9-10-91 Minutes

City of Bedford, Virginia - At the Peaks of Perfection!

9-10-91 Minutes

A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Bedford, Virginia, was held in the Council Hall of the Municipal Building at 7:30 p.m., September 10, 1991.

Members present: Mayor G. Michael Shelton; Councilman Larry D. Brookshier; Councilwoman Joanne A. Grahame; Councilman Payton M. Otey; Vice Mayor John M. Owen, III; Councilman Ronnie C. Rice; and Councilman James A. Vest.

Members absent: None.

Staff present: City Manager Jack A. Gross; City Attorney W. W. Berry, IV; and Clerk of the Council Teresa W. Hatcher.

Mayor Shelton opened the meeting and led all present in saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Mayor Shelton declared that the minutes of a regular Council meeting held on August 13, 1991, were approved as mailed.

Mayor Shelton offered congratulations to Bedford Main Street, Inc., on the occasion of its sixth anniversary.

On motion by Councilman Rice, seconded by Councilwoman Grahame, voted upon and carried unanimously, the following items were added to the agenda:

Consent Agenda: Appointment of Member - Blue Ribbon Committee on the Joint Industrial Park

Presentation - Bedford Regional Library Director

The Consent Agenda consisted of the following items:

Appointment of Travis Patterson to a three-year term on the Recreation Advisory Committee, said term to expire June 30, 1994.

Appointment of Virginia Anders, Dorothy Arthur, and Ann Wood to the Keep Bedford Beautiful Commission to fill vacancies expiring June 30, 1992.

Appointment of Raymond E. Holland, Jim Holdren, and Beulah Payne to four-year terms on the Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said terms to expire October 13, 1995.

Appointment of Joe Davidson to the Blue Ribbon Committee on the Joint Industrial Park.

Councilman Brookshier moved that the Consent Agenda be adopted as presented. The motion was seconded by Councilman Rice, voted upon and carried unanimously.

Ms. Nancy Donahoo, Bedford Regional Library Director, gave a video presentation showing conditions of the Bedford Public Library, as presented with the application for the Library Services and Construction Act Grant (LSCG). Ms. Donahoo announced that the State Library Board awarded the library a grant in the amount of $178,172.

Mr. Billy Witt, 1120 Granite Drive, read aloud the following letter:

Respected Members of the Bedford City Council:

You have been presented a "Petition" against the use of Smith Street as a main access to the new Bedford County landfill site. There are other factors to be considered in not using this street. Unfortunately the Bedford Hills area is not provided with sidewalks or curb and guttering. There are many men and women using Smith Street for their walking exercise, as well as children on bicycles. At least four school buses use this very populated area during school of approximately 9 1/2 months, for the morning and afternoon transportation of school children, with frequent stops on Smith Street. It is also interesting to note, there are 58 private driveways of which most vehicles would back out of into Smith Street.

Currently, many trucks, (including tractor trailers) now use Smith Street coming from Link Road to gain access to Route 43. Any additional vehicles of a rather heavy nature, will cause additional noise, including traffic hazards. We do not know of specific instances, but understand residents of this area have called the City Police Department about vehicles, especially trucks, that were obviously exceeding the speed limit on Smith Street.

We ask your continued thoughts and consideration on this much need re-routing, before, not after it becomes a problem.

Respectfully Submitted

Residents of Bedford Hills

and The Smith Street Area

Discussion ensued with members of Council and members of the audience.

The Mayor asked the Street Committee to work with the City Manager, the County Administrator, and the Board of Supervisor's Committee on City-County Relations to make sure that Smith Street does not become a throughway to the County's new landfill; to discuss the possibility of not allowing through trucks to use Smith Street; and to consider what the impact will be on Link Road. The Mayor invited any citizens to meet with the Street Committee.

Rev. Ken Burger, chairman of a group of individuals who have been meeting regarding waste management concerns, made a presentation to Council on the tasks accomplished by these volunteers and their goals and objectives for the future. He asked Council to form an advisory committee for responsible waste management which will work with Council and its Solid Waste Committee in implementing programs concerned with waste management. Rev. Burger stated that the committee would serve as an advisory committee of City Council, with three primary objectives:

1. To serve as liaison between the City Council and the citizens of Bedford.

2. To serve as an investigative body for the Council.

3. To provide means for City staff, as well as City Council, to communicate clearly and thus work more effectively.

The City Manager stated that the staff supports the formation of this Committee.

On motion by Councilwoman Grahame, seconded by Councilman Brookshier, voted upon and carried unanimously, Council agreed that an advisory committee for responsible waste management be formed with membership to be constituted up to a number of fifteen.

The Clerk of Council read aloud the following proposed resolution:

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the citizens of the City of Bedford, Virginia, recognize and appreciate the economic and social advantages of all forms of regional intercommunications; and

WHEREAS, C & P Telephone, a Bell Atlantic company, has facilitated such communications by providing toll-free access to additional exchanges in the Bedford/Lynchburg area; and

WHEREAS, the citizens within this region now have freer access to such communications, and the Bedford City Council commends C & P Telephone, a Bell Atlantic company, for facilitating and improving such communication links; and

WHEREAS, members of the Bedford City Council have received numerous complaints from citizens of the City of Bedford concerning the unequal cost distribution borne by the business customers; and

WHEREAS, the present tariffs appear to be excessive and to discriminate against small business customers;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Bedford, officially representing the citizens of the City of Bedford, Virginia, that C & P Telephone, a Bell Atlantic company, review its tariffs as they relate to the new wider area toll-free dialing service in order to provide a reasonable and equitable distribution of all necessary charges among all of its classes of customers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the State Corporation Commission in Richmond, Virginia.

Councilman Rice moved that the resolution be adopted as read. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Grahame.

Mr. Don Reid, Manager, C & P Telephone Co., gave background information regarding the expansion of the local calling area to include the Lynchburg Exchange. He stated that the business customers in Lynchburg will be paying the same fees as those in Bedford.

Discussion ensued.

Councilman Rice withdrew his motion and Councilwoman Grahame withdrew her second to the motion.

Mayor Shelton adjourned the meeting at 9:11 p.m. until Tuesday, September 17, 1991, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Hall.