Monday, January 22
7:30 am - Mecklenburg Delegation Breakfast, Room 267
3:00 pm - Transportation Committee Meeting, Room 280 AGENDA: Lighting and Litter Initiatives Underway by NCDOT; Transportation Focus Area Plan; Utility Right of Way Initiative Update; 2007 Committee Calendar
5:00 pm - Council Manager Dinner Briefing, Room 267
6:30 pm - Citizens' Forum, Meeting Chamber
7:00 pm - Council Business Meeting, Meeting Chamber
Wednesday, January 24
5:30 pm - Metropolitan Transit Commission, Room 267
Thursday, January 25
12:00 pm - Community Safety Committee Meeting, Room 280
AGENDA: Homicide Task Force Recommendations; Mounted Patrol Units
Agenda Notes:
Attached is the Request for Council Action and attachments regarding the Budget Process and Budget Committee Role. The item is #11 of the Business Agenda.
Attached is the Request for Council Action and attachments regarding the Format for The New Government Channel Program. The item is #12 of the Business Agenda.
Staff will be presenting the following attachments Monday night for Council review of the Scaleybark Station area transit oriented development.
On Monday January 22, City Council will be asked to authorize the City Manager to negotiate an agreement with Duke Energy in total amount not to exceed $1.7 million for relocation of transmission lines. The relocation work is needed to make room for the new road construction.
During the project planning, the design team considered several roadway alignments for Fred D. Alexander Boulevard between Freedom Drive and Brookshire Boulevard, and selected the least costly and least impact on wetlands, creeks, tank farms, railroads, the CSX distribution center, and Duke Energy transmission lines.
Although the design team was able to minimize the conflict with the transmission power lines, the team was not able to avoid them completely. Since transmission lines are located within Duke Energy owned easement, this work is not covered under the existing agreement with Duke Energy for utility relocations. The estimated cost for the relocation work was included in the project budget and was funded through the 2004 bond referendum.
Item 38, Property Transactions B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department's Potts Street Parallel Outfall Project are on City Council's January 22, 2007 agenda for approval as condemnation actions.
Seven of these transactions are on the agenda because of disagreement over the amount of just compensation, and one is on the agenda because of ownership and clear title issues. Negotiations are continuing and several look hopeful for settlement.
The timing of this project is being driven primarily by the need to provide additional water and sewer capacity for numerous development activities in the Town of Davidson and involves significant collaboration with the Town of Davidson's improvement project along Griffith Street.
Delay of these acquisitions will impact the schedule of the project and could potentially add to the cost of the City's project in remobilization compensation to the contractor.
Information Items:
The 2007 Mayor/Council Annual Retreat will be held January 31 - February 2, 2007 at the Harris Alumni House of UNCC. Attached you will find a final copy of the agenda approved at the last
meeting of the Retreat Planning Committee. Retreat binders will be sent to the Mayor and Council on Friday, January 26, and will include directions to and logistical information about the retreat, materials to support each of the presentations, and background on the retreat facilitator.
Information from Charlotte Regional Partnership: 21st Annual Corporate Survey
Staff Resource:
Tom Flynn, 704-432-1396 - tflynn@ci.charlotte.nc.us Attached is the 21st Annual Corporate Survey conducted by Area Development concerning corporate plans to open new facilities, expand existing facilities and relocate existing facilities.
There is some very interesting and relevant information in this document concerning those issues, including the factors used by corporations in selecting sites for expansion facilities.
In an effort to enhance rail and vehicular safety in the rail corridor between Charlotte and Raleigh, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Rail Division has proposed a number of safety projects at railroad crossings. These projects include installing additional safety devices, establishing grade separations between roads and rail lines and closing unsafe crossings.
The NCDOT recently announced that it intends to close the Rocky River Road crossing of the North Carolina Railroad in the Newell community. This crossing has been the site of numerous train/vehicle accidents. The crossing will be closed effective January 29, 2007. In conjunction with this closure, NCDOT will construct a vehicle turnaround outside of the railroad right-of-way. The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) will assist with signage that would be required to indicate that the crossing is closed. There are two other private crossings in the area that will also be closed.
NCDOT intends to install additional safety measures at the crossing at Newell-Hickory Grove Road, which is about one-half mile south of the Rocky River Road crossing. Work at this location is contingent upon approval of a parallel encroachment agreement from the NCRR. The encroachment will allow NCDOT to build a dedicated left-turn lane on the southbound approach of the Old Concord Road and Newell/Hickory Grove Road intersection. Upon written notice to proceed by the NCDOT, CDOT will assist with the project by removing trees located along the west side of Old Concord Road within the project construction limits and assist with any signage and pavement markings that may be required. Work at this intersection and crossing has not been scheduled.
The Newell Small Area Plan, adopted by Council in August 2002, calls for a parallel roadway to be constructed east of the rail line as development occurs. This road would facilitate traffic
movement north-south along the railroad between Harris Boulevard and Newell-Hickory Grove Road. Portions of this roadway are in place for approximately one mile south of Harris Boulevard. The Newell Plan also calls for providing a grade separation between Harris Boulevard and Rocky River Road to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to cross the rail line.
Staff will continue to work with NCDOT to address residents' concerns in the area prior to closing the Rocky River Road/NCRR crossing. We will provide an update to Council as this occurs.
Utilities continues working with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation staff in evaluating alignment options for the proposed McAlpine Creek Relief Sewer line. Utilities has presented and discussed alignment options at several Park and Recreation meetings recently. As Council is aware, there has been public interest in the options because of potential impacts on the greenway and nearby neighbors and wetlands.
This week we received the results of an independent environmental assessment of the wetland impacts for each of the options. The information still requires further review and verification before a route is selected, but early indications identify a favorable potential route on the south side of the creek that will work from an environmental, financial and community impact standpoint.
Meanwhile, late this week a Charlotte Observer editor contacted us and requested and received a copy of the environmental assessment. An editorial is expected to appear in the paper this weekend.
Within the next few weeks, Utilities will review the assessment in detail, continue its discussions with Park and Recreation and proceed with selecting a final pipe route. (Regardless of the route selected, we will need to obtain easements from Mecklenburg County.) A public meeting showing the selected route is scheduled for January 30.
