City Council - Special Meeting

into order. Uh, madame clerk coffee will not be here. Mr. Mr. Citric here will not be able to be here. Mr. Dy here. Cooper here. Miss Walker here.

We have a quorum. Uh madame uh Reverend Ola Thor Cooper, can you lead us in prayer and uh imocation imitation and allegiance of the flag? This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Our father, it's in the name of Jesus that we gather this morning. First, we want to start off by saying thank you Lord for blessing us to see this day. We thank you for this opportunity to have this meeting this morning. for those that have come out. We pray that everything will be done decently and in order and that you will be glorified. Lord, let the word of all of our mouths and meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight because you are our strength and redeemer. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Cooper. You're welcome. Miss Champion is here. [clears throat] Madam clerk, would you make note that Councilwoman Champion? Thank you so much. Um, I would like to open the public hearing for CF 2556 a CDBG neighborhood revitalization CDBG NR program grant. Mr. Mann, thank you mayor. Welcome. Good morning, everyone. Morning. Mhm.

We appreciate you taking this opportunity to allow us to have uh public meeting as well as to introduce to you the CEBG NR grant. This particular grant is actually as I understand it a new variation on CDBG opportunity. Uh it allows for neighborhood revitalization without actually having to construct housing. And so I've asked Chim Ban uh assistant to the city manager and also the uh parks director to come up and give us a an introduction to this opportunity and what he has in mind for King's Dollars Park. So um thank you all for coming in with this short notice. We had to honor the grant by having a second public hearing which we're having right now. Um just a little bit history take too much of your time. um his King Dors was uh was acquired by the city in 198. So we acquired um King one park. Um since then again in W the park reduced for traditional events um um planning, camping, things of that nature. Um since I've been um tenure here as a recreation parks director, we have had the egg hunt there, Trail of Terror, which is also doing graduation time because it's it's clean and beautiful. We ship a lot of kids and families to that park for graduation events. Um, one thing we did do is we have reverted. We did a sign campaign probably around 2017 18 where we updated all our signs on our parks picnic table and put new grills there as you see at um Chestnut Park we did with that park. Um, but again if you look at the first couple of picture is what the state park is in now. Um, again we have a vision of making um twofold utilizing top side of the park. Um there you go. This is just showing parks

from the street view of Park Montgomery and Park View. Again, you see the new sign, but we want to update it into a handicap accessible park. That's um you can stop right now. Well, our vision a long time ago was to have a um amphitheater down on the creek side and was where we have um in the park. Um, Paleo loves history, so you could tell he sees it's a lot of stonework that's on the back side of the farm in the stories. Uh, Miss Jerardine knows about it. We've seen it before. But we are trying to use that that structure to bring people to do concerts in the park. We used to have electricity going down to the um amphitheater, but this is probably going to be phase two. Um if you go move to the next one we set it up this way in pay man because we own property on the back side of the store eman we're going to use the parking lot to be all handicap assessment as you know anything about the demographics in a ward one sure grandparents um older adults taking care of their grandkids. So having an intergenerational special needs adaptable fully adaptable inclusive part there will be great. Uh but this is um I'm working with Clark Thomas because we had short time to get this um done. But this is the can um throwing of the part. We go to the next one. This is a much better version of it. The next three slides you're going to get a quality product when we do this this part. But this is going to be phase one because with CBG ramps only allows us to apply flow 950,000. So we phase this project in doing the top side first and do all the grading to do [clears throat] phase two with the picnic shelter then the shelter we do the whole project be 1.2 million 1.25 25 million but we um I want to phase it in order the grant get the information in for the grant they'll be around know 95,000 something we're going to manage again this grant does not allow us to

have a match just have the information in and we have worked diligently with um to get the things in um one thing I tell you is my recommendations is to have the public hearing approve the grant um for the grant I keep saying the police will do the dissipate of where we want things at so we can um do use the environment was designed to prevent crime but most of our parts I can honestly tell you they can bounce forward once we start clean up these park crime goes down um but again we'll probably be the one just like with the fitness campaign that we have at Williamson we are probably one of the only cities going to have an allincclusive park in the area no surrounding areas have that as you can see chestnut for we have to rais in the standard but it ain't just a black top. We have colors, something visual, something everybody in the community wants to see. Um other than that is it's going to be a focal point for the Elmwood West End project. I think cleaning up this area is considered blighted area. You have a lot of people want to use it walking distance but also we're going to have a walking trail around that as well for um health and wellness. Um without this project I couldn't I had to um sayar has been very instrumental in getting the paperwork in um Leila Abid and Jezie Brooks but zoning um zoning department with Robert help me a lot with a lot of the maps and getting the information that the CB CDBG grant needed. I already have a regular a letter of recommendations um from letter of support from Franklin Vance one opportunity um um the chamber of commerce Vance County schools gateway inc Vance county administration and smartstar um Mr. Kosar said by letter we coming in this morning as well. So we have a lot of support from the community in various areas and again my recommendation is for us to go ahead and

um apply for this grant to get this information in. It's very important because me and the mayor got to meet this afternoon just to get the sentences in because we have to um next day mail it in. There's no online submittal. So we have to get this paperwork in ASAP. So we going to be working diligent over the weekend to get a mail it first day Monday morning and hopefully could mail it next tomorrow morning. Council, do you have any questions um concerning before we go into the public hearing? I just wondered uh when will you get notification of the grant approval? Do you know that? I'm going be honest. I do not. Well, I probably send that out to you to trace it to send to you all once I get with Desiree and Miss Le.

Any more questions? Council, it probably will be after the first of the years. No questions for me. Okay, Mr. Van, I think this is an amazing uh opportunity for the city and to make it all inclusive to handic be handicapped accessible is just really good. So, thank you for your work, hard work. I will now open, [clears throat] excuse me, the public hearing. Is there anyone that would like to come forward and speak for You can come on up. State your name and address. You have three minutes to address the council.

Morning everybody. My name is Henry Cruz. I'm the executive director of Green Rural Redevelopment known as Grow. Um I lived at 424 Hamilton Street. Um we've been asked about five or six years ago to adopt uh Kingdom One Park. And I thought something just been taking so long for something to happen. But I'm excited about this opportunity and endorse it uh wholehearted and uh my organization is willing to u to put a letter of support for it too. Uh and any way we can help, I'll be glad to support this.

Thank you, Mr. Cruz. Anyone else like to speak for this? Come on up. State your name and address, please. You have three minutes to address the council. Melissa Lemon, 1806 Parker Lane, Henderson. Just a couple of questions. I think it's a beautiful site. I would love to see it happen. Is this going to be all grant funded and not money from the city that has to come up into it? And then how are we going to support it once it is built? Is it going to be continuing grant money or will the city have to do maintenance for it? If I may, mayor, absolutely.

As a grant is set up right now, there is no matching funds from the city. We're submitting it that way. Uh it would however be an ongoing uh maintenance uh responsibility for the city once built and it would go into our our general fund. And would that grant cover the entire what's been planned? If you get the grant, will it cover it? I believe Mr. Van said it would be phased in two steps. And so what we're asking for would take care of phase one. Yes. Okay. If if $950,000 and then it's $1.2 two million to complete the project. Okay. So, we would have to put some money in to complete it.

Not necessarily. We may have an opportunity to apply for additional money in the future, but the way he has it phased is that the phase would stand alone. We wouldn't have to build a second phase in order to enjoy the park. Okay. All right. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much. Anyone else here would like to speak in favor? Come on up and give your name, address, and you have three minutes to address the council. Excuse [clears throat] me. Good morning. Hi, my name is Tracy Mosley. Uh, I have a business at 314 North Garnet Street on Main Street. And I think the party park is an amazing idea. Shout out Miss Mos4 Street.

Yeah, I think the park is an amazing idea and concept and some of my questions um the lady before me answered. However, I did want to um just ask with the state of downtown and all of the things that we have, could some of the funds be better utilized with helping with downtown revitalization or even uh with providing some type of grants or subsidies to help um our youth. I know the park is going to help multigenerations, but something more specific to help our youth with workforce development and that trickles down to economic development and also something to help um not the small business but the micro entrepreneurs who don't have 50 employees that are trying to you know come down Sam and get downtown to get businesses and different things uh started. that could also in turn help our economic growth. But definitely I would love to see something or portion of the grant focused on downtown development.

Yes, if I may. Thank you very much. That's good information and it may be that we should take a look at some of the issues you're raising in a separate uh opportunity. But this particular grant is set up for the neighborhood revitalization and it's for infrastructure. So it really needs to be something like a park or recreation area, that type of thing. That's going to be our best chance at award. Also, this is an urban redevelopment area that was established by the city some years ago. And that also enhances the application. It begins to become a a center point for gravity, if you will, that that when you renovate an area, then the area directly adjacent to it begins to look more inviting, more opportunity for that to develop and so it begins a progression. That that's kind of what the the rationale is here.

Okay. Well, can we add something to the park that could uh serve as maybe a hub um for uh uh for like those entrepreneurs like a building? Like could it be a space that goes with it? I saw that there was uh like a shelter with a an awning, but could it be like um what do you call those things? They have one in dury is where if you want to cook, you can go here and do different things. Not that a space that entrepreneurs or something can use uh in the park for like a multi-purpose space. So, if that's the case, I think everything we have here is great. and maybe suggest that we add something to it to help uh with that cuz we do have a lot of smaller businesses and youth who are interested in those things and just don't have a place to do their thing. So maybe this could be incorporated. So thank you Mr. Squirrel.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Anyone else would like to speak in favor [clears throat] for All right. Anyone come on up. Just state your name. You have three minutes to address council and your address.

My name is Zenata Lewis. Um I stay at 252 Gston Avenue. I wanted to say that I am in favor of the park. I currently moved here about uh a little over 11 months ago. Um and I have been driving to Wake Forest for a park just as this for my son has autism. Um only thing I would say with children with disabilities, we do like the parks with the enclosed fence um due to a loing. Um and then that ensures parents are able to allow their child to play freely. also is a deterrent for um any kidnappings. I hate to say those words. Um but just kind of adding that to that. But other than that, I'm excited about the project. Also, any other programs that would again uh expand uh crime diversion as you were indicating um with [clears throat] the children being included into uh in a part of the park. That's Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Lewis. [clears throat] Anyone else have to speak in favor of All right. Do we have anyone that's opposing? Anyone that's opposing? All right. Well, I close this public hearing. Uh, council, how would you like to proceed? [clears throat] I make a motion that we go ahead and support the grant, the request for the grant. We have a second. Second. Okay. We have a motion on the floor by Councilwoman Cooper and seconded by Mayor Prom Gary Dakey. Madam Clerk, Miss Champion. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

And the motion has passed. [clears throat] Um we would now isn't there a close session? Yes. May recommend a close session in order to uh discuss. I see [clears throat] it. Um, I see it now. I'm sorry. It was on the back side. I had screw it all over my paper. All right. So, we would like to now go into close session pursuant to general statute 143-318 for a personnel matter. Um, do we have a motion? Motion to go into close session. Have a motion by Councilwoman Champion and seconded by Mayor Proam Gary Dicki. Closes. [clears throat]