23 Mar March 23rd, 2010 Minutes

THE THREE HUNDRED-SEVENTY NINTH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN

VILLAGE OF ALAMANCE
March 22, 2010 – 7:00 PM

Present: Mayor Bundren, Mayor Pro-Tem Sharpe, Alderman Jones, Alderman Crouse, Alderman Tichy, Alderman Clemmons, Alderman Slaughter, Clerk York.

Alderman Crouse gave the invocation.

Mayor Pro Temp Sharpe moved to approve the February 22nd meeting minutes and Alderman Clemmons seconded. The Motion passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS

CDBG PROJECT

Clerk York explained to the Board that an ad had been placed in the newspaper on March 10th, 2010 stating that the Environmental Review had found no significant impact to the environment in relation to the CDBG project. The ad must run for fifteen days so after March 25th, 2010 the design work can begin on the project.

State Required Second Water Source Financing

Mark Reich said that the reimbursement check had come from the state. Mr. Reich said that the state could deposit the checks electronically.

Mr. Reich explained that 6,300 liner feet of 8 inch water main has been laid. The boar contractor will be on site March 29th. He anticipates four to six weeks to boar under the creek. Next the master meter will need to be set, the lines will then be tied together and line testing will need to be done prior to being put into service. The line will be loaded from Liberty Drive. Pressure testing will be done from the last valve on the remaining 600 feet. The last step will be chlorination of the line. He expects the project to be complete by the end of May. The contractor has put additional gravel on both gravel roads. There is one area that is still wet and it will be addressed before the project is completed.

Mr. Reich told the Board that the soil over the spill way had to be compacted to 98%. There is too much moisture in the area to lay the line currently. In order to accomplish this, lime will need to be placed on the spillway. Later, a permeate mat will need to be applied over the soil to aid in its stabilization. The cost to apply the lime is $6,955.20. The money will come out of the contingency fund.

Last month the Board approved a gate valve for the extra fire hydrant. That amount was $550.00 and the “T “valve was $236.25. This brings the total to $7,741.45. These two items were needed but left off of last month’s list of items to come out of the contingency fund. Alderman Crouse moved to approve a change order of an additional $7,741.45 to be used from the contingency fund to cover the two items mentioned above and Alderman Clemmons seconded. The Motion passed unanimously.

Report on Cabin Pump Station Access Road

Clerk York explained that he would turn the information over to Mr. Reich regarding the Cabin Pump station after the meeting. Mayor Bundren tabled this item on the agenda until the April meeting.

ORC Report

Mr. Allred came before the Board and explained that on the distribution system the THM/HAA5 was .09 and that is a little high. He will schedule additional flushing of the system to bring down the level of the THM/HAA5. Mr. Allred also said that he would do additional testing at the entry point to see how high the levels are that we receive from Burlington. Alderman Jones asked how much it cost to test the water for THM/HAA5. Clerk York said that each THM/HAA5 test cost $190. Alderman Jones asked why we were receiving notices if the water is coming into us at a high level. Mr. Allred said that the state requires each system to maintain the approved levels. It is our responsibility to flush the lines to get to the desired level of disinfection byproducts. Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Allred to report his finding periodically to the Board so they can decide when the additional testing should cease. Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Allred how much additional testing he was planning to do. Mr. Allred said that he would take a test at the entry point at the same time he takes a test at the end point. Mayor Bundren asked Mr. Allred to report back periodically to the Board on this issue.

Mr. Allred explained that progress has been made on the Villages water loss situation. A six inch elbow was found to be leaking behind the CT NASSAU building and running towards Pond Road then into the river undetected. The sprinkler system inside the CT NASSAU building had some leaking valves as well. These issues were repaired as well as adding valves to the fire hydrants to get them into working order. On March 16th Mr. Allred checked the meter and there was no flow at all to report. Alderman Jones was concerned that this would not be the end of the problem at CT NASSAU. Alderman Tichy said that we can bill them if the meter moves again. Alderman Jones said that CT NASSAU would only be charged the amount the registered on the detector check. Alderman Tichy said that we would at least be able to bill them something and we know they are amenable to fixing any problem that should arise. Mayor Bundren asked Attorney Bateman if we could charge CT NASSAU for previous water used. Attorney Bateman said that we would have to get an accurate estimate of the water used. We would have to be able to prove to CT NASSAU that the estimate is valid. Alderman Jones said that he did not think the Board would be able to go back and get that revenue from CT NASSAU. Alderman Crouse said that the only thing we could do know is place a meter on the sewer coming out of the plant. Mayor Bundren thanked Mr. Allred for finding the leaks and correcting the problem.

Mr. Allred met with a representative from Burlington to review the leak at the entry point. It is likely that the leak is flowing the direction of the sewer line and heading into the creek. Once the second connection is completed, he will be able to isolate the area of the leak and the Village can proceed with repairing it.

Mr. Allred asked Clerk York how he was enforcing the Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Ordinance. Clerk York explained that last year the grease traps at E.M. Holt Elementary School was inspected last year and that it is time to do another inspection for this year. Mayor Bundren asked if K&J had a grease trap. Clerk York said that they recycle their grease. Alderman Jones said that he thought that Restaurants are supposed to have a grease trap. Clerk York said that that is correct. Attorney Bateman said that K&J should still have some form of collection system for their grease.

Mr. Allred there is an area between Rob Shepherd and Cardinal Lane that needs to be cleared. Mayor Bundren asked Clerk York to ask Mr. Rutledge if he is going to finish mowing the outfall lines. Mr. Allred said he had met with someone who does right of way cleaning and he will give Mr. Allred a price on services he could provide to the Village.

NEW BUSINESS

Tap Fees

Clerk York said that he had sent a list of services to two contractors. He has not received them back at this time. He has received some numbers from another contractor. Clerk York said that he should have those numbers by the time the Board meets to discuss the budget.

Lawn Maintenance

Mayor Bundren asked if the item should be tabled until the Board meets on the Budget. Clerk York said that the Lawn Maintenance usually starts at this time during the year. He presented three numbers from contractors. The contract would involve 18 mowings per year, aeration, fertilizer, seed, and lime. Three bids were presented. Although Byrd’s Lawn Care was not the lowest bid, Clerk York said that Mr. Byrd had been good to the Village and believed he should be re-hired. Last fall there was a light fixture that appeared to have been knocked off by a mower. Mr. Byrd paid the total bill of $341 without any problem. Mayor Bundren asked if the companies were bonded. Clerk York said that they were bonded. Alderman Jones said that 18 mowings seemed like a small number. Clerk York said that the mowing is bi-weekly and so it covers a nine month period. Alderman Jones asked if the lawn had ever gotten out of hand. Clerk York said that it had not. Alderman Jones asked how long we had been with Mr. Byrd. Clerk York said that we had been with him for at least two years. Mayor Bundren said that if we approve a contract tonight, we would have that part of the budget completed. Mayor Pro- Tem Sharpe moved to hire Byrd’s Lawn Care to provide Lawn Maintenance Services for the Town Hall and Alderman Jones seconded. The Motion carried unanimously.

Historic District Commission

Clerk York said that the Board approved guidelines for the Historic District last August. The original guidelines set up the Historic Commission as a five member Board that would be appointed by the Board of Alderman. The Board now has a resolution before them that would define the organizational structure of the Commission. The whereas clauses are taken from the guidelines and the resolved clauses set up the structure of the committee. It sets up staggered four year terms. The committee will be required to meet at least once per quarter and also as needed. Mayor Bundren said that the Board needs to move on this so the commission can be set up and available to handle issues that might arise in the district. Alderman Clemmons moved to approve the resolution and Alderman Slaughter seconded. The resolution passed unanimously. Mayor Bundren said that anyone interested in serving on the Commission should give their name to Ben. Clerk York explained to the audience that the resolution requires that a majority of members on the Commission must live or own property in the district. At least one member must live outside of the Historic District. They must also have some experience in Architecture preservation.

Litter Sweep

Clerk York encouraged anyone who would like to participate in a litter sweep to contact him. The state of North Carolina holds a litter sweep every spring and fall. The next sweep will be between April 17th and May 1st.

Budget Amendment

The General Fund was addressed first. Our electric bills for the town hall and the sign have increased over the last few months. In light of this, $500 is being added to the utilities line item to ensure that enough funds will be available through the end of the fiscal year. The remaining $800 is being added to the miscellaneous and data processing line items to ensure that there are enough funds available for the rest of the year. Data processing supplies includes items such as toner and ink for the printer. Miscellaneous is being increased to provide funds for unexpected expenditures. Capital Improvements is being reduced by $1,300 in order to pay for this. No funds have been spent from this line item so far this year and it is unlikely that these funds will be needed. Under the water and sewer fund, miscellaneous is being increased to allow for payment of the sewer fine and to ensure funds are available for the end of the year. Water Sampling is being increased by $400. Water Sampling has $360 left for the year. Each bacteria sample costs $40 and each TTM/HAA5 sample costs $190. With at least 4 more bacteria and three more TTM/HAA5 samples to be incurred before year end that brings the total cost necessary to $700.Utilities are being increased by $200 to ensure funds are available. The amount is being taken from capital improvements expense. With more than $13,663.01 available, it is unlikely these funds will be needed before year end. Alderman Tichy moved to approve the budget amendment and Alderman Crouse seconded. The Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Bundren asked if money under Capital Improvements could be used for repairing the water line. Clerk York said that it could. We will have $90,000 available after this amendment.

Finance Report

The 90 day, $311,770.45 CD purchased from Carter Bank matured on February 14. It earned $846.99 in interest. The current value of the CD is $312,617.21. The CD was renewed at a rate of 1.1%.

Mayor Bundren asked Clerk York to find out the cap that can be spent out of the Powell Bill this year so if any street repair needs to be done the money can be used before June 30th.

Other Business

Mr. Reich asked if anyone had looked at our streets to determine if any repair work needs to be done. Mayor Bundren said that Cardinal Lane needs to be looked at since we have had to cut the street several times in the last year. Alderman Clemmons asked Mr. Reich if he could provide an assessment of our streets. Mr. Reich said that his firm works with a company that can give us a report on rating our streets. Clerk York said that the Village maintains 4.26 miles of streets. Most of that amount is in Heritage Glen. The Village maintains less than one mile of streets without including Heritage Glen. Mr. Reich said that he could do a ride through of the streets and note distresses that we have. Alderman Clemmons said that he would like Mr. Reich to assess the streets in the Village. Alderman Jones said that there are some areas in Heritage Glen that need to be addressed.

The Board set a meeting for Tuesday, April 13th at 7pm to discuss next year’s budget.

Mayor Pro-Tem Sharpe mentioned the mildew on the storage building on Hwy 62. Alderman Slaughter said that it would need to be pressure washed. Fred Hoy said that it would be better to clean it by hand. There was some concern that pressure washing the building would harm the siding. The Board discussed moving the storage building on Hwy. 62 to behind the Town Hall building. Mayor Bundren said that it would be a good time to move the building since it is pretty empty at the moment. It could also be painted. There was also a concern that paint could hurt the vinyl. Alderman Crouse asked Clerk York to call Quality Mechanics and see if they could move the storage building.

Attorney Bateman introduced his son, Charles Bateman Jr., as the newest member of his law firm.

Clerk York reminded the Board Members about the ethics training on Thursday, March 25, 2010. Attorney Bateman said that the Board will also need to pass an ethics ordinance.

Alderman Crouse said that Mr. McCormick’s ditch on Elder Lane will require about six or seven wheelbarrow loads of dirt. The dirt has settled since the water leak was fixed last December. Clerk York will call the contractor who fixed the leak and have him bring more dirt to the site.

Mayor Pro Temp Sharpe announced that she is collecting used pillow cases to make dresses out of and send over to the Earthquake victims in Haiti. This is a project that she and the line dancers are involved in and she would like donations of pillow cases for this cause. They would like to send two hundred dresses to Haiti. She asked anyone who could, to donate pillow cases.

Alderman Crouse moved to adjourn and Mayor Pro Temp Sharpe seconded. The Motion carried unanimously.