Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/26/2012 - City Council - Minutes - RegularUNAPPROVED MINUTES COUNCIL MEETING March 26, 2012 A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was held in Council Chambers, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, on March 26, 2012, at 7:30 p.m., there being present all the members of said Council, to wit: Byron Randolph Foley, John C. Givens, Jane W. Johnson, William D. Jones, and Lisa D. Garst; with Byron Randolph Foley, Mayor, presiding; together with Kevin S. Boggess, City Manager; James E. Taliaferro, II, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Frank P. Turk, Director of Finance; Melinda J. Payne, Director of Planning and Economic Development; Charles E. Van Allman, Jr., City Engineer; Mike Stevens, Communications Director; and Stephen M. Yost, City Attorney, and the following business was transacted: It was noted that Brandon Van Allman, son of the City Engineer, was present at the meeting of Council. The February 27, 2012, work session and regular meeting minutes were approved as written. The report by the Director of Finance of the City’s financial status for a seven-month period ending January 31, 2012, was received and ordered filed. Mayor Foley reported that this date and time had been set to hold a public hearing to consider the request of the City of Salem School Board, property owner, for the issuance of a Special Exception Permit to allow a primary/secondary educational facility on the property located at 1600 Carolyn Road (Tax Map #212-1-1); notice of such hearing was published in the March 7 and 14, 2012, issues of The Roanoke Times, a newspaper having general circulation in the City of Salem; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission at its regular meeting on March 14, 2012, recommend approval of said request; and WHEREAS, staff noted the following: the subject property consists of one parcel currently zoned RSF, located at the end of Carolyn Road (off Mill Lane); the property is approximately 10.25 acres and has been used for an elementary school (South Salem School) since the late 1960s; the existing facility predates the current zoning ordinance requirement that educational facilities obtain a Special Exception Permit when locating in RSF; as such, it exists as a grandfathered use; and this request will make the new building in compliance ITEM 1 SPECIAL EXCEPTION PERMIT APPROVED TO ALLOW A PRIMARY/ SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL FACILITY ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1600 CAROLYN ROAD (T/M #212-1- 1) 2 with the ordinance; and WHEREAS, Jay Taliaferro, Clerk of Council and Assistant City Manager, appeared before the Council representing the City of Salem School Board in support of the Special Exception Permit request; he noted that the school division had invited him to serve on its planning and design team for South Salem School and Salem High School, and he was present as a representative of that team; he also noted that Dr. Alan Seibert, Superintendent of Schools; and Margaret Humphrey, Principal of South Salem School, were present at the meeting; he noted that the property in question is zoned Residential Single Family, and the use is for secondary and primary education, but no Special Exception Permit has been granted; so, the existing building is legal nonconforming, and the proposed project is to tear down the existing building and replace it with a new school, which would no longer be grandfathered; he explained that the project is a 10-acre site off Carolyn Road in south Salem; he pointed out the footprint of the existing school on a illustration of the proposed project; the school was built in 1964, and the round area was actually designed as a bomb shelter; this was during the cold war era, and this was the reasoning behind that; the current facility is about 55,000 squ are feet, and he noted that there are several problems with the building; first, the media center is undersized; second, there is hallway in the cafeteria that separates the dining area and the kitchen; so, students have to stand in the hallway in order to go through the kitchen to get their food, which blocks the hallway; additionally, because of the size of the building, there are too few and many small instructional spaces for teaching the children; when the design team looked at what was needed for a elementary school, the programming called for approximately 90,000 square feet; the proposed project will be a new building with approximately 88,000 square feet; he detailed the area on the illustration on display; one of the key features in the new building is security; he showed on the drawing that in order for anyone to get into the school, they will have to enter the office to check in and get a badge, etc.; with the existing round school, there are doors about every 30 to 40 feet on the perimeter, and it is very difficult to secure the building; he further explained the features of the new school: new kitchen and dining area, gymnasium, media center, etc.; the proposed structure will be two stories, and the roof will be reflective for energy efficiency; further, he noted one area of the building that will have expansion capabilities, if needed in the future; he also explained the exterior of the building noting the entrance into the school; the new athletic field in the front; parking lot in the front; and walking trail around the perimeter of the site; in addition, the area will be well landscaped with lots of green space; the proposed parking lot would meet the landscaping requirements of the ordinance; currently on the site there is no stormwater management; the design team has requested stormwater 3 management be overdesigned, especially from a quantity standpoint; he further discussed the proposed stormwater management for the site and the regulations for stormwater; the proposed school should be a gr eat asset to the community; the school division held a public meeting in September 2011, and there was overwhelming support, not only for a new school but tearing down the old school and replacing it with a new school; the school division received a lot of very good input from that meeting, and he noted there are a few things that were built into the plan based on the comments; one is the walking trail discussed earlier; originally, the plan called for just fire access on the back side of the property, but it did not loop around the building; one citizen suggested that they loop it around the building and make it a walking trail; so, this was done; also, comments were received about preserving trees, and so the trees in the rear and along Amy Lane will be preserved as best possible; lastly, there was a comment about limiting access to Amy Lane; a gate will be placed from the parking lot to Amy Lane to limit access during the day; when the buses are running, it will be opened and then closed afterward; he further noted the existing structure gave the city nearly 50 years of great service, and they certainly hope that the new structure will give us another 50 years of great service; with the addition of the gymnasium that can be used by Parks & Recreation and the whole community along with the athletic field that can be used by the community, it will be a great addition to South Salem and Salem as a whole; and WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens questioned where Amy Lane was located in relation to the proposed new construction; and WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst stated that Council has asked that the needs of the students, neighborhood, safety requirements, and also construct a building that can educate students for the next 30 to 40 years; she stated that it looks like all of the needs have been addressed and thanked the planning and design team for its efforts; and WHEREAS, Mayor Foley questioned if the overdesign of the stormwater management would help dissolve any of the current issues or would is it to help prevent any future issues; and WHEREAS, the Clerk of Council stated that potentially it would help to a degree; he stated that a lot of the problem is from the drainage area south of Woods Hill, which is a private road, going back toward the County; he stated that there is no way all of the water can be contained with the stormwater management on the site; he stated that the hope is to vastly reduce the runoff from the site which will help everyone downstream; and 4 WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens questioned the type of outlet to be used for the detention pond; and WHEREAS, the Clerk of Council stated that it will be tied into a piping system that will go from the detention pond to the storm drain work that was done on Millwood Drive a few years ago; and WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst questioned if the pond would have sloped edges; and WHEREAS, the Clerk of Council stated that the pond would have sloped edges, but will have a fence around the pond which is required by state law and the city code; and WHEREAS, Councilman Jones commended the Clerk of Council, Dr. Seibert, Mrs. Humphrey, and everyone on the committee for their efforts on this project; he stated that he and his two children attended school at South Salem Elementary and this project is important to him; he feels that this projec t will be a great improvement to help the needs of the children well into the future; and WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens asked Mrs. Humphrey if she was pleased with the project thus far; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Humphrey, Principal at South Salem Elementary School, stated that she is very pleased with the project and she thanked Council for its support; she stated that everyone, especially the students, are excited about the project; and WHEREAS, no person(s) appeared related to the request; ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILMAN JONES, SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, AND DULY CARRIED, a Special Exception Permit to allow a primary/secondary educational facility on the property located at 1600 Carolyn Road (Tax Map #212-1-1) was hereby approved – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye. Mayor Foley requested that Council receive the Abstract of Votes cast at the March 6, 2012, Republican Primary Election; and ITEM 2 ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE MARCH 6, 2012, REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ELECTION RECEIVED 5 WHEREAS, Mayor Foley noted that the City had to spend $11,033 on 862 votes, which amounts to $12.82 per vote; the expense was passed to the localities by the Republican Party; he stated that the Democratic Party will be next; he stated that the Republican and Democratic Parties do not pay for these elections, the costs are absorbed by the localities; THEREUPON, said Abstract of Votes was received. Mayor Foley requested that Council receive request from Total Action Against Poverty for renewal of lease on the old N & W Railway Passenger Station for Head Start Program for period July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2015; and WHEREAS, the City Manager stated that Council has seen the lease before and it was discussed about extending the term from an annual lease to a three-year lease; he also noted that under Section 2 under Rent, the amount has been increased to $15,240 per year after consultation with Mr. Lander in the Real Estate on what is a fairly standard rate per square -foot for a similar building; he asked that Council consider approving the lease and authorizing the City Manager to execute the lease; ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILWOMAN GARST, SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, AND DULY CARRIED, the lease between the City of Salem and Total Action Against Poverty for the Old N & W Railway Passenger Station for Head Start Program for period July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2015, was hereby approved and the City Manager is hereby authorized to execute the lease – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye. Mayor Foley requested that Council consider appointments to fill vacancies on various boards and commissions; ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, AND DULY CARRIED, F. Van Gresham was hereby recommended to be reappointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a five -year term, said term will expire March 20, 2017 – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye. ITEM 3 LEASE APPROVED BETWEEN TAP AND CITY OF SALEM FOR OLD N & W RAILWAY PASSENGER STATION FOR HEAD START PROGRAM FOR PERIOD JULY 1, 2012, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2015. ITEM 4 F. VAN GRESHAM RECOMMENDED TO BE REAPPOINTED TO THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS 6 Mayor Foley requested that Council consider adopting Resolution 1199 in support of Lewis-Gale Medical Center’s application to provide special care nursery services in Salem, Virginia; ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILWOMAN GARST, SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, AND DULY CARRIED, Resolution 1199 was hereby adopted in support of Lewis-Gale Medical Center’s application to provide special care nursery services in Salem, Virginia -- the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye. Councilman Jones commended the Salem High School Forensics Team for winning its seventh consecutive State Championship. Mayor Foley also noted that the Laconian was awarded the Gold Crown. Mayor Foley requested that Council hold a closed session pursuant to provision of Section 2.2-3711 A. (3) of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, to discuss property the City may wish to sell; ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS GIVENS, SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, AND DULY CARRIED, in accordance with Section 2.2-3711 A. of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended to date, Council convened to Closed Session at 7:50 p.m. for the purpose of discussing the following specific matters: 1. Discussion of a real estate matter pertaining to property the City may desire to sell and property the City may desire to purchase, which is authorized by Section 2.2-3711 A. 3. of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended to date; -- the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye. Upon reconvening at 8:27 p.m.; ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILMAN GIVENS, SECONDED BY COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, AND DULY CARRIED, in accordance with Section 2.2-3712 D. of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended to date, Council hereby certifies that in Closed Session only items lawfully exempted from open meeting ITEM 5 CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS PROPERTY THE CITY MAY WISH TO SELL ITEM S1 RESOLUTION 1199 ADOPTED IN SUPPORT OF LEWIS- GALE MEDICAL CENTER’S APPLICATION TO PROVIDE SPECIAL CARE NURSERY SERVICES IN SALEM, VIRGINIA 7 requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and only such items identified in the motion by which the Closed Session was convened were heard, discussed, or considered by the Council -- the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye. There being no further business to come before the Council, the same on motion adjourned at 8:28 p.m.