City of Point Pleasant, WV

The Common Council of the City of Point Pleasant, a municipal corporation in Mason County, West Virginia, met in Regular session at the City Building, 400 Viand Street at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 10, 2003.Council member M. Leota Sang led Council in prayer. The meeting was called to order by Mayor James H. Wilson who led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.Darlene Haer (Riverfront Park Project) presented Council with 2 invoices from Woolpert, LLP for the months of September and October in the amount of $2,550.00 each for work done at the riverfront park. Half of the funding would come from TEA-21 monies while the other half would come from the Main Street Organization. Robert C. Doeffinger made the motion to pay the invoices and Robert A. Messick gave the second. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Haer also updated Council on the status of the $1.2 million grant that had been delayed by court proceedings. She reported that the bonds were to be sold in mid-December and the grant committee did not see any other obstacles at the present time.Next, Mayor Wilson introduced Charles E. Cottrill who aired some concerns over some dirt that was given to the City from a local construction site. Mr. Cottrill said that he was to have received some of the dirt. The Mayor stated that there must have been some miscommunication regarding the matter.Mayor Wilson asked for a motion to approve the minutes of Regular Council meeting of October 14, 2003 and the Consolidated Income (Financial) Statements of the General, Water and Sewer, and Coal Severance Funds for the month of October. Ronald R. Kapp made the motion to approve the motion and William H. Wallace gave the second. The motion passed unanimously.Mayor Wilson then asked for a motion to approve the Outstanding Obligations for October 2003. Ronald R. Kapp made a motion to approve and Robert A. Messick seconded. There being no discussion, the motion was approved unanimously.Next on the agenda was City Attorney James M. Casey. Mr. Casey discussed options that the City had in dealing with people who were arrested for non-violent crimes after the county jail closes in November. He spoke of having those charged with misdemeanor crimes being processed in Municipal Court at the City Building. He added that Municipal Judge Jeremy Vickers had been to meetings in Charleston on how to deal with D.U.I. cases. The Municipal Judge could possibly set bond and release the person to someone who was willing to pay the bond.He also stated that a meeting is pending with a business that is delinquent in B & O Taxes. A meeting is also scheduled with Kay Gygax to finalize the Suncrest Cemetery paperwork and finances.Next on the agenda was the City Clerk, Stanton D. Burdette. He presented a Resolution to agree to the terms and conditions of a Governors Local Economic Development Grant in the amount of $10,000.00 to construct a storage building and do paving at Krodel Park. M. Leota Sang made a motion to adopt the Resolution and Kevin R. Nott seconded. The motion passed unanimously.Mr. Burdette then presented a Resolution to agree to the terms and conditions of a $40,000.00 grant to help with costs of renovations to the former KFC building to house the Tourism and Water office. Robert C. Doeffinger made a motion to adopt the Resolution and M. Leota Sang seconded. The motion was unanimously passed.Next, Clerk Burdette presented a Resolution for the City to be included in the Mason County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Ronald R. Kapp made a motion to adopt the Resolution and Robert A. Messick seconded. The motion to adopt the Resolution passed unanimously.Mr. Burdette also presented a Resolution to support the upgrading of U.S. Route 35. William H. Wallace made a motion to adopt the Resolution and Ronald R. Kapp added the second. The motion to adopt the Resolution passed unanimously.Mr. Burdette then asked for a motion to approve the second reading of an Ordinance to enter into an agreement with the H. C. Nutting Co. to develop an Ordinance to control cell-phone tower locations. Robert C. Doeffinger made a motion to approve the second reading and Ronald R. Kapp seconded. The motion passed unanimously.Lastly, Mr. Burdette asked for a motion to approve the first reading of an ORDINANCE TO PROVIDE FOR THE COOPERATION OF THE CITY OF POINT PLEASANT WITH THE MASON COUNTY COMMISSION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 9-1-1 ADDRESSING AND MAPPING WITHIN THE CITY OF POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA, IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEST VIRGINIA STATEWIDE ADDRESSING AND MAPPING PROJECT. Ronald R. Kapp made the motion with right to amend and William H. Wallace added the second. The motion was approved unanimously.Next on the agenda was Mayor Wilson. The Mayor asked for a motion to approve a "Mayoral Proclamation" proclaiming November 23-29 as Christian Heritage Week. M. Leota Sang made the motion and Robert A. Messick added the second and the motion passed unanimously.The Mayor then told Council that he had received a request from the Mason County Commission for the City to pay 25% of the cost to resurface the Ordnance Tennis Courts. The Commission estimated that the total cost of the project would be approximately $25,000.00. Robert C. Doeffinger made a motion to pay 25% of the cost of the project. Ronald R. Kapp seconded and the motion was approved unanimously.The Mayor then asked for a motion to approve the Christmas bonus for employees. Full-time active employees would receive $550.00 while part-time active would receive $250.00. Finance Director Ron Siders stated that the money for the bonus was in the budget. Robert C. Doeffinger made the motion to approve the bonus and Ronald R. Kapp added the second. The motion passed unanimously.Next the Mayor updated Council on the 26TH Street paving project. He stated that money for the project had been received and deposited in the bank. The contract with the paving company had also been signed and work could begin soon, weather permitting. He added that the project would likely continue into next spring.The Mayor then asked for a motion to approve the appointment of the following people to committees:Sylvia Casey-----Historic Landmark CommissionJames Rossi------Board of Zoning AppealsCharles Rhodes---Planning CommissionBruce Dennis-----Planning CommissionJack Juniper-----Planning CommissionDonna Deal-------Planning CommissionWilliam H. Wallace made a motion to approve the appointments and Ronald R. Kapp seconded. Being no discussion, the motion passed unanimously.The Mayor informed Council that he was working with the Employee Advisory Committee in developing an Employee Handbook. This is required by the insurance company before the liability policy can be renewed next year.The Mayor then talked about purchasing T-shirts for the employees. He stated that eventually, he would like to look into purchasing uniforms for city employees. After some discussion, Robert A. Messick made a motion to purchase the T-shirts. Kevin R. Nott seconded and the motion passed unanimously.The Mayor then addressed concerns over letters sent to businesses and churches notifying them that their signs were in violation of City Ordinances. The Mayor stated that the City Attorney agreed that the signs were in violation. The West Virginia Department of Transportation has been in the City and agreed to help identify signage violations. Many signs along the main streets fall under state jurisdiction. Robert A. Messick added that he wanted the ordinance enforced fairly but did not want to see the churches lose their signs.The Mayor then asked for approval of the rate changes for Krodel Park. Ronald R. Kapp made the motion and M. Leota Sang added the second. Kevin R. Nott suggested separating Harmon Park and Krodel Park in the budget. Being no other discussion, the motion passed unanimously.The Mayor presented a rental agreement from Haddad Riverfront Park. He asked Council to review it and make any recommendations as it would be used for a template to develop the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park Agreement. The Mayor added that he had been to Huntington and applied for grants to provide entertainment at the park. The stipulation was that the City would have to pass out anti-smoking literature and it would be targeted at young adults.The Mayor then asked for a motion to approve allowing the local Division of Motor Vehicles use an area at Harmon Park to conduct parallel parking tests. The topic was discussed at the previous council meeting but no action was taken. Ronald R. Kapp made the motion and Kevin R. Nott seconded. The motion passed unanimously.Next the Mayor talked about a rate agreement with American Electric Power. He stated it was a "Contracting Service Agreement" that runs from December 31, 2003 thru December 31, 2006. The agreement would be for AEP to work on electrical equipment that the City owns at the pump station. Ronald R. Kapp made a motion to accept the agreement and Robert C. Doeffinger seconded. The motion passed unanimously.The Mayor then asked if Council wanted to take any action on the notice from Zambelli Fireworks to get 20% more product from them for advance agreements on next summer's fireworks program. Some discussion ensued on when the fireworks display would take place and if it would coincide with the regatta. After discussion, Ronald R. Kapp made a motion to enter into an advance agreement with Zambelli Fireworks. Robert C. Doeffinger seconded and the motion passed unanimously.Next, Mayor Wilson asked if Council wanted to make a $150.00 donation to the Boy Scouts of America. He stated that the City had done this in the past. He added that the donation was to the MGM District but he thought the money was funneled back to the local chapters. M. Leota Sang made a motion to approve the donation and Ronald R. Kapp added the second. The motion passed unanimously.In closing, the Mayor commended Denise Scarberry on the recent Halloween Block Party. He stated that it was a great success with a large crowd in attendance. He urged Council to thank her also.Next on the agenda were the Committee Reports. Ronald R. Kapp, speaking about the Medal of Honor Park, said that the $10,000.00 grant money to complete the first phase of the project was mostly spent and there would likely be a cost overrun. He asked Council if they would approve up to $2000.00 to cover the overrun. Robert C. Doeffinger made a motion to approve the money and William H. Wallace added the second. The motion passed unanimously.William H. Wallace reported that the Street Committee had met to discuss the traffic flow problem at 27TH Street. Traffic flow there has been a problem since the new school opened. He stated the committee discussed several ways to route the traffic but there must be public hearings before any change can be made. He added that the Street Commissioner would like to have a quality dump truck and farm tractor.The Mayor then asked if there were any Council Concerns. Robert C. Doeffinger stated that Crooked Creek near Southern States was getting overgrown with trees. The trees need to be removed to promote proper storm drainage. He added that he would like to see a spotlight directed at the Mothman Statue. The Mayor added that a plaque recognizing the artist and explaining some history had been installed on the statue.Brian L. Billings stated that some of the stop signs around the City were in a state of disrepair.Ronald R. Kapp stated that there was a severe problem with parking at North Point School. M. Leota Sang echoed Mr. Kapp's concern.M. Leota Sang asked if any progress had been made with the drainage canal. The Mayor said nothing had been done recently but he hopes to work on the project soon.Robert A. Messick asked about a resident who wanted to put a small business in their home. The Mayor stated that the request was going before the Planning and Zoning Committees.In closing, the Mayor announced that the Christmas Parade would be on November 21ST to coincide with the opening of the Fantasy Light Show at Krodel Park.Being no other business, Ronald R. Kapp made a motion to adjourn. Kevin R. Nott seconded and being unanimously approved, the meeting adjourned at 9:25 pm.

_______________________________ James H. Wilson, Mayor

______________________________Stanton D. Burdette, City Clerk