City Council

October 11, 2022 Council Meeting The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia was held on October 11, 2022 in Council Chambers, Municipal Building, at 7:00 PM with Mayor Kathy Lawson presiding. Other Council Members present included Danny Turner, Chad Martin, Jennifer Bowles and Tammy Pearson. Staff present included City Manager Leon Towarnicki, Assistant City Manager and City Attorney Eric Monday, Clerk of Council Karen Roberts, Public Information Officer Kendall Davis, Finance Director Mandy McGhee, Community Development Director Mark McCaskill and Police Chief Eddie Cassady. Mayor Lawson called the meeting to order and advised Council would go into Closed Session beginning at 6:00 PM. In accordance with section 2.1-344 (A) Code of Virginia (1950, and as amended) and upon a motion by Council Member Turner and seconded by Council Member Martin with the following 4-0 recorded vote: Mayor Lawson, aye; Council Member Martin, aye; Council Member Turner, aye; and Vice Mayor Bowles, aye, (Council Member Pearson arrived after the vote and during Closed Session at approximately 6:10pm) Council convened in Closed Session to discuss the following matters: (A) Appointments to boards as authorized by Subsection 1, and (B) Discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body, as authorized by Subsection 3. At the conclusion of Closed Session, each returning member of Council certified that (1) only public business matters exempt from open meeting requirements were discussed in said Closed Session; and (2) only those business matters identified in the motion convening the Closed Session were heard, discussed, or considered during the meeting. A motion was made by Turner; seconded by Bowles, with the following 5-0 recorded vote in favor to return to Open Session: Council Member Turner, aye; Council Member Pearson, aye; Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Mayor Lawson, aye; and Council Member Martin, aye. Mayor Lawson explained that Steve Draper would be unable to serve his term on the Patrick & Henry Community College Board as appointed 2 weeks prior because he is an employee of the college, leaving that seat vacant. Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to appoint Ouss Sahhar to the Patrick & Henry Community College Board; a 4-year unexpired term ending June 30, 2026. Council Member Martin seconded the motion with Bowles, Martin, Turner and Lawson voting in favor. Council Member Pearson voted against the motion. Council Member Martin made a motion to reappoint Rives Coleman to the Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority; a 4-year expired term ending October 31, 2026; Vice Mayor Bowles seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Council Member Turner made a motion to reappoint Andy Quirk to the Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority; a 4-year expired term ending October 31, 2026; Vice Mayor Bowles seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Mayor Lawson called the meeting to order. Council Member Pearson lead the pledge to the American Flag and offered the invocation. Mayor Lawson welcomed everyone to the meeting, October 11, 2022 Council Meeting stating that printed agendas could be found in the back of the room and on the City website for those watching from home. Approve minutes from the September 13, 2022 Council meeting, the September 26 West End Neighborhood meeting, and the September 27, 2022 Council meeting –Vice Mayor Bowles referred to the September 27 minutes where Council discussed the Pine Hall project and requested that it be clarified in the minutes that any delays in the Pine Hall project discussed by Mayor Lawson would be related to bids, construction, etc. Mayor Lawson referred to the September 27 minutes also; asking that it be changed and she answered the Vice Mayor’s question about who placed the recent Queen Elizabeth tribute banner. Council Member Pearson also referred to the September 27 minutes, requesting the date for the Christmas parade be corrected to November 19, not November 15 and shared that the start time for the parade will be 5:00 pm. Council Member Turner made a motion to approve minutes as corrected, Council Member Martin seconded the motion. All Council Members voted in favor with corrections listed above. Hear an update from Christina Reed, Assistant Director of Finance & Operations and Interim Executive Director at New College Institute – Christina Reed, Assistant Director of Finance and Operations and Interim Executive Director at New College Institute provided a brief update and PowerPoint to update Council on operations and programs at NCI. The Health Science Highway will benefit students from Patrick County, Martinsville, all the way to South Boston. 26 students earned 80 certificates in the GWO program with 1 local student and all others from out of town and some from out of state. Reed discussed the Lab School concept and funds available for that. The community would benefit from the Lineman Training course since the closest training in this field currently is in Wytheville. Reed mentioned on October 25, there will be an event called Slingshot beginning at 6:00pm to tell racing stories, activities for children, and the former visitors center will be turned into an innovation center with racing simulators. October 11, 2022 Council Meeting Hear public input regarding the future of the Paradise Inn located at 802 W. Fayette Street – Mayor Lawson explained that the Paradise Inn is privately owned and not owned by the City. Council would like to give the public another opportunity to share their thoughts of what should be done with the property. Oliver McCall of 365 Colonial Drive Collinsville says he has been waiting and anticipating for years what would happen to the Paradise Inn. He would like to turn everything over to his son. McCall shared that he may begin working with Patrick & Henry October 11, 2022 Council Meeting Community College on a boxing program. McCall states if nothing can be done with the building then it should be demolished but his son is interested in repurposing the property. Mayor Lawson asked McCall to provide his contact information to the City Manager and/or City Attorney for follow-up. McCall’s son, Elijah McCall of 1500 Whittle Road shared that he has plans to see the Paradise Inn like it was in the past maybe as a burger joint or restaurant, possibly holding events with local and national talent. He would like to expand the McCall Foundation which focuses on mentoring children. McCall explained that he was unaware of the price to rehab the property. Mayor Lawson requested that McCall meet with Kris Bridges, Building Inspector to see what would be needed to rehab the building. Council Member Martin recommended incentives that could benefit them in redoing the property. Consider setting a public hearing for the purpose of transferring ownership of certain City- owned properties to the Martinsville Land Bank Authority – City Manager Towarnicki had found an extensive number of properties owned by the City including 315 West Commonwealth Boulevard (Armory) that need to be transferred from the City to the Land Bank Authority. By doing this, it would allow development opportunities for those properties and would eliminate the need for separate public hearings. Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to set the public hearing for the October 25 Council Meeting; Council Member Martin seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Consider selling the vacant lot located at 228 Amy Avenue owned by the Martinsville Land Bank Authority to The Lester Group – City Manager Towarnicki detailed the location of the property noting slope challenges and that it drops off to Commonwealth Boulevard. The Lester Group has some development opportunities on the Commonwealth Boulevard level that could benefit from the 228 Amy Avenue vacant lot. The City has no plans for the lot, it is not a October 11, 2022 Council Meeting recommended lot for building. Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to recess as Council and convene as the Martinsville Land Bank Authority; Martin seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Land Bank Authority Vice-Chair Bowles made a motion to sell the lot owned by the Land Bank Authority at 228 Amy Avenue to The Lester Group for $4,000; Land Bank Authority Member Pearson seconded the motion. Authority Member Martin questioned if anyone can approach Council at anytime about purchasing property from the Land Bank. City Attorney Monday verified that the opportunity to purchase property from the Land Bank is open to everyone. Authority Member Turner explained that the work planned by the Lester Group could affect the lot so it seems like the right thing to do. Andrew Palmer, Commercial Leasing Manager for The Lester Group shared that there previously was an ATM at this location. The Lester Group has a potential user that would like to develop that corner so they are hoping to open that area up with easier access to the Applebee’s and Coach’s parking lot and further develop that area on Commonwealth Boulevard. All Land Bank Authority Members voted in favor to sell the lot to the Lester Group. Land Bank Authority Vice-Chair Bowles made a motion to reconvene as Martinsville City Council; Land Bank Authority Member Martin seconded the motion with all members voting in favor. Hear an update from Council Members who attended the 2022 Virginia Municipal League conference in Richmond, VA on October 2 – 4 – Council Member Pearson stated as with most professional conferences, the VML was mostly networking and sessions were at a very high level. In her opinion, VML is a resource for Council to attend with questions, ideas, research, etc. October 11, 2022 Council Meeting Pearson stated that she did not take much from the conference sessions but the most important part was meeting with other City leaders and to keep in touch with them on new ideas. The most interesting session she attended was related to marijuana and legislation in Virginia. There needs to be more work done around legalizing marijuana outside of medical usage. Pearson also attended a session about ARPA funding and learned about additional venues to look into. She attended the SCOTUS meetings which were very high level and the reversion and annexation session handled by Steven Piepgrass, the City’s reversion attorney who gave an overview of what reversion was and the issues he has encountered with Martinsville’s reversion process. Council Member Martin said that VML for him is about networking mostly but sessions are informational. Martin attended a session on cybersecurity which was very informative and discovered at the Virginia First Cities session that Hampton has some of the same issues as the Martinsville Police Department. Martin attended the ARPA session and found it interesting that so many cities do not know what to do with the funds. Vice Mayor Bowles enjoyed VML and the opportunity to meet with people across the Commonwealth that are going through the same things Martinsville is. Bowles attended a session about economic conditions and the state of the Commonwealth after COVID and said it is not that people do not want to work, it is more convoluted because many people retired during COVID leaving fewer qualified people to do jobs. Bowles attended a session where the Commissioner of Revenue from New Kent discussed the vehicles assessment increases. Bowles attended a session on social media where there was some discussion about what to do if someone on Council is giving out incorrect information, social media responses, etc. She said there was discussion about social media for small towns but Martinsville is already on top of that thanks to Kendall Davis. Bowles completed the annual Conflict of Interest Act certification while at VML. She feels that the City can add to the legislative agenda in regards to derelict properties; House Bill 729 increases the pool of people who can register derelict properties so more people can be held accountable if their property is not maintained to a specified level. Bowles would like for staff to look at that and see if it’s something the City should add to its legislative agenda. Council Member Bowles also commented on the situation whereby police officers are having to spend many hours related to handling of temporary detention orders and would like to expand the list of those who can fill those roles other than active duty police officers – mental health professionals, retired police officers, or retired school resource officers were mentioned as suggestions with the thought of also including something in the legislative agenda to address that.. Mayor Lawson attended the opening session with a fabulous speaker on conflict conversation; this was an interactive session where attendees used phones to text responses to questions and it was interesting to see those responses. She will share the summary that was sent to her with other Council Members. The Virginia Freedom of Information Act changes September 1 that requires continuing education related to FOI training every 2 years. Non-Virginia residents are not eligible to make FOIA requests. The Let’s Talk Conflict session was a panel discussion which was very informative on October 11, 2022 Council Meeting how to move positively and respect structure and the rule of law. The Social Media for Small Towns session was interesting and she will share that information with Kendall. She attended the Annual Business meeting and will share those documents on VML policies and changes. The “Recycling that Works” session was also beneficial. Consider approval of the consent agenda involving reappropriation of unspent funds from the FY22 budget year to FY23 – Mayor Lawson referred Council to the revised copy. Bowles made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented; Council Member Turner seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Business from the Floor – No business from the floor Comments by City Council –Council Member Martin noted that Mayor Lawson was referred to as a liar at the last Council meeting and Martin is sorry that happened to her; Martin wants the public to know that Lawson is not a liar and she has not lied about anything so he wanted to speak to her character. Council Member Martin stated that men in the south pride themselves in protecting women. Martin referred to another lady Callie, he wants her to know that he is proud of her, she deserves the job she has and nothing can take that away from her regardless what others say. Council Member Turner attended the recent Bulldogs game and congratulated them on their sixth straight win; the Bulldogs will be heading to Magna Vista and then to Bassett where the Piedmont District championship is on the line in a few weeks. Council Member Pearson asked for updates after reviewing previous minutes. According to Lisa at the Chamber, the GROW program has eight applicants and all have been accepted into the program, Pearson congratulated those applicants and she looks forward to watching those businesses October 11, 2022 Council Meeting grow. Pearson asked for a status of the properties that went out for demolition bid. City Manager Towarnicki explained there were several that needed asbestos abatement, all have been put out to bid now but he does not have the results of those yet. Council Member Turner asked what the requirements were for a contractor to submit a big. Towarnicki explained it would depend on the project but they would need a City business license, insurance, etc. At the September 13 meeting, City Attorney Monday said there was a fine for Property Maintenance. Pearson asked if that fine could be revised since two years is a long time. Monday explained that time was determined by the General Assembly and not City Council but he believes it has already been added to the Legislative Agenda. Pearson asked Towarnicki about the railroad damage addressed at a previous neighborhood meeting. Towarnicki said that the damages pointed out by Mr. Mitchell are utility patches that needed to be repaired. Mayor Lawson explained that the damage by the railroad is further down the street at the end of Second Street. Towarnicki explained that the railroad damage at that location has been repaired by the City and was reimbursed by the railroad. Pearson asked Towarnicki to relay that information directly to Mr. Mitchell. Pearson feels that the City should consider overcommunication with the residents. She would like to see more specifics on ARPA funding. Pearson asked about Uptown parking and any updates on enforcement. City Manager Towarnicki said there was a booth at the VML conference that will be sending him information on parking enforcement and that organization is already working with the City Police Department for testing and utilizing cameras to ticket and enforce parking. He’s asked the Public Works Department to come up with a map of where meters could be installed and a study if enough funds could be raised to support another employee for parking enforcement. Mayor Lawson emphasized that it does not have to be a police officer. Towarnicki is looking into options and costs. Council Member Martin asked about chalking tires, Police Chief Cassady stated they are not allowed to mark tires any longer and that it is considered unconstitutional. Pearson encourages residents to look into race events and uptown Halloween events, be safe. Vice Mayor Bowles congratulated the Good News Jail and Prison Ministries on their Celebration Banquet today, Council Members were unfortunately unable to attend because of the Council meeting tonight but Bowles congratulated them on all the good work they are doing. She shared that the MLC Cancer Foundation would be hosting the Annual Pink Event on October 22 at NCI beginning at 3:00pm; $2500 will be awarded to two people for extensive breast cancer screening. The Harvest Youth Bboard has announced that they will be hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner; more information will be released later this month. October 21 the Martinsville Bulldogs will be going pink for Breast Cancer Month. Bowles congratulated the Martinsville High School Homecoming King, Queen, Prince and Princess. Ben L. Smith High School will be honoring the late Charles Butler, a Martinsville resident and Smith High School Band Director by naming their band room in his honor on Thursday, October 13th at 6:30. The 12th Annual Give Thanks for Smiles will be held November 5 and 12 at Collinsville Dental Associates; it’s a $50 cleaning, fillings or extractions for people who can’t afford it. All October 11, 2022 Council Meeting proceeds will go towards the local warming shelter. Bowles shared that the Ground Floor has an amazing coffee flight on Saturdays from 9:00am-2:00pm. Martinsville Octoberfest has been changed to a Winterfest this year. Vice Mayor Bowles wanted to be clear with residents about the Paradise Inn, stating that public input is important so that the property can be handled in the best interest of the neighborhood. Bowles asked what happened to the flags on Fayette Street and what the city’s policy is on food trucks parked in City owned parking lots. Towarnicki explained that food trucks have often been involved with events locally so there is a special event process for them to go through but if a food truck shows up in a City parking lot, then they probably already have a City business license and an inspection from the Department of Health. Bowles doesn’t feel that any business should be asked to leave as long as they are not blocking traffic or causing an issue. Council Member Martin recommended a potential food truck hub in the lot across from 5 points maybe 1-2 days a week. Bowles said the Commissioner of Revenue requires a letter from the property owner but unsure why that would be a requirement if they are set up on City property. Monday said he doesn’t feel that food trucks are monitored through City code. Mayor Lawson explained that the Octoberfest was cancelled because of weather and rescheduled for December 3 and renamed as Winterfest. Winterfest will end at 4 pm then there will be a tree lighting at municipal building. Pearson recommends that Council follow up on any policy affecting food trucks with the Commissioner of Revenue. Towarnicki encourages the food truck owners to give the City a heads up when they plan to set up so everyone will be in the loop. Lawson sent an email to the City manager, City Attorney and Telecom Director Mike Scaffidi about lights at Northside and Commonwealth Drive; she’s had more complaints about that intersection than any other location with traffic backed up to the Eye Center. Lawson touched on communication with residents, stating some communications have been hindered recently by outdated equipment; new equipment will allow more opportunities for communication. Yesterday was Indigenous People/Columbus Day and flags were out Uptown. The next holiday will be Veterans Day on November 11. Saturday is Hazardous Waste Day. Saturday night, the Martinsville Henry County Historical Society will host their Blue Jeans & Bling event which is sold out. October 27 is Uptown Trick or Treat; Lawson encourages residents to bring their children out and mentioned that there were several trunk-or-treat events at various churches in the following weeks. Lawson extended sympathy to the Teague family. Lawson apologized, stating if anyone had received an email from her it was because her email was hacked and she asked them to block those email addresses. October 15 is the Martinsville Endowment Gala. Dr Talley, Martinsville School Superintendent was awarded the 2022 Trailblazer Award by the Radford University Black Alumni Association. City Manager Towarnicki mentioned the report that the Inspections Department presents listing complaints in a specific neighborhood. Previously, all complaints came in through Brenda Prillaman, allowing her to track and log those complaints by sector in the city. Now, complaints go through the Inspections Department. They will begin using a program modified October 11, 2022 Council Meeting to assign a specific sector of the city to a specific complaint. The Drug Takeback will be October 29 from 10:00am-2:00pm at the Martinsville Fire Department drive-thru. The city is starting to see yard sales this time of year, Towarnicki explained that any signs tacked to a City pole is against the City code and employees have been instructed to take them down; a fine can be issued to anyone found tacking those signs to City property. Towarnicki attended a VML session related to unmanned aircraft/drones which was presented by York County and used by the city. John Turner safety said that Martinsville is already utilizing drones. There was a panel discussion about recycling with some communities going away from curbside pickup and back to drop-off locations like Martinsville does currently to save costs. Towarnicki described a glass recycling option being used by Winchester where the glass is crushed and used as a fill material along their trails. The crusher and building were only $75,000. If the city can get back into recycling, this equipment could pay for itself. With no further business, Council Member Turner made a motion to adjourn at 8:50pm. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Karen Roberts, Clerk of Council Kathy Lawson, Mayor