Town Council Regular Meeting Summary - Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

The Lake Lure Town Council held a Regular Meeting on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

• The meeting was open to the public and there were 41 in attendance.
• The meeting was held at the Lake Lure Municipal Center (Town Hall) at 2948 Memorial Highway, Lake Lure, NC 28746. 
• The following is a summary of the meeting for those who could not attend. 
• Note that these are not formal minutes, which will be included in the following month's meeting packet. 
• You may download the meeting packet and/or view the meeting for additional information. 

I. Call to Order

Mayor Carol Pritchett called the meeting to order.   Commissioner Patrick Bryant led the invocation and everyone stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 

II. Agenda Adoption

There was one addition to the meeting agenda which was the addition of a Closed Session at the end of the meeting.  The meeting agenda was adopted as written below.
 

III. Mayor’s Communication

Mayor Pritchett presented Proclamation No. 24-07-09 Honoring the Excellent Responsiveness and Proficient Life-Saving Actions of Miss Callie Cobb. She commended Miss Cobb for being able to use all of the skills she learned with her Lifeguard and CPR Certifications in saving the life of a young boy recently.  She presented Miss Cobb with the proclamation and beautiful red roses. The audience gave her a standing ovation. 

Mayor Pritchett read the following proclamation. 

WHEREAS On Saturday, June 15, 2024, Miss Callie Cobb was serving as a lifeguard at the Lake Lure Beach; and

WHEREAS In performing her duties, she scanned the water from her lifeguard stand and observed a child floating face down in the water; and

WHEREAS Miss Cobb took immediate action by blowing her whistle, requesting that 911 be called, and quickly responding to the child to offer assistance; and

WHEREAS Miss Cobb demonstrated bravery and professionalism when she took immediate action
in a life threatening situation; and

WHEREAS;  Without hesitation Miss Cobb quickly ran to the water and swam to the child, bringing him back to the shore where she successfully performed CPR, a lifesaving procedure which saved the child’s life that
day; and

WHEREAS; Miss Cobb was serving in her first lifeguard position, she demonstrated proficiency with her lifeguard and CPR certifications when it mattered the most; and

NOW THEREFORE; I, Mayor Carol C. Pritchett, proclaim on behalf of the Lake Lure Town Council and the citizens of the Town of Lake Lure, hereby present this proclamation to express our sincere appreciation as we honor and recognize Miss Callie Cobb for her life saving actions.

PROCLAIMED this the 9th day of July, 2024.
 

IV. Town Managers Communication

Town Manager Olivia Stewman shared the following highlights from the monthly Departmental Reports. 

• Public Services: Despite being short-staffed, the Public Service Department has successfully completed their operations to keep the Town running as smoothly as possible. Routine maintenance has been completed throughout the month, such as, but not limited to, Meter Reading, Meter Installs, Water Leaks, Locates, Bulk Trash Pickup, Work Orders, Facility Maintenance, Wastewater Samples, and Dam, Wastewater Treatment Plant and Hydro Plant Maintenance. Top accomplishments/project updates:
  • Ensured proper water runoff and flood prevention by cleaning all ditches in Zone D, from the Dam to Young’s Mountain
  • Continued efforts to beautify the Town’s roads and provide a smooth driving surface by paving all of Young’s Mountain Rd and performed 15 pavement patches around Town
  • Braved great heights to clean the gutters at Town Hall
  • Showing great ingenuity, strength and sheer hustle the Pubic Services staff came together to remove all the furniture from three offices at Town Hall and haul it off to the Public Works building
  • Sprang into action to fix a failing culvert at the Chimney Rock Baptist Church ensuring the safety of that property
  • Completed approximately 70 requested North Carolina 811 locates
  • With great skill and expertise the Public Services Department removed a fallen tree from a sanitary sewer manhole located on the lake
  • Unrelentingly repaired multiple water leaks
  • Meticulously located and mapped Town of Lake Lure power meters
  • Assisted with the installation of new cameras at the spill gates and wastewater treatment plant to assure the security of Town property
• Community Development: Director Williams reports another active month for community development. The department issued 32 permits for the month of June. This includes 12 Zoning, 5 Lake Structure, 4 Land Disturbance Permit, and 11 Vacation Rental Operators. Top accomplishments/project updates:
  • Zoning and Planning Board conducted a review of KML Investments, LLC’s Special Use Permit package regarding a 2,940sf office building with two office spaces and open area for storage. The board reviews site treatment, building design, relationship of building to site and neighborhood character and other considerations reasonably affecting the appearance of the proposed project. The board approved a recommendation to the Board of Adjustments for approval.
  • Board of Adjustments conducted quasi-judicial reviews of two variance requests. First was to reduce setbacks and other an increase in the maximum building height. Both were approved as presented. The board also reviewed the Special Use Permit package for the 2,940sf office building to be located within the Commercial General district that had been recommended for approval by Zoning & Planning. The board approved the Special Use Permit.
  • Lake Structure Appeals Board had no new business in June.
  • Continued working with Tillman Construction (for AT&T) on the cell tower project. It is still under review of the FCC and construction held pending their release.
  • Our college intern has helped our department with GIS mapping projects including zoning and protected mountain ridge mapping and continues researching street right of way information. This has been/will be a great collection of information for permitting and public use. She has also worked with public works on sewer and other infrastructure mapping including physical collection of data points, recording information and mapping.
  • We are also working on office space planning in preparation for a staff addition that would require a work space, and means to make the space more functional for our use. Fire / Emergency Management –It was still a busy month in June. The department responded to 45 fire/medical/rescue calls throughout the month. Firefighters completed 198 Hours of Training this month. Partial list of accomplishments:
  • Ensured that the fire boat was operational after being out of commission for various months.
  • Assisted and/or responded to two drowning calls.
  • Held a firefighter training class at Sunny View VFD.
  • Assisted public works with major water leaks on Boys Camp Road and Memorial Highway.
  • Held check-ins on the divers working on the reservoir drain valve installation.
  • Completed an orientation for a new part-time employee.
• Police Department: The Police Department has been busy with a large amount of traffic on the roads, lake, beach, and at events. There were several significant calls this month. One officer left the Town to work for another agency, but the Town has hired a new officer who will join the crew contingent upon all required paperwork being approved. Top accomplishments:
  • An officer was involved in a chase with a motorcycle after the rider sped past him while the officer was running radar. A chase ensued from our town into Polk County at which time our officer lost site of the motorcycle rider. The rider continued until he attempted to take a turn, losing control and hit two pickup trucks. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
  • Our Dive Team was called to assist in a missing swimmer in Rutherfordton. Corporal Collins assisted in retrieving the body of a young male.
  • The Lake boating traffic has kept officers busy, as well as with patrolling the waters. We’re thankful that we’re able to depend on our Reserve Officers to assist us, especially on the weekend where the road traffic is heavy as well as well as boating traffic on the lake.
  • We’re in the process of getting our Radar Trailer out and about. Using this, especially in the downtown area where the speed limit slows to 25mph will help drivers slow down as pedestrians meander getting to the lake area.
  • The Intermediate Certificate is given by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission to officers for their years of service and their continued education and training. We’re thrilled to announce Officer Kortney Burrell received hers this month. Parks, Recreation & Lake – With Ms. Dana Bradley being the new Parks, Recreation, and Lake Director, Town staff has been holding interviews for the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Coordinator position. A seasonal position has also been advertised. Director Bradley provided exemplary oversight of the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Department. Partial list of notable activities: Top Accomplishments:
  • Utilized a total of 144 volunteer hours, valued at $2,880
  • Completed lake debris clean up.
  • Completed a buoy reset following Marine Commission’s approval of the new buoy plan.
  • Replaced and enhanced signage for multiple areas in the Town. Finance – Revenues and Expenditures Reports are provided as separate attachments to supplement this summary. Revenues continue to track as projected and departments also continue to efficiently use resources in regards to individual line items in the departmental budgets. There are accruals for expenditures and revenues still listed on the budget and detail reports. These will exist until final trial balances are determined and audited from prior year audit. The Town continues to have a strong financial position with an unreconciled bank balance of approximately $9,900,000 for all funds other than special revenue (the Dam Fund). The dam fund is showing balance at $12,800,00.00 after significant expenditures related to the valve addition have now posted.
• Finance: With the addition of the Financial Administrative Associate, has once again added analysis and research to various components of the purchasing, invoicing, and vendor system. This effort is being made to generate cost savings, eliminate replication, and overall efficiency.
  • Audit items to be reviewed are decreasing and the Auditors are conducting some early wrap-up procedures. Sampling is still occurring along with accounting procedure clarification. It is estimated that all audit items will be submitted with the month of July.
• Communications: Communications Director Krejci continues her community outreach along with progress in all areas. There were 38 news articles published on the town’s website and 2,071 were sent by hyperlink. There were 35,000 website users in June. The Town of Lake Lure has 21,462 followers on Facebook as of the end of the month. Top Highlights:
  • Coordinated the Flag Day Ceremony with the Police and Fire Departments.
  • Administered ongoing communication to the public as it related to the water outage and boil advisory.
  • Completed the Annual Report to document Town accomplishments over the past year.
  • Website and Social Media Management:  71% increase in Website Users (35K) over the same time period in 2023 with 38 news posts in 6/24, and an 8% increase in Facebook Followers (21,462) over the same time period in 2023, with 54 posts in 6/24.
• Manager / Clerk / Admin Summary: June was a busy month including an array of staff, council, and board meetings and ever-changing day-to-day operations. In addition, the installation of the Dam valves continues to be underway and making progress. Highlights: 
  • The FY 24-25 budget was adopted on June 11, 2024. In addition, the FY 24-25 land use, general use, and utility fee schedules were adopted, along with the FY 24-25 salary grade schedule.
  • Created a solution to handling compensatory time issues, which will be more beneficial in tracking overtime and will be more satisfactory to auditors.
  • Passed the 2025 lake drawdown schedule which will take place from January 1, 2025 to March 15, 2023.
  • Opened bids for dredging operations, Morse Park improvements, and sludge management belt press. Staff is recommending award of bid to Stott Construction, Inc. for dredging operations, a review team is finishing up on determining a recommendation for Morse Park improvements, and LaBella Associates is reviewing the bids for the sludge management belt press.
  • Along with the Community Development, some of the administrative department hosted a career camp at Town Hall for the Lake Lure Classical Academy.
  • Kat Canant, Laura Krejci, and others prepared for the Lake Lure Flag Retirement Ceremony, which had a wonderful turn out.
  • Two vacant positions were filled including a public works utility maintenance technician and a police officer. Staff is continuing to hold interviews for the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Coordinator position. Additionally, the new budget included two additional public works utility maintenance technicians, a new member for the Community Development Department, and a seasonal Parks, Recreation, and Lake maintenance technician.
  • Met with Odom Engineering to begin the process for the work force housing conceptual design plan.
  • We received notification that 177 Tryon Bay, which we had previously demolished, went to auction and at this time one party has placed a bid for $102,000. There is a 10 day response period until it is final.

V. Council Liaison reports and Comments

The following updates were provided by the Commissioners who serve as Board Laiasons.

• ABC Board: The Board met and the store is doing well.  The store had a record sales day last month.     
• Board of Adjustments/Lake Structure Appeals Board: The Boards did meet and there was nothing new to report as most of the information was included in the Town Manager's report.  
• Lake Advisory Board (LAB): Met and they are reviewing the Lake Use Regulations in preparation for the next Marine Commission Meeting. 
  • The watercraft under 10 horsepower has increased with the changes in the regulations last year. 
  • Even a boat with a trolling motor needs to be registered in NC.
  • The Board updated the Buoy Plan and recommended a change from 97 buoys down to 62 buoys with some new strategic placements.
  • The Buoy Plan provides a barrier for simmers and motorized boats. 
  • The buoys have been relocated based on the plan that was passed in June 2024.  
  • Fae Nectar is working on a plan to have tour boats in the near future. 
  • Monitoring the non-motorized boat use. 
  • Police have given 43 warnings so far this season.
• Zoning and Planning: The last meeting was held on 6/18/24. There were two new items presented which were approved for new businesses on Memorial Highway.
• Parks and Recreation Board: The Board met 7/8/24.
  • A discussion was held on the new design for the entry signs as you come into Lake Lure. These ideas will be presented at the Town Council Work Session later this month. 
  • There were 144 reported volunteer hours which does not include the hours from Conserving Carolina, the Flowering Bridge, and the work that was recently done at Weed Patch Mountain Trail.  
  •  If anyone would like to participate in Trail Maintenance you can meet the crew on 7/11/24 at 8AM on Weed Patch and/or 7/18 at 9AM at Buffalo Creek.
  • The Olympiad will be held on August 9, 10 and 11.  This is the 20th anniversary.
  • On 7/18 the Board will meet to work on the recommendations for updating the Comprehensive Plan to include all the progress that has been made with our Lake Lure Parks and Trails since the plan was last updated. 

Mayor Pritchett thanked everyone who serves on the Town Boards. 

VI. Public Comments

The Public was invited to speak. Please keep comments limited to three minutes or less.  Comments may also be submitted in writing to the town clerk, ewillette@townoflakelure.com, at least one hour, prior to the meeting.

• Ms. Debbie Warren from 138 Yacht Island Road came forward and announced that the Olympiad will be held in 30 days on August 9, 10, and 11.  This is the 20th anniversary and over 100 volunteers come together to support the event.  The number of participants have doubled this year and they are expecting over 1,000 participants, family, and friends. Ms. Warren thanked the town staff for their support of the events. 

VII. Consent Agenda

The following consent agenda was approved. 

A. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the June 11, 2024 Regular Town Council Meeting Minutes, the June 24, 2024 Special Town Council Meeting Minutes, and the June 26, 2024 Work Session and Action Meeting Minutes

B. Resolution No. 24-07-09A Amending the Lake Lure Steering Committee Establishing Resolution

RESOLUTION BY THE TOWN OF LAKE LURE TOWN COUNCIL AMENDING THE LAKE LURE STEERING COMMITTEE ESTABLISHING RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 21-02-08 was duly adopted by the Town Council of Lake Lure, North Carolina on February 8, 2022, for the purpose of creating a Lake Lure Steering Committee; and

WHEREAS, in following with the current procedures, regulations and policies, changes have been recommended.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Town of Lake Lure Steering Committee Establishing Resolution is hereby amended a follows: 

SECTION ONE. Section 2 (C) is hereby amended as follows: (C) Parks and Recreation Board. Whomever is the current chair of the Parks and Recreation Board shall also serve as the chair for the on the Lake Lure Steering Committee.

SECTION THREE. This resolution shall be effective upon adoption.  

VIII. Unfinished Business

There was no unfinished business.

IX. New Business

A. Resolution No. 24-07-09 Chartering a Short-Term Rental Advisory Board

Town Council will charter a Short Term Rental Advisory Board. This would help with regulating short-term rentals appropriately, as they remain prevalent in the community. Resolution No. 24-07-09 Chartering a Short Term Rental Advisory Board details the objectives, rules, and make-up of the Board.

Resolution No. 24-07-09 Chartering a Short-Term Rental Advisory Board was approved.

B. Consider Approval of New Street Signs

• There are various street signs within Town limits that are in need of replacement.
• Town Code states that, “street signs and post shall be of aluminum construction to resist corrosion. Signs shall be green with white reflective letters.
• Letters shall be minimum of 3⅝ inches tall with minimum of one-half inch stroke letters.
• Optional color signs may be considered by town but shall have white letters.”
• Town staff is recommending replacement of signs on Town maintained streets with black signs including white letters and the Town’s logo.
• Staff also recommends the eventual replacement of all town street signs, but due to budgeting purposes this will be done within phases.

The new powder coated Town Street Signs were approved. 

C. Consider Award of Dredging Bid and Approval of Dredging Agreement

• The Town has been in the process of advertising for bids for dredging services.
• After the initial advertisement, the Town received one bid and re-advertised in accordance with general statutes.
• The Town received one bid during the second advertisement phase.
• This bid comes from Stott Construction, Inc.
• In order to proceed with dredging operations, Town staff recommends the award of bid and approval of the dredging agreement with Stott Construction.

The award for Dredging and the Dredging Agreement was approved.

D. Pickle Ball Camp Rental Request

• The Town of Lake Lure has received a request from local Pickleballers for rental of the Pickelball Courts for a two day (2 hours per day) camp in July.
• The date is to be determined if the event is approved.
• The instructor is a certified Pickleball Coach with Pickleball Coaching International, Joe Balboni.
• He has insurance with $2 million in coverage.
• He and his wife have a home in the area but live elsewhere.
• The Pickleball Camp would be for about 8 students and would be for locals only.
• The Events Team met 6/28/24 and would like to find a way to support this request.
• The courts have not been rented out for an event previously.
• The Events Team recommends charging the same fee as the rental for Town Hall which is $100 for 4 hours.
• The Events Team recommends approval of this event and rental as a trial.
• The Parks, Recreation, and Lake Director concurs with monetizing the courts whenever possible.
• If approved, the dates/times of the event would be posted at the courts one week prior to the camp for community awareness.
• The Town Rental Agreement has been updated with the inclusion of the Tennis/Pickleball Courts as an option.
• If the trial is successful, the Tennis/Pickleball Court rental fee would be presented as an addition to the Fee Schedule and the Town Rental Agreement. 
• A recommendation was made to ensure that signage is provided in advance of the camp to ensure others are aware of the dates of the camp. 

The pickleball camp with rental of the pickleball courts was approved. 

E. Consider Amendment of Rental Policy

• The Town of Lake Lure has received a request from local Pickleballers for rental of the Pickelball Courts.
• The Parks, Recreation, and Lake Director concurs with monetizing the courts whenever possible.
• The Town Rental Agreement has been updated with the inclusion of the Tennis/Pickleball Courts as an option.
• The updated Rental Agreement has been reviewed and approved by Town Attorney, William Morgan.
• In reviewing the Rental Agreement, some clarification regarding the references to approvals for the use of Alcohol were recommended.
• The related ordinance states the following: The town manager and chief of police may jointly grant a permit allowing consumption of either malt beverages, unfortified wine, fortified wine, spirituous liquor and/or mixed beverages for special events on town property and the permit shall be in writing and describe the location, type of beverage to be served and the date and hours in which the operation of this article shall be temporarily suspended for said special event. If a party applies for a permit and the permit is denied by the town manager and/or chief of police, the denial may be appealed to the town council.
• The current Rental Agreement references obtaining Town Council Approval for the use of Alcohol in Town Hall. This is not necessary according to the ordinance noted above. 

The updated Rental Agreement with the proposed changes was approved. 

F. Consider Approval of Library Services Agreement

• The Rutherford County Library System would like to hold a monthly bookmobile stop in Morse Park.
• This would take place on the fourth Friday of each month from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. while the farmer’s market is taking place and 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. all other months.
• The Rutherford County Library System has provided the Town with a Library Services Agreement to proceed with the bookmobile stop events.

G. Closed Session: In accordance with G.S. 143-318.11(a) (3) for attorney-client privilege or legal claims, Town Council entered into Closed Session.

X. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned following the Closed Session.