City Council - 28 April 2008 Minutes

WORK SESSION OF THE
MAYOR AND COUNCIL

PRESENT: Mayor Harris, Councilmembers Bomar, Dugan, Hall, Mundrick and Whitlock
City Administrator, Department Directors, City Attorney

A work session was held prior to the regular scheduled meeting to allow the elected officials to discuss and ask questions of department directors regarding this evening’s agenda items.

MINUTES OF THE
MAYOR AND COUNCIL
CITY OF DULUTH, GA

Announcements:
Mayor Harris announced that National Day of Prayer would be held on Thursday May 1st, in the Town Green at 11:30 a.m.

1. CEREMONIAL MATTERS
   1. PROCLAMATION – DULUTH HIGH SCHOOL – 50 YEARS Councilmember Mundrick read a proclamation for May 8th as “Duluth High School Day” in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of DHS at its current location on Brock Road and the “Super Reunion” event to celebrate the occasion.
   2. RECOGNITION – DULUTH HS GIRLS BASKETBALL – REGION 7AAAAA
      Councilmember Whitlock , the Mayor and Council recognized DHS Coach Jeremy Huckaby, Gwinnett County “Coach of the Year” and members of the women’s basketball team for reaching the final 4 for the first time in school history. Their record-breaking 21 win season qualified them for the state tournament for the first time in 32 years, and several of the players have made All-Metro, All-County or All-Region teams as well under the direction of Mr. Huckaby as well as coaches Tim Hemans, Kelly Juhl, Leigh Ann Gaskins, and Kenda Gilbert.
   3. RECOGNITION – DULUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL ROLLER HOCKEY TEAM
      Councilmember Hall, the Mayor and Council recognized the Duluth Middle School Roller Hockey Team for their winning season, with a record of 11-3 in the AAA division of the Atlanta Area Roller Hockey Organization (AARHO). During the end of season tournament, they were placed in the 4A division, winning 3 games in a row but lost the Championship game to Peachtree City, 2-1. Head coach Gary Ruffcorn and Asst. Coach Ogden and team members were on hand for recognition: Zach Erwin, Paige Falkowski, Charlie Hall, Ben James, Thomas Matton, David Ogden, Michael Poll, Eric Reynolds, Austin Riedel, and Michael Ruffcorn. 
2. CONSENT AGENDA
   1. APPROVAL OF APRIL 14, 2008 MINUTES
   2. RESOLUTION EXTENDING HIGWAY-COMMERCIAL (HC) MORATORIUM [Exhibit “A”]
      As approved on July 9, 2007 and extended on January 28, 2008 the temporary moratorium on accepting special use permits and special conditional permits for the Highway Commercial (HC) district is currently set to expire on April 30, 2008. Approval of this item extends the time for expiration to June 30, 2008, as well as halting all regular permitting for the HC district during this time period. Planning staff recommended and discussed the proposed extension of the current moratorium with the Planning Commission during their regularly scheduled meetings on April 7th and 21st, 2008. The Planning Commission had no objection to staff’s request to extend the current moratorium.
   3. RESOLUTION – COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) [Exhibit “B”]
      Approval of this item authorizes Planning Staff to submit a grant application for 2009 CDBG funds. This application will be seeking funds to further assist in the redevelopment of the Hill Community project service area. By authorizing this resolution, Council authorizes Planning Staff to submit the necessary documentation.
      
      A motion was made by Councilmember Hall, seconded by Councilmember Dugan, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.
      
      Those voting for: Councilmembers Bomar, Dugan, Hall, Mundrick and Whitlock
      Motion carried.
3. OLD BUSINESS
   1. AWARD OF BID – ROGERS BRIDGE GREENWAY TRAIL - CD-31-08 [Exhibit “C”]
      The Mayor and Council to consider awarding a contract for design engineering on a portion of the Greenway Trail from Rogers Bridge along the Chattahoochee River as part of the DNR grant ($100,000) matched by the City ($100,000). The City of Duluth received nine bids.
      
      Bron Cleveland Associates evaluated all nine bids and recommended choosing one of the following three:
      
      Pond & Company - $39,250
      HDR Engineering, Inc – $59,000
      MA/Moreland Altobelli Associates - $27,470
      
      Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Chairman Wanda Bennewitz and Director Kathy Marelle evaluated the top three and recommend HDR Engineering, Inc., based upon the following qualifications.
      
      Experienced with multiple trail designs with parks in the area.
      Experienced with the type and magnitude of design trail that would be required on the Rogers Bridge Trail project.
      Knowledgeable on the quality standards of park trails in the area.
      Informative on the Duluth park system and the trail requirements proposed along the river.
      The price is realistic and reasonable of what is required in the project.
      
      The City Administrators opinion is to award the contract to Pond ($39,250) because of their slightly higher qualification score, their lower price, and their equal abilities. Both firms are felt to be qualified and have done very similar projects.
      
      A motion was made by Councilmember Mundrick, seconded by Councilmember Hall, to award, the bid for the design of the Rogers Bridge Trail Project CD-31-08 to Pond & Company in the amount of $39,250 for the design of the Rogers Bridge Trail, Project CD-31-08.
      
      Those voting for: Councilmembers Bomar, Dugan, Hall, Mundrick and Whitlock
      Motion carried.
      
      Councilmember Bomar noted that although this firm is very qualified and capable of handling the project, she reiterated her concern about awarding future bids based on a “qualifications based selection process” to obtain the best value for the City.
4. ADJOURNMENT
   1. A motion was made by Councilmember Mundrick, seconded by Councilmember Hall, to adjourn at 7:25 p.m.
      
      All for. Motion carried unanimously.