The following members of the Council were present:

Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Shields

Councilmember Robert Kehrberg

Councilmember Nilofer Couture

Councilmember Larry Ingersoll

Stephanie Gibson, Clerk

The following members of the Council were absent:

Mayor Marcia Almond

The following non-Council members were Present:

Jim Hartley, Resident

Judith Lambert, Resident/Planning Board

Travis Lewis, SkyFi

1. Call to order: at 7:00pm Mayor Pro Tem Shields 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 Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved. 

     4.  Approval of Meeting Minutes for August 06, 2024, Regular Council Meeting:(All meeting minutes are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Kehrberg made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for August 06, 2024, Councilmember Ingersoll seconded the motion, unanimously approved.  

     5.  Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of August 2024: (All financial reports are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Ingersoll made a motion to accept the financial report, Councilmember Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

     6.  Public Comment:  None

     7.  SkyFi – Travis Lewis, owner of SkyFi, came to speak with the Village about an opportunity that his company has to run fiber with the approval to use the power poles at WCU. His company name will now be Sky Fiber, he said they will be able to run the fiber straight to the house. He has operated SkyFi for 12 years and said that the company has not increased prices during that time. Travis said that there are no grants available for this new business, he will have to pay as he goes. He said they have the equipment needed and could start on the project soon if there is enough interest from homeowners in the Village to make it worthwhile to run the fiber. The costs are estimated to be $50 for 300mbs, $70 for 500mbs and $80 for 1 gig. The council recommended mailing or distributing flyers to residents to get the information to everyone. He said that he could get door hangers with the information and distribute those to get the word out.

     8.  Reports: 

Mayor’s Report: Marcia Almond – Mayor Almond was absent. She provided a report to Councilmember Shields to share.

Mayor Almond shared the meeting she had with Ashley Hill was productive, she said that the commercial property is going to be converted into apartments.

Mayor Almond spoke with Niall Michelsen about the work that had been done in Caves Springs that the council received a bill for from Forest Hill Estates for work done on ditches that they would like to be reimbursed for. There are two current bills. Mayor Almond agreed that the Village would pay those two bills but that any future work to be done would need prior approval to be paid by the Village.

Kevin Whittiken with Catamount Electric sent a proposal for updating the lighting at the Village entrance and the cost was approximately $5,000. Councilmember Ingersol made a motion to accept the quote from Catamount Electric to update the lighting at the entrance, Councilmember Couture seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

Mayor Almond met with Jeff Omar and Sheriff’s Dept. staff about the lack of response to 911 calls.

Mayor Almond had Robbie cut bushes that were along the roadside that were scratching vehicles when they passed.

TWSA Director, Daniel Manring, will be coming to the October meeting to speak and provide information.

Roads: Larry Ingersoll – Councilmember Ingersoll said that mirrors, signs, brackets, and posts are at the Assembly Hall, he said that Correction Enterprises left them at the Jackson Co. DOT, so he and Ron Yount went and picked them up. He said he has spoken to Robby to schedule a meeting so he can show him where to place them. He has spoken with Jones Paving about checking out Meigs’s Way to see how much gravel is needed to repair the road. CWS has repaired the areas they dug up due to water line breaks.

Councilmember Ingersoll spoke with Western Carolina Power about the tall tree limb that broke at 1487 SCC Dr. and since it was close to a power line, he was able to convince them to take it down.

Ordinance Violation update:  Councilmember Ingersoll said that he received a call from a resident saying that he was bitten a couple of times by a neighbor’s dog and another that said there were two aggressive dogs near their home. Councilmember Ingersoll will send letters to the three dog owners.

Speed Limit Signs:  Council discussed one of the Village speed signs that says 25mph that should be 15mph, Councilmember Ingersoll said that he will look at signs on the state-maintained road.

Village Safety:  Councilmember Couture said there was 46 hours of patrol, there were a few speed stops, expired tag, headlight out, brake lights out, and no tag. She said that there were 26 911 calls in August and that 18 were from Prospect

TWSA:  Councilmember Kehrberg is attending the next meeting. 

     9.  New Business:

   10.  Unfinished Business:

•          Update on Grants:  Councilmember Couture said that she will follow up with Patty. 

•          Planning Board Members:  Mayor Pro Tem Shields swore in new member Jim Hartley.  Donna Harris will be sworn in at the October meeting.

    11.   Additional Comments:  None

    12.   Adjourn: At 8:45pm, Councilmember Couture made a motion to adjourn.