TOWN OF COATS Board of Commissioners Thursday, January 12,2023 Official Minutes  The Town of Coats Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Thursday, January 12, 2023. at  7:00 p.m. int the! Board of Commissioners' Meeting Room at Coats Town Hall.  Members Present: Mayor Chris Coats Commissioner Marcl Powell Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert Commissioner Shirley Allen Commissioner Allen Mosby Members Absent: Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Beasley LCALLTOORDER  StaffPresent: Nick Holcomb, Town Manager Connie Lassiter, Finance Director/Town Clerk Al Bain, Town Attorney Ken Storicks, Police Chief Rodney Pleasant, Public Works Director  A quorum being present, Mayor Chris Coats called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Coats delivered the invocation and led those in attendance in thel Pledge ofA Allegiance.  RESOLVED, to approve Agenda.  MOTION BY: Commissioner Marc. Powell, SECOND BY: Commissioner Shirley Allen  APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved  II. CONSENT AGENDA  A. Approval ofN Minutes - December 8, 2022  B. Approval of Attorney Bill - Services Rendered December 1-31, 2022  RESOLVED, to approve Consent Agenda. APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved  MOTION BY: Commissioner. Kelvin Gilbert, SECOND BY: Commissioner Allen Mosby  II. PUBLIC FORUM  Mayor Chris Coats opened the Public Forum.  Brian Turlington of 1117 S Lincoln St, Coats NC expressed his appreciation to the Town Commissioners and Town Manager fort the recent purchase ofl land and stated that it was needed and hoped for more parks and recreation uses and something for the kids. Mr. Turlington informed the Board that there was a  1    problem with speeding vehicles on Lincoln St which made it dangerous for farm equipment and horse trailers to pull out in his area. Mr. Turlington asked that blue lights be put on to help slow them down.  Mayor Chris Coats closed the Public Forum after hearing no one else.  V.PRESENTATION  A. Water System Capital Improvement Plan  Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, introduced the topic of doing a capital improvement update on the water system with extra emphasis that we put the one million dollar ($1,000,000). grant to the best use possible. Mr. Holcomb: noted that there were more needs than grant money, so three options were created for the Board to consider that come close to the grant amount. Mr. Holcomb invited Mark Lacy ofLKC: Engineering to expound on the options. (Reference 1) Mark Lacy, Engineer ofLKCI Engineering, stated that he had looked at the water system using the hydraulic model which was ai replication of the whole system in a computer model. The model included information from old studies that had several good recommendations along with the recommendations from a model his company did fort the' Town in 2013 put together to simulate what kind of benefits and impact it would have as a whole on the system and what would be best to: strengthen the system. Mr. Lacy noted that the Town was surrounded by the County water system SO1 there was no need for large expansions outside of the current city limits; and he found no glaring needs related to safety issues or compliance with regulatory issues, so the focus was put on making what the Town had better by replacing some of the smaller diameter lines, closing loops, and infield type extensions in town. Mr. Lacy summarized the following options:  Option 1-1 focus on distribution, replacing some of the older, smaller diameter lines with Option 2-1 focus on some distribution and include the AMI meter replacement Option 3. - focus on distribution improvements with added focus on projects with  larger lines to create better flow and pressure  potential to promote infield type development  Mr. Lacy commented that all three were good options, but from the prospective of funding the simplest, most straight forward approach would be Option 1. He noted there would be hurdles with requirements and making sure the process the County used to select the meter system and contractors fiti in with the funding agency's requirements with Option 2, and conveyed that Option 3 didn'tl hit the core of system improvements but had some advantages. Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, added that with Option 3 an advantage might be incentivizing some development with the water line but lacking sewer so not getting the full benefit. Commissioner Shirley Allen inquired if one option was more necessary than another. Mr. Lacy responded that there were advantages to all oft them noting that the first option strengthens the system; and the option with. AMI frees ups staff from reading meters and leaks can be identified more quickly, but you lose some oft the benefit ofi improving the system and replacing the lines that are old and will need to be replaced at some point. Mr. Lacy voiced from his prospective  either Option 1 or Option 2 would rise to the top.  2    Mayor Chris Coats asked how long any oft the projects would take to complete. Mr. Lacy replied that total project time would likely be eighteen months or sO with lead times on equipment and material being long for al lot ofthings and construction time had been stretching out more than it used to. Mr. Lacy recognized that there were time constraints with the grant. Commission Shirley Allen questioned ift the grant money had been reçeived, and Town Manager Holcomb informed thel Board the grant money had not been received yet. Town Manager Holcomb expressed that the time constraint was at the top ofl his mind because although we have until December 2024 to get it under contract, he would like to have it complete before that time. Mr. Holcomb relayed that a rush decision was: not needed tonight, but he suggested that the Board not go past next month or March at the latest to make decision. Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert asked what kind of pressure would be put on other lines when strengthening some ofthe lines like in Option 1. Mr. Lacy responded as far as normal pressures you would not see an increase in pressure across the board with normal conditions because that's driven by thel height of water towers; but ifyou get ins situations where you need a lot ofi flow for fire protection the system will provide that easier and not have as much ofa negative impact on Commissioner Gilbert inquired ifr roads would have to be cut and were the cuts figured in the cost of the options. Mr. Lacy acknowledged that some lines were beside roads and some go through roads, but for the most part the lines can run on the shoulder and not have long runs cutting roads. Mr. Lacy confirmed that open cut and patch type of repair cost were included, but ifanyl kind of Commissioner Gilbert questioned the longevity of the PVC pipe. Mr. Lacy replied that it would depend on how much pressure fluctuates, operating pressure, and soil conditions it can be 50-100  the extremities of the system and people having low pressure.  overlay was done it would affect cost.  year range.  B. Overview of Next Steps  Town Manager Nick Holcomb asked Mr. Lacy how to move forward when the Board had reached a consensus on the project int terms of getting it done. Mr. Lacy replied that once there is aclear direction on project an application would need to be submitted even ifit's an earmark which is purely a formality; then, more paperwork including resolutions would need to be passed and a funding offer and acceptance. As far as reimbursement, a request could be made to be reimbursed on the front end for soft costs such administrative costs. Mr. Lacy added that once that was done the next steps would be going through the design process, permitting and selecting Mr. Holcomb asked the amount oftime to complete those steps to which Mr. Lacy responded that Commissioner Marc Powell asked Public Works Director Rodney Pleasant how many man. hours ittook to read meters each month. Mr. Pleasant answered that depending on the weather it took Commissioner Shirley Allen stated that Option 2 made the most sense to her because it was some ofboth. Town Manager Holcomb explained that Option 2 was the meter option, and we would  contractor.  it would take eight to twelve months.  eight to ten hours with four employees.  3    need to figure out how it would be viewed through the grant prospective since it was an item that Mayor Chris Coats reminded the Board that this was not the only way to get the AMI meter project done. Town Manager Holcomb added that the AMI project could be done later with the Town's money, other grants or al loan because we are going to be forced to do it whether it's two Commissioner Allen mentioned the increase in cost for meters. Town Manager Holcomb stated that thej price of the meters remained the same, but the install cost had increased int the past Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert suggested that a work session would be good because it was a lotto think about to make a decision tonight with all the options sounding possible to do. Town Manager Holcomb recommended to table until the February meeting and proposed having as short work session just prior to the meeting. Mr. Holcomb mentioned that he would follow up on some of items such as how the water meter part would be viewed; Public Works would continue to investigate South Street; he and the attorney would continue to follow up on the contract and what that price might actually be because it had been discovered that the $400,000 might be closer to $475,000 based offt the number oft meters and how we' ve grown plus larger  had not been competitively bid even though there was a good reason,  or four years from now because at some point the handhelds will die.  eighteen months.  meters than thought and irrigation meters that had not been counted.  RESOLVED, to table until 6:00pm on February 9. APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved  MOTION BY: Commissioner Shirley Allen, SECOND BY: Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert  V. NEW BUSINESS  A. Budget Amendment - NI McKinley Land Purchase  Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, informed the Board that with fees, deed recordings and closing costs the amount came to $111,842 and the simplest way was to pull from fund balance. Mr. Holcomb mentioned a fee schedule would need to be set for rental use and that he would create one: for the Board to approve at the next meeting. He urged the Board to let him know of any ideas they had for use of property in addition to the ideas hel had already mentioned. Plans now are working with Town staff to get grass established so it looks nice when spring comes Commissioners' discussion included setting fee for advertising signs on the property and getting input from citizens on uses by publicizing on Facebook and having a meeting for citizens' ideas  around sO people will see a landscaped area. like we had for the Downtown Streetscape. RESOLVED, to approve the budget amendment as presented.  MOTION BY: Commissioner Allen Mosby, SECOND BY: Commissioner Marc Powell  APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved  4    B. Closeout Capital Project - Old Shop Building Renovation  Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, informed thel Board that all work had been completed and  expenses paid.  RESOLVED, to closeout capital project for the old shop building renovation.  MOTION BY: Commissioner Marc Powell, SECOND BY: Commissioner Shirley Allen  APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved .2023 Calendar of Events  Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, reminded the Board of the Chamber Calendar of Events and Street Closure Request that was included in the agenda packet and stated that they could approve not just the street closures but also approve the events for the year so they wouldn't! have to be voted on individually. He mentioned that it would also bel helpful with the new UDO because these events had food trucks and vendors that wasn'tdiscussed under the old UDO. Mr. Holcomb mentioned that the only other non-Town and non-Chamber event using public facilities that he had been approached with was the Harnett County Run Club License to Fly 10K on Saturday, May 13 and that event did not require street closures. (Reference 2) Tricia Bristow, Coats Chamber of Commerce Director, expressed her appreciation to Board on the purchase oft thel NI McKinley property. Ms. Bristow informed the Board that the Farmi to Table event had been listed on the calendar of events with two different dates but the date for the event Ms. Bristow noted that the Christmas events had been moved to a Tuesday to prevent conflict that happened this past year. Ms. Bristow stated excitement was growing about Heritage Day which would be a great joint effort between the Town, Chamber and Musuem; and she mentioned that Commissioner Shirley Allen expressed that she hoped the Christmas tree lights would stay on for the whole season next year. Ms. Bristow announced that there were families that had shown interest in providing a new tree topper andj purchasing commercial grade lights as well as talks Commissioner Allen Mosby asked Police Chief Ken Storicks ifH he had any concerns. Chief Storicks voiced that the 7a.m. parking lot closure was excessive for the Crank Up Coats events and suggested closing around lunch time and putting a cone up with a sign announcing time of Commissioner Marc Powell asked about rain dates. Ms. Bristow said typically events are rain or shine events because the way the calendar falls it doesn'talways allow to reschedule events. Town Manager Holcomb suggested that since the Board would have already approved the event to let him work out the closures with Ms. Bristow and Chief Storicks ife event was rescheduled. Commissioner Allen Mosby suggested closing the parking lot for the Crank Up Coats events at noon, Ms. Bristow stated that she would be fine with closing the parking lot as late as 1 p.m.  was now confirmed to be held on October 24.  she was working to move the awards banquet from outside to Triton.  about putting ornaments on thet tree.  closing.  5    RESOLVED, to approve the calendar ofe events as presented with the change of closing the parking lot MOTION BY: Commissioner Allen Mosby, SECOND BY: Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert  for Crank Up Coats events from 7a.m. to 1 p.m. APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved D. Ferguson. AMI Water Meter Contract  Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, informed thel Board that the contract was fori informational purposes only, but the contract would be required if the Board chose Option 2 of the proposed Water System CIP. Town Manager Holcomb recounted that the project had been discussed since March 2021 when Harnett Regional Water began to implement AMI and offered Coats the ability to piggyback off oft their software, towers and billing effectively cutting in halfan 8001 to million dollar project which made it attractive; and he commented that really the only reason it was not already inj place is due to supply chain issues that had pushed Harnett County back on completion Town Manager Holcomb conveyed that now that the Board had heard from the engineer and seen the Capital Improvement update it was necessary to weigh ifthe. AMI was the best project compared tos some of the other projects as tohow soon we proceed. Mr. Holcomb expressed that itv was a complicated project with al lot ofthings that would have to come together such as getting ar more exact number of meters and sizes needed tol Ferguson for install and Sensus for meters and Mr. Holcomb mentioned that Attorney Al Bain had reviewed the contract and had minor concerns and some substantial conçerns related to the terms of sale which had been relayed and noted that he received word today they are willing to make changes to resolve most oft the minor concerns Mr. Holcomb noted that Ferguson had not raised meter prices, but there was aj price increase of Mr. Holcomb emphasized that this was the project that we would do noi matter what CIP option was chosen because it would have to be done; thel handheld days are numbered and we are dependent on Harnett County for reading and billing and being so interconnected with them it makes sense to doi it as well as being ai more inexpensive project than doing it ourselves. Mr. Holcomb went on to say that he believed the LGC would allow a one-time transfer from General Fund to Water Fund sO that the ARP funds for salaries int the General Fund could be used to pay Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert expressed concern with additional cost if project is delayed. Commissioner Allen Mosby added the project was a top priority because the cost savings wasa a big factor and getting online would save man hours. Commissioner Marc Powell inquired as to whether or not waiting another month would make a difference and if the Board needed to make a decision tonight. Town Manager Nick Holcomb responded that he felt it was important for the Board to hear the timeline that was presented on the options; but even ifthey voted tonight, it would very likely be a year before a contractor digs dirt. Mr. Holcomb stated that there were: still questions about everything needed to get the contract in a position for the Board to vote on and there was still work to do to refine the price for what we need from an inventory standpoint.  as they were currently only about 75 percent complete.  coordinating with Harnett County on technology.  putting the contract to being closer to ready to ask the Board to approve. about $12,000 from. August 2021 to December 2022 on labor and install.  forit.  6    Commissioner Allen Mosby asked how much more time was needed on the contract. Attorney. Al Bain mentioned an issue with the contract's term of sale and pointed out that if wel had a dispute, we would have to sue in Delaware and things like that he felt were objectionable. Mr. Holcomb Town Manager Holcomb communicated that he sensed the Board wanted the AMI and leaned toward doing thej project as part ofthe grant. Commissioner Mosby stated and Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert agreed that if putting it as part of the grant was going to delay it, then no; ifit helped, then yes. Mayor Chris Coats reminded the Board that there were other ways off funding the project and that Options 1-3 presented tonight were not the only options; there could be an Option 4 created. Commissioners agreed that it could be discussed further on February 9.  said it was possible tol have by February 9 meeting.  VI. MANAGER and DEPARTMENT UPDATES  Nick Holcomb, Town Manager, updated the Board on thei following:  Employee Evaluations needed to be completed and returned at the February 9 closed session Preliminary drainage assessment that had been requested at the last meeting was enclosed in the agenda packet and showed the cost of studying the area to come up with cost of what it would $50K Grant from County would be signed tomorrow and should have money within a week; we' res steered toward Park Improvement, need to decide exactly what to do at the park; Parks Director has come up with ai fewi ideas and started to get rough quotes; Board will need to decide Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert asked Police Chief] Ken Storicks ift there had been anymore issues in the area he recently had to go into. Chief Storicks reported the subjects are no longer living in the house, the house was condemned, and now there was a couple fixing up the house to livei in. Chief Storicks added that sinçe then along with the hit at the house around the corner in November that area was pretty much  meeting.  take to fix. (Reference: 3)  exactly what to do sO work can be put out for bid  fine for now. VII. ADJOURN  Mayor Chris Coats called for a motion to adjourn.  RESOLVED, to adjourn.  MOTION BY: Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert, SECOND BY: Commissioner Marc Powell  APPROVED: 4-0, unanimously approved Meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m.  Colth Connie Lassiter, Town Clerk  Chris Coats, Mayor  Aek  7