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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19850411CCMeeting00133 Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 The Tybee Island City Council held its regular meeting on Thursday, April 11, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. at Tybee City Hall. Mayor Charles J. Hosti pre- sided and the following members of City Council were present: Paul Jackson, Jeanne Hutton, John Wylly, S. J. Orsini, Earl Marlin and Chris Solomon. Mayor Hosti introduced Earl Marlin as the town's new Fire Commissioner. Mr. Marlin was elected by Council at its last regular meeting, but his committee assignments were not announced at that time. Mayor Hosti added that Mr. Marlin will be serving on the same committees that David McCutchen served on, i.e., Public Works and Police, as well as chairing the Fire Committee. A Resolution of Respect for Thomas A. Bradley, Jr. was read by the City Attorney and unanimously adopted by the City Council. Mr. Thomas A. Bradley, III accepted the Resolution from Mayor Hosti; a copy is attached to, and becomes a part of, these minutes. Mrs. Faye Lucas was recognized by Mayor Hosti. She announced that the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Tybee Spring Festival on April 20, 1985. The festival will begin with a parade at 10:00 a.m., starting at the old city jail and will disband on the Triangle property near the Post Office. There will be arts, crafts, square dancing, clogging, band music and other activities on the strand between 16th Street and the Public Safety Building. Mayor Hosti then surprised Mrs. Lucas by awarding her the "Citizen of the Month" Award for chairing the committee that made the prize- winning float in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah. The float won first place in its category, and was notable also for the community spirit it reflected: flowers for the float were made by grammar school students and by nursing home residents, with all ages in between working on various parts. Mayor Hosti rode on the float in the rain; Mr. Earl Anderson, President of the Tybee Island Chamber of Commerce, presented the Mayor with a framed pidture of himself on the float, and with a certificate in honor of the occasion. He then presented certificates to others who worked hard to make the float a success: Katy Roby, Mark Padgett, Sally Pearce, Dot and Edmund Solomon and Sandy Simon. 1 1 1 00134 Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 Page Two Councilmember Jeanne Hutton then explained that CAPDC is sponsoring an Older American Achievement Award and that she has prepared a nomination of Mrs. George Leigh Wagner McDonald as Tybee Island's nominee for the award. She gave many examples of Mrs. McDonald's services to the community, both during her working years (she has a Masters Degree in Home Economics and in Child Guidance) and since her retirement to Tybee. She has served as Chairman of the Tybee Island Planning Commission (3 years) and has been in charge of the Inaugural Ceremony for the past three terms for two different Mayors. She was instrumental in getting the city's name changed from Savannah Beach back to its historic name of Tybee Island. The Mayor and Council unanimously accepted Councilmember Hutton's nomination, unanimously agreeing that Mrs. McDonald is an ideal representative of Tybee. Mayor Hosti invited visitors to speak and the first was Mr. Bill Story of Island Villa Developers, Inc. Mr. Story stated that he is here to explain to Council that he, with the advice of his architect, is attempting to secure the FEMA certifications necessary so that a variance will no longer be needed for #1 Fifteenth Street, and that work would be completely finished in about three (3) days. Councilmember Hutton questioned whether the certifi- cations he spoke of were FEMA certifications, or a temporary certification. Mr. Story answered that he understands the certifications are necessary for the FEMA code, but that, as far as the development plan, the building is still shown as a temporary structure which will later be removed. He added that, according to his architect, the work now underway will cause the building to be acceptable insofar as all Tybee codes are concerned. A Savannah attorney, Mr. W. H. Chandler, appeared to represent Mr. David Adams, an applicant for a business license for a business called "Readings by Margaret ". The business is palm reading (or fortune telling) and, he says, will bring additional entertainment and recreation to Tybee's recreational and commercial areas. The address from which it is planned to work is 15111 Butler Avenue. The attorney stated that it is irrelevant whether you believe in palm reading; the granting of the license should be based on his references and merits (the applicant's; that is) and not on personal beliefs of individuals. He suggested an annual license fee of $300.00 which is what the City of Savannah charges. During discussion it was determined that the local police department 5 Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 Page Three has been asked to check the applicant's references, etc. Council agreed to await this report before considering granting the business license. There were no other visitors and so Mayor Hosti opened the meeting for business legally presented. The minutes of the meeting of March 14, 1985 were accepted upon motion of Councilmember Orsini, seconded by Councilmember Hutton and passed without dissent. The Inspections Department reports followed. Fire Inspector Tom Scholl was first to speak; he reported two problems with the fire code in March: 1) Adams property on South Point - addition to existing building extended exterior wall approximately five feet thus extending a nonconforming use (setbacks not adequate). This was settled by city's acceptance of a letter of agreement from adjacent property owner; 2) the Dean PUD Project on Taylor Street - this was settled by compromise in a meeting of officials and attorneys - the architect agreed to extend fire walls beyond the point where common walls ended. The next report was from E. J. Solomon, Building Inspector. He stated that Building Permits liin March were issued to 21 new buildings and 18 renovations or repairs. He reported three code violations, as follows: 1) unsafe, stairs and deck at #1 Eagles Nest; 2) 1006 Lovell Avenue - a bath- room downstairs in violation of FEMA codes; and 3) #8 Cedarwood, Permit # 279,stop order issued due to improper footings and piers; contractor corrected this and bought a city license. The Zoning Administrator, Earl Anderson, spoke next, reminding the public that building permits must be required for all construction, including repairs. It was noted that one hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals, a substantial addition to Unit #4, Southwinds, is scheduled for April 30th. Bills for March, 1985 were approved as follows: Water /Sewer - $14,649.64; Public Works /Sanitation - $11,628.26; General Government - $7,793.15; Recreation - $1,421.46; Fire Department - $T,152.46; Police and Parking - $5,060.23. It was noted that the General Government bills included $1,178.88 in legal fees for a hearing before the Georgia Supreme 1 1 1 00136 Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 Page Four Court on a zoning case brought against the city by the "Friends of Tybee ". The city's position was upheld, and no additional expenditures are expected. It was further noted that there was an error of $5,000.00 in the Recreation Department totals; the amount stated as approved, however, is the correct amount according to the Recreation Chairman. Councilmember Orsini spoke of the All State Music Competition saying that the Georgia Senior High All State Chorus competition and the Georgia Senior High All State Bands and Orchestras competition will be held in Savannah. This event is expected to bring a large number of parents, teachers and students into our area, some of whom will certainly visit Tybee. We are being asked to donate something toward the cost of the Civic Center rental. After his explanation, Mr. Orsini moved that the city donate $100.00 for this cause, Councilmember Solomon seconded and the motion passed without dissenting vote. Councilmember Solomon suggested that the Tybee Island Chamber of Commerce send letters inviting these competitor schools to visit Tybee. Councilmember Hutton explained a re- paving project for several city streets that is being considered for LARP funding. The Resolution was signed by all members of Council and the Mayor, and a copy is attached to, and becomes a part of, these minutes. DOT is also asking the city to accept 21 streets - most of these are within the area annexed in 1983, and are identified by their former county- street numbers. This will be studied and Councilmember Hutton will bring a report to the next regular meeting. Mayor Hosti noted that DOT has informed us that they have removed a section of SR 26, the loop that follows 16th Street, the Strand, and 18th Street to connect back into Butler Avenue, which is also U.S. 80 and SR 26. Mayor Hosti stated that he still hopes to have the state put this portion of street into top -hatch shape for us even though DOT has transferred this loop back to the city already. Mayor Hosti informed the City Council that the Planning Commission vacancy created by the resignation of Joe Agnew needs to be filled; he offered the name of James Monaghan. Councilmember Orsini moved acceptance of the Mayor's recommendation, Councilmember Hutton seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor. Mr. Monaghan will serve the remainder of Mr. Agnew's Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 Page Five term. A report from the Tybee Island Planning Commission regarding a Public Hearing on "911" emergency calls was read. The Commission recommends going with the county system which will be known as an "enhanced 911" system,'having the ability to hold the street address, telephone number, and name of caller and print it out. Councilmember Wylly moved to accept this recommendation, saying he believes it will save the city six or seven thou- sand dollars and give us better information. Councilmember Jackson second- ed the motion. During discussion Police Commissioner Orsini said the Chief of Police has concerns about this. For instance, if lines go down between Tybee and Savannah, can the calls be gotten through? Tom Scholl answered negatively, stating that if the cable is severed calls can't be transferred on land lines, but could by radio. If a break occurs west of Tybee, downed lines would have no effect on our local "911" as it presently exists. He added that there is a showing of the 911 system at the Civic Center on April 28 and 29 and suggested that interested personnel or officials go. It was unanimously decided by Council that the Planning Commission's reco- mendation be accepted provided investigation for additional information holds true to the understanding given at the Planning Commission meeting. A Resolution supporting a 1% local option sales tax for roads was read by the City Attorney. Councilmember Wylly moved that it be adopted as read, urging citizen support and saying that the city is in excellent shape to receive funding because the Chairman of the House DOT Committee is Tom Triplett, a member of the local delegation and the Chairman of the Senate Committee is Tom Coleman, our own State Senator. Councilmember Orsini seconded Mr. Wylly's motion. Councilmember Marlin abstained saying he is a member of a committee studying the question and, as such, would like to remain unbiased until the committee takes action. The vote was five (5) in favor, no negative votes, with one abstention, stated above. Councilmember Wylly explained that the FY85/86 Budget cannot be acted on today, although it was on the agenda. The reason for delaying action is that anticipated expenses still outweigh projected income, and a balance is necessary prior to voting to approve the budget. Mayor Hosti announced that there will be a special meeting before May 1 to adopt the budget. Mr. Wylly then moved to postpone the budget reading, Councilmember 1 1 Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 Page Six Solomon seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The date of the special meeting will be posted as soon as possible, so that-the public can attend if they wish. Mr. Jerry Carver appeared concerning his residence at 1710 Butler, explaining that his flood insurance has been cancelled. City Building Permit Records have been checked; findings show that the house originally had a laundry room downstairs, this was on the original plans and these plans were approved by the department at a time when the understanding of the ordinance was such that this type of use was allowed. The house was built in 1978. It was noted that an as -built elevation will be required if. Mr. Carver is to be considered eligible for a variance. He was also informed that he has the option of removing or elevating the washer and dryer so as to conform to the lower floor elevation requirement. Action on the variance was post- poned to allow Mr. Carver time to consider his options and have an elevation certified. Mr. Carver said that he is very interested in having his flood insurance renewed and expressed-his willingness to comply. Committee Reports: Councilmember Jackson informed Council that Roto- rooter is here cleaning the sewers and lamping them. Councilmember Hutton said that her department - Public Works /Sanitation - is in a transitional period, gearing up for a busy summer, adding that garbage service on weekends is presently dependent upon weather forecasts. Councilmember Wylly stated that he has bids from three auditing firms for the yearly audit and that the 85/86 FY budget is being worked out. Mayor Hosti announced that the Corps contract for placement of riprap along the seawall at 17th Street is nearly complete; the contractor will resurface the parking lot upon completion at no cost to the city. Work is progressing on the elevated water tank; inside work there has caused some loss of water pressure, but this inconvenience is over now. Councilmember Solomon told of a children's basketball program being conducted in the large front room of the Recreation Building. The 1985 softball season is beginning. He also announced that Governor Harris has signed an easement for the fishing pier, and that this committee is working toward making this new recreational facility a reality. The fishing pier on Back 1.33 Tybee Island, Georgia April 11, 1985 Page Seven River is short in length and build -up of sand underneath has caused it to be out of the water at low tide; Councilmember Solomon stated that he'd like to have lengthening of this dock considered during budget meetings. Councilmember Marlin said that a new fire truck has been ordered - total cost, approximately $92,000.00, and that it is a high pressure pumper truck. It is hoped that this will do the job until a ladder truck can be bought. Larger water lines are also hoped for. In the meantime, the fire house is being renovated to house present equipment and training facilities and to house future equipment, such as a ladder truck. Police Commissioner Orsini reported that he is very happy with the work of the new Chief of Police David McCutchen, saying that he is very professional and very well - organized and that he believes more patrolling is being done. Mayor Hosti noted that the city is getting closer to having the hazards along the North Beach removed at no cost to the city. He reminded everyone that several public hearings on the subject were held two years ago, and asked that anyone who wishes to object or to comment on the project contact him personally. A question was asked concerning Colonel Christman's comments in the newspaper and it was noted that he was misquoted as to the type of jetty being removed and that the concrete seawall, or sections of it, are planned for removal. There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned. 1 CLERK OF CO NCIL 1 R E S O L U T I O N 00140 WHEREAS, on the twenty -third of February, 1985, death brought to a close the active life of Thomas A. Bradley, Jr.; and WHEREAS, Thomas A. Bradley, Jr., has, through his foresight and zeal for this community, earned the respect of the people in the City of Tybee Island, Georgia; and WHEREAS, the stature he gained in his fifteen years of active civic work in this community and the example of his life and achievements were recognized during his lifetime; BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Tybee Island, Georgia, does, by this Resolution and Public Record, recognize the profound influence of Thomas A. Bradley, Jr. :upon the community, recognizing further that his death is a distinct loss to the City in which he worked and won deep respect and. affection. AND BE IT.FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the minutes of the Council and a copy thereof sent to his widow, Mrs. Dorothy Bradley, in recognition of Mr. Bradley's respected place in this community. ADOPTED THIS llth DAY OF APRIL, 1985. CHARLES J. HOSTI, MAYOR 1 DOT 537 ■ Rev. 12/5/73 STATE OF GEORGIA COUNT? OF Chatham De it resolved by the Mayor & Councilmen City of Tybee Island of , and It is hereby resolved, that the foregoing attached agreement, relative to Project PR -8530- (051) on Eight (8) Streets in City of Tybee Island The City BS Mayor and that , and C. J. Hosti , be entered into by RowenaLlripp as Clerk, be, and they are, thereby authorized and directed to execute the same for and in behalf of said City of Tybee Island Passed and adopted, this day of , 19 STATE OF GEORGIA COUNTY OF Chatham I, Rowena Fripp , as Clerk of. City of Tybee Island , do hereby certify that'I nm custodian of the books and records of the ' same, and that the above and foregoing copy of the original is now on file in my office, and was passed by the Mayor & Councilmen City of.Tybee Islatld Witness my hand and official signature, this `day of By PAGE 2 OF 2 PAGES ' Clerk 19 Amp i00 507 -L 1 1 PROJECT I, LAU CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP PR -8530- (051) C. J. Hosti COUNTY , Mayor o f the City of 00142 Chatham Tybee Island Georgia, do hereby certify that the streets or sections of streets described below and shown in color on the attached sketch are dedicated public of Tybee Island Name of Street Taylor Street Inlet Avenue Seventeenth St. Fourteenth St. Thirteenth St. Sixth Street Lovell Avenue Third Street The City of , Georgia. From - To Van Horne Street Post Office Chatham Avenue US-80 US -80 US-80 . 6th Street US-80 Tybee Island - Van Horne Street - Chatham Avenue - Strand Street - 5th AAtenue - Venetian Drive - 2nd Avenue - 13th.Street - Jones aStreet streets in the City Length 0.583 Mile 0.127 Mile 0.251 Mile 0.222 Mile 0.320 Mile 0.077 Mile 0.719 Mile 0.118 Mile further agrees to hold the Department of Trans- portation of Georgia harmless from all suits or claims that may arise from the construction or improvement of said streets This / 7 day of ATTESTED 19 • ..•■ 4t4PA"' mitoR CITY CLERK 1 00143 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA WHEREAS, the Chatham Urban Transportation Study has been designated by the Governor as the transportation planning organization for Chatham County; and WHEREAS, the CUTS Study has identified deficiencies in meeting future' local transportation needs and has set forth a development plan to address these deficiencies; and WHEREAS, a number of major improvement projects are now nearing the im- plementation phase; and WHEREAS, local funds from current sources are not sufficient to meet the identified local commitment for rights -of -way acquisition and utility relocation for such improvement projects over the next five years; and WHEREAS, a dedicated source of local funding is required in order to se- cure state and federal construction funds for these improvements; and WHEREAS, the Georgia General Assembly hasacted legislation making possible the enactment df local option sales tax of 1% for roads or capital improvements; and WHEREAS, the CUTS Policy Committee and the Chatham County Commission urges favorable consideration of exercising this optional sales tax for the purpose of improving local transportation needs; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Tybee Island City Council, in open meeting assembled, does. hereby endorse the concept of establishing a 1% local option sales tax, if approved by a local referendum, to be used exclusively for the improvement of local roads and streets; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Tybee Island City Council urges favorable consideration of this plan by its citizens and the citizens of Chatham County. CLERK OF COU CIL1` BY: ADOPTED THIS II+' DAY OF 1985. CHAREES J. HOSTI, MAYOR