Thursday, August 23
12:00 pm - Community Safety Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Door-to-Door Solicitation; Hotel - Motel Ordinance
Friday, August 24
2:00 pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Neighborhood Councils; Sign Ordinance; FY 07 Housing Production Report
Information Items:
As the regional drought situation worsens, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities continues monitoring daily water conditions and urging customers to voluntarily conserve.
During Duke Energy's relicensing process, water users in the Catawba River basin agreed upon specific drought conditions that should trigger mandatory water restrictions. Those conditions have not yet been reached - however, Duke is projecting that if hot, dry conditions persist over the next two weeks, they may be.
Some water utilities in this region have already implemented mandatory water use restrictions due to the stress that high water usage has put on their treatment and piping systems. Charlotte-Mecklenburg's plants and piping have been able to meet these challenges.
Utilities will continue to closely monitor drought and water supply conditions and the ability of our system to meet customer demands, and to take actions as needed. We will be sure to keep Council informed of any new developments.
On August 27, Council will be asked to approve an agreement between the City and the Charlotte Regional Visitors' Authority (CRVA) to collaborate in promoting the region to customers of the Airport. Beginning November 1, 2007, CRVA would manage the advertising space at the Airport and, a few months later, would begin operating the Airport Welcome Center.
Advertising
Currently, the Airport advertising space is sold by an outside contractor, to whom the City pays $150,000 per year, plus expenses and a bonus of 15 - 20% of any gross revenue over $1,500,000 per year. The contract with the current contractor expires on October 31, 2007.
CRVA's tourism promotion division, Visit Charlotte, oversees a large advertising program of its own. By utilizing Visit Charlotte staff, and hiring an on-site sales person, CRVA will be able to reduce current sales costs. In addition, by collaborating, the Airport and CRVA can stop competing for the same advertising dollars and offer advertising packages of display space at the Airport and in Visit Charlotte publications.
The City will pay CRVA expenses, the staffing cost of the on-site sales associate, plus 5% of the gross revenues. After the end of the first year, CRVA has the option to convert the payment terms to 10% of gross revenues plus expenses, but the CRVA would pay the salary and other costs of the sales person.
Welcome Center
The Welcome Center is a staffed counter that provides information on ground transportation, lodging, and the Airport. The Airport uses contract workers to staff the Welcome Center at an annual cost to the Airport of $69,000 in staffing and operating expenses. Effective July 1, 2008, CRVA will staff and operate the Airport Welcome Center at no cost to the Airport.
The Airport and CRVA will expand the Welcome Center offerings to include making lodging reservations, providing maps and written directions to specified locations, providing literature on local tourist attractions, selling tickets to local events, and selling merchandise promoting Charlotte.
This contract will be terminable by either side for any reason upon 90 days' written notice. If not terminated, it continues until October 31, 2012.
In March, CRVA Chief Operating Officer Mike Crum made a presentation to the City Council on a possible partnership with the Victory Junction Gang Camp in naming and marketing the former Cricket Arena on Independence Boulevard. While the discussion has explored several ways to partner, the CRVA and VJGC have not been able to develop terms of an agreement that would be a win for both parties.
The CRVA is hopeful that these negotiations can ultimately result in a successful partnership with VJGC, however, the CRVA staff believes it is prudent to open the naming opportunity to other interested parties. Finding a successful partnership for naming and marketing of the coliseum is necessary to cover operating expenses.
The CRVA will update the City Council in the coming months as the naming process advances.
Last March, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities presented to City Council future wastewater capacity needs and upcoming expansions. Staff is in the early stages of conducting an extensive environmental analysis for the proposed regional wastewater treatment plant discussed in March. The facility is needed to serve the Long Creek Basin in western Mecklenburg County.
As part of this process, Utilities will begin stakeholder involvement next week. We have invited a broad range of stakeholders that represent adjacent landowners, residents and environmental, regulatory, economic development and downstream interests to participate in the group.
Stakeholders will meet at 6:30 pm on Thursday, August 23, at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. This group will meet monthly for six to eight months to provide input on project concerns, options for incorporating community-friendly features and sustainable design elements.
On August 27, the Environment Committee and Transportation Committee will be discussing information contained in a report completed in June on costs for three City Initiatives.
The Environment Committee will be discussing the report as it relates to the proposed Post Construction Controls Ordinance. The Transportation Committee will be discussing it in the context of the proposed Urban Street Design Guidelines.
The report illustrates how these two proposals and the proposed Environment Chapter of the GDP affect various site development costs. The executive summary of the report was provided to Council at the June 25, 2007, dinner briefing, but due to time constraints, an overview of the results was not able to be presented.
Based on initial feedback received about the report, staff updated the single-family development results in August. The report is publicly available on the web, and staff will solicit formal feedback in late August on the process and conclusions of the updated analysis. The stakeholders for each of the three City initiatives will be asked to review and comment during the month of August. The feedback will be used in ongoing discussions with the Council.
The proposed GDP chapters on the Environment and Infrastructure will be presented to Council at the September 4 Workshop.
Consistent with the Transportation Action Plan, CDOT is about to embark on the development of a new bicycle transportation plan. After a review of proposals, three consulting firms were selected for interviews. Toole Design Group was selected for the project due to the firm's demonstrated knowledge and experience in bicycle planning. The new bicycle transportation plan will describe goals and policies, existing and future conditions, education and awareness, facility design and implementation. The total contract amount is $98,076.48. Fifty percent of this amount will be reimbursed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation upon completion of the project. The reimbursement is provided due to a bicycle planning grant received from NCDOT.
Staff anticipates hosting two public workshops during plan in September and November. Staff will provide more information on these workshops as details are finalized
