Town Council Work Session and Action Meeting Summary - August 28, 2024

Town Council held a Work Session and Action Meeting on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 8:30 AM.

• The meeting was open to the public and was held in the Lake Lure Municipal Center 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 for additional information. 

I. Call to Order

Mayor Carol Pritchett called the meeting to order. 

II. Agenda Adoption

The meeting was adopted as posted with some reordering of topics. 

III. Public Comment

There were no public comments. 

IV. Review Draft Workforce Housing Conceptual Site Plan

The Town of Lake Lure has identified an increased need for workforce housing that supports the community, including first responders, teachers, healthcare workers, and Town staff.

• The Town has been in the process of working with the Foothills Regional Commission and Gateway Wellness Foundation to make the goal of having workforce housing a reality.
• Previously, Town property on Island Creek Road adjacent to Lake Lure Classical Academy was identified as an ideal location for workforce housing.
• School Director Barbara Cohen was invited to the meeting to see the draft conceptual plan. 
• The Town has been working with Odom Engineering to create a conceptual site plan.
• Mr. Scott Roach, Project Manager for Odom Engineering presented the current conceptual site plan draft shown below to Town Council.
• There was a discussion regarding the property and the plan.
• Neil Gurney, President of Gateway Wellness Foundation provided an overview of the process for applying for a grant with Dogwood Foundation for construction of the roads and infrastructure to support the project.  He will work with Laura Krejci to submit the grant.   
• the plan is for Gateway Foundation will build the 12 homes and two sets of Town Homes (12 each) in phases, starting with the first set of Town Homes on the right.  He will be reimbursed once the homes are sold.  USDA will provide home loans.  To be eligible to purchase the home, one’s household income must be under $55,000.  Homeowners must live in the home and they cannot be rented out. 
• The next steps are for Odom Engineering to explore costs for remediation of the firing range and moving forward with water and sewer connections with Public Works Director Dean Lindsey. 
• He noted that we will need approval from DEQ to proceed with the plan.

V. Review Proposed Lake Lure Tours Concession Pricing for the 2025 Season

Per the concession agreement, Lake Lure Tours has provided the Town with their proposed fee structure for the 2025 season. Current pricing is as follows:

Current Tours Pricing:

• Adult: $20.00
• Child: $10.00
• Child (Below X): $0.00
• Senior: $18.00
• Bus (Group) Tour (10+ Tickets): $17.00

Current Beach Tickets Pricing:

• Adult: $10.00
• Child: $8.00
• Senior: $9.00

LLT is requesting the following pricing for the 2025 season:

Proposed Tours Pricing:

• Adult: $24.00 (Formerly $20.00)
• Child: $10.00
• Child (Below X): $0.00
• Senior: $18.00
• Bus (Group) Tour (10+ Tickets): $20.00 (Formerly $17.00)

Proposed Beach Tickets Pricing:

• Adult: $12.00 (Formerly $10.00)
• Child: $8.00
• Senior: $9.00

Town Council approved the Proposed Lake Lure Tours Concession Pricing for the 2025 Season.

VI. Consider Lease Amendment for 2654 Memorial Highway

Mr. Brock and Mr. Oppliger have requested an amendment to their lease for 2654 Memorial Highway in order to receive an ABC liquor permit.

• This amendment includes the removal of Lake Lure Rowing Club from the lease.
• Town Attorney William Morgan has advised that this could be done either by having two leases (Suite A and Suite B) or by allowing Lake Lure Rowing to act as a sublet to Second Mountain LLC with a standalone concession agreement. 
• Mr. Morgan advises that it may be a cleaner approach would be to have one lease between the Town and Second Mountain LLC that recognizes and approves of one sublet area (the fitness studio) to Lake Lure Rowing LLC.
• There was a discussion regarding the proposed changes to the lease.
• There is currently one contract which includes the lease and the concession agreement.
• A recommendation was made to have Attorney William Morgan draw up a new lease and give the Town Manager the authority to approve the new lease based on the discussion. 
• Additionally, Mr. Brock wanted Town Council to discuss bringing the docks closer to the property in Pool Creek Picnic Park. He was not present for the discussion.
  • There was a brief discussion about this and the importance of using these docks for the annual Boat Show. 
  • There was concern about the relocated docks becoming a hazard.
  • A recommendation was made to ask Town Staff to review the area and both options and present a recommendation.
  • There was also a recommendation to allow Ridgeline Investments to assess the docks and determine if they would like to develop a plan for the docks.  
  • There are 12 slips.  They are rented for 2 hours at a time. 
  • Parks, Recreation, and Lake Director Dana Bradley will investigate this further and present options back to Town Council. 

VII. Update and Discussion Regarding Request for Easement from Camp Lurecrest

Camp Lurecrest requested an easement with the Town at a previous Town Council meeting.

• At that meeting, Council advised that Camp Lurecrest have a survey completed and Town’s Attorney would work with them to draft an easement to be reviewed by Council.
• Camp Lurecrest returned the survey which visualizes an easement for a 1.05 acre area.
• Attorney Morgan discussed that their request is for both a driveway easement and a parking easement.
• Mr. Morgan discussed the changes in the proposal that was received.  He was expecting a driveway easement with a new road into the camp and a parking area delineated.  It looks like a lot is being carved out in the proposal for 1.05 acres.
• At the Zoning and Planning Board meeting there was a conversation about Camp Lurecrest extending into Town property to benefit both the Town and Camp Lurecrest to find a win-win.   
• Town Council recommended that Camp Lurecrest staff meet with Public Services Director Dean Lindsey to develop a plan that works for both parties. 
• Per Community Development Director Mike Williams, there is a 30-foot designated right of way for any roads so this needs to be factored into the plan. 
• Mr. Lindsey will work with Camp Lurecrest staff to assess and develop a plan to present to Town Council. 

VIII. Continue Discussions Regarding Public Works Building

The Town has had ongoing discussions regarding the relocation of Public Works from behind the Arcade Building to the Lake Lure Green Space’s former driving range area.

• The Zoning and Planning Board reviewed the building design standards and ultimately recommended denial of the related Special Use Permit (SUP) due to interpretations that it does not fit the land use criteria.
• At their August 27th meeting, the Board of Adjustment reviewed and considered approval of the SUP for the proposed building.
• Council had a discussion based on the outcome of the Board of Adjustment’s vote and input.
• The Zoning and Planning Board felt the building did not fit the Comprehensive Plan though this is not a regulatory document per Mr. Williams.   
• The land is zoned as Government use. 
• Yesterday this was presented at the Board of Adjustment Meeting and they voted to approve it if it was presented in a Special Use Permit with fencing and a landscape buffer. 
• A site plan will be developed with the inclusion of the landscaping which creates a buffer for the building and property. 
• Per Mr. Williams, the plan has been reviewed for the past two years and it does not compromise the Comprehensive Plan. 
• Although this is on Government-use property and the buildings are Government-use buildings, landscaping, fencing, and attention to detail will be incorporated to ensure the building looks nice and in keeping with the community. 
• A Public Hearing is not required; however, a public presentation will be made to clearly communicate the plan.
• Town Council advised that Mr. Lindsey may proceed with plans for the building.

IX. Consider Approval of Easement and Consent of Lessee Form with Duke Energy

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (DEC) will be providing service for the new cell tower when it is installed.

• In order for DEC to install the facilities, an easement will need to be executed, and a "Consent of Lessee" be included with the easement.
• Tillman Infrastructure will have to sign the consent form separately.
• Mr. Williams advised that he received a call 8/27/24 confirming that the FCC staff have signed off on the cell tower but it now goes up the chain for a higher level approval within FCC. 
• He will keep Town Council apprised of any updates.

Town Council approved the easement with Duke Energy. 

X. Consider Approval of Agreement for Flock Safety Camera System

Flock is a company that installs cameras at key points in towns where the municipalities feel they will get the best benefit from the cameras.

• The cameras have tag readers which read every tag the passes the camera 24/7.
• The system notifies the officers on duty when a vehicle enters the city, and the tag has been flagged for stolen vehicle, amber alerts, silver alerts, if the operator of the vehicle is wanted for murder, ETC.
• The capabilities and benefits from these cameras for law enforcement and the safety of community are immeasurable, which is evident by how many cities are currently utilizing these cameras.

Town Council approved Flock Safety Camera System.

XI. Review Short Term Rental Advisory Board Applications

Town Council reviewed applications for the Short Term Rental Advisory Board and had a discussion regarding the selection process for members. Members of the Board will be appointed via ballot during the September 10th regular Town Council meeting.

XII. Consider Approval of Public Services Administrative Support Specialist/GIS Technician Position Description

The Public Services Department has a vacant administrative support position.

• The Town has had a GIS intern this summer who has worked primarily with public works mapping utilities.
• This intern is interested in filling the administrative role while adding a dual role as GIS Technician.
• This is a public services position, but the GIS skills will be used to assist various other departments (e.g. Community Development).

Town Council approved the updated position description.

XIII. Town Manager/Project Updates

Town Manager Olivia Stewman presented the following project updates. 

• Dredging:
  • Dredging operations are underway in the river channel beginning in July.  We will move into the main channel.
  • We have a budget of $800,000 for the rest of the year. 
  • The current plan is to continue hydraulically dredging in this area as needed and to mechanically dredge near Firefly Cove during the lake drawdown.
  • There have been reports of shallow areas in the marina cove.  One area is bedrock and cannot be dredged. 
  • LaBella and the Town are still in the process of obtaining an individual permit allowing larger scale mechanical dredging and we still anticipate receiving this permit in January.
• Drain Valve Installation:
  • Drilling below the dam was recently completed.
  • Morgan Corporation is currently awaiting the delivery of 72 inch pipe which is currently undergoing minor repairs.
  • The next major steps are delivery and installation of the knife gate valve, which is currently in Morgan Corporation’s possession.
  • We are still waiting for an inspection and delivery date for the jet flow valve, but it is expected within the next couple of weeks.
  • The week of the 10th is the scheduled install date.
  • The completion of the project is still set for this fall.
• Sewer System:
  • During the upcoming drawdown (Jan 1, 2025 – March 15, 2025),
  • Town staff and the sewer replacement project design-build team plans to investigate the backshore and existing sewer system to identify the most logical next phases that will occur during the next drawdown period.
  • LaBella is evaluating the most cost-effective way to proceed with the replacement of the sewer and updating the ER-EID. 
• Dam/Dam Replacement:
  • Schnabel Engineering is steadily working towards the completion of the replacement dam investigation and design work.
  • In the interim, the Town has tasked Schnabel with providing us with proposed work orders to assess the repair or replacement of the Tainter gates.
  • Schnabel should have the proposed work orders finalized within the next couple of weeks.
• Morse Park Improvements:
  • Odom Engineering is beginning the design for the next phase of the Morse Park improvements.
  • This phase will include enhanced parking, restrooms, and an expanded walking trail.
  • Odom anticipates the completion of the design by the end of this year.
  • After the design is completed, the Town will solicit bids for construction.
  • The goal is to have construction underway by March 2025.
• Lead Service Lines (LSL) Inventory:
  • Field investigations for the LSL inventory were completed in late July.
  • LaBella is currently working on the finalized report which is anticipated to be completed in early September.
• Asset Inventory Assessments (AIA):
  • LaBella anticipates the completion of field investigations for the sewer AIA within the next couple of weeks.
  • After this, they will be working on the findings report which is set to be complete in October.
  • Data collection has wrapped up for the water AIA and the next steps are system modeling, field investigation, and findings report.

XIV. Closed Session (in accordance with G.S. 143-318.11(a) (5) for the purpose of discussing property acquisition or employment contracts)

Town Council entered into a Closed Session. 

XV. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned.