Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-13-1998 Meeting I I I PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - July 13, 1998 4:00 P.M. PRESENT: Larry E. Sconyers, Mayor; Mays, Chairman; J. Brigham, Kuhlke, Todd, members; R. Oliver, Administrator, H. Siddell, Fleet Manager; Gary Siegfried, Engineer Bush Field; T. Beck, Director Recreation; A. Tannebaum, Hill Co.; R. Sherman, L. Harris, License Department; H. Johnson, Transit Director; B. Boshears, Director Daniel Field; Nancy Morawski, Deputy Clerk and B. Brown, of the Clerk's office. ALSO PRESENT: Metro Spirit. syl via Cooper, Augusta Chronicle; Stacy Eidson, A request from Bush Field for acceptance of LPA Group, Inc. Work Authorization No. 5 for program management services during the Termdnal Building Additions and Renovations, Curb Road Improvements, Long-Term Parking Lot Expansion, Future Rantal Car Parking Lot Rehabilitation and Termdnal Area Water Line Improvements, at a cost not to exceed $20,000. Mr. Siegfried: This work authorization recognizes the fact that all of these proj ects will require a lot of coordination between the proj ects, between airport tenants and especially between our engineering consultant and our financial feasibility consultant on the terminal renovation program. This work authorization will provide those services for us. Some of them we will do ourselves, some of them we'll ask our consultant to do for us. MR. KUHLKE: So move. MR. BRIGHAM: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request from Bush Field for approval of the purchase from Burke Truck & Tractor of two (2) Wing Mowers in the amount of $17,381.50 (Bid Item #98-097) . MR. BRIGHAM: So move. MR. KUHLKE: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request from the Recreation Director to discuss allocation of $5,000 ($2,500 each) to Masters City Little League and West Augusta Little League to offset utility costs for summer baseball leagues. Mr. Beck: This is an allocation that we as a government, back during the former county and actually consolidated government has I done for the oast twelve years or so. This was done initially because of ali of the leagues, all of the participants that they serve in their programs. This was done to help both of those leagues offsec ut~l~ty C8st. This has done our governmenc quite a serTice, because without those leagues we probably would not have been able to keep up based on the facilities that we had at that time and the program demands. We also received a reimbursement check back from Georgia Power for misbilling of services in the amount of $82,000.00. MR. KUHLKE: So move to allocate funds. MR. BRIGHAM: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request acquisition Place Park, from the Recreation Director of property at 2136 Grand Blvd, at an asking price of $25,000. to discuss possible adjacent to Savannah Mr. Beck: This piece of property actually fronts to the side from Grand Blvd., and 11th Avenue down to Savannah Place Park. This property is vacant right now. It is part of what really is the entrance down into the park from Grand Blvd. This particular I property could be utilized for functions such as additional parking for the facility. We are limited in things that we can do out into the park where the landfill is at. This property is on solid ground because it fronts Grand Blvd. It is property that I think is worth investigating. As for financing, we have currently budgeted SPLOST Funds as well as $80,000 in CDBG monies for the Savannah Place project. MR. TODD: I move to receive this as information and put it through the normal process of doing land acquisitions and let the attorney take a look at it and that the criteria we discussed and set up when we were dealing with McBean that we go through that same process. We will notify the owner Ms. Vivian Clanton within six weeks. MR. KUHLKE: I will second it. But my only concern for buying the property if you're going to utilize it for parking, the maximum number of cars you can get on there is ten cars. After further discussion; Mr. Brigham: Mr. Todd, I would like to ask you to amend your motion to go on and authorize an appraisal of the property, even though we're receiving this as information, I think that'S something that needs to be done. Also, I think that this is an I opportunity where we are faced with a situation where we have an owner that wants to sell and I think in our best interest in having I I I visited that center recently, that it might be in our best interest to be in a want-to-buy situation with exposure to the public access of Grand Blvd. for our facility. I don't know if the price is an appropriate price, but I dq think that we need to do an appraisal. The other thing that I can see is if rather than destroy the house, this may be a house that we may want to look at and sent to one of our vacant lots that the land authority owns somewhere, or maybe make it available at another location for somebody looking for space. MR. TODD: I accept the amendment to the motion that we get the appraisal and that Mr. Beck do a sight or use plan. And in that we put $25 million in another area there close and that follows through as far as the coach aside or one penny, but it was'" for recreation and a gym, that we need to look at moving that money to this location too. Owner of property on Grand Blvd. Ms. Vivan Clanton, 3919 Wexford Court. Mr. Kuhlke: For her information, Mr. Chairman, what is the time frame for going through the process? Mr. Wall: It will take about six weeks before we can take any action. Motion carried unanimously. A request from the Recreation Director to approve a work study agreemant (renewal) with Augusta State University for emplOYment at Newman Tennis Center. MR. TODD: So move. MR. KUHLKE: Second. Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider a request by Geraldine Slappy for a consumption on premise liquor, beer & wine license to be used in connection with Zanzibar Jazz Night Club located at 1505-A North Leg Road. There will be a dance hall. Ms. Slappy: Geraldine Slappy, 3722 Walton Way Ext. Apt. 245. Mr. Harris: This applicant meets all requirements of the Alcohol Ordinance and the Sheriff's Department and we recommend approval. (No objectors.) MR. KUHLKE: So move. MR. TODD: Second. . Motion carried unanimously. I Discussion: A request by the Richmond County Sheriff's Department for a hearing to consider the possible probation, suspansion or revocation of the business license used in connection with Las Vegas Gameroom .. Southgate Lounge located at 1631 Gordon Highway. Mr. Harris: I spoke with Mr. Key on Friday and hand delivered him a letter to appear here today for this meeting. Mr. Key has since then relinquished his business license and the letter states: To whom it may concern: I was unaware of the continuing problem at Southgate Game Room and I am voluntarily relinquishing my business license as of July 13 ,..,,-' 1998. Mr. Mays: Mr. Wall, on a surrender, do we need the reasons for the record or do we just accept the license? MR. KUHLKE: I move we accept the license of the owner. MR. BRIGHAM: Second. Mr. Wall: When and if he reapplies for a business license the reasons will be relevant at that time. Motion carried unanimously. I A request from Daniel Field Director to approve a contract with w. K. Dickson, Inc., to provide engineering services for a state project to seal cracks in runway 1l-29, not to exceed $ll,800. Mr. Boshears: the runway and this that state project. We have a State DOT Grant to seal the cracks is to provide the engineering services to All matching funds are in the budget. in do MR. TODD: So move. MR. KUHLKE: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request from the Transit Director to approve Augusta Public Transit Grant Applications to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) for capital, planning and operating funds. Mr. Johnson: What we are applying for is approximately $1.3 I million dollars worth of capital improvements. The Federal share will be approximately $1 million, the State share will be $118,000 and the local share will be $180,000. I I I MR. KUHLKE: So move. MR. BRIGHAM: Second. Motion car=ied lli~animously. A request from the Transit Director to receive as information a matter of Transportation Equity Account for the 21st Century (TEA- 21) . Mr. Johnson: The most important aspect of the TEA- 21 as compared to Augusta was the fact that there is no more operating ... around assistance. But, with that, they loosen up some of the capital expenditures that we make. (Passed out a preventive maintenance reimbursement sheet.) Annually in the April-May time frame we have to get our books audited so that we have a Section 15 Report that goes to the Federal Transit Administration every year. Our preventive maintenance reimbursement expense for 1997 was $778,777. If you apply this new law back to 1997 and some expenses that we would have been able to get a reimbursement of over $600,000 back. So that is one of the ways that they have loosened up the rules to offset the loss of operating assistance, to offset what preventive maintenance costs are and allow us to draw down 80% of that cost. In addition to that, one of the major "inaudible" with the ADA Law was that there was no additional money for the transit agencies when the new ADA Law was first enacted in 1990. But with this new law, basically they say that up to 10% of your funding for your metropolitan area can be used to defray your paratransit, ADA operating expense. Our ADA operating expense for 1997 was $193,000. The FORMULA funds is the money that we are allocated usually in the October time frame every year with $1.2 million. Therefore, we would have been able to get a 10% reimbursement of $125,000. So if this loan was in effect at the end of 1997, our expenses for those items would have been almost $1 million and we would have been able to write off almost three fourths of a million dollars, which actually drops our actual operating expense to the local share down. When all of the reimbursements are done, transit could actually cost less than a million dollars of the local share operating expense. Mr. Oliver: But, they are taking that money away from your capital side. This is a shell game on the federal government's part and it's a sham. Because what's going to happen is you're not going to have money in three or four years to buy busses ultimately or have as much money, Just so everybody knows, the busses are going to wind up going into Phase IV Sales Tax, Mr. Todd: This is the kind of information that we need to know so when we go to NACo or League of Cities meetings we can certainly address those issues with the administration folks there. If Congress is passing a law, then the administration take that law and in their regulation play the shell game with the money. We need to lee Charlie NorNood know too, that we are not happy with ie. What I'm looking for is real gains as far as eransit goes. I We're either receiving a cut or additional funds, or we're staying were we're ae. Mr. Jor.nson: The TEA-21 will be in e~=ect for the next six years. The capieal money that I spend will fluctuate year to year, There will be certain years that we won't buy vehicles other years we will. Also, there is a mechanism with the same regulation that we have used called "flexing". We have flexed some money from the highway portion to the transit. So there are different mechanisms that we still would be able to help offset the purchase of a bus. After a lengthy discussion; MR. TODD: I so move to receive this as information. MR. BRIGHAM: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request from the Transit Director to approve the Lnitiation of the actions necessary to transfer the ownership of the Hydrogen Bus from APT to the DOE's Nevada office. Mr. Johnson: This project is scheduled Co end at the end of I the fiscal year locally. Basically they have set up a hydrogen office at the DOE sight in Nevada. The feeling is that we have done as much as we could do here with it. The Nevada office will take the bus and the technology from it to the next level. MR. BRIGHAM: So move. MR. KUHLKE: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request to approve and award professional services for architecture and angineering to Johnson, Laschober & Associates for $15,000 for Eastview Park Improvements. MR. TODD: So move to approve and try to renegotiate the price down, if not go back out for proposals. MR. KUHLKE: Second. Moeion car~ied unanimously. Discussion of Broad Street property next to the Ezekiel Harris I House. I I I Mr. Todd: Why would we want to get into this when the GBI has an investigation of it? Mr, Brigham: I'm more concerned in the fact that we own three out of four oarcels and that we're installing on the project and whecher or nee we'll proceed to go on with it, if so, we need to do something. Mr, Wall: The original grant called for us to acquire all four properties and the Ezekiel Harris House is at the bottom of the property as you come down from Eve Street. The city acquired parcel one in 1994 through a $50,000 grant. The city acquired parcel number two in 1995. After consolidation we acquired parcel number three. The remaining parcel is parcel number four which is .. joined to Ezekiel Harris House and this is the parcel that we need ~." to acquire. The original agreement called for us to buy these in a series for $50,000 each parcel. This is the one that there are no grant funds available for. In the process of researching this, I did determine that there was $12,500 that was not claimed on a previous grant. I got the Mayor to sign a letter and we'll be securing reimbursement for $12,500. Mr. Todd: Where is the GBI investigation of this project? Mr. Wall: I haven't heard anything since 1996. Mr. Todd: I would like a copy of the GBI investigation on this before I take any action on this. Mr. Wall: The GBI investigation wouldn't have anything to do with our acquisition of that property, I don't think. Right now we've got three pieces of property with one piece of property immediately adjoining, I do think it needs to be conditioned upon the demolition occurring, After further discussion; MR. TODD: I move we postpone this and obtain a report from the GBI office. MR. KUHLKE: So move. Motion carried unanimously. A request from Recreation Director to approve and award a purchase order to Hill Company, Inc., for $215,000.00 to purchase a dehumidification system for Augusta Aquatics Center. Mr, Beck: This is the bid that we had delineated when we had you to approve the last budget for the natatorium when we awarded the construction contract. We felt that we could save money by bidding this separately since this was a stand alone unit. What we are recommending is $215,000 which we feel is the best bid on the project. MR. KUHLKE: So move to approve the best bid. I MR. TODD: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A c.."""",nication from Radio Cab regarding an adjustment of taxi cab rates in Augusta. Mr. Mayor: Mr. Fields called me and he had a conflict today he will not be able to be here this afternoon and he asked if we could postpone this until the next meeting. MR. KUHLKE: So move. MR. TODD: Second. Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned. Nancy Morawski I Deputy Clerk of Commission /bb I