August 2015
The regular meeting of the Village of Forest Hills was held at Webster Town Hall at 6:00pm on August 04, 2015.
The following members of the Council were present:
Mayor Kolleen Begley
Councilmember Ron Mau
Councilmember Carl Hooper
Councilmember Dan Perlmutter
Councilmember Clark Corwin
The following Non-Council members were present:
Stephanie Gibson, Town Clerk
Steve Brown, Village Planning Board
Ken Dickert, Zoning Administrator
Tanner Hall, Sylva Herald
1) Call to order: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Mayor Kolleen Begley.
2) Announcements:
a) The September meeting will be back at the Recreation Center, 6:00 – 6:30 is now work session and the meeting will start at 6:30.
b) There was no sign up to run for councilmember Dan Perlmutter’s seat.
c) Whee Farmer’s Market is continuing to be held weekly Tuesday evenings 4:00 – dusk through the season.
3) Approval of Agenda: Councilman Hooper made a motion to approve the agenda; Councilman Perlmutter seconded the motion, unanimously approved.
4) Approval of Meeting Minutes from July 07, 2015 Council Meeting and June 29, 2015 Work Session: a motion to approve the minutes from the July 7th Council meeting was made by Councilman Hooper, seconded by Councilman Corwin, unanimously approved.
A motion to approve the minutes for the June 29th Joint Meeting was made by Councilman Mau, seconded by Councilman Hooper, unanimously approved.
5) Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of July, 2015 Stephanie provided copies of the Financial Report for July. In July, there were expenses of $6,740.72 for Police protection, Administrative fees, Professional Services, Insurance, Membership fees, Audit Installment, Streets, Powell, Attorney fees, and Entrance operating fees. Revenues for July were $2,795.09 from Sales Tax, Ad Valorem Taxes, and Interest earned. The ending balances in the Money Market, Checking, and Powell accounts totaled $196,699.98.
Councilman Hooper made a motion to accept the financial report; Councilman Mau seconded the motion, unanimously approved.
Stephanie said that the Annual Powell Reports were completed and submitted electronically as well as the new certified Powell Map by Lofquist and Associates
6) Public Comment: None
7) Road Improvement Quotes: Councilmen Mau & Councilman Hooper (informal bids)
Councilman Hooper said that he received a quote from Parker Paving; he noted that the quote does not include stone; they are unsure how much would be needed. He said that Parker Paving will not charge transportation costs if the job is divided into several phases. The quote is for $102,195.00 for Asphalt.
Councilman Mau said that he spoke with Emory Paving and they are now only doing D.O.T. projects. He said that WNC Paving is not interested in quoting chip and seal.
Mayor Begley said that Asphalt does hold heat better, chip and seal will not hold up. Chip and seal will last approximately 5-7 years and Asphalt, approximately 12 years. She called Owen Paving and they looked at the project and provided a quote of $123,500.00. She noted that Owen also agreed not to charge transportation charges to move equipment if the project is done in phases. Owen said that chip and seal would be $30,000.00 less. She said that none of the contractors have agreed to do chip and seal on the curve in Caves Spring, they said that only Asphalt would be effective. She suggested calling Parker Paving and Owen Paving to determine if the covered area quoted is the same.
Mayor Begley said that Oct. 1 would be the deadline for getting chip and seal done and December 1 would be the latest to get Asphalt.
Councilman Hooper and Councilman Corwin feel that Asphalt would be the best option and that Owen Paving is more economical, Councilman Perlmutter said he agrees that is the best option.
Councilman Mau said that chip and seal is approximately $.50/ft. less expensive than Asphalt.
In reviewing the quotes, Council noted that Parker Paving’s quote includes pull outs and Owen Paving has more 16’ areas in quote.
Mayor Begley said that both companies are reputable. She said that Owen Paving said that they could begin work on the project in approximately three weeks and their quote is guaranteed for 1 yr. She called Owen Paving and he said that he would like to clear the ditches before beginning work on the road if gets the job.
Mayor Begley said that $65,000 is in the budget for chip and seal plus what is in the Contingency fund. She said that the Village could do $65,000 of the project this year and complete the remainder within one year.
Councilman Mau recommended having Parker Paving and Owen Paving resubmit quotes for the same area on Caves Springs Road. He said that he will send Councilman Hooper and Mayor Begley the area to price and they can give the information to the contractors to resubmit their bids. Council will recess and reconvene on Monday to determine how to move forward and what contractor to use.
8) Reports
Mayor’s Report: Mayor Begley said that the monthly Mayor’s meeting is scheduled for Friday.
Ordinance Violations: Ken Dickert provided an update for Ordinance Violations. He said that there was a violation on Caves Spring Road, a homeowner has farm animals, they have been sent a violation notice with a fine, they have 30 days to resolve this issue and pay the fine. There was also a notice sent to a homeowner on SCC Drive for having unsightly trash around their property.
Ken said that Attorney Moore sent a letter to the homeowner of a property being rented on NCC Drive and there has been no response, he asked that another letter be sent.
Ken suggested posting flyers for areas that no parking is allowed, Mayor Begley said that she could send flyers with the ordinance to Ken and he can copy and post if vehicles are in the road.
Planning Board: Councilman Corwin said none of the members will agree to chair the Planning Board. He noted that there were five people at the last meeting including him. He said that a couple people have already said they will not be able to make the next meeting.
Councilman Corwin asked the Council if a Village Manager should be contracted to assist with services the Planning Board is charged with completing. Mayor Begley asked about the money for Professional Services, Councilman Perlmutter agreed that a manager might be a good idea. Councilman Corwin said that it may be adequate to use the Professional Services of a planner, Kristy Carter was someone recommended by Gerald Green. He noted that all ordinances related to zoning need to reference land use.
Mayor Begley said that Kristy Carter said to give any recommendations, she would need more detail. She said that Sarah Thompson with Southwestern Planning can define details and bring forward to Kristy. She will add Sarah to the Work session in September and keep potential Village manager on future agendas.
Councilman Corwin said that he will go the next Planning Board meeting and they will work on Rules of Procedure guidelines.
Safety: Councilman Hooper said that were several patrols and that a warning was given to a speeding motorist and that debris was moved from the roadway. Mayor Begley and Councilman Hooper feel that there is a need for more police presence. Mayor Begley noted that someone stole the Forest Hills Estates sign was stolen. Councilman Hooper said that he would check on the availability of the speed trailer and will let patrolmen know that the Village does now have a speed limit ordinance in place.
Village Roads & RPO Board: Councilman Perlmutter said that he would like to talk with Elizabeth St. John to discuss procedures to get the sidewalk proposal on the agenda. He noted that the next meeting is scheduled for September 28th.
Mayor Begley said that she will speak with Rose at the Southwestern Commission. Pledges are continuing. She noted that once approval is given, the Village can apply for grants. She said that the Village needs to re-submit the proposal through the RPO board, a D.O.T. decision will be next year.
Jackson County CTP: Councilman Mau said at the next meeting is tomorrow, they haven’t had a meeting since June. He noted that there has not been a replacement named for Gerald Green’s position, Rose ran the last meeting.
Councilman Mau noted that at the County meeting, there were representatives for Duke Life Point, WCU, SCC, NCDOT, TWSA, as well as local towns.
Councilman Corwin said that he spoke to Rich Price at the County meeting and he mentioned the trend of people associated with WCU looking for economic housing. He asked who the Village should market to.
9) Unfinished Business: (Tabled until the Monday 8-10-15 meeting)
Planned Community Standards (document from Gerald Green): Councilman Corwin and Mayor Begley (Discuss adding a planned community standards provision to zoning ordinances, the board was to send any questions or revisions to Councilman Corwin Mayor Begley to submit to Gerald Green for him to complete.
Zoning Ordinance Review (document from Gerald Green): Councilman Corwin and Mayor Begley (When to schedule any further required public hearings, when to vote on recommendations, when to get back to Gerald Green so he can finish his contracted work with the Village)
Document titled “Zoning Ordinance Review”
Summarized remaining items to address:
- Change lot size requirements reducing 2-acre minimum lot size requirement to:
Minimum ½ acre if on public water/sewer
Minimum 1 acre if on well/septic
Lot dimensions are documented appropriately and setbacks are appropriate but should be re-worded (pg.4) to be clearer and avoid inconsistencies.
- Revise the standards for manufactured homes to add a minimum width in addition to the 1,420 sq. size.
- Work with owners of University Inn to incorporate development standards: Mayor Begley to invite them to the Sept. work session and ask them to meet with her and Councilman Corwin before then.
10) New Business
- Kristy Carter: Councilman Corwin and Mayor Begley (attachments: Future Land Use Plan) – Council suggested looking at things that the Village has to do, that the Village wants to do and things that would be nice to do.
- Formally adopt the final report from the: (as “Guiding Land Use Plan”) – Mayor Begley noted that this needs to be done at the Board meeting. Councilman Perlmutter made a motion to adopt the final report from the Charrette as a guiding Land Use Plan; Councilman Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved.
- Balsam West High Speed Internet: Mayor Begley and Councilman Mau – Balsam West (Partnership of EBCI and Drake Software) – Council said the High Speed Internet could increase home values. Councilman Mau said that Travis Lewis is doing wireless at the airport but it has to be in line of sight. The High Speed Internet runs in Jackson County. Mayor Begley said that the topic could be continued at the meeting on Monday 8-10 to discuss and see if it is a viable option for the Village.
11) Additional Public Comment: None
12) Adjourn: At 8:15pm Councilman Corwin made a motion to recess and reconvene on 8-10, location to be determined, seconded by Councilman Perlmutter, unanimously approved.
COUNCIL MINUTES
VILLAGE OF FOREST HILLS
August 10, 2015
The continued meeting of the Village of Forest Hills from August 4, 2015 was held at the Jackson County Rec Center in Cullowhee at 6:00pm on August 10, 2015.
The following members of the Council were present:
Mayor Kolleen Begley
Councilmember Ron Mau
Councilmember Carl Hooper
Councilmember Dan Perlmutter
Councilmember Clark Corwin
The following Non-Council members were present:
Tanner Hall, Sylva Herald
1) Call to order: The meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm by Mayor Kolleen Begley.
2) Public comment: None
3) Road improvement quotes: Revised paving quotes by board request for Cave Springs Road only were received by: Parker Paving, WNC Paving, and Owen Paving. All 3 contractors recommended using an asphalt surface on Cave Springs Road due to the degree of incline and curves of the road, citing that chip & seal would have a far less life than asphalt before surface upkeep was required and that the life of the asphalt surface would outweigh the cost savings of the chip & seal surface. Motion to approve asphalt surface paving over chip & seal surface paving was made by Councilman Dan Perlmutter, seconded by Councilman Clark Corwin, unanimously approved. The current fiscal year amount allotted toward paving projects was $65K based on chip & seal surfacing, the contractor quotes for asphalt surfacing were approximately $140K. Discussion about the amount of cost increase in the contractor-recommended asphalt surface vs the previous quotes for chip & seal led to delaying the paving projects until spring/summer 2016 when sufficient funds were available and that doing more of the paving at one time would save the contractor’s fixed mobilization charge per visit. Further discussion about the order of paving projects resulted in (1) paving Cave Springs Road (long portion) (2) paving the “loop” connecting North Country Club Drive and South Country Club Drive (3) resurfacing South Country Club Drive (4) paving Cave Springs Road (short portion) (5) Resurfacing North Country Club Drive and Virginia Lane. Motion to follow the order of paving discussed and to earmark any surplus funds from fiscal year end June 30, 2016 to the Capital Improvements account for paving was made by Councilman Carl Hooper, seconded by Councilman Dan Perlmutter, unanimously approved.
4) Unfinished business: “Planned Community Standards” document from Gerald Green – discussion regarding adding a planned community standards provision to the Village zoning ordinances. Resolved; the board was to send any questions or revisions to Councilman Clark Corwin or Mayor Kolleen Begley to submit to Gerald Green for him to complete this document he was contracted to do.
“Zoning Ordinance Review” document from Gerald Green – discussion about recommendations to address: (A)Potential change to the current 2-acre minimum lot size requirement (B)Revise the standards for manufactured homes to add a minimum width in addition to the 1,420 sq.ft. size (C)Work with the owners of University Inn to incorporate development standards
Discussion from Councilman Clark Corwin and Mayor Kolleen Begley regarding a meeting they had with professional planner, Kristy Carter, to assist with updating the Future Land Use Map, any zoning changes, and to review ordinances for regulation compliance led to obtaining further assistance from Sarah Thompson of the Southwestern Commission to clarify details of what items Ms. Carter would provide vs which items the Village could obtain at no cost. Sarah Thompson will facilitate the September 1, 2015 work session prior to the regularly scheduled public meeting which will follow the work session.
5) Adjourn: Councilman Dan Perlmutter made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Councilman Clark Corwin, unanimously approved.