Town Council Regular Meeting

MINUTES OF THE TOWN OF LAKE LURE REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Roll Call: Mayor, Carol C, Pritchett Commissioner Patrick Bryant Commissioner Scott Doster Commissioner Jim Proctor Commissioner David DiOrio / Town Manager, Olivia Stewman William Morgan, Attorney Kimberly Martin, Town Clerk I. Call to Order Mayor Pritchett called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm. II. Agenda Adoption Commissioner Scott Doster made a motion to adopt the agenda with the change of adding a Pledge of Allegiance and invocation and to remove item number 5 council reports. Commissioner Patrick Bryant seconded the motion and all were in favor. III. Mayor's Communication Mayor Carol C. Pritchett presented Proclamation No. 26-02-10 recogmzmg the exception service of Public Works and Emergency Personnel During Recent Weather Events and a thank you for all the support staff as well. IV. Town Managers Communication A. Monthly Report/ Storm Recovery The Public Works Department begin installation and expansion of the SCADA system for the Towns Water system. Many water systems improvements have also taken place. With Water blow-off replaced at the end of Mark Twain and the Woody Well repair. The Dam spillway gate repair project continues and remains on schedule. We continue to work on Morse Park and elevation designs and restoring walking paths. Staff continue to work on marina and lake infrastructure including work on the fuel pumps, stationery and floating docks, boat ramp repairs and demolition of the beach marina. All departments continue to work diligently with community development, working on a total of 31 new permits does not include previously issued permits. Cell tower also continues with a few delays but still planned to be completed soon. Verizon still has not provided permitting to be added. Staff is continuing work with FEMA and the floodplain. There will be a public hearing to present the new map once complete. The fire department has responded to a high volume and wide variety of emergency calls, including medical emergencies, motor vehicle collisions, fire alarms, public assistance calls, and storm-related incidents. We have also completed multiple training activities to enhance operations. Maintenance was performed on the department's UTV, ladder racks , and other operational equipment. The Fire department played a key role in winter storm response and recovery efforts. Crews assisted Public Works with snow and ice removal operations including plowing, chaining town Vehicles, and clearing downed trees from roadways. The police department Had a few personnel and staffing changes including Sergeant Carl Umphlett retirement. K9 program will begin this month focusing on search techniques and narcotics detection. The Community Watch Program continues to be widely used by the residents of the Town of Lake Lure. Parks and recreation continue to utilize volunteers with hours totaling to 78 Hours during the month representing an estimated value of $2,612.22. Marina replacement projects continue to move forward. Trail recovery and maintenance has made significant progress with major repairs at Buffalo Creek Park and Weed Patch Mountain. Six hours of law enforcement training were completed, and the department assisted with FEMA site inspections, police calls, citations, and court appearances. Finance continues to manage and maintain the town's budget and revenue tracking. Current financial position includes an unreconciled bank balance of approximately $7,830,000 for all funds, excluding special revenue funds. Revenue and expenditures accounts are generally tracked with budget and projections. The finance department is concluding its final steps in the FY 2024 audit and will begin preparing for the FY 2025 audit process. The finance director will remain out of the office for an extended period. During this time Administrative and finance staff have stepped up significantly to ensure that operations continue to run smoothly. Laura Krejci continues to keep the public updated through various means including the Town website and social media with many updates on projects and revenue that has been received. The administrative staff has made tremendous progress with continue meetings and day- to-day operations. Town Manager Olivia Stewman has kept in contact with FEMA while continuing meetings. Working to advance ongoing storm recovery. Several projects have been obligated and reimbursed. We continue to have a few projects that have been obligated but pending reimbursement. Tainter Gate repairs have been delayed due to the need for additional welding. Aside from the setbacks, the project remains on track. Dredging operations continue with Stott Construction. The smart project has selected contractors to address the remaining debris in Lake Lure, and the scope of work is under review. The demolition of the Welcome,center will begin February 6, 2026. Bidding documents for the Boys Camp Bridge replacement are expected to be advertised in early February. Following the bid process, the contract will be swarded and construction will begin with completion in Spring of 2026. V. Consent Agenda A. Approval of December Minutes Commissioner Patrick Bryant made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Commissioner Jim Proctor seconded the motion and all were in favor. VI. Unfinished Business There was no unfinished business. VII. New Business A. Advisory and Statutory Board Annual Presentations Board presentations were given beginning with the ABC Board. Richard Sayles advised that the ABC store has worked diligently in controlling inventory, expenses, and staffing. The recent audit showed only I bottle over, and the board was able to write a check the town for $65, 006.89. Several barrel picks were released over the last year with Southern Star selling out. Will begin another round of barrel picks with the first release being a toasted Elijah Craig. Our store manager Patricia Crane and the staff have been amazing. Our board works well together with Rhonda being the glue that holds everything together, keeping up with all the financials. The ABC store will be looking to hire one additional employee. Scott Martin provided a annual report for our Short-term rental Board consisting of Thomasina Coile, Beth Heer, Pat Buede, and myself, under the guidance of Kimberly Martin in Community Development and Commissioner Patrick Braynt serving as Council Liaison. This board began meeting in June of 20525 and has continued to meet monthly since then. The board immediately set a common set of objectives to help guide the board in these efforts. Initial meetings focused on understanding the current state of private vacation rentals in the Town of lake Lure. The board has recently forwarded several core recommendations for consideration of various Town Boards and Town Councils. These recommendations include requiring that all short-term rentals reapply for permitting in 2026 including the $300.00 application fee. Moving forward the board is recommending that an annual inspection be completed with a fee of $250.00. For new applications beginning in 2027 the fee changes to $500.00 with a $250.00 fee for updated owner applications. We believe this would help maintain records and provide additional revenue for the town. Applications are being revised along with new sticker design being developed. Looking forward, the board will continue to focus on additional areas associated with Short-term rental activity. Charlie Ellis Vice Chair for the Zoning and Planning board presented the board's report the year in review. Board members include Randy Nelson, chair, Charlie Ellis, Vice Chair, Mac Hillabush, Ken Williams, and Debra Warren. Several Special use permit applications were reviewed and text amendments including addition of a stand-alone commercial parking lot use in commercial districts and allowable size and location of columns on residential driveways. Began review of the sign ordinance while reviewing rezoning for a property currently in a commercial district. Moving forward will continue to work on review of the sign ordinance and other issues that may arise. Kathie Hatfield presented for the Board of Adjustments and Lake structure appeals board advising that we are a reaction board responding to permit requests and appeals. Post Helene rebuild continues with many issues arising from access issues to setback reduction requests. Unable to predict what will come but look forward to what the future holds. Do want to wish Mr. Neil Gurney the best in the future. The Lake Advisory Board will present a report later. The Parks and Recreation board serves in an advisory capacity providing input to the Parks, Recreation and Lake Department and received regular reports from the department. Projects that the parks and recreation board have reviewed include post Helene restoration and maintenance of local trails, made suggestions for the design and installation of the playground, encouraged the temporary disc golf course, heard regular reports from the flowering bridge and the Parks and Recreation department. The board would like to continue to explore ways to monetize Town assets and planning for new trails. Hopeful for a community Garden and continue our input on the comprehensive plan and future projects as needed. (Board reports in full available upon request) B. Advisory and Statutory Board Appointments Council members reviewed applications and filled out ballots. A. ABC Board Commissioner Scott Doster made a motion to re-appoint Trace Boswell, Bob Cassano, and Richard Sayles. Commissioner Jim Proctor seconded the motion and all were in favor. B. BOA/LSAB Commissioner Dave DiOrio made a motion to appoint Andrew Knowles as alternate to the Board of Adjustment and Lake Structure Advisory Board. Commissioner Scott Doster seconded the motion and all were in favor. C. Lake Advisory Board Commissioner Dave DiOrio made a motion to re-appoint Gary Hasenfus and Mark Helms and appoint Micheal Gibbs to the Lake Advisory Board. Commissioner Patrick Bryant seconded the motion and all were in favor. D. Short Term Rental Advisory Board Commissioner Patrick Bryant made a motion to appoint Steven Gage to the Shor Term Rental Advisory Board. Commissioner Jim Proctor seconded the motion and all were in favor. E. Zoning and Planning Board  Commissioner Scott Doster made a motion to reappoint Ken Williams and appoint Liz Geary to the Zoning and Planning Board. Commissioner Dave DiOrio seconded the motion, and all were in favor. C. Consider Authorization to Proceed with Alternate Replacement Dam Alignment Town Manager, Olivia Stewman, presented to the board a alternate replacement dam alignment provided by Schnabel. Looking to shift gears to move down stream. May have some minor issues but looks to be more feasible. Commissioner Jim Proctor made a motion to approve Authorization to Proceed with Alternate Replacement Dam Alignment. Commissioner Dave DiOrio seconded the motion and all were in favor. VIII. Public Comment Kimberly Sayles (140 Harris Rd.) The Chamber has taken on a new event called "Hidden in Plain Sight, Green Salamander Axt Trail. The event is a family-friendly public art and discovery trail that will connect Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and Rumbling Bald through art, nature, and local business participation. Local artists will design and the Chamber will place the green salamander sculptures at participating businesses and community spots. Places like the Flowering Bridge, local Restaurants, shops, and other community attractions. Visitors will be able to use a map or QR codes to explore and learn about the salamander, which is native to our region, while discovering each location along the way. Currently we have 28 businesses and 17 artist and look forward to additional business and artists joining in. Our goal is to drive foot traffic, support local businesses and celebrate our natural environment, and give families another re3ason to visit and fall in love with the area. (Full statement available upon request) No other public comments IX. Adjournment Commissioner Patrick Bryant made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Commissioner Jim Proctor seconded the motion and all were in favor. The meeting ended at 7:04 pm. ATTEST: Carol C. Pritchett, Mayor