COUNCIL MEETING
September 16, 2004
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rozier with Councilman Myrick leading in prayer. After the minutes of the August 19th meeting were reviewed, Councilman Ray made a motion to approve said minutes, Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
OLD BUSINESS:
Council was advised that the Cregor Street quit claim deeds have not yet been completed. Citizen Charles Rogers stated that he was no longer a part-owner of the property involved in this matter and suggested the City contact the current owner about the quit claim deed.
The Mayor asked Fett Burke about the status of the clearing of the McAllister property at #14 Osteen Road and was advised that it had been too wet to continue the work, but it will resume as soon as it dries out.
Mayor Rozier reported that he had not had any more contact with the Hicks family regarding the signing of the agreement and submission of the physician’s statements as required by council before they could reoccupy the non-conforming mobile home at #1301A E. Hwy 80 and stated that since the deadline for receiving this information expired on July 24th, he felt council should decide how they wanted to handle the sewer service to the mobile home that had been reconnected on a temporary basis until this matter was handled. After discussing the matter, council agreed that the Hicks family has had ample time to respond to the City’s requirements regarding their moving back into the mobile home and decided that the sewer service should be disconnected if they did not provide the required information to City Hall within fifteen (15) days of their receipt of a letter notifying them of the City’s plans to disconnect the sewer service. The clerk was instructed to forward them a letter informing them of council’s decision.
Council was advised that a workshop needed to be scheduled to review the sample ordinances from GMA regarding residential and commercial group development ordinances. After a brief discussion between council and Attorney Dickey, it was determined that Tuesday, September 28th at 7:00pm would be the best time for everyone and due to the Citizens’ Police Academy being held at City Hall the workshop would be conducted at the Bloomingdale Community Building. The Mayor and Council agreed that members of the Planning & Zoning Commission should be invited to attend the workshop since their input would be needed for any proposed revisions to the ordinance.
The council was informed that the preparation of the guidelines for the members of the Bloomingdale Recreation Executive Board were still underway. The Mayor stated that Recreation Director Joe Young was requesting that the terms for Richard Duke, Mark A. James, Sr. and Kischia Young be extended until the November 18th council meeting to allow additional time for these guidelines to be completed, reviewed, and approved. Councilman Ray made a motion to extend the terms as requested, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Myrick reported that Michael Brower had resigned from the board and he made a motion to remove him as a member of the board. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Attorney Dickey reported that Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co. has agreed to make the changes that had been suggested in the Letter of Agreement for their preparation of the City’s Drainage Master Plan except for one insurance matter that has been resolved and the revised agreement will be forwarded to the City Hall for the Mayor’s signature. After a brief discussion, Councilman Ray made a motion to allow the Mayor to execute the revised agreement once it is received from Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co., Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Councilman Tyler reported that the rights of way maps of the drainage ditches that were surveyed by Southeast Engineering & Environmental have been prepared, but he has not had an opportunity to review them. He pointed out the ditches included those on Oak Street, Hwy 80 and Wallace Circle. Councilman Tyler asked how council wanted to handle the notification of citizens about the removal of any encroachments that may be on City rights of way. The Mayor suggested that this information be forwarded to Attorney Dickey for his review and recommendations to council. Councilman Tyler stated that we had received a $3500 bill from the engineering firm and made a motion to pay this bill from the SPLOST monies designated for drainage. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Councilman Tyler reported that he was still working on getting the bids on increasing the size of the water lines at the eastern end of the City limits.
Councilman Wedincamp stated that he would like to present for consideration the appointments of Tommy Toler and Tiffinie Hill to the Planning & Zoning Commission. After a brief discussion regarding terms and qualifications, Councilman Wedincamp made a motion to appoint Tiffinie Hill to the Planning & Zoning Commission to fill the current vacancy and to add Tommy Toler as the third alternate to the commission. Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the appointments and the motion passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Rozier reported that at the last council meeting a public hearing had been scheduled to receive citizen input regarding the request for a home occupation license from Cindy Jones at #210 Osteen Road to operate Horizon Termite & Pest Control, Inc. from this location. It noted that a notice had been published in the Savannah Morning News and letters were sent to owners of adjoining or nearby properties about the hearing. Councilman Tyler asked Ms. Jones about the storage of chemicals and she advised him that there would not be any chemicals stored on the property. The Mayor asked if there were any citizens at tonight’s meeting who wanted to make any comments about the request. The Mayor recognized Bucky Hudson, a resident living at #275 Osteen Road, who stated that this area was not zoned for businesses and felt that it should not be allowed. Mayor Rozier pointed out that Ms. Jones had applied for the “office only” of the business to be located at her residence. Councilman Johnson stated that the City has provisions for home occupation licenses in residential areas to allow citizens to operate the offices of small businesses from the home provided there is no outside traffic and there is no evidence of a business being operated from the premises. Councilman Wedincamp asked about the signs on the property that advertised the business and Ms. Jones stated that she can take down the sign on the mail box but it was her understanding that she could have a 1’ x 1’ sign under this type license. Ms. Jones stated that the only traffic that would come to her residence would be the independent contractors that would be picking up their checks, but she could eliminate that traffic by either mailing them their checks or meeting them somewhere else to distribute them. Ms. Jones pointed out that her husband was one of the company employees and their personal vehicle had advertisement on it, but the signs were magnetic and, if necessary, they could be removed from the truck when he was at home. Ms. Jones advised council that she and her husband had several personal vehicles, so although there may seem to be outside traffic at the residence, most of these vehicles belonged to them. Councilman Johnson informed Ms. Jones that if the license was issued and traffic increased at the residence, there could be a problem. Citizen Jessie Kujawa, a resident living at #114 Osteen Road, stated that the corner where this residence is located has a lot of traffic from all directions. The Mayor advised Ms. Kujawa that this type license stipulates that there will be no outside traffic. Ms. Jones agreed with Ms. Kujawa that it was a busy corner, but the traffic was not generated by her business. Ms. Kujawa stated that if the City was going to allow businesses in residential zones, we should consider rezoning this area to a commercial zone, rather than a residential zone. After additional questions were raised about chemicals being used, Ms. Jones explained that the chemicals are purchased in one pound canisters and stored in lock boxes on the trucks. Ms. Jones pointed out that she does not use restrictive products in her business and if there is a spill it can be cleaned up with Tide washing detergent. Ms. Jones stated that the only poison used in the business was rat poison and the type they used can be purchased at any grocery or hardware store. Ms. Jones advised council that she would do whatever council instructed her to do about the advertising and traffic because she really needed to get her license. After additional discussion, Councilman Johnson made a motion to issue the home occupation license to Cindy Jones at #210 Osteen Road. Mayor Rozier advised Ms. Jones that if the license was approved, it would be subject to revocation if any problems with the business arose. The motion, however, failed due to the lack of a second. Ms. Jones stated that she did not understand why she could not get the license since there were other home occupation licenses in the City in residential zones. Councilman Myrick advised Ms. Jones that the council was responsible for the well-being of all of its citizens and since two of the neighbors had problems with the business, there was concern about issuing the license. Ms. Jones asked council if she could store her business related paperwork at her residence and forward her business calls from her residence to her daughter’s house in Pooler. After consulting with Attorney Dickey, the Mayor stated that this should not be a problem as long as she was not operating the business from her residence, but she would not be issued a home occupation license by Bloomingdale.
Councilman Wedincamp left the podium because of a personal interest in the next matter of business.
Attorney Dickey reported that he had been asked to research the easements on Cheyenne Road to determine whether Gordon Jones, the owner of the undeveloped parcel abutting Cheyenne Road, could obtain a building permit for his property using the road as public access without the approval of the owners of the privately-maintained access road. Attorney Dickey stated that all of the parcels have their own 15’ access to Highway 80; however, the City’s Zoning Ordinance requires a 25’ access to a public road before a building permit can be issued and without a variance, Mr. Jones cannot meet the ordinance requirements. Attorney Dickey further stated that it was his understanding that there was not a culvert at Highway 80 for this parcel, so the only access the owner could use would be across private property. Councilman Tyler stated that whether the City issues a variance or not is not the problem because without a culvert on Highway 80, his only access is across a private road and the City cannot give him the okay to travel a private road. Mr. Jones stated that Mike Mashburn has agreed to sign the plat giving the right of way needed to have the Cheyenne Road dedicated as a public road and asked if this option was still on the table. Mayor Rozier advised him that Mike Wedincamp and Charles Rogers had already proceeded with the paperwork and surveys necessary to have the road dedicated as a private road and the matter was now out of the City’s hands. The Mayor stated that unless the DOT is willing to extend the culvert on Highway 80 to include his 15’ access and council granted a variance, he did not see how the City could issue the permit. Councilman Johnson pointed out that he did not feel the council was inclined to give a variance because there are numerous areas in the City with the same problem and once we started granting variances, there would be other requests for similar access problems. Councilman Johnson advised him that this was really a civil matter and he felt the property owners needed to get together to try to work out a solution with Mike Wedincamp and Charles Rogers that would be beneficial to everyone.
After the discussion was completed, Councilman Wedincamp returned to the podium.
Mayor Rozier reported that council needed to forward to the Planning & Zoning Commission a request to establish the zoning of the 29.90 acres owned by the Morgan Family proposed for annexation into the City of Bloomingdale. It was noted that the annexation petition submitted by the Morgan Family requested that the zoning be established as “Light-Industrial”. Council was informed that the City of Bloomingdale’s Zoning Ordinance includes an “I-1, Intensive Industry” zoning district that is defined as “Limited manufacturing, warehouse, repair garages, industrial parks and as “conditional uses” all C-2 uses. Attorney Dickey reported that once the legal description for the property has completed and submitted to the City, he will prepare the ordinance that council will need to approve before the property can be officially annexed. After a brief discussion, Councilman Tyler made a motion to submit a request to the Planning & Zoning Commission to proceed with the steps required to establish the zoning of the 29.90 acres owned by the Morgan Family proposed for annexation into the City of Bloomingdale as an “I-1, Intensive Industry” zone. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council was advised that the City had received invoices totaling $6324.97 from Carter & Sloope for consulting services, meetings with USGS, fees from the hydro geologist and other technical assistance related to the City’s lawsuit against EPD. The invoices cover services from May 7, 2004 through August 12, 2004. Mayor Rozier stated that he would like to do some checking on some of these charges before council approves payment of the bills so action on this matter was delayed until the next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor reported that the City has received the Lease Supplement from GMA covering the purchase of the Bobcat Excavator Model #328 and the terms are as follows: Financing of $29,941.25 for three (3) years at an interest rate of 3.39% with payments starting October 15, 2004 in the amount of $2,616.23 per quarter. Attorney Dickey reported that the lease agreement was in standard form and was in order. Councilman Myrick made a motion to authorize Mayor Rozier to execute the agreement, Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council was advised that an updated Inter-governmental Agreement has been received from Chatham County covering the County-wide Canal Maintenance Program for the City’s consideration. The agreement will extend the program for three (3) years. Attorney Dickey stated that he reviewed the agreement and found it to be in order. Councilman Johnson made a motion to authorize Mayor Rozier to execute the agreement on behalf of the City. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council discussed a request from Diana Miller, President of the Savannah Lure Course Interest Club, to renew their agreement with the City of Bloomingdale for use of Taylor Park to continue the sport of lure coursing. It was noted that the current agreement expires on October 1, 2004. The Mayor asked Recreation Director Joe Young if there had been any problems with the activity taking place at the park and was advised that everything had been fine. Attorney Dickey asked Ms. Miller if she had insurance coverage and was advised that she had submitted information to the City Hall regarding her insurance. Attorney Dickey stated that renewal of the agreement would be in order if council agreed. Councilman Tyler made a motion to approve renewal of the agreement, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Myrick asked Ms. Miller to explain to the citizens that were at the meeting exactly what was involved in this sport since some of them may not be familiar with it. Ms. Miller stated that lure coursing is an exercising and conditioning program for dogs and this would be the third year the club had offered the program at Taylor Park. Ms. Miller explained that a course is laid out in a field using pulleys and string and a plastic bag, called a “bunny”, is tied on the end of the string. As the bag is moved by the pulleys through the course, the dogs chase it and sometimes they reach speeds of up to 50 mph. Ms. Miller stated that the dogs usually run through the course one at a time, but occasionally, members choose to race their dogs against each other. The activity takes place at Taylor Park on Saturday mornings from 7:30am until 10:00am and there are about thirteen (13) members at this time. Ms. Miller encouraged everyone to come out join them on Saturday mornings and to bring their dogs.
Chief Gossett presented an updated resolution for council’s consideration authorizing the Bloomingdale Police Department to operate radar within the boundaries of Bloomingdale. Chief Gossett pointed out that the current resolution that was adopted several years ago was still in force, but he wanted council to approve an updated version. After a brief discussion, Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve said resolution, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council was advised that the City has received three (3) bids for the fuel system upgrade at the Maintenance Shop that was approved in the FY 2004/2005 budget. It was noted that none of these bids included the electrical work. Mayor Rozier opened and presented the following bids:
1) Collins Electric & Maintenance Company $69,497
2) C & J Service of Augusta, Inc. 72,400
3) Meco of Savannah 60,703
After a brief discussion regarding the bids, Councilman Tyler made a motion to accept the bid from Meco of Savannah in the amount of $60,703. Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. The council was informed that the maintenance department had asked R & R Electric Construction to find out the electrical requirements for the fuel system and present a bid for this electrical work. Their bid was $3,975 and this figure would need to be added to each bid for a total cost of the project. Councilman Ray expressed his concern about not getting more than one bid on the electrical work. Councilman Johnson stated that what probably should have been done was to have included the electrical work in the fuel system bid, but that was not what happened. Councilman Johnson further stated that he had no problem with R & R Construction performing the work, but did agree that we needed to solicit more than one bid in the future. After a brief discussion, Councilman Johnson made a motion to accept the bid of $3,975 from R & R Electric Construction. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes. Councilman Ray abstained from voting.
Councilman Tyler stated that he felt council needed to establish a specific process for soliciting and processing bids to include a threshold amount for obtaining bids. Councilman Tyler asked Attorney Dickey if he could check with other cities to find out how they handled this process and what figures they used in determining whether or not to obtain bids and Attorney Dickey stated he would get some information together for council.
Council was informed that a request has been submitted by John King, Principal of the Bloomingdale Elementary School, asking that the old shed (concession building) and several trees behind the school be removed so that the school can have new gravel put down to create more parking spaces. Councilman Johnson stated that he had discussed this request with Roger Allen and advised him that removing the buildings would not be a problem, but the City could not remove the trees. Some questions were raised about the backstops and fencing and it was noted that the county had installed the equipment nearest to the concession stand. Councilman Johnson asked Fett Burke and Ernest Grizzard if the City crews would be able to remove the buildings and was advised that after getting any electrical and/or gas service to the buildings disconnected, it should not take long to remove the structures. After additional discussion about the request, Councilman Johnson made a motion that the City crews remove the buildings, dugouts and fencing that the City has constructed and/or installed. Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Citizen Roger Allen stated that the road was working out great for the parents that were using it, but some continued to park along Church Street. Chief Gossett reported that the police department was working on this problem.
Mayor Rozier presented a request from the Department of Transportation that temporary driveway easements be granted by the City to the DOT for two parcels at Cherry and Hwy 80 so that when the widening project for Hwy 80 is underway the contractor can reconnect the driveways to the new pavement. Council was advised that once the construction has been completed, the easements will revert back to the City. After a brief discussion, Councilman Tyler made a motion to authorize Mayor Rozier to sign said easement requests. The motion was seconded by Councilman Johnson and passed with five affirmative votes.
City council was advised that Citizen Gaddy Turner had requested that he be placed on tonight’s agenda to discuss options for his property located at #120 Towles Road. Although Mr. Turner was not at the meeting, Councilman Tyler suggested council discuss his request and, if possible, give him a written response to his questions. It was noted that Mr. Turner currently has two structures on his property that were “grandfathered-in” when the area was annexed and he wants to replace the mobile home on the property with a larger size or build a home. The current structures are considered non-conforming because the ordinance only allows one principal building per lot and these structures cannot be enlarged or altered to increase their non-conformity. Also, since the property abuts a roadway that does not meet City specifications, he is not able to subdivide the property. Attorney Dickey stated that he had reviewed the zoning ordinances and based on the information made available to him regarding this property, the only option he could suggest would be for Mr. Turner to remove either the mobile home or the house in order to increase the size of the other structure. After a brief discussion of this matter, council agreed that the clerk should notify Mr. Turner of this information regarding his property.
The Mayor presented a request from Ricky & Margaret Keen to construct a 30’ x 20’ metal storage building on their property located at #457 Wallace Drive. The building will be desert sand panels with light stone trim. It was noted that there will not be any electrical power to the building. Council was advised that since the building consists of over 500 sq. ft. of enclosed area, council must approve the issuance of the permit. Mr. Keen stated that the building will be used for storage only and no business would be operated from this structure. After council reviewed the plans for the building submitted by Mr. Keen, Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the issuance of the building permit. Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council reviewed a request from Johnny Whitsell to construct a 60’ x 40’ metal storage building on his property located at #208 Conaway Road. It was noted that the building would include electrical power, but no bathrooms. Mr. Whitsell stated that both the storage building and the new residence will have the same color vinyl, but he has not yet determined what color will be used. Councilman Wedincamp asked what Mr. Whitsell planned to do in the building and was advised that it would only be used for storage. Since the building includes over 500 sq. ft. of enclosed area, council has to approve the permit. After council reviewed the plans submitted by Mr. Whitsell, Councilman Tyler made a motion to approve the issuance of the building permit, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Myrick advised Mr. Whitsell to make sure that the construction of the storage building followed the plans that he had submitted for council’s review. The council also reviewed a request from Mr. Whitsell to install a well on this property to serve his residence since the City does not have public water in this area. After a brief discussion, Councilman Wedincamp made a motion to
approve the issuance of the well permit for #208 Conaway Road. Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. It was noted that Mr. Whitsell’s letter to council included a request for permission to construct a privacy fence and he was advised that he would have to comply with the City’s Walls and Fence Ordinance for this permit. Mr. Whitsell asked council about the possibility of being able to dig a pond on the property to use for the fill dirt and was informed that he would have to comply with the Erosion and Sedimentation Control and Stormwater Ordinances in its construction. Councilman Johnson asked Attorney Dickey if he was familiar with regulations regarding the slope requirements for ponds and Attorney Dickey stated that he knew Effingham County had this type ordinance and would obtain a copy for council’s review and consideration.
The council was informed that there has been a request from D.K. Morgan to make some changes to the site plan as submitted on his behalf by the engineering firm of Kern-Coleman & Co. for his property located at #1720 E. Hwy 80. Council was reminded that development of this property was originally being considered as a group development project; however, since there was a delay in the approval of the ordinance, council approved the construction of the new building without the requirement that Mr. Morgan construct the storage buildings that were to join it to the existing building on the property. The original site plan submitted by the engineer included a detention pond, landscaping along the front and east side of the building and improvements to the driveway on Highway 80. Council was advised that the City has received a letter from Kern-Coleman & Co. indicating that the grading and drainage is in place on the property and they are requesting that the site be approved as constructed without a detention pond. According to the engineer, the only impervious surface was the building footprint which does not warrant the need for a detention pond. In addition, Mr. Morgan has provided a sketch outlining changes in the landscaping and paving from those shown on the original site plan and explaining his plans for the driveway. Council was informed that the City has received a request for an occupational license from the tenant who has leased the building from Mr. Morgan and council needs to address these site plan changes before considering the issuance of the license. Councilman Ray questioned Mr. Morgan about the size of the trees that he has planted in the front of the building and pointed out that not only do they not meet the dimensions as shown on the site plan, he has failed to plant trees and shrubs along the east side of the building as required. Several members expressed their concern about the condition of the trees whether or not they were still living. Councilman Johnson stated that the site plans stipulates the trees will be 2” caliber live oaks planted 25’ on center and normally trees of this size are about 8’ to 10’ tall. Councilman Tyler expressed his concern that these changes to the site plan conflict with the original concept as presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission and these members needed an opportunity to review the changes before they were approved by council. Mr. Morgan stated that he could replace the trees if necessary and pointed out that the engineers had provided a letter about not needing the detention pond. It was noted that Mr. Morgan had changed some of the parking areas as well, but this was due to the need for more room to pull into and back out of the spaces. In reviewing the plans, council members noted that the drawings appeared to indicate a paved parking lot which would lend itself to Mr. Morgan needing a detention pond and several questioned whether the crushed rock installed instead of pavement was following the original plan. Mr. Morgan stated that he was willing to do whatever he had to do to have the site plan approved because his tenant needed to get his license. After additional discussion, Councilman Johnson made a motion to send the revised site plan and related information to the Planning & Zoning Commission for their review and approval before council approved any changes to the original plan. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. It was noted that this matter would have to be placed on the Planning & Zoning Commission’s October 19th agenda since the deadline for their September meeting has already passed.
Councilman Tyler made a motion that future site plans should include a clear designation on the plan of exactly how the grounds will be finished, such as paving, crush & run, asphalt, concrete, etc. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
City Council reviewed the request for an occupational license from Bobby G. Ballew, II to operate an auto repair, performance, and exhaust business at #1720 E. Hwy 80 which is the property under development by D.K. Morgan. Since the City of Bloomingdale’s Zoning Ordinance allows this type business as a “conditional use” in a C-1 zone, council must approve the issuance of the occupational license. Mr. Ballew indicates on his application that there will be two full-time employees working at the business. Councilman Myrick asked Mr. Ballew what hours he plans to be open and was advised that the shop would open around 8:00am or 9:00am and close at 7:00pm, Monday through Saturday, but his plans are to be closed on Sundays. Councilman Myrick stated that his reason for asking was that he was familiar with shops that work on racing vehicles and wants to make sure that there will be little or no cause for complaints from the neighbors if the license is issued. Mr. Ballew pointed out that they work on performance engines, but these type engines are not running constantly. Councilman Myrick asked if there would be any pressure washing on the premises and was advised there would not be this type activity going on. Council discussed the request for this license at length since the site plan changes proposed by Mr. Morgan were still under review and if there were problems getting the changes approved, there could be a problem with the business being allowed to remain open. After additional discussion, Councilman Tyler made a motion to approve the issuance of the occupational license to Bobby G. Ballew, II for the business located at #1720 E. Hwy 80 with the stipulation that D.K. Morgan prepare the site at this location as outlined on the original site plan approved by council on March 18th or with any proposed changes approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission and City council within 90 days of the council’s approval or the license will be revoked. Councilman Johnson seconded the motion. Prior to voting on the motion, Mayor Rozier stressed the importance of this stipulation to D.K. Morgan who agreed to abide by the recommendations from Planning & Zoning Commission and council within the time allotted and Mr. Ballew stated that he understood the license would be revoked if Mr. Morgan failed to meet these requirements. Based on their understanding of the stipulations to the approval of the issuance of the license, the motion was approved by five affirmative votes.
Prior to the discussion of the next agenda item, Councilman Tyler addressed council regarding drainage issues in the City. Councilman Tyler stated that the City is working through Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co. to prepare a Master Drainage Plan for Bloomingdale and before changes to the drainage systems are approved, the City should require the developer to submit adequate drawings from certified engineers. Councilman Tyler pointed out that until the City hires a staff member to be responsible for the review of these type changes, the council committee and the maintenance department should review the requests very carefully and the plans should be reviewed by an engineering firm on behalf of the City.
Councilman Tyler stepped down from the podium due to a personal interest in the next agenda item.
Council was advised that Ferman Tyler has submitted a request to relocate a drainage ditch at Oak Street and provided plans from his engineer outlining the change. The ditch relocation will include the installation of approximately 60 L.F. of 30” RCP into a storm manhole and then into 67 L.F. of 18” RCP. Mayor Rozier stated that General Services Committee Chairman, Councilman Johnson, and the maintenance department had reviewed the plans and the site and made several recommendations, in writing, to council. The Mayor read the recommendations which included the following: 1) The manhole should be large enough for a worker to access the pipes for cleaning purposes; 2) Since the area is in a flood plain and our ordinances requires that the City control any type changes to the natural flood plains, the plans needed to be reviewed by an engineering firm representing the City of Bloomingdale to insure that this plan will not increase flooding damage or erosion to nearby properties; 3) The City should use Thomas & Hutton Engineering to review the plans since they are currently involved in the preparation of the City’s drainage plan and recommend that the cost of this review be at the developer’s expense; 4) The developer needs to provide recorded easements for the maintenance of this drainage system so that there will be no problems in the future gaining access to the property; and 4) As soon as possible, the City should attempt to acquire maintenance easements for this drainage ditch between Oak and Ash Street so it can be cleaned out periodically which should lessen the accumulation of debris in the open ditch and help to eliminate the clogging up of the open ends of the enclosed portion of the ditch. After a discussion by council of the request from Ferman Tyler and the recommendations, Councilman Johnson made a motion to submit the plans to Thomas & Hutton Engineering for review on behalf of the City with the firm addressing the above-mentioned issues and with the cost of said review being paid by the developer. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes. Councilman Ferman Tyler abstained from voting.
Recreation Director Joe Young reported that the Football Rama will be held at Taylor Park on September 18th and the Recreation Department had been presented with a donation for $1,000 from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Mr. Young was asked about plans for a turkey shoot and he reported that there was not enough interest at this time to sponsor this event.
Mayor Rozier stated that the Patriotic Celebration was planned for September 26th and would be held at Taylor Park starting at 5:00pm. The Mayor reported that there would be several gospel groups providing entertainment, Sonny Dixon will be the emcee for the event and the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Club would be providing the concessions. Also, the program would include a fireworks display. Mayor Rozier stated that there had been some advertising of the event on WTOC, in the Spirit Newspaper, by distribution of flyers and through the churches.
The accounts payable were reviewed. Councilman Ray made a motion to pay the bills, Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
The Mayor stated that this completed the items submitted by the agenda deadline of Friday, September 10, 2004.
Being no further business, Councilman Johnson made a motion to adjourn, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. The meeting adjourned at 9:00pm.
After the meeting adjourned, Citizen Wayne Purvis asked when his road was going to be fixed. The Mayor advised Mr. Purvis that Lynn Street was on the list of the paving projects that were being reviewed by DOT. Mr. Purvis asked why there were stakes in his yard and the Mayor pointed out that apparently the DOT has already started the engineering work and these stakes should be marking the rights of way. Citizen Robert Coker stated that Stagecoach Road was in bad shape and needed attention. Mayor Rozier pointed out that due to limited funds, the City may not be able to pave all the streets at this time that needed attention, but Stagecoach Road was on the list. The Mayor reported that council had agreed to address the unpaved roads in the core of the City before paving the roads that had been part of later annexations.
Mayor Rozier and Council members Johnson, Myrick, Ray, Tyler and Wedincamp were present at the meeting. Councilman Waller was out of town.