SUPPLEMENTAL BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING

TOWN OF SYLVA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 9:00 AM Board Room, 83 Allen Street Sylva, North Carolina MINUTES PRESENT: Mary Gelbaugh, Mayor Pro-Tem Paige Dowling, Town Manager Ben Guiney, Commissioner Amanda Murajda, Town Clerk Greg McPherson, Commissioner Eric Ridenour, Town Attorney David Nestler, Mayor Natalie Newman, Commissioner ABSENT: Brad Waldrop, Commissioner CALL TO ORDER Mayor Nestler called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. STAFF PRESENT: Jake Scott (Public Works Director), Bernadette Peters (Main Street Director), Mike Beck (Fire Chief) and Chris Hatton (Police Chief). VISITORS: Luther Jones, Dave Russell and Odell Thompson. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner McPherson made a motion to approve the agenda. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. PUBLIC COMMENTS Luther Jones addressed the board and expressed his concerns over the public restroom design plans. He recently reviewed the plans and noted several areas where he though the Town could save money. MAYOR’S REPORT None. COMMISSIONER’S REPORT Commissioner Gelbaugh thanked the Public Works Department for repainting the lines on Main Street. Commissioner Guiney presented updated pictures of the Skyland Drive sidewalk and the progress on Allen Street. He thanked staff for all of their work on these projects. Commissioner Newman reported that she recently attended the NC affordable housing conference in Raleigh, NC. She also announced that the candidate meet-and-greet scheduled for October 26, 2023 was cancelled. MANAGER’S REPORT: Manager Dowling reported the following:  Employment Update: Gabe Ashe has accepted a job with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REPORT: Jake Scott reported the following: • Allen Street walls are complete, and drains are in; TWSA will begin water line installation next week. • Meet with Bliss Products and renewed discussions about Bryson Park upgrades. He will submit a new conceptual and prices soon. • Pinnacle Park invasive species removal is underway. • WCU Homecoming Parade and Treat Street are coming up. • Restriping of Main Street and parking lots is underway. POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT: Chris Hatton reported the following: • Held Walk for Hope at Bridge Park. Regular Board Meeting October 26, 2023 • The department will have a HEIGHTS intern at the department. • Awarded Samantha Hyatt, of the Highway Patrol, a community service appreciation award. • Community Care received a grant from the Great Smokies Health Foundation for two years. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT: Mike Beck reported on the following: • Training burns will continue on properties purchased by NCDOT for the Highway 107 project. • 1172 calls so far for 2023 which is up 20% from this time last year. • Increase in Narcan use in the last month. • They have responded to two structure fire calls outside of the town limits and seven wrecks that required fire department intervention. MAIN STREET REPORT: Bernadette Peters reported the following: • WCU Homecoming Parade will be Friday, October 27, 2023. • Treat Street will be October 31, 2023, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. TWSA BOARD REPORT: • The annual audit report will be presented at the November meeting. PINNACLE BOARD REPORT: Mayor Nestler reported the following: • Pinnacle Park survey is now closed. • Held a public input session Oct. 23rd for the public to give input on wishes for Pinnacle Park. NEW BUSINESS BRIDGE PARK GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT—ELECTRONIC RE-BID APPROVAL: The original request for bids for the Bridge Park Green infrastructure project did not receive 3 bid proposals. Therefore, the bid must be advertised once more. Per NCGS 143-129 (b), the Town, with board approval, can advertise electronically for 7 days to solicit bids. Commissioner Guiney made a motion to approve the electronic advertising of this bid. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. DOWNTOWN PUBLIC RESTROOM ITEM VALUATION DISCUSSION: At the last board meeting, the Board asked that Odell Thompson request specific line-item pricing for components of the bid from Cinderella Partners, the low-bid contractor for the downtown public restroom project. The contractor provided a list of value-items that could be changed for the board to discuss. Any of these changes would result in a reduction in the construction bid amount. The list is as follows: Construction Bid 1-Replace ICF walls with 8" CMU walls 8,000 2-Reduce the interior wall tile to 6 feet high w/painted Gypsum 2,500 3-Omit the T&G ceiling and replace with painted Gypsum Board 1,600 4-Replace floor tile with sealed concrete 2,500 5-Replace floor tile with an epoxy coating 1,200 6-Replace interior wall tile with 2 colors of epoxy coating 6,000 7-Remove solar panels/power 14,875 Total Savings $ 36,675 Jake Scott gave a presentation on each item of change and his suggestions for the project. Odell Thompson gave his suggestions for the project. The board voted by item, whether or not to accept the changes to reduce the total price of the construction bid. Vote by item: 1-Replace ICF walls with 8" CMU walls NO-unanimous 2-Reduce the interior wall tile to 6 feet high w/painted Gypsum NO-unanimous 3-Omit the T&G ceiling and replace with painted Gypsum Board NO-unanimous 4-Replace floor tile with sealed concrete NO-unanimous 5-Replace floor tile with an epoxy coating NO-unanimous 6-Replace interior wall tile with 2 colors of epoxy coating NO-unanimous 7-Remove solar panels/power YES-unanimous *By vote, the amount of reduction in cost will be $14,875 for the solar panels. Commissioner Gelbaugh made a motion to accept the changes voted on for the downtown public restroom. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. Regular Board Meeting October 26, 2023 RECESS: Commissioner Guiney made a motion to recess the meeting for an estimated 10 minutes for the purpose of allowing staff the time to amend the financial documents related to the changes in the construction bid. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. DOWNTOWN PUBLIC RESTROOM PROJECT: A: BUDGET AMENDMENT: Commissioner McPherson made a motion to appropriate $209,773 from fund balance using the ARPA related funds. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. B: PROJECT ORDINANCE AMENDMENT: Commissioner Newman made a motion to approve the project ordinance as presented. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. C: RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN CONTRACT: Commissioner Newman made a motion to approve the resolution as presented authorizing the Mayor to sign the contract. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. CANCEL NOVEMBER 23, 2023 PLANNING BOARD MEETING: The November 23, 2023 Planning Board Meeting falls on the Thanksgiving holiday. Commissioner McPherson made a motion to cancel the meeting. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. CANCEL DECEMBER 28, 2023 PLANNING BOARD MEETING: The December 28, 2023 Planning Board Meeting falls on the Christmas holiday. Commissioner Newman made a motion to cancel the meeting. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. CANCEL NOVEMBER 23, 2023 REGULAR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING: The November 23, 2023 Regular Board of Commissioners Meeting falls on the Thanksgiving holiday. Commissioner McPherson made a motion to cancel the meeting. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. CANCEL DECEMBER 28, 2023 REGULAR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING: The December 28, 2023 Regular Board of Commissioners Meeting falls on the Christmas holiday. Commissioner Newman made a motion to cancel the meeting. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Guiney made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:22 a.m. The motion carried with a unanimous vote. _____________________________________ _________________________________________ David Nestler Amanda W. Murajda Mayor Town Clerk