the process of procurement of the following items: 5 1 1 8 1 - 32ft. - street - filter - pagers - copier or less sweeper crasher transit vehicles I I I I I I Mr. Zetterberg: I move we approve it and refer it to the full Commission. Mr. Kuhlke: "hat would they do if they found the money had been diverted? Mr. Atha: They would withhold federal funds, including Transit money, until we get this straightened out. Mr. Kuhlke: I'll second that motion. Mr. Atha: I have approached the FAA about this, and at this point they don't know exactly what we propose to do, but they have said that if the value of the land is equivalent to the $2 millon dollar loan, then the money has been returned and that's all they're concerned about. Mr. Wall: This is not anything being done secretively or underhanded. The FAA may not accept this proposal but we want to package this and present it to them as a proposal and we hope they will be receptive to it. Motion adopted unanimously. The Committee next considered approval of contracts between Augusta-Richmond County and Marion Ware, III and Robert Utley regarding their participation as officiants at sporting events sponsored by the Augusta-Richmond County Recreation Department, was read. Mr. Kuhlke: I move it be approved. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Mr. Wall: I need for you to have a special called meeting at 4:00 p.m. next Tuesday. Some people have advertised concerning some alcoholic beverage licenses and this would take care of it. I also need some guidance from you regarding special event licenses. The alcohol license the County and City had that was approved in December provides for a five-day special event license. Questions have come up concerning organizations during Masters' Week. Many of them need a seven-day license because they are here for that period of time that week. You could. require them to have an alcohol license which would be good for a whole year and cost them $4,000 or they could technically get around it by coming in and asking for a five- day license in one name and another license for five days in another name. No one seems to have a problem with a seven- day license but I simply need to amend the Ordinance if that's the desire. Is there any opposition to extending this to seven days if I prepare an Ordinance and bring it back before you? No opposition was indicated. Communication from the Director of the Recreation and Parks Department requesting installation of an air conditioning system for the Julian Smith Casino and Julian Smith Bar-B-Que Pit. These air conditioning systems need to be installed for upcoming rentals already scheduled during the summer months. Without these systems in place the rental income will be greatly reduced due to the extreme heat from May - September. The old air conditioner system at Julian Smith Bar-B-Que Pit was recently removed when the new flooring was installed and can no longer be used and we have approximately 40 renting parties booked during the summer months. Julian Smith Casino was reroofed in '995 and at that time the exhaust fans were removed due to bei~g unrepairable and creating leakage problems during hard rains. Without the air conditioner the building probably will not be able to be used from June-August. A budget figure for these two systems is $70,000, was read. Mr. Kuhlke: We probably need to have someone look at this and determine exactly what type of system is needed. After further discussion, Ms. Beazley: Can I just you to refer this on to the full Board and ask Tommy to some documentation at that time? ask bring Mr. Zetterberg: I so move. Mr. Kuhlke: I'll second that. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from the Director of the Recreation & Parks Department requesting approval of a contract between Augusta- Richmond County and Blair Construction Company for drainage improvements at McDuffie Woods Community Center. A purchase order has been issued for the project, was read. Ms. Beazley: This is in the amount of $37,000. Mr. Kuhlke: I move we refer this to Commission-Council. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from the Director of Recreation & Parks Department requesting approval of an agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation regarding the continuation of the Section 18 Transit Program that Richmond County has been involved in since 1988, was read. Mr. Johnson: This is for transit service in the rural area. I I I I I I Paint transfer facility Repair roof at transfer facility Furniture The items listed above will be funded at 90% of the purchase price by grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Georgia Department of Transportation, was read. Mr. Kuhlke: I move approval. Mr. Zetterberg: Second the motion. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from the Acting Transit Manager regarding a change in logo, was read. Mr. Johnson: We are called Augusta Public Transit. I have one here that I came up with and we will have an experimental hydrogen bus that we are working on with SRS for the Olympics and that is how the idea of the logo came up. We'll need something probably in the next 30 days. It was the concensus of the Committee that this be received as information at this time. Communication from the Acting Transit Manager requesting approval to purchase one pickup truck and one minivan from the Georgia Statewide Contract for $14,822 and $15,500 respectively. Bids received on December 12, 1995 were as follows: Bobby Jones Ford (Pickup Truck) $15,901.95 Pontiac Master GMC (Pickup Truck) $16,836.44 Bobby Jones Ford (Minivan) $19,900.00 Pontiac Master GMC (Minivan) $18,340.58 This is a cost saving of approximately $1,000 on the pickup truck and $2,800 on the minivan. The purchase of the vehicles will be funded by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Grant #90-X069.1 and Georgia Department of Transportation (GA DOT) Grant #50104-0001-92-010 with FTA paying 80% of the purchase price and GA DOT paying 10%, was read. Mr. Kuhlke: I move it be approved. Mr. Zetterberg: Second the motion. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from the Acting Transit Manager with reference to Transit funding source, was read. Mr. Johnson: At our Georgia Transit Association meeting they proposed a 3% rental car tax. This could be a source of transit funding here locally. Mr. Zetterberg: I move that we receive it as information. Mr. Kuhlke: I second that. Motion adopted unanimously. Communication from the Airport Director at Bush Field stating I would like to make the following proposal in an effort to completely mitigate the "$2 million loan" from Bush Field to the (previous) City which is being questioned by the Federal Aviation Administration and Inspector General's office. My proposal is as follows: The City of Augusta deeds to Bush Field approximately 400 acres of the 900+ acre wet land mitigation property currently being addressed by the Waste Water Treatment Plant for an appraised value in accordance with federal land acquisition quidelines. This represents no cash outlay to the City and a~lows the Waste Water Treatment Plant to use the remaining cand for wetland mitigation. The approximate 400 acres represents necessary safety areas, approach clear zones and building restriction lines as shown on the current Airport Master Plan adopted by the City and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. Actual future runway construction would probably use no more than 200 acres. The additional land would be controlled by the Airport for safety reasons, but would generally be available for wetlands mitigation also. In addition to the land transfer to the Airport, I propose that the Airport not pay overhead expenses to the City for approximately the next three to five years. Since the personnel providing overhead services to the Airport are already on the City payroll providing those services to all other municipal functions, this moratorium would permit the recovery of the additional money in the "$2 million loan" with no immediate cash outlay by the City as indicated in the Cherry, Bekaert & Holland audit. Fiscally, Bush Field would immediately return to reimbursing the City on a monthly basis for operating expenses as we have been doing for years. We would then be able to tell the Federal Aviation Administration that all of the $2 million is returned to the Airport thereby leaving the Damascus Woods property adjacent to Daniel Field as a City asset useable for any purpose the City feels necessary. This proposal allows the Waste Water Treatment Plant to fully mitigate its environmental issues, allows the Airport the ability to meet the future air service needs of the community and protect the runway approach and safety areas, completely eliminates the questions of the "$2 million loan" from the FAA and Inspector General's Office by simply being able to tell them the money has been returned to the Airport. I see no reason why they would not find that acceptable and making this representation should preclude additional costs of auditors, lawyers, and administrative time. Bush Field will apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for an aviation trust fund grant for reimbursement of the land acquisition costs. This land is known to be federally eligible since it is on a FAA approved Master Plan (as opposed to the Damascus Road property), was read. I I I I I J Mr. Kuhlke: I move for approval. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Nancy W. Morawski Deputy Clerk of Commission-Council NWM