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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 06/20/1994CITY COUNCIL 20 JUNE 1994 The South Burlington City Council held a meeting on Monday, 20 June 1994, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members Present: William Cimonetti, Chairman; Michael Flaherty, James Condos, Robert Chittenden, David Maclaughlin Also Present: Charles Hafter, City Manager; Margaret Picard, City Clerk; Peg Strait, Asst. City Manager; Albert Audette, Street Dept; Mary-Barbara Maher, David Austin, Planning Commission; Joe Randazzo, Zoning Board; Ethel Schuele, Leisure Arts Committee; Ruth Poger, The Other Paper; Michael Sheridan, Channel 17; Rita Randazzo, Gail Wheeler, Bill Schuele, Fred Maher, Mark Crow 1. Comments & Questions from the Audience not related to Agenda items: No issues were raised. 2. Announcements: a. Mr. Condos reported that a group is being formed by Winooski Mayor Bill Norful regarding regional agency consolidation. The first meeting will be on 1 July. Mr. Cimonetti and Mr. Hafter will attend. b. Mr. Condos updated Regional Solid Waste District issues. The organizational meeting will be held this week. Mr. Condos will try to get an executive Board seat. The district is in the middle of a new law suit and has hired McNeil-Franco to handle it. Construction on the drop-off facility will begin after 4 July. This will be a 3-month project. During that time, there will be limited capacity at the landfill. The public has been informed of this. Finally, the district will begin an "illegal dump cleanup." c. Mr. Hafter reported that the Scenic Byways Committee met this morning. d. Mr. Hafter announced the following schedule of meetings: 1. Channel 17 Board of Directors, tomorrow at noon 2. S. Burlington Economic Development Committee, tomorrow, 4 p.m. 3. CCTA budget hearing, 6/22, 5 p.m. 4. Regional Planning Commission, 27 June, 7:30 p.m. 5. Golf Course Finance Committee, 24 June, 7:00 p.m. 6. Golf Course Operations Committee, 23 June, 7:00 p.m. 3. City Manager's Report: Mr. Hafter reported on the following: a. The Planning Commission has passed revised Zoning Regulations and amendments to the Comprehensive Plan on to the Council. Mr. Weith will make a presentation at the 18 July meeting. b. Recreation Dept.: 1. Red Rocks Park was opened on Friday. 2. The new playground and basketball courts are in at JC Park 3. The Tot Lot at the new Dorset St. park will be finished by Saturday 4. The list of summer programs is available at the Recreation Dept. Mr. Hafter gave members copies of the new Red Rocks Park brochure. c. The Highway Dept. is finishing up work on Hinesburg Rd/Kennedy Dr. intersection. Mr. Audette added that work should be done in 2 to 3 weeks, after coordination with the state. d. Dorset St: Most of the landscaping is in. The strip between the bike path and the curb will be sodded next. Mr. Randazzo expressed concern with left turning traffic near Brookwood and suggested the possibility of a light. e. A hearing was held on 10 May in the Munson suit over the bike path. A decision should be rendered soon. f. The Fire Dept. has had a promotional process for a captain to replace Fred Bessette who is retiring. There is also an opening for a Firefighter and several of the volunteers have applied. g. The Police Dept. has started a new bike path patrol. The SMART trailer has been very effective in reducing speeds. This is the end of the first year of the child/sexual abuse unit. There is a funding problem, and they will be looking for a permanent funding source. The program has been very successful. h. The Water Pollution Control Dept. has gotten the agreement from the group that presented the experimental project. The Council will have it soon. i. The Pelletizing plant is up and doing fine. j. Tax bills were mailed on 15 June. 4. Interviews for Appointments to Boards & Commissions: Mr. Cimonetti noted there are 4 vacancies. He noted that he has had some interest expressed to him by people who have just returned to town from vacations. Mr. Chittenden said he has as well. Members decided to hold off on final appointments until other interested applicants have had a chance to apply. Mr. Condos noted that the Planning Commission has had to send applicants home because there were not enough members to hear an application. The Commission then interviewed the following candidates for appointment/reappointment to the Planning Commission: Mary-Barbara Maher, David Austin, Mark Crow. Mrs. Maher said she has served the city for more than 25 years and feels her knowledge and experience are best suited for the Planning Commission. She would serve out her full term if appointed and would hope to retire at the end of that term. She felt the most important land issues are to see that land is developed to benefit the greatest number of people without doing damage to the environment. She felt the Commission is particularly open and attentive to public input. She also felt that the 50-50 split between residential and commercial properties was good and also that interaction between the Commission and Council was now very good. Mr. Austin said he enjoys the Planning Commission and felt it was something useful he can do for the city. He also felt there is a substantial learning curve and that he has now traveled most of it. He added that continuity is important for the Commission. Mr. Crow, a new applicant, said he wants to be involved in the community and wants to help make the community a great place for his children to grow in. He is a lawyer with some real estate experience and familiarity with laws involving planning. He is particularly interested in plans for the City Center and wants to be a part of it. Council members then asked specific questions of the applicants. Mr. Condos asked if they felt there were any specific problems that needed to be addressed. Mr. Crow said he had no specific agenda but felt traffic was always a concern, especially on Williston and Shelburne Rds. He felt the traffic overlay zones were a great idea. Mr. Austin suggested some communication between the Council/Zoning/Planning boards, especially with regard to the City Center. If variances are allowed to continue, it may delay for decades the City Center concept. Mrs. Maher agreed with Mr. Austin on the needs for a discussion among the three bodies on this issue. Mr. Chittenden asked if too many restrictions are costing time at Commission meetings. Mr. Austin said there is a set of rules and ordinances which have to be evaluated. If these did not exist, there would be chaos. Mr. Crow said he believed "simple" is best, but there is a myriad of situations to deal with and everyone deserves a fair chance to state a position. Mr. Chittenden asked about the Act 250 decision overturning a Planning Commission approval. Mr. Austin said he was surprised by that decision. Mrs. Maher said Act 250 seems to view a lot of acreage in S. Burlington as prime ag land. She said this may be true, but the question is whether agriculture is viable in the city. Mr. Chittenden asked about view corridors denying use of land to an owner without compensation. Mrs. Maher said compensation is given with added density on another part of that owner's land. Mr. Austin felt if it doesn't reduce the value of the property, there should be no compensation. He noted the ordinance does have flexibility to deal with these situations, and noted the Commission spends much time discussing the issue when it arises. Mr. Maclaughlin asked how the planning process could be improved. Mr. Austin said the easiest way would be a one-member board. He stressed that committees are a process, and processes take time. He didn't feel the Commission was inefficient or slow. The purpose of the process is to allow public input. He added it is always the Chair's option to curtail input. Mr. Austin added that he felt the staff is great and that preparation for meetings is exceptional. Mrs. Maher noted there isn't a solution to every problem and the Commission works longer and more often than it used to. She felt they make fewer mistakes than they used to. Mr. Maclaughlin asked applicants their concept for the City Center. Mrs. Maher noted the Commission has been given a concept by the City Council and by special committees. It is a long term plan that has to evolve. Mr. Crow saw the City Center as a focal point of the commercial area of the city, and he found that appealing. He would like a downtown feel, with easy access. Mr. Cimonetti asked how members feel about the possibility of an elected Planning Commission. Mrs. Maher felt it would be very expensive and that some high quality people might be denied the chance to serve because they couldn't afford or didn't want to go through the election process. It might also lead to people representing different points of view, rather than objectively viewing rules and regulations. Mr. Austin felt it would dramatically change the process, not for the better. Mr. Crow didn't feel the Commission and the planning process should be politicized. Members then interviewed Joe Randazzo for reappointment to the Zoning Board. Mr. Chittenden asked if zoning regulations should be changed to accommodate people. Mr. Randazzo said no. He felt there is now more reason to hear each appeal. Not to do so would be to give carte blanche approval. Mr. Flaherty asked about the 5 criteria. Mr. Randazzo said if you disregard the 5 criteria, you have chaos. If the Board disregards statutes, all planning will go out the window. Mr. Randazzo said he gets worried when he sees uses proposed in areas where they shouldn't be considered. c. Leisure Arts: The Council interviewed Ethel Schuele who is seeking reappointment. Ms. Schuele noted that all Leisure Arts programs are self-supporting. The Committee has 7 members but is short by 2 at the present time. Mr. Condos said that what the Leisure Arts Committee has brought to the city is wonderful, especially the diversity of activities. He asked if there is anything Mrs. Schuele would like to see added. Mrs. Schuele said their main problems center on available space, and they are looking forward to the new park buildings and perhaps a community center. d. Red Rocks Committee: The Council interviewed Gail Wheeler who is seeking reappointment. Ms. Wheeler acknowledged that safety is an issue, especially with parking in the street. Also, there is a problem with vehicles in the park. She noted that the bike path patrol will be going in on their rounds. She suggested the possibility of having committee members wear armbands or badges to give them more of an air of authority. Mr. Chittenden asked about the possibility of combining the Recreation and Red Rocks committees. Ms. Wheeler felt attention to the park might suffer as Recreation Committee people are more interested in active sports and might not be inclined to go on "litter patrols" in the park. Mr. Maclaughlin suggested merging with Natural Resources. Mr. Schuele said the Natural Resources Committee is now working more with the Planning Commission. He also felt the more people you can get involved in working for the good of the city, the better the city will be. Mrs. Schuele noted there is a problem with the adjacent Burlington housing development. There are no fences between the development and the park and this has created some serious problems. Mr. Cimonetti felt the community is remarkably well served by the Red Rocks Committee members. Mr. Cimonetti directed members attention to the list of positions that traditionally have gone to Council members. Members felt they wanted to keep to that pattern. 5. Proposed Amendment to the Parking Ordinance; No Parking on Laurel Hill Drive 300 ft. east of Intersection with Shelburne Rd. and No Parking on Harbor View Road 500 ft. east of Intersection with Shelburne Rd: Mr. Flaherty explained there has been a problem with site lines so motorists can't see when they pull out of parking lots. Mr. Condos moved to approve the first reading of the Amendment to the Parking Ordinance regarding Laurel Hill Drive and Harbor View Road, and to set the public hearing for 18 July. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed. 6. Consideration of Approval of Budget Actions and Amendment Prior to 6/30/94 Year End: Mr. Hafter said the first action is to transfer $26,520 to the Open Space Fund. Mr. Maclaughlin moved to transfer $26,520 to the Open Space Account. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Hafter then explained that there are 3 overages in the Highway Dept. due to winter maintenance on the streets. $54,000 can be taken from landfill carter permits to cover this. Mr. Flaherty moved to authorize the City Manager to transfer $54,601 from landfill revenues to line items specified in the City Manager's memo. Mr. Condos seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 7. Proposed Meeting Date for Steering Committee: Members agreed to have the Steering Committee meet on Thursday, 14 July, at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Hafter reminded members that this will be a reorganization meeting. 8. Resolution for Class 2 Highway Funding: Mr. Cimonetti advised that this gives a town aid for resurfacing of class 2 roads. Mr. Hafter said the city had submitted an application for Spear St. north, and it appears the money will be granted. Mr. Condos moved to authorize the City Manager to sign on behalf of the city the application for Class 2 road funding. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Audette thanked Mr. Cimonetti for his efforts in the Legislature to secure this piece of legislation. 9. Traffic Light Williston Rd. near Pillsbury Manor: Mr. Condos said this issue came up at the grand opening of the new additions to Pillsbury Manor. Several residents noted they have a very hard time crossing Williston Rd. to get to the bus stop. There is no bus stop on the north side of the road. Mr. Cimonetti suggested talking with CCTA about changing the bus route. Mr. Hafter suggested the possibility of having a bus go into Pillsbury Manor. 10. Discussion of Date for next regular City Council Meeting: Members agreed to meet on Tuesday, 5 July, at 7:30 p.m. 11. Review Zoning Board Agenda for 27 June: No issues were raised. 12. Minutes of 6 June 1994: Mr. Condos moved to approve the Minutes of 6 June as written. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 13. Sign Disbursement Orders: Disbursement orders were signed. 14. Liquor Control Board: Mr. Chittenden moved the Council adjourn and reconvene as Liquor Control Board. Mr. Condos seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Hafter presented a second class beverage license request for Lilydale, Inc. He said there are no outstanding issues. Mr. Flaherty moved to approve the Second Class Beverage License for Lilydale, Inc. as presented. Mr. Maclaughlin seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 14. Executive Session: Mr. Flaherty moved the Board adjourn and reconvene as City Council in Executive Session to discuss appointments to Boards and Commissions and to resume regular session only to make such appointments and/or adjourn. Mr. Condos seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: The City Council returned to regular session. Bob Chittenden moved the appointment of Joseph Randazzo to a four-year term on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Jim Condos seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Bob Chittenden moved the appointment of Ethel Schuele to a three-year term on the Leisure Arts Committee. Jim Condos seconded, the motion passed unanimously. Jim Condos moved the appointment of Gail Wheeler to the Red Rocks' Committee for a three-year term. Mike Flaherty seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Jim Condos moved and Bob Chittenden seconded the following appointments: The motion passed unanimously. The Council did not make an appointment to the City Personnel Committee. Bob Chittenden moved adjournment. Mike Flaherty seconded. The meeting adjourned unanimously at 10:45 PM. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.