|
Town Council - February 2, 2009 |
Minutes McClellanville Town Council February 2, 2009 - 7:00 PM McClellanville Town Council held a regular meeting on the above-noted date. Notice of the meeting had been published in the town newsletter and the Charleston Post and Courier. Mayor Rutledge Leland presided at the meeting, and all Town Council Members were present: Aaron Baldwin, Bob Gannon, Gussie Humes, and Jim Scott. Clerk Mary Duke was also present, along with guests Mike Prevost, Bud Hill, Kathy Leland, and Steve Wright. Council first reviewed the minutes from the January 5th meeting. Councilman Humes made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Councilman Scott seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mayor Leland then recognized Mike Prevost. Mr. Prevost asked Council for a letter of support to be sent to our Congressional Delegation for the Nature Conservancy's acquisition of land within the boundaries of the Francis Marion National Forest. He pointed out that Council had approved these letters of support in prior years and asked that Council continue to endorse the Nature Conservancy's efforts. Councilman Baldwin said that he understood that the Nature Conservancy was acquiring private property that lies within the National Forest boundaries, and that these properties would ultimately become part of the National Forest. Mr. Prevost confirmed that this was accurate. Council then agreed by unanimous consent that the Town would again send a letter of support for the Nature Conservancy's efforts in this regard. As Councilman Gannon had not yet arrived at the meeting, Mayor Leland said that he would move to the fifth agenda item, a request for endorsement of the 2010 US Census efforts. The Mayor said that he had met with a Census representative, who had asked that Council support their efforts by endorsing the work, providing information on the census to local residents, and, if needed, making space available for testing applicants for census jobs. The Mayor and Council Members present agreed by unanimous consent that they would support the 2010 Census work and would cooperate fully in that effort here. Mayor Leland then returned to the third agenda item, consideration of first reading on a proposed amendment to the Flood Damage Prevention requirements entitled "An Ordinance to Amend Article IV, Chapter 4 of the General Ordinances of the Town of McClellanville Pertaining to the Flood Prevention Measures." Mary said that the amendment had been suggested by the State Floodplain Manager's Office. She believed that the purpose was to revise certain State Code references and certain definitions in the ordinance. Council indicated that they would like to see the original language of the ordinance, to determine exactly what language was to be revised. They asked that Mary have a copy of the original ordinance available for review and comparison at the next meeting, and that Town Floodplain Manager Paul Fields be present to discuss the changes. Councilman Humes then made a motion, seconded by Councilman Baldwin, to hold a first reading on the proposed ordinance. The motion was carried unanimously, and the clerk was instructed to schedule a public hearing on the ordinance for the March 2nd meeting. Councilman Gannon then entered the meeting. The Mayor moved to the fourth agenda item, consideration of a representative for the County School District's School Transition Committee. Mayor Leland said that County School Superintendent Nancy McGinley had asked that Council appoint a Town representative for a transition committee to plan for the closing of McClellanville Middle School and reassignment of the classes from the school. Councilman Gannon told Council that, with their approval, he would like to serve as the representative on the School Transition Committee. Council approved by unanimous consent Councilman Gannon's appointment as the representative for this committee. Bud Hill asked whether Council had knowledge of plans for the future use or disposition of the Middle School buildings after the school was closed. Mayor Leland said that he understood that the School District would retain ownership of the buildings for the present time. The buildings would not be in use unless the District found a need for them in the future. Bud and Councilman Jim Scott agreed that they had hoped that the Town would have an opportunity to acquire the buildings. Mayor Leland said that he did not believe that the School District would be interested in transferring or selling the school building to the Town in the near future, but that they might consider allowing the Town to use the old gymnasium building if the Town maintained it and purchased liability insurance coverage for its use. Council agreed that Councilman Gannon could bring up this idea with the Transition Committee. Council next considered the request from Charleston County Transportation Development for project proposals to be funded with half-cent sales tax monies in the upcoming fiscal year. Councilman Gannon said that funding to construct the boardwalk planned to connect Old Cemetery Road with the newly-acquired green space on Pinckney Street would be a worthwhile proposal. He pointed out that one of the listed allocations for the Sales Tax Program was pedestrian and bike enhancement, and that the boardwalk should fit into that category. Council agreed that the boardwalk would be a good project proposal. Mary pointed out that funding for the design of the Village Commercial Streetscape project had been funded through the Transportation Sales Tax Programs in the prior year. She asked whether Council wanted to request funding for implementation of the Streetscape Plan this year. Council asked Mary to consult the County to determine whether funding for implementation was already approved or was still needed. They agreed that plan implementation should be a project request if this funding was not already approved. As a third project request, the Mayor suggested that the Town again request funding for cleaning the major ditch running parallel to Highway 17 near the Silver Hill development. Mary agreed to check on the Streetscape funding and submit the noted project requests before the deadline on February 6. Mary then reviewed with Council the update that Zoning Administrator Kathryn Basha had provided concerning the status of the proposed ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance to allow administrative review of certain "minor changes" to structures in the Historic District and the Highway Commercial District. Mary said that Kathryn had reported that the Planning Commission, at their Jan. 26th public hearing, had suggested retaining the five-day posting period that had been suggested in an earlier version of the amendment. Councilmen Scott and Baldwin said that, although they did not intend to ignore the recommendations of the Planning Commission, they still did not see a reason to require a waiting period for changes determined by the Zoning Administrator to be insubstantial. Council agreed that a new public hearing on the amendment should be scheduled and advertised for the March Council Meeting, and that a new draft of the amendment with their suggested revisions included should be available for study at that hearing. Mayor Leland indicated that the final readings on the ordinance would probably be postponed until the April meeting. Mary discussed with Council her concerns regarding the deterioration of the old fire tower on the Town property. Council agreed that Building Official Paul Fields should inspect the structure to make sure that it is secured and not a safety threat. Councilman Scott suggested that a "no trespassing" sign might need to be posted on the structure. Mary also told Council that she planned some interior painting and carpet replacement for the town offices in the Government Services Building, and that she and Paul felt the exterior of the building might need repainting in the near future. She asked that Council inspect the exterior of the building at their convenience and provide some input on these maintenance issues. Council reminded Mary that income would most likely be down in the coming year and any plans for renovation would depend on the impact on the Town of the economic downturn. Councilman Baldwin said that he had attended a meeting of the septic management study committee organized by County Councilman Dickie Schweers. He said that the committee would be voting on a recommendation for Charleston County Council regarding septic management, and had been studying different aspects of septic management. He said that there would be a proposal for residents to pay an annual fee that would fund septic system inspection and maintenance. He added that he felt the idea would be a hard sell for many in the area who are resistant to the idea of paying additional fees. Mary told Council that the offer for purchase of Jon Guerry's property on Cassena Street had been sent to him by certified mail, but that the package had not been claimed and was returned to the Town Office. Council suggested that Mary try to telephone Mr. Guerry and let him know that the purchase proposal was in the mail, then resend the package. Mary brought to Council's attention the information from the State Ethics Commission that Statements of Economic Interest were due by April 15 and could be completed online at the State Ethics site or forms could be downloaded from the site and mailed in. Mary then reminded Council of the public meeting for input on the Village Commercial Streetscape Plan, scheduled for 7PM at Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 12. Council asked for the town staff to call and remind them about this meeting. There being no further business, a motion was then made, seconded, and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 PM. Mary S. Duke Town Clerk |