Agenda Notes:
Revised Dinner Agenda: Center City Light Rail Station
Staff Resource: Julie Burch, 704-336-3187 - jburch@ci.charlotte.nc.us
We have added a new item # 2 to your dinner agenda on Monday, April 24. Michael Smith of Charlotte Center City Partners will present a proposal for the private sector and the City to share in the cost of a signature light rail station in the Center City. Attached are images that show an architectural rendering of each option. The City Manager advised the Mayor and Council of this proposal via email on April 20.
Agenda Item #12: Center City Transportation Plan
Staff Resource: Jim Kimbler, 704-336-4275 - jkimbler@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The President of Charlotte Center City Partners has written a letter in support of Council's adoption of the Center City Transportation Study. The letter was received after the agenda was distributed. A copy of that letter is attached. City staff greatly appreciates the involvement by staff and board members from Charlotte Center City Partners during the preparation of the Center City Transportation Study.
Adoption has been recommended by the Council Transportation Committee and is on the agenda for the April 24 meeting.
Agenda Item #16: Business Investment Grant for Pavco Incorporated Staff Resource: Brad Richardson, 704-336-3857 - brichardson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Monday's agenda item regarding a Business Investment Grant for Pavco Incorporated referenced a recommendation to be made this week by the City's Business Advisory Committee. On Friday, April 21, the Business Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommended approval of the grant to Pavco. Discussion focused on the desire to attract corporate headquarters of a manufacturing operation with the potential to gain production jobs in the future.
The Business Advisory Committee is a 15 member Council-appointed Board charged with the following:
- Providing recommendations to the City on how to support local businesses;
- Providing input into City policy on affecting the business environment;
- Providing support in the City's business retention and growth program;
- Providing information to the City relative to changes in business and business climate, and the effects of the changes on business-government relations.
Agenda Item #20 B and C: In Rem Demolition at 2947 and 2949 Coronet Way Staff Resource: Mike Jenkins, 704-336-7988 - mjenkins@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On April 24, 2006, City Council will be asked to approve the demolition of the two, ten unit apartment buildings at 2947 and 2949 Coronet Way. Housing Code violations for each building includes major structural, electrical, plumbing and heating issues. The units have been unoccupied for over two years. The units have continued to deteriorate since their initial inspection in April 2004. Police and neighborhood leaders have expressed concern regarding vagrant access, property cleanliness, and other community safety and health issues associated with the dilapidated condition of the buildings. The combined estimated repair cost for the two buildings is over $150,000.
The owner of the apartment buildings, Mr. Edwin Rodriquez of Richland, N.J., asked Code Enforcement to remove the demolition order and provide additional time to begin earnest repairs. Based upon the history of the case and the negative impact the buildings have on the Eleanor Heights Community, Code Enforcement has decided to recommend moving forward with the demolition proposal.
Eleanor Heights Community President, Lori Moore, has indicated an interest in speaking to City Council in favor of the demolition. The owner, Mr. Rodriquez, or a representative may ask Council to oppose the demolition recommendation to provide additional time to begin repairs.
Agenda Item #26: Airport Telecommunications Antenna Site Lease - PULLED Staff Resource: T. J. Orr, 704-359-4006 - tjorr@charlotteairport.com
Airport Telecommunications Antenna Site Lease, (Item 26, Page 37) has been pulled from the April 24 City Council agenda by Aviation Department staff.
Information Items:
North Carolina Legislative Agenda
Staff Resource: Boyd Cauble, 704-336-2009 - bcauble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City is hosting a breakfast with the Mecklenburg Delegation this Monday, April 24 at 7:30 a.m. in room 267 of the Government Center. This meeting is being held to present the City of Charlotte's 2006 Legislative Agenda and to discuss any other issues or topics of concern with our Delegation.
Attached is a chart comparing our current franchise process with the pending State and Federal Cable TV/Video Legislation. I have also attached a copy of a memo from Mayor McCrory to Congresswoman Myrick expressing City Council concerns regarding our right-of-way and revenue preservation in proposed federal legislation her committee is reviewing next Wednesday. Holland & Knight suggested we send a note confirming comments City Council made our Delegation during the NLC mid-winter conference. We will review this issue with our Delegation during the Monday morning breakfast meeting.
North Carolina Community Development Initiative Contract
Staff Resource: Stanley Watkins, 704-336-3796 - swatkins@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Over the past three years the North Carolina Community Development Initiative, Inc. (Initiative) has served as the intermediary for the Charlotte Neighborhood Fund. This Fund provides operating support to six local Community Development Corporations (CDCs). The City contributes $300,000 annually to the fund.
The City received a letter from the Initiative, informing us of their intention not to renew the contract for the administration of the fund beyond the June 30, 2006 ending date. Over the past three years, the Initiative has worked to strengthen the organization and project development capabilities of our local CDCs. The Council and City staff has supported their efforts to improve Charlotte's neighborhoods through the CDCs.
The Neighborhood Development Key Business respects the business decision of the Initiative. City staff will work on a transition plan and report back to the City Council on the next steps within two weeks.
Animal Control Bureau Update
Staff Resource: Captain Tim Jayne, 704-336-7552 - tjayne@cmpd.org
The Police Department's Animal Control Bureau has the goal of reducing the number of animals that must be euthanized in this community in large part, by increasing the number of animals that have been spayed/neutered. In 2000, Animal Control began the Community Animal Management Program to find methods to lower the euthanasia rate.
There has been a continuing decline in the number of adoptable dogs and cats that must be euthanized due to time and space limitations euthanization data since 2003 is as follows:
FY03: 5,726
FY04: 3,466
FY05: 1,148
FY06: 675 (ytd)
In FY06, cats constitute 84.7% of the adoptable animals euthanized.
The decline can be attributed to a number of factors:
- Partnership with the Humane Society of Charlotte; the Humane Society built a spay/neuter clinic at the Animal Shelter so that adoptable pets can be spayed/neutered in house and available for quicker adoption. This also frees up additional spay/neuter appointments for the public at the Humane Society's Toomey Avenue clinic.
- Construction of additional dog runs at the Animal Shelter, increasing the number of adoptable animals that can be housed.
- Increased numbers of volunteers who work with the animals on their socialization skills so that they are more attractive to potential owners.
- Microchipping animals so that they can be returned to their owners; the Animal Shelter has microchipped 12,503 animals since 2002.
- Use of the mobile spay/neuter van and vouchers to enable pet owners in low income neighborhoods to have their pets spayed/neutered. Funding for these programs ended in August 2005. Animal Control has received a $500 grant from the PETCO Foundation to be used for the spay/neuter van.
- More use of off-site adoption events at a variety of locations including South Park, Charlotte Checkers games, and Pet Essentials. There have been fifty-five such events to date in FY06.
- A spay/neuter advertising campaign, funded by the Foundation for the Carolinas, that includes billboards and advertisements in movie theatres.
- Contracting with PetData in March 2005 to outsource the animal licensing process; licensing sales increased by 1.7% in the first year of the contract.
- Enhanced partnerships with animal rescue groups.
The Animal Control Bureau continues to seek partnerships that will help in increasing spay/neuter surgeries and animal adoptions while ultimately reducing the number of adoptable animals that must be euthanized.
Cankerworm Infestation
Staff Resource: Don McSween, 704-336-5752 - dmcsween@ci.charlotte.nc.us
At Monday night's zoning meeting, Council member Kinsey requested a report on dealing with cankerworms.
The recent high numbers of Fall Cankerworms are part of an ongoing infestation over the last several years. As a native insect, normally there would be natural controls that would keep the high population numbers in check. Charlotte is unique in that natural controls have not worked. Expert entomologists from around the country cannot explain why natural controls are not working in Charlotte.
The City started banding street trees in the right-of-way, monitoring the cankerworm population and encouraging residents to band private trees fifteen years ago. The purpose of the banding is to stop the female from laying eggs in November and December. Since the female Cankerworm moth is wingless, she has to climb trees from her hatching site in the ground to lay her eggs in the crowns of trees. Community-wide banding is an effective means of controlling Cankerworm populations without using pesticides.
Although banding has helped reduce the impact of the caterpillars, their number has continued to increase in areas of the City. The City took the extraordinary step of conducting aerial sprays of an organic insecticide in 1992 and 1998. Aerial sprays take a large amount of lead time for the necessary approvals and are very costly. The sprays help reduce the population in the years following, but they are not permanent fixes and the worms gradually repopulate.
Since the preferred tree of cankerworms seems to be the large, old Willow Oaks, the risk in the continued defoliation is that trees can die from repeated years of having their leaves eaten, along with other factors like drought.
In January of this year, the City Arborist observed that there was going to be a high infestation of cankerworms in the spring by the extremely high numbers of females being caught in the traps. The number and scope of the infestation came as a surprise since the numbers had been relatively low in most areas of Charlotte. Media releases were distributed to advise citizens about having their trees sprayed or injected, along with information on how to find a certified arborist to perform this task. In the last few weeks neighborhoods from Myers Park and to the north and east to the University area have experienced the greatest infestations.
The good news is that, over the past week or so, the City Arborist has observed that the caterpillars seemed to have ended their defoliation. The recent rain should help the defoliated trees to recover. The Cankerworms are now in the ground in a resting stage. At this stage, spraying or banding is ineffective. The next opportunity for prevention is to band trees to capture the females climbing the trees in late November.
In the meantime staff is researching all possible options to help combat cankerworms, including any new treatments that may be available. We will provide additional information to Council once that research and analysis is complete.
I-277 Caldwell Interchange Project
Staff Resource: Kruti Desai, 704-353-1795 - kdesai@ci.charlotte.nc.us
During the presentation on design and construction of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on March 27, City Engineer Jim Schumacher described that he was exploring the possibility of using a "design-build" method of delivering the interchange and roadway modifications. With the need to coordinate the schedule and completion of the roadway work with the construction of the Hall of Fame complex, it was possible the design-build method would be a better process than the traditional design-bid-build process. After extensive due diligence and study of the pros and cons of the two delivery methods, the City Engineer has decided to use an accelerated version of the traditional process. As a result, a local bill authorizing the design-build process for the project will not be pursued.
In exempting the NASCAR Hall of Fame project from the provisions of North Carolina General Statute 143-64.31 for the procurement of professional services, the City Council asked to be notified when there would be any variance from normal processes in the selection of professional services. In order to accelerate the selection of the roadway designer, Engineering & Property Management will be inviting three to five local firms to submit qualifications for the work, based on their capability to meet the needs of the project a firm will be selected. Upon review of each firm's workload, the individuals each would assign to the project, and compliance with the SBO Program. The normal process would be to invite all roadway design firms to submit qualifications, and then make a selection on the same basis.
Final Resolution of Eastover Woods Litigation
Staff Resource: Bob Hagemann, 704-336-2651 - rhagemann@ci.charlotte.nc.us
John and Cindy Woodlief agreed today to dismiss all legal proceedings against the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and other parties regarding the Eastover Woods Subdivision. The effect is that all of the challenged staff decisions have been conclusively determined to have been valid and lawful. Attached is a memo from Senior Assistant City Attorney Bob Hagemann that explains this matter in more detail.
