Information Items:
Proposed Federal Legislative Agenda
Staff Resource: Boyd Cauble, 704-336-2009 - bcauble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is the proposed federal agenda which will be presented to Council for review and approval on February 13. The six appropriation and two authorization requests have been proposed by our City staff to reflect Council's priorities and unfunded projects. Holland & Knight, our Washington lobbyist, has concluded that the eight items in our proposed agenda are reasonable requests for our D.C. delegation and are appropriately located within each of the three congressional districts in our city.
If after reviewing the proposed federal agenda you have questions regarding the projects or have additional projects for which we should be seeking federal assistance such as those identified this morning at your retreat, please share those concerns with Boyd Cauble. We will incorporate any changes in our proposed agenda and further discuss the work program at the Council's dinner meeting on February 13.
Duke Power FERC Relicensing
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5070 - dbean@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities briefed City Council on January 3, 2006 about Duke Power's ongoing process to apply for a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license to operate the lakes along the Catawba River. On February 15, an Agreement-In-Principle (AIP) will be released for review and approval. The AIP describes negotiations that have taken place over the past several years and will be the basis of a formal, Final Agreement that will be drafted over the next few months.
The AIP is a non-binding agreement and does not require Council approval. It describes the lake levels, water withdrawals, river flows, drought response plans, shoreline management plans, recreation and access plans, and other aspects of lake operation that river stakeholders have developed to balance the competing interests in each of these areas.
Duke Power is organizing a meeting of all stakeholders to review the AIP and to answer questions, but not to edit or request revisions to the document. Elected officials and other stakeholder principals and constituents are invited to attend this meeting, on March 1 and 2 from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, at the Baxter Hood Center in Rock Hill.
The Final Agreement will be issued around June 1, 2006, and will be presented to City Council for consideration soon thereafter.
Two Charlotte Businesses Relocating to South Carolina
Staff Resource: Brad Richardson, 704-336-3857 - brichardson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Hand Held Products, a service center for mobile and wireless data collection devices, decided last week to relocate to northern Lancaster County, South Carolina. Hand Held Products currently employs 100 at Quorum Business Park on Independence Boulevard near Village Lake Drive and expects to hire 50 additional employees over the next five years. According to our information, the incentives offered by South Carolina were the primary factor in the decision. Staff initially supported a local incentive grant when the company proposed a $5.4 million renovation of the vacant K-Mart big box at Independence and Sardis Road North. In recent weeks, however, we withdrew our support for an incentive when the company decided that this site was no longer viable and reduced their projected investment to $1.5 million. Staff communicated this decision to Economic Development officials in Lancaster County.
The Inspiration Networks, a non-profit religious broadcasting company, also announced this week that they will relocate to northern Lancaster County. The Inspiration Networks currently employs 165 at its headquarters on Arrowood Road. Officials from the company met with our staff in July 2004 and inquired about the availability of incentives; however, their tax-exempt status makes them ineligible for our incentive program. The company received job development grants and infrastructure improvements from South Carolina. In addition to the incentives, the lack of available affordable real estate in Mecklenburg County for a 100-acre campus was a primary reason for the decision. The company plans to keep its for-profit subsidiary, MediaComm, in Charlotte.
Transportation Action Plan - Public Workshops
Staff Resources: Norm Steinman, 704-336-3939 - nsteinman@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Dan Gallagher, 704-336-4984 - dgallagher@ci.charlotte.nc.us
City Council is invited to attend upcoming open-house public workshops to educate the public about, and take comments on, the draft Transportation Action Plan. The workshops will be held at the following locations:
Workshop #1
When: Saturday, February 18, 2006
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: University Branch Library, 301 East W.T. Harris Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28262
Workshop #2
When: Saturday, February 25, 2006
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: West Boulevard Branch Library, 2157 West Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28208
Workshop #3
When: Saturday, March 18, 2006
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: Eastland Mall Community Room (Use entrance "E" at Belk) 5471 Central Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28212
Workshop #4
When: Saturday, March 25, 2006
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: Morrison Branch Library, 7015 Morrison Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28211
These meeting times and locations are being publicized beginning the week of 2/6/06, primarily via a media news release and the CDOT website. Staff will also be mailing postcards to neighborhood associations to inform them of the upcoming public workshops. In addition to the public workshops, CDOT staff will release an internet-based survey regarding transportation issues and funding priorities during the week of 2/6/06. Copies of the Transportation Action Plan will be available on the CDOT's website at http://cdot.charmeck.org.
Please join us for one of the workshops and help spread the word to encourage citizen participation in this important City initiative.
South Corridor Light Rail & Infrastructure Projects Update
Staff Resources: Ron Tober, 704-336-7245 - rtober@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Jim Schumacher, 704-336-3656 - jschumacher@ci.charlotte.nc.us
New construction activity begins Monday, February 6 on the South Corridor Light Rail Line as crews move in to build light rail transit stations and lay the tracks from South End to Seventh Street. Intersection and other infrastructure improvements also begin at Woodlawn Road and South Boulevard. With construction now stretching the entire length of the South Corridor and with eight or more crews in major roadways each day (not including utility relocation), congestion is expected to increase as we gear up for the height of construction activity.
South End to Uptown: After some initial removal of existing trolley infrastructure, activity will be similar to what is happening in other areas - trackbed preparation, bridge work in some areas, and station development. Crews will be working between Seventh Street and Tremont Avenue and may cause various construction inconveniences including noise, vibrations, increased truck traffic, and temporary or partial street closures adjacent to the tracks. City and contractor representatives are working with businesses and residents to reduce impacts where possible.
Woodlawn Road at South Boulevard: A portion of the southbound curb lane of South Boulevard north of Woodlawn Road will be closed beginning Monday, February 6 for construction of sidewalk and other improvements. Work will also begin on the southwest corner soon. It will progress around the entire intersection and its approaches throughout the year closing lanes as needed. Due to the intersection's high traffic volume and limited lane closures, congestion is expected. This situation will be closely monitored by Charlotte Department of Transportation.
Tyvola Road at Old Pineville Road: Day and overnight work continues. Overnight bridge girder placement and water line installation is expected to continue through mid-February. After Friday, February 3, remaining daytime work on sidewalks and medians will be completed during non-peak hours.
Other Activity: Ongoing construction and new traffic patterns will continue to affect traffic flow at:
- New Bern and South Boulevard intersection
- Freeland Lane at South Boulevard (detoured, access via South Tryon Street)
- Old Pineville Road's intersection with Tyvola Road and Archdale Drive
Staff will continue to update Council as construction progresses and milestones are achieved. For more information about South Corridor Light Rail and Infrastructure Projects, visit www.charlottefuture.com.
Justice Assistance Grant (JAG)
Staff Resource: Chief Darrel Stephens, 704-336-2337 - dstephens1@cmpd.org
The Police Department is eligible to receive funds under the federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for FY06. This is the second year for this grant program which replaces the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant.
CMPD will receive $630,500 in JAG funds. By law, these funds must be shared with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office since they are responsible for the incarceration of prisoners in Mecklenburg County. The Sheriff's Office will receive $157,625, which is 25% of the grant award.
CMPD's share of the grant funds is $472,875. Most of the money will be used for overtime for problem solving in neighborhoods and for the new Street Crimes Task Force. CMPD will complete the application for the funds by the March 2 deadline. A final spending plan will be submitted when the grant award is ready for Council approval.
