City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, MAYOR HON. WILLIAM C. WITHERS, JR., VICE -MAYOR, WARD TWO CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. MATTHEW J. KELLY, AT-LARGE HON. JASON N. GRAHAM, WARD ONE HON. DR. TIMOTHY P. DUFFY, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street HON. CHARLIE L. FRYE, JR., WARD FOUR Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 Council Work Session August 27, 2019 Chatham Bridge Improvements Project Update Railroad Issues Mary Washington Cottage The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia held a work session on Tuesday, August 27, 2019, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall, Executive Conference Room. Council Present. Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw Presiding. Vice-Mayor William C. Withers, Jr., Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Timothy P. Duffy, Charlie L. Frye, Jr., Jason N. Graham and Matthew J. Kelly. Also Present. City Manager Timothy J. Baroody, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, Assistant City Manager Doug Fawcett, City Attorney Kathleen A. Dooley, Community Planning and Building Services Director Charles Johnston, Economic Development Director Bill Freehling, Public Information Officer Sonya Wise, Transportation Administrator Erik Nelson and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Others Present. Kelly Hannon, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Communications Manager, Lynne Kennan, VDOT Fredericksburg Residency Administrator and Robert Rigel, Construction Manager. Chatham Bridge Improvements Project Update. Ms. Hannon presented a PowerPoint and she discussed the following; Chatham Bridge Today, Chatham Bridge Rehabilitation Project, sample of bridge from Danville, Virginia, upstream view, Stafford County View, Ariel view, Accelerated Project Schedule, Dixon Street Detour Route, Dixon Street Ramp Improvements, Route 1 and Princess Anne Street Intersection and next steps. Mr. Rigel explained that they would be using some of the median to expand the ramp to allow for two turn lanes onto Route 2 south, but there would not be bike lanes added. He also said the piers were in good shape but they needed some scouring, and zinc coating. He said the substructure was in good shape and majority of the work was on top of the bridge. 1  Mr. Rigel said a portion on the river would be buoyed off from recreational purposes and the other half would remain open. He said 16 months would be a best case scenario and the incentive date was September 16. He said the goal was to open the bridge before the next holiday season. Ms. Wise stated that she would be putting together a press release with all the information needed for the public. Ms. Hannon added that they had contacted Google to let them know of the changes and Ms. Wise said she was working on an interactive map to put on the City’s website to address questions. Councilor Devine requested that someone reach out to the College as well because the construction would still be going on during graduation. Mr. Rigel said they could also look at the detour to see if there were any weak points. Mr. Baroody said they have noticed that the Old Stone Warehouse would be vacated during construction. Railroad Issues. Mr. Randy Marcus from CSX addressed concerns in the Mayfield community where cars had been sitting on the tracks. Mr. Marcus said the cars were moved today and he said they try to park the cars in idle areas. He said they would continue to be good neighbors and they try to be proactive but he said many people use the rails. Councilor Frye thanked Mr. Marcus for their quarterly meeting to discuss issues regarding the train tracks. Mary Washington Cottage. City Attorney Dooley said it was determined that long term preservation would be best through a sale or a lease, but there were steps that needed to be taken before this could happen. She discussed that steps that had been taken thus far starting with a recommendation in 2015 from the Memorials Commission to sell the property, followed by a letter from the Memorials Commission in 2018. The staff engaged some stakeholders to get feedback and the feedback was to move forward with a sale or lease. Mr. Freehling explained that the property had been vacant for several years but had been occupied by senior staff on occasions. The property was believed to be in good condition with a few upgrades. Mr. Craig stated that in order to sell or lease there would be three land use changes required: Comprehensive Plan Amendment to separate the house from the parking lot, a UDO Text Amendment and zoning map amendment. Ms. Dooley said the land use process would run parallel to the other amendments. She said she would be meeting with City Staff and the realtor to set forth a marketing plans and the Request for Proposal (RFP) which would communicate what the City was 2 looking for. Ms. Dooley noted that the Memorials Advisory Commission had already set forth some restrictions on the property to be included in the RFP. Caroline Street Issues. Mr. Fawcett explained that late Friday there was an accident where a driver missed a stop sign and was T-boned and in an effort to improve that area of Pitt Street they have added a yield to pedestrian sign and they have also upgraded the crosswalk on Pitt Street and they were planning to put a stop sign on the left side of Pitt Street and they were planning to cut trees back in the area as well. Councilor Frye noted that another issue in the area was the speed limit form Ford Street to Amaret which is currently 35 MPH and he would like to see it lowered to 25 MPH. Closed Meeting Approved (D19-__). Upon a motion Councilor Graham, moved approval of a closed session under Code of Virginia 2.2-3711(A)(1) to discuss the performance of specific appointees of the City Council, specifically, the Clerk of Council, City Attorney and City Manager; motion was seconded by Vice-Mayor Withers and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7) Councilors Greenlaw, Withers, Devine, Duffy, Frye, Graham and Kelly. Nays (0). Return to Open Meeting Approved. Upon the motion of Councilor Duffy; seconded by Councilor Graham and passed by the following recorded votes, Council approved a return to an open meeting. Ayes (7) Councilors Greenlaw, Withers, Devine, Duffy, Frye, Graham and Kelly. Nays (0). Resolution 19-70, Approved, Certifying Closed Meeting. Upon the motion Councilor Duffy, approved Resolution 19-70 certifying the closed meeting; seconded by Councilor Graham and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7) Councilors Greenlaw, Withers, Devine, Duffy, Frye, Graham and Kelly. Nays (0). Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time. Mayor Greenlaw declared the session officially adjourned at 7:12 p.m. _Tonya B. Lacey _______ Tonya B. Lacey Clerk of Council City of Fredericksburg 3