Loading...
01-05-1993 Regular MeetingJanuary 5, 1993 The Downtown Smyrna Development Authority met January 5, 1993 at the Smyrna Community Center. The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m. by Chairman A. Max Bacon. Present for the meeting was: Willouise Spivey C. J. Fouts Jim Pitts Hubert Black Jimmy Wilson Steve Shupert Doug Stoner Also present was Councilman Ron Newcomb, Councilman Pete Wood, Councilman Wade Lnenicka, Councilman Bill Scoggins, City Attorney Charles E. Camp, City Administrator Bob Thomson, City Clerk Melinda Dameron, Library Director Laurel Best, Acting Parks Director Michael Justus, Facility Coordinator Susan Hunt and Scott Cochran with Cochran, Camp & Snipes. Hubert Black made a motion the meeting be adjourned to executive session. Steve Shupert seconded the motion which carried 7-0. Scott Cochran presented an update on the remaining condemnation appeals. The Tufts case has been scheduled for trial this week and may be heard tomorrow. The three remaining appeals represent the largest liability exposure that we have seen thus far. In the Tufts case, we have paid $200, 000 through the Special Master and they are asking for a total of $1.3 million. Scott said his advice to the DDA members and council is to proceed with caution regarding marketing or development in the downtown area until the cases have been settled. Chuck Camp said there have been suggestions that some of the property is proposed for sale to developers but the City nor the DDA has ever approved a plan involving proposed land sales. Scott Cochran said until the last 3 cases are resolved it was his recommendation that the DDA limit their discussion to general planning or brainstorming sessions as opposed to development of any particular piece of property. Hopefully, the last 3 cases (Tufts, Holder and Cooper) will be completed within the next 5 or 6 months. Michael Justus and Susan Hunt presented an update on Community Center activities. Revenues from bookings have increased substantially from last year and Ms. Hunt said we soon may need to consider another rate increase because we are still the lowest of any other comparable facility. Their target area is for daytime use; i.e., conferences, seminars for business groups. Bookings for weekends and evenings have been excellent. Steve Shupert said he was concerned that the fees may not be adequate to offset the actual cost of maintenance, setting up the rooms, etc. Councilman Pete Wood said this facility, as the majority of others, will not pay for itself but we will continue to monitor our fees to ensure that we remain compatible. Bob Thomson said we do need to install acoustical panels in the large gym at a cost of approximately $9,000. We have lost a number of bookings to large groups because of the sound system and acoustics in that room. Michael Justus said there have been numerous problems with the weight equipment and was concerned with the' liability if we continue to make it available. One person has already been seriously injured when the cables broke and we have asked the manufacturer repeatedly to replace the cables with stronger 1/4" cable that will not break so easily. We also have tried to sell the equipment but received no bids. C. J. Fouts stated they probably had the machinery and equipment that was needed to replace the cable and Hubert Black made a motion Michael Justus be authorized to contact Fouts Brothers to have the cables replaced. Steve Shupert seconded the motion which carried 7-0. Jimmy Wilson made a motion that we also pursue a maintenance agreement with a reputable company to ensure the safety of the equipment. Doug Stoner seconded the motion which carried 7-0. Michael Justus also reported that they have had some problems during open gym type because of the large numbers of people, mostly non -city residents, who use it. Our residents then complain because they cannot play. Michael said we could limit open gym time to residents only but we do not have sufficient staff to stay in the gym and check photo ID cards. Wade Lnenicka suggested that we charge a small fee ($1.00) to get in which would help defray the cost of paying a part time person to check ID and monitor the play. Agreed that Michael and Susan would experiment with fees to see how it would work out. Michael said there are also problems with lack of parking and adequate outside lighting. Mayor Bacon said he had asked Sizemore - Floyd to look into additional parking several months ago and was still waiting for their recommendation. We also need to take a look at handicapped accessibility to the Community Center; the only way to access the meeting rooms now is to enter through the gymnasium. Laurel Best gave a report on Library activities and reported that use has increased by 40% with borrowers up 12%. Also, over 200 non- residents have paid to be able to use our library in favor of any of the county branches. Laurel said that while the openness does give them good visual control, it creates problems with noise. Also we continue to get complaints from patrons about the "new" smell in the building which has been difficult to identify, but the architects now think it is from the wooden ceilings and say it will take 10 to 15 years to dissipate naturally. Steve Shupert said he would like to check into the cost of opening on Sundays, maybe 4 or 5 hours. Mayor Bacon said he was still in favor of a special referendum to approve construction of the new fire and police precinct and asked Jimmy Wilson, Willouise Spivey and C. J. Fouts to serve on a special committee to examine the needs for both departments and have a report ready for the next meeting. Mayor Bacon said we have ordered dedication plaques inscribed with the names of the original members of the DDA and they will be installed tomorrow. Mayor Bacon said he thought it was important that these people be recognized for their contribution. Mayor Bacon advised the DDA would meet quarterly during 1993 and the next meeting will be April 6th. After the condemnation hearings, we may need to meet monthly but suggested we stay with this schedule until we can take a more active role in development. Also we will ask Scott Cochran to attend the next meeting and give us another update. Doug Stoner asked why the DDA had never appointed a Treasurer. Mayor Bacon said he thought a Treasurer had been appointed and would check the minutes of previous meetings. Mayor Bacon ended the meeting by expressing his appreciation to Michael Justus, Susan Hunt and Laurel Best for the good job they are doing and invited everyone to tour the Community Center. The next meeting will be at the Library on April 6th and tours of that facility will be conducted then. Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.