HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting May 1, 2012
REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER
MAY 1, 2012
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 5:00 p.m., May 1, 2012, the Hon.
Deke Copenhaver, Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. Lockett, Guilfoyle, Mason, Smith, Aitken, Johnson, Jackson, Bowles
and Brigham, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Absent: Hon. Hatney, member of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
The invocation was given by the Reverend Father Thomas Healy, St. Joseph Catholic
Church.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
Mr. Mayor: I’d like to call the meeting to order and I’d like to call on the Reverend
Father Thomas Healy of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, I believe Commissioner Jackson’s priest
to give us the invocation. Please stand. And father thank you for that wonderful invocation.
I’ve got a little something for you if you could please come forward.
Mr. Mayor: Office of the Mayor. By these present be it known that the Reverend Father
Thomas Healy, Pasto, St. Joseph Catholic Church is Chaplain of the Day. For his civic and
spiritual guidance demonstrated throughout the community serves as an example for all of the
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faith community. Given under my hand this 1 of May 2012. Deke Copenhaver, Mayor.
Reverend Healy: Thank you very much.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you for being here. Thank you for putting up with Joe. Madam
Clerk on to the delegations, please.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
A. Mr. Bob Munger, President Augusta Greenway Alliance, Inc. RE: Making Augusta a
Model City for Sustainable Transportation.
Mr. Munger: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission for this
opportunity to address you. The Augusta Greenway Alliance is a local nonprofit devoted to
smart growth and green transportation. We were established less than a year ago and I’d like to
introduce our board of directors. Of course myself, most of you know Robert Cooks, Dr.
Sanjeev Kapuria who’s with the Georgia Health Science University. Rene Schmidt, our local
software architect. Dr. Anjali Mahendra of Chapel Hill. She is, has a PHD from MIT
specializing in urban design and transportation policy. She’s also got two Master’s from MIT.
She’s brilliant. Tony Urry we’re very proud to have Tony as well and he’s a mechanical
engineer formerly with E-Z Go now with John Deere Company. So our presentation is called
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Making Augusta a Model City for Sustainable Transportation. We think Augusta has an
incredible opportunity with the fact that we’re the headquarters of global production of the
electric vehicle in this industry and I’m going to talk about why that is. The first half of our
equation of our submission statement is green transportation. Why is that important? Well this
why oil, I think we all know what oil is doing to our pocketbooks right now. This is like three
weeks ago the Time Magazine this was a graph out of that same article showing the price of oil.
These are 2010 dollars so they’re inflation adjusted. You can see that the price of oil has gone
up tremendously in the last few decades. The 2009 recession which you can see was a minor
blip in the big picture. It’s incredible to me that the worst recession in sixty years have barely
impacted the price of oil. The reason is because of this. Because the global population of
automobiles is skyrocketing. It’s not happening in the US anymore. We’ve already kind of
saturated our market but what’s happening in China and India and Russia and Brazil and all these
other countries is what’s driving us. So it’s simple economics of supply and demand. The red
represents other countries. Blue represents the USA. So more autos, high oil prices it’s pretty
simple economics. We’ve had a, every time we’ve had a major recession in this country in the
last half century there’s been an oil spike before it. So we’re really kind of vulnerable but we
have a special opportunity in Augusta because we’re the global leader in production of most of
the electric vehicles what we call green transportation. We make LSV’s and PTV’s here with
three corporations headquartered here. We have Club Car, Easy Go and Tomberlin all in
Augusta. We (inaudible) like 90% of the low speed electric vehicles in the USA in Augusta,
Georgia. It’s kind of one of our best kept secrets I think. It creates a wonderful opportunity for
us. An LSV is a Low Speed Vehicle with a top speed of 25 mph. They’re street legal on most
low speed roads in the USA. A PTV is a Personal Transport Vehicle with a top speed of 20 mph
and they’re street legal on a much smaller portion of roads but they’re increasingly becoming
legalized. We’d like to see that done in Augusta. That’s one of the things we’re asking this
body to consider is passing local ordinances to make PTV’s legal in Augusta. A number of cities
in Georgia have already done that. We have to have a local ordinance though in order to do it
and the state legislature enabled that to happen with recent legislation. You look at a comparison
of transportation costs. The LSV is far less as you can see at the top Chevy Volt is right under it.
It’s what three times as much at least. The blue arrow at the top represents the cost savings and
that stays in the local economy. It doesn’t go to Exxon Mobile it doesn’t go to Saudi Arabia it
doesn’t go to Venezuela it stays right here in Augusta. So it would be wonderful for our
economy if we had 10,000 of those vehicles on our streets in our downtown area. People living
downtown that don’t even need a regular car that would that’s money that would stay in our local
economy. If you look at the carbon output it’s a huge difference. It depends on the recharging
by region so different regions have cleaner grids than others. We can have an extremely clean
recharging system here if we could harness our hydropower from the canal system. The other
half of the equation is smart growth. Smart growth has key components of walk able
neighborhoods and transportation alternatives. Augusta has a wonderful downtown area that’s
extremely walk able. It has great bones in terms of its infrastructure of low speed roads. It’s
perfect for these vehicles. If we could turn downtown Augusta around and set an example for
the rest of the nation I think everybody would be looking at Augusta and it would be something
to be proud of. We have a concept for a greenway that we think would be wonderful to run from
Paine College to the Medical District to downtown. It could become the missing link between
downtown and the medical district. And I think it would help stimulate investment in downtown
Augusta. We would at Paine College and run it through the medical district and come down and
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tie into the new Riverside Campus is what I’m calling it with a dedicated low speed electrical
vehicle and bicycle transportation corridor. And to tie all these notes together and I think it
would really help get some of the economic vitality from the medical district to downtown. We
would like to see some kind of a bridge structure across the canal and across Walton Way and it
would have a wonderful view of medical arts which is kind of one of our hidden gems here.
Mr. Mayor: Bob, I hate to cut you short but the five minutes is actually up.
Mr. Munger: May I make a closing statement?
Mr. Mayor: Okay, please.
Mr. Munger: We would like to request that some sort of study committee be formed and
we’d love to be a part of it to look at those. Thank you very much.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. Do y’all have any questions? Commissioner Lockett.
Mr. Lockett: You mentioned there are three facilities in Augusta that already produce
these. If this should occur will there be additional production facilities in Augusta. Is that a
possibility?
Mr. Munger: Definitely a possibility. I think if we could set the right example here I
don’t think that the Low Speed Electric Vehicle industry has really every focused on an urban
environment. Most of their activities have been in the suburbs and on the golf course. Well
when you think about it there’s a lot of interest in repopulating urban corridors across the country
right now. Urban corridors have a network of low speed roads, they’re ready to go. If we could
set the right example in Augusta how you integrate most of the low speed vehicles in an urban
environment I think it would grow jobs. I think other cities would follow our lead and I think it
would be wonderful for the industry as far as job growth.
Mr. Lockett: Well, we recently spent a half a million dollars on a study of Augusta and
one of the recommendations was made is such a facility to be constructed at Regency Mall. So I
think if you wanted to do that you probably could get my support. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner Lockett. Thank you, Mr. Munger. Okay,
Madam Clerk, on to the consent agenda.
The Clerk: Our consent agenda consists of items 1-17, items 1-17. Mr. Mayor, members
of the Commission, I think the Attorney has some revised language that needs to be on eleven.
I’ll put it on the projection screen and he can go over it with you.
Mr. MacKenzie: The only addition would just to be to add that last clause that says
pending legal review and amendment to include required contract clauses. And that just to add
some non-substantive contract clauses that are now required since the revisions of the
procurement code last year that weren’t a part of the original contract.
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Mr. Mayor: Do we need a motion to that affect to?
The Clerk: Add it to the consent when we get ready to do it to include that addition ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: --- to include that additional language. Our consent agenda consists of items
1-17. For the benefit of any objectors to our alcohol petition. I call you attention to:
Item 3: Is a request for a One Day Special Event Liquor, Beer & Wine license to be used
in connection with Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant located at 3064 Washington Road.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors?
Mr. Russell: None noted, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: No objectors to our alcohol petition. Our consent agenda consists of items 1-
17 with a recommendation of revised language per the Attorney.
Mr. Mayor: Gentlemen, do we have unanimous consent to revise the language and leave
it on, item number eleven?
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, do we have any additions to the consent agenda?
Mr. Guilfoyle: Could you add item number five, please?
Mr. Mayor: It’s already on.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, do we have, seeing how we only have one possibility do we have any
items to be pulled for discussion.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, could we pull item number ---
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: --- six please?
Mr. Mayor: Number?
Mr. Brigham: Six, the ADP contract.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, do we have any further items to be pulled for discussion? Hearing
none can I get a motion to approve the consent agenda?
Mr. Jackson: So moved.
Mr. Mason: Second.
CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
1. ZA-R-211 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission
to approve a petition to amend Section 15 (Two-family Residential) of the Augusta, Georgia
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance by deleting Section 15-2 (a). (Approved by the
Commission April 17, 2012 – second reading)
2. ZA-R-212 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission
to approve a petition to amend Section 16 (Multiple-family Residential) of the Augusta,
Georgia Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance by deleting Section 16-2 (b) and (c) and
relocating them in their entirety to Section 16-1 (c) and (d) allowing single-family attached
dwellings and condominiums to be developed as permitted uses under certain criteria and
to allow family personal care homes as a permitted use. (Approved by Commission April
17, 2012 – second reading)
PUBLIC SERVICES
3. Motion to approve a request by Melissa Ruiz for a One Day Special Event Liquor, Beer
& Wine license to be used in connection with Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant located at
3064 Washington Rd. The Special Events license will be used in connection with their
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Cinco Da Maya Celebration (May 5). (On their deck and in the parking lot) District 7.
Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee April 23, 2012)
4. Motion to approve amendments to Augusta-Richmond County Code, Title 6, Chapter 5,
by adding Sections 9-15, to provide regulations for operating Food Trucks. (Approved by
Commission April 17, 2012 – second reading)
5. Motion to approve naming of the Arts Council as the Public Art Agency for the City of
Augusta and tasking the Administrator, Ms. Durant, and Attorney with developing a
mission statement and a set of bylaws for the agency to serve in this capacity. (Deferred
from the Commission’s April 17, 2012 meeting)
PUBLIC SAFETY
7. Motion to approve the purchase of Bio Metric fingerprint scanners by the Sheriff’s
Department. (Approved by Public Safety Committee April 23, 2012)
8. Motion to approve Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Initiative/CSD Subcontract for Juvenile Court Trainers/Educators. (Approved by Public
Safety Committee April 23, 2012)
FINANCE
9. Motion to approve the request to purchase one (1) street sweeper for the Environmental
Services Department. (Approved by Finance Committee April 23, 2012)
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10. Motion to approve the request from the Sheriff’s Office to replace 2 police motorcycles
for their Road Patrol Division. (Approved by Finance Committee April 23, 2012)
11. Motion to approve renewal of contract with CONCERN:EAP (Employee Assistance
Program) for a 3 year period May 2012 to May 2015. (Approved by Finance Committee
April 23, 2012)
12. Motion to approve amending the Board of Assessor/Tax Assessors Office 2012 budget
to address long-term salary disparities and task the Administrator to make a final
recommendation and identify a funding source for the budget amendment at the
Commission meeting (5/1.) (Approved by Finance Committee April 23, 2012)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
13. Motion to award contract for soils and materials testing services to CSRA Testing and
Engineering in the amount of $49,315.00. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
April 23, 2012)
14. Motion to approve moving forward with the sanitary sewer extension project on
Windsor Spring Road for Walgreens; identified funding source Water and Sewer Renewal
and Extension Fund; allow the Utilities Department to meet with the developer to develop a
mutually agreeable cost sharing agreement and bring back to Commission (5/1) for final
approval. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee April 23, 2012)
15. Motion to increase the funding for approved RFQ #11-130: Task Order Program for
Infrastructure for the City of Augusta – Utilities Department in the amount of
$1,500,000.00 for execution by CMI, Inc., Blair Construction, Inc., Eagle Utilities, and
Quality Storm Water Solutions as qualified and selected contractors for subject RFQ.
(Approved by Engineering Services committee April 23, 2012)
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
16. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular and legal meeting of the Commission held
April 17, 2012, and the Special Called Meeting held on April 23, 2012.
APPOINTMENTS
17. Motion to approve the reappointment of Mr. Locke McKnight to a term on the General
Aviation Commission at Daniel Field representing District 10 due to a conflict with the
appointment of Mr. Mason McKnight IV.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion that’s been properly second. If there’s no further
discussion Commissioners will now vote by the usual sign of voting.
Mr. Johnson out.
Motion carries 8-0. [Items 1-5, 7-15]
Mr. Johnson out.
Motion carries 8-0. [Items 16, 17]
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, let’s go to the pulled agenda item first, please.
The Clerk:
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ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
6. Motion to deny the final negotiated contract with Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and
task the Administrator to bring back at the first Commission meeting in June a path
forward regarding the internal operations of the Human Resources Department.
(Approved by Administrative Services Committee April 23, 2012)
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham
: Mr. Mayor, I think this Commission is unready. I don’t think there’s
And,
enough votes to pass either a, to pass a contract or to pass a denial of the contract.
therefore, I want to make a motion that we send this back to committee.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion. Is there a second?
Mr. Jackson: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and there’s a second. Is there any further discussion?
Mr. Aitken: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Aitken.
Mr. Aitken: It was in committee last week and I just asked that in the future that and I
think this has been brought too how important these committee meetings are when these
discussions come up that are very important such as ADP. And so I really would like to, I know
Mr. Brigham you couldn’t have been here last week but some of my colleagues and we wouldn’t
be going back to this so I can support this but I know that it’s very important that we get
everybody on the same page of music. That we start including some of the people that these
decisions are going to affect. And I don’t think some of our department heads and other elected
officials in the community from the phone calls that I’ve gotten have actually been up to date on
all where we need to be at. So I think in this discussion they need to be involved in helping us.
It’s easy for us to make a decision up here but the impact that it has across the board especially
as we start to change the culture of Augusta and trying to get by the best way we can. Thank
you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. Okay, if there’s no further discussions Commissioners will now
vote by the usual sign of voting.
Motion passes 9-0.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, on to the regular agenda.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
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18. Discuss a request from Paine College to close Druid Park Avenue between the
intersections of Laney-Walker and ending at Central Avenue subject to receiving a report
from scheduled meeting with ARC and Paine College officials (4/25).
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: I was unable to be at the meeting. Commissioner Mason was there and he
might want to report to you.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Commissioner Mason.
Mr. Mason: Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Russell, Commissioners. We did meet with
Paine College last week. When I say we, that’s our Traffic Engineering Director Abie Ladson,
the Assistant Director Steve Cassell, Reverend Hatney the Super District 9 Commissioner,
myself along with Dr. Brandon Brown and Dr. Bradley. From that discussion I believe there was
an agreement made from there that the closing of Laney-Walker, excuse me the closing of Druid
Park is not an option that’s on the table that everyone could come to an agreement with. We did
present some plans on how we could potentially move forward but at this particular time the
reason why you don’t see anyone from Paine here they’re in agreement with the discussions that
was had. I think we have Abie Ladson here who may can speak to some of the substantive
issues. But as far as a closure of Druid Park we do not believe that’s something that would be in
the best interests of the city as a whole. And we outlined a plan of how what we can do moving
forward.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Ladson and that’s looking more at a traffic calming project?
Mr. Mason: Absolutely.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Ladson.
Mr. Ladson: Basically, Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission, basically we
actually have some funds from SPLOST VI that was allocated actually through SPLOST VI and
we’re currently getting together some, putting together a package to send to Procurement for an
RFQ to actually take a look at the area there. And Paine College is actually in agreement to that.
So that’s where we stand on that. Once we get under contract and we get a concept we can come
back before the Commission and give a report on that.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Lockett.
Mr. Lockett: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There’s a lot I don’t understand about this
particular project. Number one is, Steve, I believe last week, week before last mentioned
something about a turn around. Is that what you called it?
Mr. Cassell: A roundabout.
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Mr. Lockett: Well, that’s close enough. This roundabout now ya’ll are professionals.
Ya’ll know that Georgia Health Sciences University wants to do something with Laney-Walker
similar to what Paine wants to do with Druid Avenue. Have there been any discussion as far as
you know between Paine and Georgia Health Sciences University and this government as to
what course of action that they want to take?
Mr. Ladson: I’m not sure if there’s been. I’m sure that there’s been discussions between
Paine and the Georgia Medical College. However in this study or this concept all of that would
be included in that.
Mr. Lockett: Okay, the Administrator has his hand up but I want you when he finishes if
he doesn’t cover this I would like for you to describe to this group what this thing is going to
look like if I may classify to that. Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: I’m not too sure we know what this thing is going to look like yet. That
might be part of what we might want to look at as we go down the line. But initially we started
the discussion about Laney-Walker about a year ago. It was a joint conversation with Paine
College at that particular point in time. Both universities shared the same issue of getting
students across what they perceived to be a very busy and dangerous road. The narrowing of
Laney-Walker with the state grant sort of mirrored what we talked about doing on Druid
Parkway. So those two projects would sort of coexist, not coexist but they would both be the
same kind of thing to solve the same kind of problem there basically. Instead of having to cross
four lanes of traffic you narrow it down and slow the traffic a little bit you only have to cross
two. It would be some better designated crossing areas and whatever to get you across the street.
So it’s the same problem. Two campuses two different roads but a similar kind of solution will
get you there. The roundabout that Steve’s talking about would be a little bit further down the
road at that intersection I believe. And they’re used to go ahead and actually slow traffic a little
bit too. It’s the traffic engineer’s contention that that’s a mechanism used to slow the traffic as
you get down there. And Abie can speak a little bit better about that than I can. I always get lost
in them. I go around and around and around.
Mr. Mayor: On the roundabout?
Mr. Russell: Yes.
Mr. Ladson: What I would rather do is just get the concept first and the different options.
Then that way I wouldn’t actually put anything out to give you some false information today.
And once, I mean normally in the concept we normally have about two, three or four concepts,
different concepts and we normally have meetings on those. Of course we’ll have meetings with
interested parties and then once we do that then we can come back before the Commission on
that.
Mr. Lockett: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: And it’s funny that you should say that, Abie. I was speaking to a group of
high schoolers at Richmond Academy today and I got a question, what is one of the most
difficult things you guys face. It’s the battle of misinformation. So thank you for bringing back
the conceptual plan because somehow it’d get out that we were going to put a merry-go-round
out there. Commissioner Mason.
Mr. Mason: Thank you. We appreciate what you did say there, Abie. A couple of things
that we looked at in the interim just for information purposes that we can potentially assist Paine
College with. If you go down Laney-Walker through GHSU you’ll see school signs and flashing
lights and a 25 mph speed zone. Well, Paine College is a school as well. But we don’t have that
in that particular area and the speed is 35. So those are some things that potentially could be
looked at designating that as a school zone which it is and reducing that speed down to 25 which
will help assist us temporarily while we’re looking for a more permanent fix. So we did have
some lengthy discussions in terms of you know a path forward both in the interim and then a full
scale in particular when the TEE Center comes on board. So from that aspect did I miss
anything else on that?
Mr. Ladson: No, that’s it. I mean that’s something that we can actually do now there
temporarily.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, I was going to invite anybody that wanted to experience a
roundabout to come out to west Augusta and ride out Scott Nixon Road and go visit Car Max out
that way. There’s a roundabout out there and you can ---
Mr. Bowles: So Jerry can (inaudible)
Mr. Mayor: It is great fun, my friend, it is great fund.
Mr. Brigham: --- interacts and I think it would be a much improvement to the traffic in
the university corridor that we have downtown. And I think that it would be much improvement
to other intersections also.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner Brigham. Can we get a motion to receive this as
information?
Mr. Mason: So moved.
Mr. Jackson: We have a motion and a second. If there’s no further discussion
Commissioners will now vote by the usual sign of voting.
Motion Passes 9-0.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, before we adjourn I believe it is National Clerk’s Week this week and
we’d like to stand a give Lena Bonner a round of applause. (APPLAUSE) Is there an official
National Clerk’s Week song we can sing to you to make you more embarrassed?
The Clerk: Thank you so much.
Mr. Mayor: Corey, you?
Mr. Johnson: Yeah, point of personal privilege. I was informed actually while I was at
the ACCG conference that, I got an email I think you got it that Paine College Golf Team won
the SIAC Championship this weekend. So I said I was going to get the information to Ms.
Bonner so we can definitely get with them. But they did win and they had some pictures posted
on the website and in the email. So I just wanted to make that announcement.
Mr. Mayor: All righty, if there’s no further business to come before the body we stand
adjourned.
[MEETING ADJOURNED]
Lena Bonner
Clerk of Commission
CERTIFICATION:
I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy
of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Augusta Richmond County Commission held on
May 1, 2012.
______________________________
Clerk of Commission
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