MINUTES
WARSAW TOWN COUNCIL
78 BELLE VILLE LANE
JANUARY 11, 2018 – 7:00 P.M.
Mayor Randall L. Phelps called the Warsaw Town Council to order at 7:00 p.m. and led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present were Mayor Randall L. Phelps, Vice-Mayor Paul G. Yackel, Faron H. Hamblin, Ogle E. Forrest, Sr., Roger R. Lee, Auriel Walker and Ralph W. Self. Councilwoman Rebecca C. Hubert was absent.
Town Staff present were Joseph N. Quesenberry, Town Manager, Lee H. Capps, Director of Planning & Economic Development, Chief of Police Joan N. Kent, Officer Eddie Headley, Officer Wendy McElroy, Officer Robert Moore, Auxiliary Officer Max Sanchez and Linda S. Holsinger. Town Attorney Diane M. Lank was also present. Others present were J. Lawrence Thorn, Gregory N. Packett, Mary Beth Bryant, Kippen Haynes, and Frances Baylor.
Approval of Agenda
Councilman Hamblin moved to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Councilman Lee and carried with the following votes.
Randall L. Phelps Aye Paul G. Yackel Aye
Ogle e. Forrest, Sr. Aye Roger R. Lee Aye
Faron H. Hamblin Aye Ralph W. Self Aye
Auriel Walker Aye
Approval of Minutes – November 9, 2017
Mayor Phelps asked if there were any corrections or additions to the minutes of November 9, 2017. Vice-Mayor Yackel asked why we were just voting on November minutes and where are the minutes for December. The Town Manager advised the Clerk has been working on other things and has not had time to complete the December minutes. Mr. Yackel stated we should not have to wait two months to have the minutes of a meeting. Vice-Mayor Yackel moved to approve the minutes of the November 9, 2017 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Councilman Lee and carried with the following votes.
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Randall L. Phelps Aye Paul G. Yackel Aye
Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye Roger R. Lee Aye
Faron H. Hamblin Aye Ralph W. Self Aye
Auriel Walker Aye
Financial Report – December 2017
Mayor Phelps asked if there were any questions or comments on the Financial Report. Councilman Forrest moved to approve the Financial Report for December 2017 as presented. The motion was seconded by Councilman Lee and carried with the following votes.
Randall L. Phelps Aye Paul G. Yackel Aye
Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye Roger R. Lee Aye
Faron H. Hamblin Aye Ralph W. Self Aye
Auriel Walker Aye
Public Comments
Mayor Phelps recognized Gregory Packett. Mr. Packett stated he wanted to give an update of the status to close on the property he is purchasing from the town. He knows Council expected to close by the end of December, however some of his other projects have been delayed by the weather. He had not anticipated having to borrow any funds for the purchase of the property, but he has since applied for a loan from Union Bank & Trust. As soon as the funds are available he should be able to close on the property, hopefully no later than February 1st.
Mayor’s Report
The Mayor deferred to the Town Manager’s report.
Town Manager’s Report
The Town Manager stated we have had a high number of water breaks due to the extremely cold weather. Our staff have been working very hard to get them repaired and they deserve our appreciation. So, if you happen to see them please give them a thank you. The break on Main Street was bad because they could not find the break. We had to get a firm out of Richmond to help us locate the leak.
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They used a ground penetrating radar detection method machine to locate the leak. He checked into purchasing one for our use now, but it was more expensive than he anticipated. We may want to consider setting money aside in next year’s budget to purchase one. He will report further on this and other items under new business later in the meeting.
Town Attorney’s Report
The Town Attorney had no report.
Police Chief’s Report
Chief Joan Kent presented a report to Council explaining some of the things the Police Department has dealt with during this past year. There have been a lot of positive things going on but some devastating ones as well. We secured a grant to purchase the SUVs from USDA. They were marked, equipped and put in service in time for the Christmas Parade. One of the 2014 Ford Taurus has some mechanical issues and will be out of service for a while. We also got a DMV grant for a Kustom Signals Radar Unit. The cost was $2,100.00 but it will only cost the town $300 as $1,800 in grant funding was applied. The police department brought in $27,644.83 in fine revenues from January through December 2017.
They had three officers graduate from the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy. Two were auxiliary officers and one was a full-time officer who needed to regain his certification. From July through mid-November we were down to the chief and two officers. Officer Wendy McElroy worked two days a week to help us through this time. Officer Moore was at the academy and Sgt. Mark Taylor was dealing with a serious illness. Unfortunately, Sgt. Taylor succumbed to his illness October 12, 2017. His memorial service and the outpouring of support has been a blessing. We hired Officer Wendy McElroy full time in November.
Officer Tim Jackson and his family lost their home to a devastating fire last year. The community has rallied around him and his family as well as the Mark Taylor family. It makes us appreciate being a part of a small caring community. Now we are looking forward to having a new police department in the near future. The committee has been working hard to make it happen.
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Chief Kent said she has included the year end stats at the request of Councilman Lee and if anyone has any questions, she will be happy to answer them.
Warsaw Planning Commission Report
Councilman/Commissioner Hamblin stated the Planning Commission did not hold their January meeting due to the recent snow storm.
Wastewater Treatment Facility Report - Lee Ambrose
Councilman Forrest reported Lee Ambrose could not be here tonight as he is fighting the flu, but he e-mailed us a report that I will read for him. The average flow from town was 159,200 gals. This is decrease of 8,300 gallons from November’s flow average of 167,500 gallons. The maximum flow from town was 182,200 gallons which is a decrease 18,900 gallons from November’s maximum flow of 201,100 gallons. The Average Total Phosphorus for the month of December was 0.10mg.l,which resulted in monthly discharge of 3.7lbs. For the year we discharged 67.7 lbs. we are permitted 274 pounds. The Average Total Nitrogen for December was 3.40 mg/l. This resulted in a monthly discharge of 126.0 lbs. For the year we discharged 1,490 lbs. We are permitted 3,655 lbs.
Mayor Phelps stated he would like to see a report of 2016 vs 2017 next month.
Northern Neck Regional Jail Report
Larry Thorn report things are moving along well. As of last Wednesday morning, we had 159 Federal Prisoners. At the end of that day there was 171. Councilman Lee asked what the “other” is that is listed on the population breakdown. Mr. Thorn replied we sometimes take prisoners from non-members. Recently there was a case where the jail in Saluda could not accommodate a prisoner. The NNRJ took that prisoner for them until they could accept the prisoner. They have also have assisted Essex County and some other non-member localities. The average population for December was Federal 159, Gloucester County 112, Northumberland County 35, Richmond County 34, Westmoreland County 76 and other 5. The total average population was 421 prisoners. With the increased Federal population and the addition of Gloucester County the water usage remains up. This is good news for the jail and the town.
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Economic Development Report – Lee H. Capps
Business Climate:
Lee Capps reported the Business Climate in Warsaw continues to improve.
- Warsaw Buy Rite returned with 12,000 sq. ft. of retail space. The grand opening and welcoming them back was more than projected.
- Warsaw Plaza (China Inn Expansion) is gaining some serious retail interest. The Ribbon Cutting/opening has been pushed back to March due to the recent weather conditions.
- Inquiries for New Investments are up as well.
Main Street Revitalization
- There was a Project Management Meeting DHCD/Warsaw held Tuesday, January 9. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, February 6.
- Contract signing with DHCD is scheduled for January 26.
- Shopping Center: Hearing and Demolition Status: The RFPS have been run in the NNN and RTD. There will be a pre-bid meeting prior to the Bid openings to answer any questions interested parties may have.
- DHCD: Industrial Revitalization Fund: Mr. Capps presented council with a Community Business Launch Packet for their review. It contained an insert written by him titled Civil Engagement – If I Were Mayor & Other Acts of Youthful Leaders.
- Main Street Organizational Activities
The Trolley Rides, Santa At the Park, Santa and the Library and the Town sponsored Carriage Rides events during the Christmas season were all well attended, and the public feedback was good. We need to continue to hold these events to get people out and enjoying Warsaw.
- Professional Development Activities -The Warsaw Model
There was an article written by Lee Capps in the December VLGMA. Mayor Phelps is encouraging citizens, especially our youth to get involved. He encouraged the seventh graders to participate in the ‘If I were Mayor Contest” sponsored by VML.
The YMCA “Campers in Leadership” Program for middle schoolers and the Town sponsored “Civic Thursdays” were successful as well. The “Love Sign” will now be built by our youth.
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The VLGMA Winter Workshop will be held February 14-16 in Charlottesville.
Committee Reports
- Personnel Committee: Vice-Mayor Yackel reported the Personnel Committee
met this afternoon. The recommendations from that meeting will be discussed in “Closed Session” later in this meeting. The committee is also continuing to meet with town employees from different departments each month to go over any suggestions or concerns they may have.
- Utilities Committee: Councilman Forrest reported our guys have been very busy with water breaks the past couple of weeks. There have been 8 or 9 breaks. Hats off to our staff!
New Business
- Main Street Revitalization Update – Town Manager
The 90-day contract is almost complete and we are ahead of schedule. The RFPs have been advertised in the paper and preliminary hearings have been scheduled.
Gannon Update – Town Manager
There are 16 companies interested in bidding on the demolition phase. Arrangements are beings made to allow interested parties to go in if they sign a waiver due to the mold and asbestos in the building. Bids are due by January 24, 2018.
- Police Station Subcommittee
Councilman Lee presented a rendering of what it will look like including a metal roof. The roof will have a 6/12 pitch. There will be dual heating systems as well as security systems and a bullet proof area. You will not be able to see thru the glass in or out as another security measure. There will be a kitchen area included as well. It should be ready to go out for bids by the end of February. Mayor Phelps asked that Council bring any concerns or suggestions to next month’s meeting.
- Water Break Update – Purchase of New Equipment
The Town Manager reported there were 9 water breaks in a very short period of time. This required a lot of overtime for our staff in very poor weather conditions.
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During these beaks there was approximately 2,000,000 gals of water lost. One of the problems we had was due to the cold temperature we could not find the leaks. There is ground penetration radar equipment that helps locate leaks. I had thought we could possibly get one for about $10,000 but after checking prices it is about $25,475. I recommend we put this in our Capital Improvement Plan for next year. It is a lot of money but rather than spend hours and hours trying to locate the leak this would take care of it.
Closed Session
Vice-Mayor Yackel moved to enter Closed Session as permitted under Subsection 1: Personnel Matters (2.2-3711(A)(1)) and Subsection 2: Consultation with Legal Counsel (2.2-3711(A)(8)) & Personnel Matters (2.2-3711(A)(1)) under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Councilman Forrest seconded, and the motion carried by the following votes.
Randall L. Phelps Aye Paul G. Yackel Aye
Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye Roger R. Lee Aye
Faron H. Hamblin Aye Ralph W. Self Aye
Auriel Walker Aye
Mayor Phelps reconvened in regular session and Council certified by roll call vote that in the closed session just concluded they only discussed matters (1) specifically cited in the motion to convene in closed session and (2) lawfully permitted to be so discussed under the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act cited in the motion. The roll call votes are as follows.
Randall L. Phelps Aye Paul G. Yackel Aye
Ogle E. Forrest, Sr. Aye Roger R. Lee Aye
Faron H. Hamblin Aye Ralph W. Self Aye
Auriel Walker Aye
Closing Comments
Vice-Mayor Yackel noted the March 2 General Election Information was included in Council packets for those seeking reelection or any others who may be interested in serving on Town Council for a 4-year term.
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Councilman Forrest stated we have a great Council that works well together, and he hopes to see it continue. He hopes everyone will run again and keep it going.
Mayor Phelps said he will not be surprised to see a couple of additional names this year. But competition is good as it keeps us alert.
Councilman Hamblin thanked the town guys who worked the water breaks and the trash guys as well who worked so hard during the recent bad weather.
Councilman Lee appreciates the hard work of the town staff. He’d like to see us provide an outdoor heater to help them warm up at such times. He is also glad that after 2 years things are moving forward the transmission shop renovations.
Councilman Self stated it was a tough time for our staff and there are still a couple months to go. He likes the new changes, rebuilding, improvements and new construction in town.
Councilwoman Walker stated she is glad to see the town moving forward. She also wanted to thank the guys for their hard work during the water breaks.
Mayor Phelps said he used to hear a lot of negativity, but he doesn’t hear it now. There are a lot of positive comments. He’s excited about all the projects we have in progress and he can’t wait to see the end results. He would like to start the budget process early this year to keep improving the town.
There being no further business Mayor Phelps adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m.
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By: Linda S. Holsinger, Assistant Clerk
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