25 Feb February 25th, 2013 Minutes

THE FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTEENTH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN

VILLAGE OF ALAMANCE
February 25, 2013 – 7:00 PM

Present: Mayor Bundren, Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe, Alderman Tichy, Alderman Slaughter, Alderman Gregory and Clerk York.

Absent: Alderman Crouse and Alderman Clemmons

Mark Reich gave the invocation.

Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe moved to approve the January 28, 2013 meeting minutes. Alderman Tichy seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Alderman Tichy moved to approve the special meeting minutes for February 18, 2012. Alderman Gregory seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS

Plaid Day

Clerk York reported that he met with Alderman Slaughter; they make up the Plaid Day Committee. They have discussed having a concert at the E.M. Holt Elementary School activity field, if approval could be obtained. Concessions could be provided via the concession stand there. In addition, there could be informational booths dealing with history, such as weaving. This would help celebrate the history of Alamance as a mill town. There is also the possibility of loaned exhibits from the Alamance County Historical Museum. They have also discussed having games. They are not planning on having vendors, but rather activities and historical demonstration booths. Despite a few years of sending out information for vendors, there has only been a handful to respond and participate in Plaid Day. Clerk York added that he has spoken with the Alamance Civitan Club. They will likely not charge, though this is not final. They have asked for a specific date, but the Civitan Board does not foresee any problems. All that would be used is electricity and, perhaps, the grill.

Alderman Slaughter added that they have talked about heavier foods or popcorn, corn dogs, French fries, nachos/cheese. Clerk York commented that these simple food ideas would be quick and easy. Mayor Bundren asked if they were still considering an evening event. Alderman Slaughter replied that they are planning for early evening as the time. Mayor Bundren suggested an old-timey movie could be shown when the sun goes down. Alderman Slaughter commented that she has always wanted to do a movie outside; it would be awesome. She further commented that adding games would make the event like a backyard barbecue. She suggested a bubble station could be added for the children. Mayor Bundren said that if the event was just being done for fun, and for the neighborhood, it could stay where it is, regarding location. The visibility would not be needed. If the goal is to try to raise funds, the E.M. Holt Elementary School location would provide more visibility. Clerk York stated that the other reason for opting for the E.M. Holt Elementary School location is the increased parking. If crowds attend, as hoped, the church parking is inadequate and would make for a bad situation. E. M. Holt School would allow for a larger crowd. Mayor Bundren added that it depends on the direction they would like to go: a community-wide barbecue backyard fun day or inviting more people to attend and use the event as a fundraiser. If the goal is to make money, they will need to “amp up” the event. Clerk York said he didn’t know how much money could be made from Plaid Day, outside of concessions. It doesn’t really have activities that generate funds. Mayor Bundren commented that the last Plaid Day was able to fund the concert, with the sale of the IPAD tickets. It is desirable to fund the concert, depending on the band and what they charge. The ticket sales nearly paid for the IPAD and the concession part paid for the concert. There were sponsors last time, too. Alderman Slaughter responded that they were hoping to have sponsors again. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe commented that the E.M. Holt Elementary School location would provide more space for activities, for example, a sack race for the kids. Alderman Slaughter observed that the more activities planned, the more volunteers would be needed. This has always been an issue. Parking has been an issue. When Plaid Day was held at the church, they always had to have golf carts and portable toilets. At E. M. Holt Elementary School, these would not be needed. This helps cut down on expenses. Mayor Bundren asked where the band would be located. Alderman Slaughter replied that the band would be situated down on the field. All the seating in the stands could then be utilized. Mayor Bundren asked about the band that always plays at Burlington City Park on July 4th. She will inquire about this particular band. Alderman Slaughter said that in addition to not paying for portable toilets and the tent, the seating would not be a cost item. Mayor Bundren added that late afternoon; the sun would be behind attendees, helping to make this a cooler time for Plaid Day. Alderman Slaughter noted that so much of the former Plaid Day expenses would be eliminated with the E.M. Holt Elementary School location. Alderman Tichy observed that food preparation would also be easier at the E.M. Holt Elementary School location. Mayor Bundren agreed. She asked if there was a tentative date being considered. Clerk York said that he had called Alamance County, because they maintain the field at E.M. Holt Elementary School. He has written a letter to Dan Moravec, who is the Athletic Director for Alamance County Recreation and Parks. The letter will be presented to the school, because the school must also approve the use. They are looking at a Spring date, sometime April – June. They could pick a date in 2013, but now they are looking at dates in 2014. They are waiting on a response from Mr. Moravec. This simply means the Village would have permission to hold Plaid Day at E.M. Holt Elementary School, if that is the chosen locale. Mayor Bundren asked that the Board be kept apprised of the response from Mr. Moravec.

Website

Clerk York has contacted Alamance County regarding the website. The County is moving toward using “WordPress.” He has also talked with the Town of Elon. They have a company called APPIAN that maintains their website; a company located near Richard Norris. This company will provide a quote to upgrade the Village of Alamance website, to convert it so that it could be managed by the Village itself. This would eliminate having to go through the line code and transfer files, as is done now. Clerk York also spoke with the Town of Gibsonville. Their website is handled by Gov Office. Clerk York has tried to contact this company in the past, but has had no reply. He has had lots of responses from pet website companies, oddly enough. Gibsonville is very happy with what they are doing, noting that it is very easy to use. Gov Office was also recommended to Clerk York by the City of Burlington. Mayor Bundren asked if there was a telephone number for Gov Office. Clerk York replied that he had a number and would try calling Gov Office again. He would like to take what the Village already has on the website and get it into a format that would be easily accessible. There is also the option of doing this manually and putting it into WordPress. Clerk York has prior experience with WordPress. Mayor Bundren asked Clerk York to follow up with Gov Office and with APPIAN.

Report on Cabin Pump Station Project

Mark Reich reported that they have started putting together a contract. They need to have Attorney Bateman look over the legal contract before it is presented to the Board. Mr. Reich will send it to Clerk York so that it can be reviewed by Mr. Bateman. Hopefully, then, they can present something at the next meeting. Other than this, there will be opportunity to do some surveying and send out some letters in the next month. Mayor Bundren asked about the checking on the rock. Mr. Reich said they needed to get the preliminary alignment out in the field and staked, and talk with some property owners, before this is done. This would be a part of the project. They are taking the numbers out of the preliminary engineering report and using them for what they will propose to the Board. This will be available in the next week or so; this can be distributed at the next meeting.

ORC Report

Arnold Allred provided a report on the Collection system. Everything is running well. He also reported on the Distribution system. The City of Burlington changed their sampling month for the THM HA5 sample. Sampling will now be in February, or the middle of each quarter. Also, they will start taking HA5 at one site and THM at another site. This is what the state wants the Village of Alamance to do now. It may be different, by the next report.

Clerk York reported that Rusty cleared the obstruction in the manhole. Clerk York noted that he has received the results of the latest THM HA5 sampling. It is in the 30’s for the TM and the 40’s for the HA5—well under the state limit.

Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Allred if he had started the fire hydrant flushing. Mr. Allred replied that it had been too rainy and cold, but they would start this in the next month or so.

Approval of Mowing Contract

Clerk York reminded the Board that the mowing contract has been approved on an annual basis. Mr. Byrd has been doing the mowing on a 9-month schedule, March-November. Clerk York has obtained quotes from two other mowing services: Apple’s Lawn Service and Randy’s Cut & Trim. The quote from Apple’s Lawn Service was is $1160.00; the quote from Byrd’s is $2400.00, annually; the quote from Randy’s Cut & Trim is $3825.00. There are 18 total mowings, bi-weekly, over 9 months. This covers mowing at the pump station at NC 62 and the mowing at the Town Hall. Also included are core aeration, fertilizer, seed, and lime in the fall. Mayor Bundren asked if all of the companies did all of this treatment. Clerk York replied that he had included this in the request for the quote. Mayor Bundren asked Clerk York if he had obtained references for each company. Clerk York made the correction that the quote was not from Randy’s Cut & Trim, but was from Southern Landscaping. He has not called for references. Mayor Bundren questioned the wide differences in the quotes. Clerk York noted that usually Mr. Byrd has the lowest quote, but this time Apple’s Lawn Service came in with a much lower quote, $50.00 per cut. Mayor Bundren asked if this company understood the core aeration component. Clerk York said this had been explained. Alderman Slaughter commented that if the price had been given, he should know how to do it, seed and lime appropriately. Mayor Bundren expressed concern that Apple’s Lawn Service could not make a profit with their quote. Clerk York said that he had checked with Attorney Bateman. The Board is not required to accept the lowest quote. It is based on qualifications, too. Clerk York said that he could obtain references, if the Board wished. This would delay a decision until late March, close to time to begin mowing. Clerk York indicated he would do whatever the Board requested. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe commented that the Board has been happy with Byrd’s. Clerk York stated that Mr. Byrd is a very good man and does a good job. Mr. Apple also seems like a nice man, but it makes Clerk York nervous that his quote comes in at half of the quote for Mr. Byrd. Normally, other quotes come in higher than Mr. Byrd’s quote. Only one other quote has come in lower than Mr. Byrd’s quote in the past.

Clerk York presented the original documentation from each of the companies. Mr. Apple is only quoting $130.00 for all of the core aeration, seed, fertilizer, and lime. Clerk York feels that Mr. Apple will realize later that it will cost more. Alderman Tichy suggested the opinion may be that it doesn’t need it. He asked how long it normally takes to do the mowing now. Clerk York answered that he has never timed it on NC 62, but at the Town Hall, he estimated an hour, if that long. There are two workers; one does the weed-eating. Mayor Bundren asked if Byrd did weed- eating. Clerk York replied affirmatively. Mayor Bundren stated that if the Board was satisfied with Mr. Byrd’s service, they should proceed with a motion. Alderman Tichy summed up that it could be 4 man hours for the mowing. It would be tough to do that for $50.00. Clerk York pointed out that he had factored in the $130.00 twice, which brings the total to $1160.00. The Village used to pay $150.00 per month. Mr. Byrd factors up what it will cost for the year, and then sends the Village a bill each month. When the NC 62 pump station was added to the mowing, Mr. Byrd added $50.00 just for that. That was likely 3 years ago. Alderman Slaughter asked if either Mr. Byrd or Mr. Apple lived in the Village of Alamance. Clerk York replied that neither lived in the Village. Alderman Tichy questioned that Mr. Apple said one $35.00 bag of fertilizer, weed & seed, was all that was needed. He said he thought Mr. Apple was low-balling the quote. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe made the motion to continue with Byrd’s Lawn Care. Alderman Slaughter seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

There was no additional Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS

Approval of Subdivision of Property on Birch Lane

Clerk York passed out a map of the proposed subdivision. Mayor Bundren asked Clerk York if this had gone to the Planning Board. Clerk York replied affirmatively. It went to the Planning Board last week, on February 18, 2013. It was approved by the Planning Board. It is located on Birch Lane; the large piece of property is owned by Clyde Christmas, who purchased it from Mr. Miles. He is cutting off a piece of land, three quarters of an acre, to build a home on the land. His hope is to cut off another couple of lots over the next few years. He will have to make sure he has enough road frontage. Mayor Bundren asked which one was Robert Miles’s house. Clerk York pointed out that it was number one, with the dots around it. Mayor Bundren asked what was right beside that. Clerk York answered that this was not another lot; it just demonstrates that it is 130 feet across. Mr. Christmas owns all of the property. He is just cutting the one piece. To the right of that, is 20 ft. gravel drive that he will be doing. He is not doing this like some subdivision; this is all of his property. He will eventually build a house. Mayor Bundren asked if Attorney Bateman had reviewed this. Clerk York replied that Mr. Bateman has looked at it and signed off on it. Mark Reich has reviewed it as well. The road is set 50 feet away, as a stream buffer, required by the Jordan Lake Rules. In the future, with any other lot drawn, he has to make sure he has the road frontage. He has to stay within 50 feet of the stream, wherever he decides to build. He wants to do another lot somewhere else. As long as he maintains the appropriate amount of road frontage, he is okay in terms of drawing the lot. This particular lot, for now, is the only item currently under the Board’s consideration. Mayor Bundren asked if there were any questions. Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe made the motion to approve the subdivision. Alderman Tichy seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Finance Report

Clerk York presented the Finance Report. The old CD earned $829.08 in interest, on a .75% rate. This is the rate established when it was purchased a year ago. The Village has a total of $1.5 million in CDs at Carter Bank. There are 12 CDs, all one-year CDs, all laddered so that a CD comes due each month. This makes it “liquid.” They started out at $110,500.00. Over time, other funds have been transferred. Over the course of the year, since the laddering was begun, $3863.36 has been earned.

OTHER BUSINESS

Mark Reich stated that there is some sidewalk that can be replaced. Mayor Bundren asked about the location. Mr. Reich replied that it is near the pump station. There are 3 or 4 different areas with places that need repairs to the sidewalk. He will look at it more closely and come back to the Board with additional information.

Clerk York reported that the Village has a range of $180,000-$185,000 in Powell Bill monies that can be used for street projects. Mayor Bundren confirmed that these amounts were currently available. She asked how much of this needs to be used. Clerk York responded that the Village won’t face running ahead until 2017. This is because they started allowing the Village to hold onto the last 20 allocations. When this was done, they had to reach back to the other 10 allocations the Village had before. In the past, the Village could only keep 10 allocations. When they started doling out half of what you would normally receive in a year, once in October and once in January, then each one was counted as “one go.” Then, suddenly, the Village was losing two years at a time rather than one. Immediately, then, the Village was “over.” Then they started allowing the Village to hold onto the last 20, instead of the last 10. Each one the Village receives now, though it is half of what the Village would normally get in a year, it is received twice and each time is counted separately. Clerk York presented a spreadsheet with detailed information. Assuming the amount received moves at a linear rate, the Village would have a balance that exceeded the last 20 allocations in 2017. The number will likely be reached before 2017; this just gives the Board a general idea. The spreadsheet is updated to reflect the new balance. The total of the last 20 allocations is $253,000; the Village currently has $185,000.

There was no other business.

Public Comment

There was no Public Comment.

Alderman Gregory moved to adjourn and Alderman Tichy seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.