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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2004_11_22Council Work Session November 22, 2004 Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor Umstattd presiding. Councilmembers Present: Kelly Burk, Kathryn Sheldon Hammler, Susan B. Horne, Melinda Kramer, Marry Martinez, Bob Zoldos, and Mayor Umstattd. Councilmembers Absent: None Staff Members Present: Town Manager .lohn Wells, Town Attorney William Donnelly, Assistant to the Town Manager Nicole Ard, Assistant to the Town Manager Kathy Leidich, Director of Finance Norm Butts, Director of Engineering and Public Works Tom Mason, Director of Planning, Zoning and Development Susan Swift, Director of Utilities Randy Shoemaker, Director of the Office of Capital Projects Nagi Elsewaissi, Director of Human Resources Dona Wolf, Traffic Engineer Calvin Grow, Management/Budget Officer Mike Freda, Training and Safety Manager Nancy Fixx, Senior Planner Wade Burkholder, Management :Intern Tami Watkins and Assistant to the Clerk of Council Debi Parry. AGENDA ITEMS 7:00 Presentation - High Growth Coalition Councilmember Hammler introduced Pete Fields, Stafford County Board Member and Membership Chairman of the High Growth Coalition. Further, she stated the Town of Purcellville is a member of the coalition and thanked Mayor Bill Druhan for coming. Mr. Fields stated the coalition was established a few years ago by interested parties in some of the fastest growing localities, including Loudoun County, and currently has a membership of 26 localities encompassing approximately 3.5 million citizens. He stated the coalition was created to lobby for legislation designed to best serve the citizen's interest by creating the fiscal and land use tools required to direct the destiny of their own communities. Mr. Fields outlined the coalition's current legislative agenda. He stated the coalition currently employs a lobbyist and is looking to hire an executive director. Further, he stated the coalition is working on a new dues schedule and would be happy to provide that to Council once it is completed. Councilmember Hammler stated this is an important initiative to consider and is timely given Council's work on the 2005 Legislative Agenda. She stated it is important to have some historical reference and Bill Donnelly has been involved for a number of years regionally. Further, she stated this is an opportunity for the town to work with other regional partners to make some significant changes. Councilmember Burk verified Purcellville is the only other town in Loudoun who is a member of the coalition. Councilmember Home asked if the coalition has sources of funding other than the dues structure? Mr. Fields stated dues are currently their only source of funding. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page 2 Councilmember Horne asked what the dues would be? Mr. Fields stated the current fee structure had a minimum of $750 and a maximum of $5,000. He stated the formula is done on a per capita basis. Councilmember Home asked if all the coalition members are local governments? IVlr. Fields stated the coalition has formed alliances with other groups including the Farm Bureau, the Virginia Education Association and the First Cities group. Councilmember Zoldos thanked Mr. Fields for his briefing. He asked that Council be supplied with a membership list as well as the minutes of the last coalition meeting. Mayor Umstattd stated Northern Virginia has transportation impact fee enabling legislation on the books; however, it is very limited. She asked if the coalition is supporting something more than that? Mr. Fields stated Stafford County is operating from the current Northern Virginia legislation. He stated they have divided the county into specific traffic sheds and require all developments to contribute to the specified improvement projects proposed for that traffic shed based on future needs. Mayor Umstattd verified that by assessing the impact fees localities are required to forego proffers. Mayor Druhan stated perhaps Mayor Umstattd and himself could bring up the possibility of dual membership at the next Coalition of Loudoun Towns meeting, since Purcellville and Leesburg are both members. Mayor Umstattd stated she would support bringing forward a resolution for the next Council meeting. Further, she stated Council would need a copy of the current fee structure, information on the future fee structure, and when the fee will increase. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page 3 Agenda for Council Meeting of November 23, 2004 a. ZOAM 2004-03 to create a temporary commuter parking lot use in the B-2 - 3oint Public Hearing with Planning Commission Mayor Umstattd stated the purpose of this rezoning is to allow for a temporary commuter parking lot at the Barber and Ross property; however, the rezoning would affect all B-2 properties. Councilmember Zoldos stated Loudoun County should construct a permanent parking lot site for the commuters. Councilmember Hammler verified Loudoun County would pay for any improvements needed to the site, such as lighting. Further, she stated Loudoun County needs to get a better short-term option on line as quickly as possible for the commuters. b. Transportation Enhancement Grant Application - Public Hearing Vice Mayor Martinez expressed his support for the project. Further, he stated the town staff was cheated in the Turkey Bowl and should have defeated the county's team. c. Adopting the 2005 Legislative Agenda Nicole Ard stated she has made the changes to the Legislative Agenda as previously requested by Council. Mayor Umstattd stated Councilmember Burk has questioned what Council's position should be on the Potomac River crossing, as have several citizens. She stated the citizens have asked that Council support the Western Transportation Corridor (WTC) only if the river crossing is east of Goose Creek. Further, she stated there is also the additional consideration of whether Council should take a position on any north south route that may come through Loudoun County and end at Route 7 close to Leesburg. Councilmember Kramer stated she does not support the WTC. Vice Mayor Martinez stated he will support the Legislative Agenda in basic concept; however, the WTC should not be constructed unless there is an agreement from Maryland for a river crossing and other jurisdictions lend their support. Councilmember Burk stated she is opposed to the concept of the WTC. She stated it would not be valuable to the Town of Leesburg and would bring more traffic and pollution. Councilmember Horne stated her support of a north/south limited access roadway in the county. She stated it is important that there be a bridge crossing and that Route 15 not be used for this purpose. Councilmember Zoldos thanked staff for adding the Sycolin Road fly- over to the package stating it is important that Council specifically identify that in addition to necessary road improvements. Further, he expressed Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page 4 his concurrence with Councilmember Horne's position on the WTC stating the importance of preserving the right-of-way. Councilmember Hammler stated the WTC should not terminate at Route 7. She stated Council should be proactive in engaging with localities regionally to determine how this should move forward. Further, she stated the need for diversity in transportation and the need for incentives to bring significant commercial job growth to the area. Councilmember Hammler outlined her proposed changes to the Legislative Agenda including support for the High Growth Coalition, and amendments to items :[, 3, 4, 5, and :[3. Mayor Umstattd stated Council members should submit any amendments they have to the Clerk's office. She stated she may recommend that Council vote on the Western Transportation Corridor item separately. Mr. Wells stated a fax was received from Montgomery County, Maryland stating their opposition to a bridge crossing as part of the WTC. Mayor Umstattd asked that Council members to draft any changes to the WTC item and send them to Nicole Ard before tomorrow's vote. Councilmember Hammler asked Mayor Umstattd for her view on the WTC issue. Mayor Umstattd stated because of Montgomery County's opposition any roadway like the WTC would terminate at Route 7. She stated if that terminus were located west of Goose Creek it would worsen the traffic issues in Leesburg. She stated she would support the construction of a Western Bypass with a bridge east of Goose Creek. Councilmember Zoldos asked that staff provide Council with a copy of the most recent Council position on this issue. Councilmember Burk stated the residents of River Creek and Potomac Station would make a presentation to Council regarding their position on this topic tomorrow night. d. Annual Street Maintenance - concrete and brick repairs construction contract Nagi Elsewaissi stated this is a resolution to authorize the annual contract for concrete and brick repairs. Councilmember Zoldos asked if the project would exceed the budget since the bids came in higher than expected? Mr. Elsewaissi stated staff would authorize the maintenance as funds are available and would not exceed the budgeted amount. e. Establishing weekend trolley service from November 27, 2004 to 3anuary 2, 2005 Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page Kathy Leidich stated this item is in response to a request to extend trolley service to the weekends during the holiday shopping season. She stated the trolley would run from :~:[:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturdays and from 12:00 am to 6:00pm on Sundays. Further, the total cost to the town would be $3,267.54. Councilmember Burk asked if staff would recommend adding weekend trolley service to the regular schedule if this initiative is successful? Ms. Leidich stated staff would recommend offering weekend trolley service on a strategic basis at different points during the year, Mr. Wells stated this topic came up at the Economic Development Commission meeting last month and they would like to evaluate how the weekend service goes through the holiday season and to perhaps expand upon that. Councilmember Horne asked how are shoppers at the Premium Outlets supposed to know they can get on the trolley and go downtown? Ms. Leidich stated Marantha Edwards and Betsy Fields have set up a meeting with representatives from the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlet Mall to decide how to address this issue. She stated staff is also evaluating the possibility of relocating the stop at the outlet mall to the front of the food court. Councilmember Horne suggested a sandwich board sign for the sidewalk to inform shoppers of the trolley service. Councilmember Zoldos asked that a cost benefit analysis be done for the weekend trolley service. Further, he asked that a sign be added to the side of the trolley to advertise service to the downtown. Councilmember Hammler stated the trolley is a wonderful new addition to the town and that staff work with the outlets to facilitate information regarding the trolley. Ms. Leidich stated once the trolley signs have been installed, staff plans to put maps on the signs so people can see the trolley route. Mayor Umstattd verified information regarding the trolley is located on the website and asked that the schedule be placed on the website. Councilmember Zoldos recommended the schedule be listed on the sign. Mr. Wells stated suggestions have come in regarding using the trolley for the Christmas light judging and other events. He stated if Council is interested in this then we should increase the allocation that will be authorized tomorrow night. Ms. Leidich stated an allocation of $1,000 would give an additional 24 hours of program time with the trolley. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Paqe 6 Vice Mayor Martinez stated Council was anticipating the cost for weekend service during the holiday season to be $5,000 and suggested that Council proceed with allocation of that amount to cover any other events which may arise. Further, he suggested using the trolley to conduct tours of the Christmas light displays in town. Councilmember Burk stated she has had a number of residents ask if the trolley could be rented for a party. Ms. Leidich stated staff is currently working on a rental policy for the trolley. Councilmember Zoldos suggested allowing advertising on the trolley to generate revenue. Ms. Leidich stated staff is looking into allowing advertising on the interior of the trolley. Councilmember Hammler stated if the trolley route time were extended it could be an option for commuters to get to the parking lot. ]~t was the consensus of Council to increase the allocation to $5,000. f. Establishing an ad-hoc committee for the Lowenbach Subdivision .lohn Wells stated several Council members had indicated an interest in creating a citizen task force to look at possible alternatives to the proposed design for the Lowenbach capital improvement project. He stated the resolution allows for citizen members to work with representatives from the Standing Residential Traffic Committee, the project consulting engineer and town staff. He stated they would be given a time certain to the end of.lanuary to look at possible design changes in the project and the resolution would not include specifically looking at the barricades. Councilmembers Kramer and Burk stated their support for the community representatives taking a leadership role in this group. Councilmember Horne stated having the citizens involved in this project presents a great opportunity for the town to create a new way of doing business in the older neighborhoods. Councilmember Zoldos verified the project would be on hold until after the ad-hoc committee reports back to Council. Councilmember Zoldos stated he would support the formation of the group; however, staff needs to pursue an aggressive construction schedule once Council has heard the committee's recommendations. He asked that Dan Hyatt be added to the committee. Councilmember Hammler stated this is not just about engaging and keeping the residents involved in the process, rather it is about how we are doing business from a capital projects perspective town-wide. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page ? Further, she stated the need to raise the bar in terms of improvements to neighborhoods outside the Historic District in areas that the town controls such as capital projects. Councilmember Horne stated she had spoken with a representative from the Weldon Cooper Center who mentioned the City of Charleston, South Carolina is very renowned in local government circles for their Zoning Ordinance and the work they have done to maintain the historic character of their community. She asked the staff to look at their processes specifically. Councilmember Zoldos asked that the ad-hoc committee report back to Council at the second meeting in January. Mr. Wells stated the original intent was to have the committee present their recommendation to Council at the first meeting in February. He stated the committee has not met so perhaps we could wait to see what work program they would like to go through. Mayor Umstattd what are the objectives established for the project? Mr. Elsewaissi stated the objectives are to design the project in a safe manner for pedestrians and to remove the street barricades. Mayor Umstattd verified the committee would be precluded from studying anything that would keep the barricades in place. Mr. Wells stated staff could list the objectives in the resolution. 2. Amending Section 10-131 of the Town Code to authorize a change in the speed limit on Catoctin Circle, SW Mr. Grow stated Mayor Umstattd has asked staff to look into the possibility of decreasing the speed limit on Catoctin Circle near Children's Center Road from 35 to 25 miles per hour. He stated the 35 miles per hour zone was established ten years ago when there was no development along that segment of Catoctin Circle. Further, he stated the segment now qualifies as a residential district and staff recommends that the speed limit be decreased to 25 miles per hour. Vice Mayor Martinez recommended painting the speed limit on the street. Mr. Grow stated that was done on King Street as an experimental measure. He stated the speeding on that road has decreased because of the extra fine and the larger signs. Further, he stated staff would not recommend painting the speed limit on the road. Councilmember Horne asked if the Standing Residential Traffic Committee has been apprised of this issue? Mr. Grow stated no study is required because this section of Catoctin Circle clearly meets the requirements of the State Code. Town Council Work Session IVlinutes for November 22, 2004 Page Mr. Wells stated this issue could be discussed with the Standing Residential Traffic Committee at their meeting on December 12 and still come to the Council for approval on December 14. Councilmember Hammler asked that staff provide information to Council in the future regarding how the speed limits are established. Further, she stated Council could also look at the reduction of speed limits relative to the width of roadways. 3. Noise Ordinance Update Bill Donnelly stated the town currently has a non-decibel based noise ordinance in place, which is enforced by the Leesburg Police Department. He stated most of noise complaints received by the Police Department are attributed to loud parties and are handled using the current ordinance. Further, he stated staff recommends leaving that ordinance intact and adding a decibel based ordinance to the Zoning Ordinance to be enforced by the Zoning Department staff to cover stationary noise. Mr. Donnelly stated the proposal would be that whenever a case was to be brought under the decibel based system a noise consultant would be brought in to take the measurements and testify in court. He stated the Town of Herndon uses a similar approach. Councilmember Kramer stated Council has not received the information requested regarding what other towns are doing. Mr. Donnelly stated attached to his memo is the staff report on the Loudoun Country School staff report, which includes ordinances from Loudoun County, the Town of Herndon and Fairfax County. Vice Mayor Martinez thanked IVlr. Donnelly for his work on this issue. Councilmember Horne stated she would like to have the Airport Commission's input on this issue. She expressed concern for the impact on local businesses that have outdoor parties such as the Thomas Birkby House. Further, she asked the cost for the consultant? Councilmember Donnelly stated the consultant would be on call as needed. Councilmember Zoldos stated his support for Mr. Donnelly's recommendations. He stated there are established federal regulations for noise around the airport so this should not affect the airport. 4. Request for an all-way stop at Autumn Willow Way and Marshall Drive Calvin Grow stated Council received a petition at their November 9 meeting requesting an all-way stop at Autumn Willow Way and Marshall Drive. He stated staff has determined that an all-way stop is not warranted for this location. Further, he recommended that this issue be forwarded to the Standing Residential Traffic Committee for review. Councilmember Zoldos verified there is no crossing guard posted at this location. He asked that a letter be drafted to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page 9 Department asking for a crossing guard to be posted to assist students in safely crossing the street. Councilmember Hammler asked if a, blinking yellow light indicating a school zone speed limit of 15 miles per hour would be applicable given the proximity to Leesburg Elementary? Mr. Grow stated a school zone could be installed; however Council would need to request that through the Loudoun County Public Schools. Councilmember Hammler asked that a "Children At Play" sign be installed as an interim measure while the Standing Residential Traffic Committee is reviewing the issue. A resident of Marshall Drive addressed Council to say that 90 percent of the people on this street signed the petition requesting that a stop sign be installed and he does not understand why the issue is being forwarded to a committee. Mayor Umstattd stated she would support a vote to install a stop sign tomorrow night; however, it seems the majority of Council would like to forward the issue to the Standing Residential Traffic Committee. Further, she stated the committee could be requested to report back to Council at the first meeting in December. Councilmember Horne asked if a follow-up speed study would be conducted? Mr. Grow stated the Residential Traffic Management Plan calls for a sign to be posted for 30 days stating "The town is looking into the possibility of installing a stop sign at this location" to get input from the residents. He stated this has been done in the town before and it is a measure that the committee might want to pursue. Vice Mayor Martinez stated throwing up a stop sign isn't always the solution. He stated the Standing Residential Traffic Committee could look at various options to see which would fit best in this situation. 5. Water Treatment Contact Amendment #4 Randy Shoemaker stated two years ago Council authorized a contract with CH2M Hill for the Water Filtration Plant Engineering Services Contract. He stated staff is recommending that Council approve a fourth amendment to the contract in an amount not to exceed $1,712,900. There was no Council discussion of this item. Status of Battlefield Parkway from North King Street to South King Street Calvin Grow provided the following update as to the completion of the various segments of Battlefield Pa rkway: Segment I - North King Street to Balls Bluff Elementary School is complete. Segment 2 - Balls Bluff Elementary School to Edwards Ferry Road is under construction and should be opened by the end of the year. Town Council Work Session IVlinutes for November 22, 2004 Paqe l0 Segment 3 - Edwards Ferry Road to Fort Evans Road is inactive. He stated the southern portion of the alignment is owned by Uniwest and they have expressed interest in constructing major portions of the four lanes within their property. The northern portion of the alignment is owned by the Rehau Corporation, which has a contract for the town to purchase the right- of-way for approximately $430,000. He stated the town would need to construct this portion of the roadway at an amount of $3 to $5 million dollars. Further, there is concern regarding contaminated groundwater on this property and the town and Rehau are working to resolve this issue prior to the town purchasing the property. Segment 4 - Fort Evans Road to Route 7 has been completed. Segment 5 - Route 7 to Sycolin Road has received $6 million in funding from Congressman Wolf and staff has also put aside RSTP funding for this. He stated a Virginia Department Of Transportation (VDOT) monthly progress meeting with the town is scheduled for December 16 to discuss this link and they are in the process of submitting an application to the W&OD Trail for a crossover. Segment 6 - Sycolin Road to the Dulles Greenway part of a proffer with the Oaklawn developers. He stated they plan to start construction in the summer of 2005. Segment 7 - Dulles Greenway to Evergreen Mill Road is part of an agreement between the town and the Toll Road Corporation of Virginia to construct two lanes of Battlefield Parkway and to build the interchange at Battlefield Parkway and the Dulles Greenway once certain conditions are met. He stated currently the annual revenues achieved by the Dulles Greenway have not met the condition of construction of the interchange. Segment 8 - Evergreen Mill Road to South King Street is inactive. alignment is being reviewed by the developers of the Villages at Meadowbrook. The Councilmember Zoldos stated there seems to be a $35 million dollar shortfall for completion of the road. He asked if there is a target date for purchase of the Rehau property? Tom Mason stated the town should not purchase the property until the contamination issues have been resolved. He stated reports on the contamination and samples have been submitted to Richmond and staff does not know when the purchase of the property can proceed. Councilmember Hammler stated Council needs to focus on Battlefield Parkway. She asked at what point are we going to be able to look at the big picture and focus on alternative sources of funding and set a timeline for getting this done. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page ! ! Further, Council discussed the town's efforts to secure funding the project and the possibility of funds from Mr. Hobie Mitchell's proposal for the Creekside Development at the Phil Bolen Park location. Councilmember Horne stated she understands from Senator Mims that the timing on approaching Congressman Wolf for additional funding could be good. Mayor Umstattd stated one of the reasons we have gotten so much cooperation from VDOT is because Mr. Grow has developed a very good working relationship with them over the years. Councilmember Hammler asked if there is any update on the Meadowbrook proffers relative to the construction of Battlefield Parkway. Susan Swift stated her staff just received the proffers and has not had the opportunity to review them. Councilmember Hammler stated the need for the town to be proactive from a commercial job development standpoint as it relates to the large pieces of undeveloped land and in turn will influence the traffic issues we face as a town. Mr. Wells stated Mr. Hobie Mitchell has asked to address the Council regarding the proposed Creekside development at the December 13 meeting. 7. 3oint business meeting with Loudoun County Board of Supervisors .lohn Wells stated Councilmember Hammler has suggested that an annual business meeting with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors be established. He stated if Council is comfortable with this concept staff could work to set a date for this meeting. Tt was the consensus of Council to move forward with this meeting. Further, there was discussion regarding the date for the annual legislative dinner. 8. Comprehensive Equity & Pay Study Dona Wolf stated at the last Council meeting there was discussion regarding the pay and classification system. She stated the Hendricks study was completed four years ago and resulted in a number of employees being reclassified to higher- level positions. Further, she stated there was a recommendation at that time that the employee salaries be based on the mid-point in calculating merit pay and cost of living adjustments. Councilmember Zoldos suggested reviewing the program again considering the Hendricks study was completed in 1999. He stated staff's request of $75,000 for a pay study was not approved in last year's budget. Further, he stated the town has a retention problem in some areas and he would support funding a comprehensive review as part of the mid-year budget. Councilmember Hammler stated a lot has happened in the past few years and she would look to Mr. Wells to get his overall assessment of where he sees specific areas for change. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page Vice Mayor Martinez stated Council should consider what is typical turnover for jurisdictions such as ours. Further, he stated one of the biggest issues is that the cost of living in Leesburg is very high. There was further Council discussion regarding classification and retention. Mr. Wells stated it would not be out of line to look at the pay study again considering we are in a high-growth area; however, he would want to look at both equity and parity as comparing salaries with other jurisdictions is important. He stated many employees have expressed concerns with the town's health benefits and the new health insurance company. Further, he stated he would like the opportunity to weigh this issue against some of the other proposed projects before adding it to the mid-year budget. 9. Personal Property Tax Relief Act Norm Butts stated the state has passed legislation to cap personal property tax relief at $950,000 annually beginning in 2006. He stated the more money the town collects before March 1, 2006, the greater the opportunity of the town to increase its pro rata share of the $950,000. Mr. Butts stated the town currently bills residents on January 5 for the second installment of the tax and requires payment by February 5. He stated this would leave us with only 23 days to collect the remaining tax. Further, he recommended that the Council amend the town code to change the collection date to January 17 to add 21 additional days for collection. IVlr. Butts stated Loudoun County has taken similar action on this issue. He stated there is also discussion that the General Assembly may change the base year from 2006 to 2005 and that is the reason for making the change now. Mayor Umstattd verified we would not be requesting the residents to pay more money, rather we would be requesting that they pay it sooner. She asked what the loss to the town could be if the collection date is not changed? IVlr. Butts stated it is difficult to determine; however, it would not be a great deal of money. Further, he stated the town writes-off approximately $25,000 in uncollectable taxes every year. Councilmember Zoldos asked how the residents would be notified of this change? Mr. Butts stated the bill would be mailed around December 15 to allow a month for collection and there would be some additional public outreach. Councilmember Zoldos verified this action would not require a public hearing. Councilmember Hammler asked the amount of money staff believes would be collected by moving up the payments? Mr. Butts stated most money is collected in the first payment and about 5 percent is collected in the second payment. Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page Councilmember Hammler asked if the town has considered consolidating the billing with the county? Mr. Wells stated he is not aware of the town approaching the county regarding consolidation. Mr. Butts stated staff is considering moving the decal date to November to consolidate collections and avoid the long lines in April. Mayor Umstattd verified Council would like to make a decision on a public hearing tomorrow night. Further, she asked that staff provide Council with the amount of money in question tomorrow night. 10. Renewal of EST Contract Tom Mason stated the contract with EST is a public/private partnership, which was established in 1997. He stated the program was started in order to resolve the conflict between developers and the municipal reviewers. Further, he stated they provide peer review, education, and expertise in technical issues to the town and outlined the other benefits to the town. Councilmember Horne asked why the number of unacceptable plans has increased in 2004? IVlr. Mason stated that has been attributed to the fact that the private sector is using inexperienced engineers; however, the town is planning to focus their next class on the recurring mistakes to draw the development community's attention. Councilmember Zoldos stated this program is good for the town. Further, he stated there has been a historic reduction in the number of submissions. Councilmember Hammler asked why this was not made part of the regular fiscal year budget? IVlr. Mason stated the funds are budgeted; however, the term of the contract has come up and the program needs to be reauthorized. Councilmember Hammler asked Susan Swift to address the impact of this program on the Planning Department and how it affects where the town needs to go with some of the needed amendments to the Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM)? Ms. Swift stated ES! has worked on DCSM revisions and will continue to do so. Further, she stated she hopes to provide ES! with the town's perspective on the future changes we would like to make to this document. Councilmember Hammler asked what other jurisdictions are partnered with ESI? Mr. Mason stated some of the other jurisdictions include Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and the City of Alexandria. Mayor Umstattd stated ES][ does a good job; however, she is frustrated that we continue to get substandard plans. She stated it seems the only way to avoid Town Council Work Session Minutes for November 22, 2004 Page ]4 this is to assess fees for additional submissions and asked that staff report back to Council on how much the town is currently charging for multiple submissions? 11. Preview items for December 14, 2004 work session a. Mid-year financial review There was no Council discussion of this item. New Business a. Councilmember Zoldos stated the Town of Herndon has historic district signs posted on major highways and asked that the town request VDOT permission to place historic district signs on major highways into the town. b. Councilmember Hammler asked for information on the bonding item regarding Wirt Street. Mr. Mason stated there was an addition to the office building on Wirt Street and they performed some curb/gutter/sidewalk improvements. ¢. Councilmember Burk asked the status of the bus kiosk? Mr. Elsewaissi stated the town had received approval from the Virginia Regional Park Authority to use VDOT funding to install the shelters, which would take approximately one year. He stated the town now has a contractor on retainer who will construct the shelters in 60 days and construction can begin once the maintenance agreement is in place Further, he stated we are currently approximately three months away. Councilmember Burk asked if staff has looked into moving one of the shelters to the senior center which was relocated from the Shenandoah Building to Depot Court? Mr. Elsewaissi stated the current plans call for a shelter in front of the Shenandoah Building and it does not appear that we will be moving that one to Depot Court because of the bus turn-around issues there. Councilmember Burk stated the shelter was to be located at the Shenandoah Building because it housed the senior center. She asked that staff take another look at this issue. d. Councilmember Burk asked to be provided with a list of the historical properties in the town. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 10:31 p.m. 2004_tcwsminl122 /Clerk of Council