Town Council Meeting

TYRONE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES March 02, 2023 at 7:00 PM Eric Dial, Mayor Gloria Furr, Mayor Pro Tem, Post 4 Linda Howard, Post 1 Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Melissa Hill, Post 2 Dee Baker, Town Clerk Billy Campbell, Post 3 Dennis Davenport, Town Attorney Also present: Sandy Beach, Finance Manager I. CALL TO ORDER II. INVOCATION III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS: The first public comment period is reserved for non-agenda items. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes. Please state your name & address. Comments that require a response may not be answered during this time. The Council or staff may respond at a later date. Eric Keller who lives on Farr Lake Drive approached Council with a Disc Golf presentation for the wooded property at Handley Park. He explained that disc golf was a sport that was similar to golf with a basket and people of all ages and skill levels could play. It was a year-round sport and there were only four 18-hole courses within a 25-mile radius, two were in Douglasville, one in Fayetteville, and one in Sharpsburg. Mr. Keller shared several statistics. As of 2022, there were 14,048 courses worldwide, over 9,000 courses in the United States, and 4.3 courses were installed every day. That number totaled 1,570 courses in 2022 alone. Mr. Keller then explained the benefits of having a course located in Tyrone. The courses were relatively inexpensive to install and were affordable to play, they attract new people to the park systems, and support new businesses. Disc golf has one of the highest returns on investment activities to a park and recreation facility. It was a type of exercise, which lowers stress, assists with weight loss, and increased energy levels. He added that it was also a way to meet new friends. He then introduced his friend Chris Marosy, who he met playing the sport. Mr. Marosy, also a Tyrone resident and business owner spoke next. He stated that he had played disc golf his entire life, it was a clean sport and suited all ages. The location in mind for the course was convenient, with obstacles. He shared that disc golf required no fertilizers and the watershed would be preserved. He stated that the park was currently being managed by baseball and soccer. He stated that Mr. Trocquet, the Town Planner shared with him a plan for a walking trail on that property. He added that Fayetteville incorporated a walking trail alongside the disc golf course. Town Council Meeting Page 1 of 7 March 02, 2023  He stated that no injuries had occurred and the design personnel would assure safety. Mr. Marosy also added that he had spoken with Mr. Perkins, and Ms. Linda Owens the Town’s Recreation Manager. Mr. Marosy stated that the land was available for a walking trail and asked, why not integrate both projects. This would create a destination that parents could utilize during baseball and soccer practice. Mr. Marosy shared his concerns regarding deciduous trees. He added that pine trees were placed around the park during construction for the purpose of erosion control. A good course design would allow the bigger oaks, elms, and maples to blossom. He compelled Council to activate that space for the course and asked to be placed on a future agenda for further discussions regarding the establishment of the course. Mr. Steve Castlen who lives on Castlewood Road spoke next regarding the Castle Lake dam project. He inserted that his wife was an avid pickleball player and thanked Council for the new construction of the Town’s future pickleball courts. He informed Council that they had submitted all plans and engineering studies twice, costing a total of $150,000. He stated that a confirmed rumor was that the plans were approved. He added that the group had $260,000 in the bank allotted for the project, with $30,000 outstanding in dues. He shared that his hope was to have the project completed by the years’ end. He thanked Council and the Town for partnering with the grant application, God bless everyone. He currently did not know the status of the grant. However, the Environmental Protection Safe Dams Program recommended approval. He humbly thanked Council for their assistance with the project. Mayor Dial thanked Mr. Castlen and everyone that worked on the project. He added that Mr. Castlen’s group made it possible to work with Council, and they handled themselves very well. V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A motion was made to approve the agenda. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Howard. Voting Yea: Council Member Hill, Council Member Furr. VI. CONSENT AGENDA: All matters listed under this item are considered to be routine by the Town Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately. 1. Approval of February 16, 2023 Council minutes. 2. Approval of the 2023 Baseball and Soccer facility agreements. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Hill. Voting Yea: Council Member Howard, Council Member Campbell. VII. PRESENTATIONS VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS IX. OLD BUSINESS X. NEW BUSINESS 3. Consideration to Award project number PW-2023-01 Pendleton Trail Culverts Replacement to S H Creel Contracting. Scott Langford, Town Engineer / Public Works Director Mr. Perkins presented for Mr. Langford. He informed Council that the 2017 SPLOST projects included the replacement of three corrugated metal pipes near 475 Pendleton Trail. It was located near the first entrance, approximately 100 yards in, and three corrugated pipes were at end of life. The bidding process was closed on February 16th. The low bidder was S H Creel Contracting at $310,074.53. He believed the project was budgeted for $350,000. He added that the estimated completion would be Summer 2023. It should allow for the project to be completed prior to the start of the Pendleton Dam project. Mr. Perkins recommended that Council to Award project number PW-2023-01 Pendleton Trail Culverts Replacement to S H Creel Contracting for the price of $310,074.53 from SPLOST funding. He added that due to the differences in the bids, the Town’s engineering firm accessed the bids and also recommended SH Creel for the project. Council Member Furr inquired where S H Creel was located. Mayor Dial after searching stated that they were located in Powder Springs. Council Member Campbell inquired about land acquisition. Mr. Perkins stated that approval would be contingent upon legal counsel review and land acquisition. Mr. Davenport shared that there were minor permanent easements needed to support the infrastructure of the culverts. A motion was made to approve project number PW-2023-01 Pendleton Trail Culverts Replacement to S.H. Creel Contracting for the price of $310,074.53 upon Legal Counsel review and land acquisition. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Howard. Voting Yea: Council Member Hill, Council Member Furr. 4. Consideration to approve the Road Design and Resurfacing Disclosure and Confirmation of Informed Consent Form. Dennis Davenport, Town Attorney Mr. Davenport explained that when Tyrone and Fayette County entered into an intergovernmental agreement it was his firm’s duty to inform everyone of the potential for conflict. His firm represented both the county and the town. He believed that his firm could represent both parties with minimum to no risk. The purpose of the consent form was to inform Council of the potential which had been reviewed and was part of the following agenda item.  A motion was made to approve the Road Design and Resurfacing Disclosure and Confirmation of Informed Consent Form. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Hill. Voting Yea: Council Member Howard, Council Member Furr. 5. Consideration to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Fayette County for the Town’s Dogwood Trail paving project that is part of the County Project FA- 1006. Scott Langford, Town Engineer / Public Works Director Mr. Perkins stated that Fayette County applied and awarded funding for Fayette County Project FA-1006 through the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program by ARC and GDOT. The County Project FA-1006 included a portion of the Town of Tyrone’s Dogwood Trail (Farr Rd to Senoia Rd - 1.1 miles). He added, that section of Dogwood Trail was eligible for inclusion because it met the GDOT Functional Classification (minor collector) and had pavement condition indexes ranging from 28 to 64 and averaging 55. In FY 21, preconstruction engineering (PE) funding was authorized, and construction (CST) funding is anticipated in FY 24 and beyond. He stated that the Town had established the scope of work along with preconstruction engineering and construction cost estimates. The Federal Aid grant pays 80% of the eligible costs. The Town would have to pay 20% of the PE and CST costs covered by Federal Aid, and 100% of the cost not covered by Federal Aid. In Exhibit A, the anticipated cost was shown Dogwood Trail along with the anticipated Federal Aid and Local Match. Mr. Perkins stated that staff recommended approval and stated that the estimated cost was $137,919.44. A motion was made to enter into the intergovernmental agreement with Fayette County for County Project FA-1006 that includes Dogwood Trail as depicted in Exhibit A. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Howard, Council Member Hill. XI. PUBLIC COMMENTS: The second public comment period is for any issue. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes. Please state your name & address. Comments that require a response may not be answered during this time. The Council or staff may respond at a later date. XII. STAFF COMMENTS Mr. Perkins asked for Council’s direction regarding the disc golf course. Mr. Keller had come to the Town twice and had also spoken with him and Mr. Trocquet. He did not wish for Mr. Keller to continue if Council did not want to move further. Also, by moving further, it would cost in staff time. Council Member Hill inquired about options for the course size. Mr. Marosy stated that the better option for attraction would be an 18-hole course. She then asked if it would compare to Wendell Coffee’s golf course. Mr. Keller stated that the area was not as large and that disc courses utilized less space. Mr. Marosy explained that there were 300-yard pars and 300-ft pars, roughly 1/3 of the size. Mayor Dial posed the question, did the Town currently have other plans for the property, if not, Council would require a cost estimate and an estimate for maintenance. He added that the course would be a great idea, however, it would be funded with taxpayer dollars for taxpayer’s land. Council needed to make sure they were making a wise decision. Mr. Perkins stated that part of staff’s due diligence would be reaching out to other recreation facilities and weighing the pros and cons. He stated that he would also meet with Mr. Langford for his expertise. Staff would also work on the costs. Mr. Perkins stated that for as long as the Town owned the property, there was a plan for a walking trail and to make use of the lake by potentially adding a fishing dock. Council Member Campbell stated that he believed a course alongside the walking trail would work well together and that the cost would be minimal. He added that there would need to be some trimming of trees and mulch added. He would consider moving forward with research. Council Member Hill shared her concern with the removal of trees but added that she would also be in favor of moving forward. Mr. Marosy stated that he and Mr. Keller would like to meet with staff to better inform them before acquiring the costs. Council Member Howard stated that she recalls an amount of $50,000 was allocated to that space for improvements. Mayor Dial agreed that the amount sounded familiar. Mr. Marosy stated that further research was needed such as the layout of the course, safety for the concrete paths, and if the trail would be paved, although he could not speak regarding the trail. Mr. Perkins assured Mr. Marosy and Mr. Keller that the cart path and such were not their responsibility, he was only seeking Council’s direction at this time before moving forward. We are nowhere near the design phase. Council Member Furr inquired about the need for any large trees to be taken down. Mr. Keller stated that the intent was to be less invasive and that the larger trees were good for the course. He added that clearing of undergrowth and adding mulch may be what was needed. Mayor Dial agreed and added that until you locate a basket, one usually did not realize it was a course. He added that staff would be looking at the cost and making sure there was not another use chosen for that area. Mr. Keller shared that regarding maintenance, the players usually clear sticks on the course. However, if a tree fell, they would require assistance. Mayor Dial stated that staff was already spread thin with all of the forthcoming projects. He asked the two gentlemen if they would share the burden of answering their questions if given the green light. He added that being players, they would know more about the sport. Mr. Keller shared that his cohort had over 30 years of experience in cost and design. Mr. Marosy agreed that they were experts in the sport. Mayor Dial warned that government costs were different from private. Council Member Furr asked if the funding would come from the general fund. Mr. Perkins stated that it would.  Mayor Dial added that there would be further conversations regarding funding in the future. Mr. Marosy posed that occasionally, courses gained sponsorships for each hole, which would mean an outside funding source. A motion was made to direct staff to spend some investigative time to determine whether it is the right decision to move forward with the Disc Golf course. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Hill. Voting Yea: Council Member Howard, Council Member Furr. Council Member Howard asked if staff was familiar enough with the property and the lay of the land. Mr. Perkins stated that he was familiar with the basic lay of the land. A reason it was purchased was that it was unbuildable for a structure. He was unsure if the $50,000 would cover legal, engineering, and any site work required. Council Member Howard asked if there were any wetlands. Mr. Perkins stated that there were. Mr. Perkins reminded everyone that in December $1, 488,000 was taken out of the general fund and invested into CDs. Out of 6 CDs, there was a 3-month, 6-month, 9- month, and 3 12-month invested. Since December, they have earned $20,879 in interest, one is maturing next week. Staff asked the bank to take the $248,000 from the 3-month CD to invest in another 12-month CD at a 5.15% rate. The amount was $248,000 due to FDIC. Each investment would be $248,0000. He added that the bank would be wiring the interest from the first one and that money may be invested as well. The initial calculation for the $1,488,000 was $67,000. XIII. COUNCIL COMMENTS Council Member Howard announced that the museum was holding an event tomorrow from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with food trucks and musicians. She added that the museum would be open to the public during that time. XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION A motion was made to move into Executive Session for one Real Estate item. Motion made by Council Member Howard, Seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Hill, Council Member Campbell. A motion was made to reconvene. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Howard. Voting Yea: Council Member Hill, Council Member Campbell. XV. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:11 pm. Motion made by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Howard, Council Member Hill, Council Member Furr. By: Attest: Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk