The June 27, 2023 meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Courtroom at City Hall located at 300 Pollock St. in New Bern, N.C.
Read the packet with background information on the agenda here.
1. Meeting opened by Mayor Odham. Prayer Coordinated by Alderman Aster. Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Roll Call.
3. Approve Agenda.
Consent Agenda
4. Consider Adopting a Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing to Rezone Properties on Washington Post Road Identified as Tax Parcel IDs 8-223-003 and 8-223-004.
(Ward 5) Stars & Stripes 4F, LLC has requested to rezone 20.44+/- acres from R-10A to a Commercial C-3 District. The two parcels, identified as Tax Parcel ID 8- 223-003 and 8-223-004, are located on the east side of Washington Post Road at Olivia Road. The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the request at its June 6 meeting. A public hearing is sought for July 11. A memo from Jessica Rhue, Director of Development Services, is attached.
5. Consider Adopting a Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing to Rezone Property on Oaks Road Identified as Tax Parcel ID 8-031-A-032.
(Ward 5) Jason Sanderson has requested to rezone a 0.92+/- acre parcel from R-10 Residential District to C-4 Neighborhood Business District. The parcel, identified as Tax Parcel ID 8-031-A-032, is located on the north side of Oaks Road near North First Avenue. The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the request at its June 6 meeting. A public hearing is sought for July 11. A memo from Mrs. Rhue is attached.
6. Consider Adopting a Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing on the Initial Zoning of Properties Identified as Tax Parcel IDs 7-103-010, 7-103-011, 7-103- 017, 7-103-018, 7-103-019, 7-103-020, 7-103-064, 7-103-099, 7-103-12001, 7-103-16001,7-103-19000, 7-103-202, 7-103-204, 7-103-7002, 7-103-9006, 7-103-9008, 7-103-9009, 7-104-12001, 7-104-12003, 7-104-14009, 7-104-9012, 7-300-2000, 7-RAILRD-NCRR, 8-222-074, 8-222-169, 8-222-25000, 8-222-25001, 7-003-11000 and 7-024-019.
(Wards 3 and 5) Staff has identified 29 parcels that were annexed into the City, but were not assigned a zoning designation. Most of the parcels are adjacent to NC Hwy. 55W, Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, and off Highway 70 near Carolina Colours. The parcels were evaluated to determine appropriate zoning. Property owners were notified by mail on May 11, 2023, and several contacted Development Services with questions. No negative feedback was received. The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the initial zoning designations at its June 6 meeting. A public hearing is sought for July 11. A memo from Mrs. Rhue is attached.
7. Consider Adopting a Resolution to Close a Portion of South Front Street by Palace Point Commons for the July 4th Celebration.
(Ward 1) The Department of Parks and Recreation seeks to close to vehicular traffic the portion of South Front Street by Palace Point Commons from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on July 4. This will accommodate spectators in that area who are viewing the July 4th fireworks. A memo from Kari Warren, Director of Parks and Recreation, is attached.
8. Consider Adopting a Resolution to Close Specific Streets for MumFest 2023.
(Ward 1) Lynne Harakal, Executive Director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., has requested several street closures to accommodate the 2023 MumFest event slated for Oct. 13-15. The streets to be closed from 5 p.m. on Oct. 13 until 11 p.m. on Oct. 15 are the 200-400 blocks of Broad Street, 200-300 blocks of East Front Street, 200-300 blocks of Middle Street, 200-300 blocks of Craven Street, and the 300-400 blocks of Pollock Street. In addition, she has requested the 200 blocks of Craven and Pollock Streets have restricted vehicular access from 6 a.m. on Oct. 14 until 7 p.m. on Oct. 15. Swiss Bear is also requesting use of the city-owned parking lot on the corner of Craven and Pollock Streets from 5 p.m. on Oct. 13 until 11 p.m. on October 15. A memo from Kari Warren is attached along with the event application and a map of the affected areas.
9. Annual Report on Certified Roster of Eligible Firefighters per NCGS §58-86-25.
NCGS §58-86-25 provides that eligible fire departments shall annually determine and report to the Governing Board a certified roster of firefighters who have met 36 hours of training in a calendar year. After determining the list to be valid and accurate, the department is to submit the list to the NC State Firefighters’
Association. The attached list identifies the firefighters that met this qualification for 2022. The roster was submitted to the NC Firefighters’ Association in January of 2023. Going forward, the roster will be presented to the Governing Board prior to its submission to the state association. A memo from Fire Chief Robert Boyd is attached.
10. Approve Minutes.
Draft minutes from the June 13 regular meeting are provided for review and approval.
11. Update on FEMA Projects.
Luke Baker, Project Geologist with TRC Companies, will provide an update on the FEMA CAT A and CAT D repairs related to damage from Hurricane Florence. TRC has been the project consultant for the extent of the project. A memo from George Chiles, Director of Public Works, is attached along with a presentation from TRC.
12. Consider Adopting a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Contract for the Northwest Interceptor Rehabilitation Phase II Projects.
(Ward 5) The Northwest Interceptor Rehabilitation Phase II project will repair approximately 2,000 linear feet of the gravity sewer outfall line located between South Glenburnie Road and Trapper’s Trail. The concrete pipe has deteriorated to the point the pipe’s structural integrity is compromised and is a significant source of infiltration into the sewer system. Bids were received in May, and lnsituform Technologies of Chesterfield, Missouri submitted the lowest bid of $1,244,166.60. Since the City received a $230,000 grant from the NC ARPA funds, the contract with lnsituform will need to be tentatively awarded contingent upon approval by the NC Department of Environmental Quality. A memo from Jordan Hughes, City Engineer, is attached along with a copy of the bid tab.
13. Consider Adopting a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Contract with TRC Engineers for On-Call Engineering Services.
A Request for Qualifications was advertised on May 23 seeking general on call engineering services for a period of three years. Experience in design, bidding, construction administration and oversight, mechanical and structural engineering, and construction inspection of projects to include water systems, wastewater systems, stormwater, streets and roads, was sought. After reviewing and ranking the six qualified responses, staff recommends TRC Engineers, Inc. The proposed resolution authorizes the City Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with this firm. The contract will include a provision to extend services for an additional year, if needed. A memo from Chris Seaberg, Community and Economic Development Manager, is attached.
14. Consider Adopting a Resolution Amending the Classification Pay Plan for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
A Request for Qualifications was issued for resilience design permitting and consulting services for the NCLWF 2021-416 Innovative Stormwater grant project. Three qualified responses were received on April 3 and evaluated. From the submissions, Moffatt & Nichol received the highest score. The proposed resolution authorizes the City Manager to negotiate and enter into a contract with this firm for the services needed. A memo is attached from Christopher Seaberg, Community and Economic Development Manager.
15. Consider Adopting an Ordinance to Amend the West New Bern Water System Improvements Project Fund.
This ordinance amends the West New Bern Water System Improvements Project Fund by $88,500. Funds will be transferred from the Water Fund to the project fund to cover additional engineering costs. A memo from Kim Ostrom, Director of Finance, is attached.
16. Consider Adopting the Final Budget Ordinance Amendment for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
A final budget ordinance is adopted annually to revise the current year’s budget to ensure that all projected expenditures have sufficient budget and to realign the revenues to equal the appropriations. A memo from Mrs. Ostrom is attached.
17. Appointment(s}.
a. Alderman Royal is requested to make an appointment to fill the seat held by Peter Dillon on the Board of Adjustment. Dillon resigned due to relocating out of state. The new appointee will fill the remainder of his term which expires on June 30, 2025.
b. Mike Duffy and Kathleen Marty’s terms on the Board of Adjustment will expire June 30. The Board is asked to consider reappointing both individuals or make new appointments to serve for three-year terms. This appointment is open to the Mayor or any Alderman.
c. Dr. Ruth Cox’s term on the Historic Preservation Commission will expire June 30, and she is ineligible for reappointment. Alderman Royal is asked to make a new appointment to fill Seat 2 for a three-year term.
d. Gregory Rusch’s term on the Historic Preservation Commission will expire June 30, and he has requested to continue serving. Alderman Best is asked to consider this reappointment or to make a new appointment for a three-year term.
e. Raymond Layton’s term on the Planning and Zoning Board will expire June 30, and he is ineligible for reappointment. Alderman Kinsey is asked to make a new appointment to fill Seat 4 for a three-year term.
f. Pat Dougherty’s term on the Planning and Zoning Board will expire June 30, and he is ineligible for reappointment. Alderman Brinson is asked to make a new appointment to fill Seat 6 for a three-year term.
g. Isaiah Daniels, Karen May, and Lesley Hunter’s terms on the Police Civil Service Board will expire June 30. Terms on this board are for a two-year period, and appointees are ineligible to serve consecutive terms. Appointments to this Board are open to any member of the Board of Aldermen.
h. Tharesa Lee has resigned from the Redevelopment Commission effective July 5, which is before her term expiration on August 14. Tabari Wallace’s term will also expire on August 14, 2023. The Board is asked to consider the reappointment of Wallace, identify candidates to fill Lee’s seat, and plan to discuss these seats at the first meeting in August. Appointments to this Board are open to the Mayor or any Alderman.
18. Attorney’s Report.
19. City Manager’s Report.
20. New Business.
21. Closed Session.
22. Adjourn.
Individuals with disabilities requiring special assistance should call 252-639-7501 no later than 3 p.m. on the date of the meeting.
By Brenda Blanco, City Clerk