The following members of the Council were present:

Mayor Jim Wallace

Councilmember Marcia Almond

Councilmember Nilofer Couture

Councilmember Ron Yount

Councilmember Jerry Rice, III

 

The following Non-Council members were Present:

Stephanie Gibson, Clerk

Eldred Spell, Guest from WCU Music Dept.

Mark Teague, J.M. Teague Engineering

Kenny Armstrong, J.M. Teague Engineering

 

1. Call to order:  at 7:00pm Mayor Wallace called the meeting to order. 
   

2. Announcements: 

Reminder – Please silence cell phones for meeting

3. Approval of Agenda: Councilmember Couture made a motion to approve the agenda, Councilmember Rice seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

4. Eldred Spell - suggestions for sound resolutions in the Assembly Hall:  Mr. Spell suggested Acoustic Panels for the most cost effective and efficient solution to the sound issues in the Assembly Hall.  He said that approximately 30 of the 2’ x 4’ panels at approximately $1230., 42 of the same panels at $1700., or 8 of the 4’ x 8’ panels for approximately $2100 would work best, they are made of Rock Wool.
   

5. J.M. Teague Engineering – review of Federal Experimental Pedestrian Advisory Shoulder Application & Implementation:  Mark and Kenny provided an overview of the Pedestrian Advisory Shoulder project and discussed that traffic calming was the main motivation for considering the project in the Village.  Mark said that they performed a traffic study in the Village in 2018 and placed tubes on the Village roads for a couple days to gather speed data and noted 85 percent of traffic was above the speed limit.  They looked at options such as speed bumps and decided that was not a good idea.  They recommended keeping the speed limit in the Village 15 mph and look at traffic calming options, they looked at the Advisory project, measured roads, and suggested that the shoulder be on the downhill side if implemented.  Kenny said that the Federal Highway Administration is the guiding factor and it would be an experimentation.  Residents would be informed prior to implementation.  They said that the striping for the project would be .8 miles on NCC Dr., and .43 miles on SCC Dr.  Mark said that the sidewalks have a minimum standard of 5’.  He noted the application was written and the Village submitted it to the Federal Government, and it is under review.  It is the Village’s project so if the Village decides to proceed, if approved, it would be implemented and monitored for a year.

Councilmember Yount asked about the Village expense and responsibility, Mark said the Village’s cost would be primarily signs and pavement marking supplies, he estimated that at approximately $10,000.00.  Also, if the project is not kept after it is implemented, the Village would be responsible for removal of the pavement markings.

Mayor Wallace asked the Council how they felt about the project.  Councilmember Couture said that she felt residents should have input, Mayor Wallace said that a public hearing could be held.  She said she was also concerned about the expenses if implemented.

Councilmember Almond said that she was concerned about the safety of implementing the Advisory Shoulder.

Council agreed to review at the August meeting.

6. Approval of Meeting Minutes for June 2, 2020 Regular Council Meeting: (All meeting minutes are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Rice made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for June 2, 2020, Councilmember Yount seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

7. Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of June 2020: (All financial reports are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.)  Continued to August meeting.

8. Public Comments:  none

9. Reports: 
   

Mayor’s Report:  Jim Wallace

• Review of Village Hall Use License Agreement:  continued to August meeting.
• Zoning Administrator:  Mayor Wallace noted that Ken Dickert resigned his position and he wondered if he should speak to the homeowner regarding the issue with the dog barking excessively and let them know that they will waive the fee for the violation unless there is a future issue.  Council agreed that they should be notified.

Mayor Wallace said that he spoke with Mike Poston, Jackson County Planning Board Director, and invited him to the August meeting to discuss ordinance changes.  He asked that Council members read the Zoning Ordinances and be ready to discuss them at the August meeting.  He noted that any potential changes would go through the Planning Board and two public meetings would be held before any changes could be processed.

• Safety Concern on Village Rd.:  Mayor Wallace said that David Shapiro gave him a folder of all correspondence to the Village regarding the road issue and safety concerns.  Councilmember Almond asked about the potential of larger speed bumps that have a gradual slope, Councilmember Rice responded and said that it had been discussed earlier but was determined to be cost prohibitive.  Mayor Wallace said that he would speak with B.H. Graning about the cost of a speed bump near the Shapiro’s home.

Roads:  Jerry Rice – Councilmember Rice said that the tree discussed previously fell and that B.H. Graning cleared the tree from the road.  He said that there is some tree parts and brush to clean up on the side of the road.  Mayor Wallace said that it would be the Homeowner’s responsibility to clean roadside debris on their property.  Jerry said that the debris on the Village road would need to be cleaned up and that his son could clear that, Council agreed that if he was the low bid, he could clear that area.

RPO/TAC:  Marcia Almond – Councilmember Almond said there was nothing new to report.                                                                                                                               

Planning Board:  No meetings held for March, April, May, or June.

Village Safety:  Nilofer Couture – Councilmember Couture said that the patrol report noted officers patrolled 10 times, about 30 hours for the month.  She said that the 911 report showed 15 calls, 9 came from one residence on Pincushion Lane and the others from Roadway Inn.

10. New Business: 

• Ordinance Administrator:  Mayor Wallace said that Ken Dickert resigned his position as Ordinance Administrator and the Council would need to vote on a replacement for that position at the next meeting, he said he would ask David Shapiro if he was still interested.
• Gunshots in the Village:  Councilmember Almond said that she heard gunshots and asked if that was allowed in the Village, Mayor Wallace said that he was not sure that the Ordinances prohibit guns being fired.

11. Unfinished Business:

• Assembly Hall Schedule/Procedure for use:  Mayor Wallace noted that the Attorney is working on a proposal.  He mentioned Liability Insurance and Stephanie said that insurance had been added to the Village policy for the Assembly Hall and the fee was nominal.
• Patrol Contract/hours:  Council discussed having officers patrol an additional 5 hrs. per week when school starts and having patrol do periodic check on resident’s homes as some by be traveling. 

12. Additional Public Comments:  None

13. Adjourn:  At 9:15 pm, Councilmember Almond made a motion to adjourn, Councilmember Yount seconded the motion, unanimously approved.