m m m blished MINUTES OFTHE LAKE LURETOWN COUNCIL RGULAR MEETING HELD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2024, 5:00 P.M.. ATTHE: LAKE LURE MUNICIPAL CENTER PRESENT: Mayor Carol C. Pritchett Mayor Pro Tem David DiOrio Commissioner Patrick Bryant Commissioner Scott Doster Commissioner Jim Proctor William Morgan,] Jr., Town. Attorney Olivia Stewman, Town Manager ABSENT: N/A I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Carol C. Pritchett called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Council members led the pledge of allegiance and Commissioner Patrick Bryant led the invocation. II. APPROVE THE AGENDA Commissioner Scott Doster made a motion to approve the agenda, as presented. Commissioner David DiOrio seconded and all voted in favor. III. MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS Mayor Pritchett thanked all individuals in attendance. Reported that there will be two round table meetings on 09/17/24 in Rumbling Bald from 6-81 pm, and then in town hall on 09/19/24 from 6-8pm. IV. TOWN MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS Below are the. August highlights from the various departments. Full department Public Services- - The Public Service Department has successfully completed their operations tol keep the' Town running as smoothly as possible. Routine maintenance has been completed throughout the month, such as, but not limited to, Meter Reading, Meter Installs, Water Leaks, Locates, BulkTrash Pickup, Work Orders, Facility Manmenance.Vastewater Samples, and Dam, Wastewater Treatment Plant and Hydro Plant reports are available upon request. Maintenance. Top compishmentsproect updates: Went thru all' Town maintained roads and cleaned culverts. Completed ditch projects on Storm Ridge and Jack London Removed 31 trees that fell across roads. Performed 40 pavement patches around' Town. Completed approximately 50: requested! North Carolina 811 locates Repaired 3 water leaks thru out the water system. Finished the new press project at the wastewater treatment plant. Installed new press and landscaped the area around the Bar Screen Press with gravel. Installed new Aerator system at WWTP in contact chamber. Replaced a faulty valve on the cooling line of generator number two. Greased fitting Worked on improving the online work request forum.Training of new staff for and inspected unit. inspections and PM work. Community Development - Director' Williams reports another active month for community development. The department: issued 20 permits for the month of August. This includes 13 Zoning, 3 Lake Structure, 41 Land Disturbance Permit, and 01 Vacation Rental Operators. The department also completed final inspection and issued certificates of completion for 17 zoning or lake structure permits. Top complshments/proect updates: Zoning and Planning Board reviewed and declined (4-1) to make a recommendation regarding the two commercial structures proposed as the replacement Public Works facility at 622 Memorial Highway. As a' Town project within the Government Use zoning, the project is by permitted by right and the Board's recommendations would have been in regard to the appearance oft the projecti in relation to neighborhood character and physical site/building appearance. The "no recommendation'was forwarded to the Board of Adjustments for their review. The Board also began a: review of the Town's sign regulations,including a presentation of new related NC Board of Adjustments conducted quasi-judicial review of the Public' Works facility project,reviewing the report for Zoning & Planning and hearing reports from the Public Works Director and the Board's' Town Council liaison. The reports were in regards to the physical plans, including appearance; and the Council's process of determining the site, including consideration of the Comprehensive Plan. The Board voted unanimously to affirm the project with several recommendations relating to view screening and security fencing. The Board also conducted two quasi-judicial reviews of variance requests. First was to exempt a new. business opening in the old retail space at 2400 Memorial Highway from the required parking delineators and ingress/egress limitations due to the limitations oft the existing structure, parking and physical characteristics of the lot. The second was property owner's request to exceed the maximum allowed land disturbance area on. his new. home project from 50% to 52.75%, in order to meet the' Town's other slope grading requirements. Both were approved. denied and recommended for Zoning and Planning Board consideration for ordinance change. Lake Structure Appeals Board had no new business. regulations. Fire /1 Emergency Management -It was still a busy month in August. The department responded to 43 fire/medical/rescue calls throughout the month. Firefighters completed 282 Hours ofTraining this month. Partial list of accomplshments: Completed extingusner/medica. training at the Lake Lure Classical Assisted with installation of the new weather siren equipment. Academy. Assisted with the Lake Lure Olympiad. Police - The department is back to full capacity with the hiring of Officer Willett. Officer Willett is in training learning the roadways. He has been an officer in another jurisdiction so training should not take long.) We are thrilled to have a full, full time staff again. We also look: forward to training Park, Rec & Lake's new officer who will help the P.D. as needed. Summer is winding down, the beach is now closed for the season. Officers continue to drive our roadways and patrol the waters ofI Lake Lure. Yearly training for the state continues for each officer, as they have yearly updates to study and pass. Top accomplishments: August 3rd, Corporal Collins was patrolling Burroughs and came upon two homeless individuals. When Corporal Collins attempted to check the backgrounds of both, however due to no signal, he had Rutherford Communications run them. Communications was unable to find the male subject by the name he gave. Corporal Collins told the two to move on. Once Collins was able to get to an area with a signal, he was able to find another subject that looked like the homeless man. He immediately searched and found the subject by the Lake Lure Inn.' The male fled. Sergeant Umphlett along with several other agencies were called to assist. The male was apprehended and taken into custody. The male was a sexual offender with open warrants. The use of the LLPD Speed' Trailer parked in an area of downtown, has had good results in reminding drivers to slow down in this area where pedestrians Cross Officers are working closely with NC State Rangers on ways to help the communuty in ridding bears around trash dumpster at businesses and trash receptacles used at homes/vacation rentals. Bear sightings have increase significantly inj populated areas where bears know food is being thrown out and easy to get to. Rangers and Officers first meeting was promising with some new ideas being Parks, Recreation & Lake - The Parks, Recreation, and Lake Department had al busy month of August.As peak season winds down, the department is working on calculating boat permit sales for 2024 in order to project numbers for the ordering of 2025 the: roadway frequently. used. boat permits. Top Accomplishments: Utilized a total of 109 volunteer hours, valued at $2,180 Hired and began training new staff member, Adam Nix. Continued assisting Stott Construction with dredging operations. Finance - Revenues and Expenditures Reports for a bimonthly report will be provided at the September work session.. As in prior fiscal years and recent accounting periods, revenues tracked for the last accounting period as projected and departments always do well in monitoring expenditures ini individual line items in the departmental budgets. These will remain until final trial balances are determined and audited from prior year audit. Revenues and Expenditures Reports for al bimonthly report will be provided at the September work session.. As in prior fiscal years and recent accounting periods, revenues tracked for the last accounting period as projected. Departments continually do well in monitoring expenditures in individual line items in the departmental budgets. There may be accruals for expenditures and revenues (same as last prior year) due to the audit reporting beginning for 23-24 fiscal year. These will: remain until final trial balances are determined and audited from prior year audit.. Analysis and research to various components of the purchasing, invoicing, and vendor system continues.This effort is being made to generate cost savings, eliminate The Town continues to have a strong financial position with an unreconciled bank balance of approximately $8,570,000 for all funds other than special revenue (the Dam Fund).The dam fund is showing a balance of $11,150,000.00 after significant expenditures related toi the valve addition are Analysis and research to various components oft the purchasing,.invoicing, and vendor system continues. This effort is being made to generate cost savings, eliminate replication and overall efficiency. Regarding the audit status, sampling is still occurring along with accounting procedure clarification. The Local Government Commission has followed up on the audit as well as other prior findings. The' Town Manager will soon send aj progress The County's Revenue Department: reported that the' Tryon Bay property was sold for at the tax liens plus demolition and property upkeep costs added by the Town. The' Town will soon: receive a recoupment of the majority of the costs Communications- Communications Director Krejci continues her community outreach along with progress in all areas. There were 30 news articles published on the town's website. Additionally, 2,233 individuals received town news via hyperlink. There were 28,000 website users in August. Director Krejci also continues to work tirelessly on replication and overall efficiency. continuing to be posted. and status report regarding the' Town's current and future interaction with the LGC's' Team. related to the property. grant applications and follow-ups. Top Highlights: August Events: Washburm/Watkins Memorial Service inl Morse Park and recognition oft the original Olympiad Board Upcoming Events: September 15 from 9-11 AM: Fishing with a Ranger - Morse Park September 17,2024 at 6:00:F Round' Table Meeting at Rumbling Bald' Terrace September 19, September 27, 2024 from 3:30-5:30 PM: Rutherford County Library System 2024 at 6:00:1 Round' Table Meeting at' Town Hall Bookmobile in Morse Park Website and Social Media Management: with 30: news posts in 8/24 2023, with 34 posts in 8/24. 38% increase in Website Users (28K) over the same time period in 2023 8% increase in Facebook: Followers (21,547) over the same time period in Manager / Clerk / Admin Summary changing day-to-day operations. August was a busy month including an array of staff, council, and board meetings and ever- Highlights: Dredging operations are now underway with the supervision of our Parks, Created a new dual position for the Public Services Administrative Support/ / GIS Technician. A: former summer intern who helped with mapping utilities will Accepted al Water AIA State Reserve Grant Offer and al Lea Service Line Loan Held a special meeting with the sewer: replacement project design-build team to discuss the next phases in the sewer project. The plan for the upcoming drawdown it to investigate the backshore and existing sewer system. During this time, the Public Services Department will also be making repairs as they are identified. Simultaneously, LaBella is evaluating alternative systems (low- pressure orl hybrid) to accommodate the most cost-effective way to proceed with the Drilling below the dam was recently completed. Morgan Corporation is currently awaiting the delivery of 72 inch pipe which is currently undergoing minor repairs. The next major steps are delivery and installation of the knife gate valve, which is currently in Morgan Corporation's possession. We are still waiting for an inspection and delivery date for the jet flow valve, but it is expected within the next couple of weeks. The completion of the project is Schnabel Engineering is steadily working towards the completion oft the replacement dam investigation and design work. In the interim, the' Town has tasked Schnabel with providing us with proposed work orders to assess the repair or replacement of the tainter gates. Schnabel should have the proposed work orders Town staff has been working on decorating for fall.The hope is to have a couple of displays for both visitors and full time residents to enjoy. Mrs.Wendy Terry and Chase Harris have been the masterminds behind the decorations, so their hard work is appreciated." Various departments are holding meetings to Town Clerk Elba Willette is working towards solutions to enhancing the sound system Recreation, and Lake Department. be filling the position. Funding Offer. replacement of the sewer. still set for this fall. finalized very soon. prepare: for the holiday season, asi it will be upon us soon. in the Council Chambers at this time. V. COUNCIL! LIAISON: REPORTS & COMMENTS AND: BOARD PRESENTATIONS Commissioner Scott Doster reported the activities of the Zoning and Planning Board and the. ABC Board. Z&P board met to review recommendation for two building and green space, public works needs a new bldg. really bad place which is behind the arcade and there is new owner on the lake lure inn, the board voted to deny it but it is a town property sO they could not deny it - the BOA board voted to approve it.' There will be a new position on ABC - the net sales of the store have increased by 4% - 5500 to the law enforcement - 54K to the town - 7k to help with alcohol rehabilitation. Thank the manager the assistant Mayor- = wants to thank Commissioner Scott Doster for his work with the. ABC Board that board in the New Year 2025 (Dave Keenan) manager, the staff the board which are all volunteers. Commissioner David DiOrio reported that the activities of the Lake Advisory Board were discussed at the Marine Commission meeting and noted that the Board of It was noted that the Public' Works building was approved by the BOA. Commissioner Adjustment /Lake Structure Appeals Board met. Jim Proctor reported the activities oft the Parks and Recreation Board. VI. PUBLIC COMMENT The public is invited to speak. Please keep comments limited to three minutes orl less Comments may also be submitted in writing to the town clerk, wllette@townotlakelure.com at least one hour prior to the meeting. Mayor Carol C. Pritchett invited the audience to speak. Holly. Jensen - Cell tower: project - sent al letter to the town on July 6 expressing some concerns that she had about the project. Ms. Jensen said she hadn'theard from the Town Attorney. She wants the cell tower but not on the proposed property. Wade Oppliger = 180 Riverside - Bat Cave - Lake Lure Rowing = asked if the Town can revisit the beach opening and closed policy - after August it will be closed during the week. He spent the last week apologizing because Irun a tourist business and I am afraid that they don't want to come back to It was noted Lake Lure Flowering Bridge met yesterday- and they will have a report on Lake Lure. number of volunteer hours by next: meeting. Kathy Hatfield - 125 Falcon way chair of the lake advisory board requested that LAB reports be presented at the regular council meetings notj just the marine commission meeting. VII. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Carol C. Pritchett presented the Consent Agenda items and asked if any items Approval oft the. August 13, 2024 Regular' Town Council Meeting, the. August 22, 2024 Special' Town Council Meeting, and the August 28, 2024 Work Session and. Action Meeting should be removed before calling for action. Minutes. Commissioner Patrick Bryant made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, Commissioner. Jim Proctor seconded and the motion carried 4-0. VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business to discuss. IX. NEW BUSINESS A. REQUEST TO REMOVE TREE WITHING ELEVATION 995' & TROUT BUFFER. Mike Williams addressed the board - explaining that the tree is healthy - but there is concern that it is over al boat house = the requestor doesn'thave a problem as long as the town agrees. Williams recommended to approve the request with plantingareplacement. tree. Commissioner Scott Doster made a motion to approve to: removal of the tree with the conditions that they plant another tree in the future, Commissioner Dave Diorio seconded and the motion carried 4-0. IX. NEW BUSINESS B. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF CONTRACT WITH ODOM ENGINEERING FOR THEMORSEPARK IMPROVEMENT DESIGNI PROJECT. Olivia Stewman made a recommendation to approve Odom Engineering as the chosen Commissioner Jim Proctor made a motion to allow the contract with Odom Engineering to be signed to start the Improvement design project for Morse Park, company to design the new. Morse Park. Commissioner Scott Doster seconded and the motion carried 4-0. IX. NEW BUSINESS C. REVIEW UPDATED WORKFORCE HOUSING CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN. Mr. Odom - presented the latest sketch for the workforce housing plan Mr. Odom recommended making another sketch and including the remediation of the shooting range with the costs. Council decided that it was best to wait making any recommendations or approvals at this time so we will wait until the work session meeting and maybe by then the new sketch design will be ready for approval. IX. NEW BUSINESS D. SHORT TERM ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTMENTS Patrick Bryant made an announcement about the process on adding a new Short' Term Rental Advisory Board (STR) = this board will provide a new advance experience to our guest about the wild life and it gives a more robust opportunity to work with community development - 11 people applied for board appointments, five were chosen to serve on the board and they are, Scott Martin, Jennifer Romaine, Marla Machado-Arce, Beth Heer and' Trace Boswell. Commissioner Patrick Bryant will serve. as the Counçil Liaison for that board, and the board will be help the third Wednesday of each month in the morning hours. The July 9th council Commissioner Jim Proctor made a Motion to approve the STR Advisory Board, meeting does highlight the bylaws on page 59. Commissioner Dave DiOrio seconded and the motion carried 4-0. X. CLOSED SESSION Commissioner Patrick Bryant made a motion to enter into closed session in accordance with G.S. 143.318.11(a) (3) for the attorney client privilege or legal claims, Commissioner Dave DiOrio seconded and the Motion Carried 4-0.The close session meeting started at 5:38pm XI. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, Commissioner Patrick Bryant made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:30p.m. Commissioner Scott Doster seconded and the motion carried 4-0. ATTEST: Elba Lwdbe Mayor Carol C. Pritchett Willette, Town Clerk