Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 1, 2011

This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. City council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.

At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.

You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.

Here is a summary of the agenda of the 3/15/2011 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:

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Invocation by Rev. Karla Woggon of Episcopal Church of the Ascension

Special Presentations:
A. Presentation by Deputy Fire Chief George Byers and Senior Firefighter Darlene Huffman Requesting Council’s Approval for the 2011 PINK Heals Tour to Come to Hickory on September 22 - 24, 2011 in Support of the Fight Against Cancer in Women - Hickory is the second city in North Carolina to be selected for this. High Point was in 2010. The goal is to help area non-profit agencies. this will be an annual event. Mrs. Huffman stated that her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and did not have insurance. In 2008 her mother passed away. She wants to hep do this min honor of her mother. She wants to raise more money than High Point did ($60,000). The goal for Hickory is $25,000. This money will help with co-pays, transportation, house cleaning for 4 months, and mowing yards. Stephanie Drum spoke about the ways that these monies would be raised.

The Hound thought this was very touching. We have all been affected by people who have had cancer or passed away due to cancer. One could see how important this mission is to Mrs. Huffman and frankly it is to us all. One of the defining moments of my life was when my grandfather died from terminal cancer in 1999 and it is tough to watch anyone go through that and it is tough on the families that go through that process, especially when the spouse needs to work. And to hear the struggles related to insurance. We all know people who have faced these challenges and so we should all be supportive of this cause.


B. Presentation of FY 2010-2011 Board and Commission Work Plans Board / Commission Presenter - The Mayor has stated in the past that this was one of his favorite meetings of the year when we get to learn what our civilian volunteers are doing. Only 1 out of every 200 of our citizens participate on one of these boards. (Oops!, I left the animal control advisory board presentation from last year on this part of the article. I have now deleted it. The animal control advisory board no longer exists by decision of the city council a couple of months ago. I ain't the best proof reader in the world -- sorry).

1. Library Advisory Board - Ms. Judy Ivester -Asked for no money. In November the Council approved the Library's strategic plan. The Library is a focal point in the community. The new mission of the library is to encourage the exploration of new ideas and support local education; enhancing the economic vitality of the region and strengthening the sense of community, while enriching the quality of life for all. At this time, the library has 3 key positions frozen. The goal is to recruit, vet, and train volunteers to help with homebound services, senior outreach, and to perform regular library functions. To help with library services, each of the nine board members have pledged to help with library services by volunteering 24 hours to time towards this effort.

On the State level, the board will advocate for the library by attending Library day in Raleigh and by contacting state representatives about specific library related issues, will help the library without taxing existing library resources.

Technology plays a big role in and outside of the library. Each month 9,000 to 10,000 patrons utilize the library's 51 computers and another 10,000 patrons each month come to use the library's wireless network. The computers allow for the use of a virtual library. Offers real time records. Mrs. Ivester went into the library's formation of a technology garage, which allows patrons to learn and use new technologies. Technology Talks classes have been sellouts. In these tough economic times, it is smart for the library to join with other institutions to offer programs that they cannot afford on their own. She spoke about the Lenoir -Rhyne visiting writers series. The library sponsors one of these events each year -- Alexander McCall Smith will be the author this year visiting to Hickory. He usually only visits larger cities. This helps to promote our Quality of life and that is important in this climate. A library subcommittee will develop a series of programs around this author's visit. Last year the library counted on average 37,000 patrons per month and this year the number has risen to 39,000. This will allow the library to maximize its investment and attract new patron and the visibilty of the library in this region.

Mrs. Ivester talked about the library as an economic driver. In 2007, the North Carolina Library Association held its bi-annual conference at the Metro Center. It drew over 1,000 attendees to Hickory for 3 1/2 days. Prior to 2007, the last time one of these conventions west of I-77 was in the 1950s. Mary Sizemore and her staff did such an excellent job the last time that the NCLA is coming back this fall. This will out significant dollars into our economy, but at this time the library staff is severely stretched even with the board coordinating having volunteers to coordinate arrangements. Mrs. Ivester left by talking about the library, in coordination with Lenoir-Rhyne, bringing David Baldacci to Hickory on March 31, This event could not happen without that coordination along with the friends of the library. The Friends have supplemented the budget, just so that the Library can do extraordinary things for the community. Mr. Baldacci has 19 best seller's to his credit. His last book "Hell's Corner" debuted at number 1 on the New York Times best seller list in late November. (The Hound always appreciates Mrs. Ivester's straightforward updates. No fluff, she submits the challenges they face, what they are doing to solve the challenges, and the opportunities that lie ahead. You can tell that she spends time on these presentations and it isn't a cut and paste presentation from the past moved forward to this year. While some of the information is similar, she always injects new subject matter. This shows that the library has energy and has "It" going on. They aren't resting on their laurels -- Mary Sizemore and that staff should be shown gratitude for the work they do. These presentations truly show respect for the process and that in and of itself lends credibility when Mrs. Ivester makes presentations, because it attracts your attention.)

2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Mike Holland - Todd Hefner presentation. Reviewing Block Grant Funds, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency Funds, and other Community Based Funding. Recommend Loan Applications related to the above to City Council. Trying to create affordable housing for the Green Park, Kenworth, Ridgeview, and West Hickory Neighborhoods. Working with the WPCOG for affordable housing through First Time Homebuyer Program.

3. Community Appearance Commission Mr. Leroy Harris -Requesting $51,300 1) Community Revitalization through community appearance ($30,000) and landscaping ($10,000) matching grants for aesthetic improvements. 2) Litter program for Saturday pick up ($10,000) augments the city's existing effort to clean up litter. 3) Tree City USA - Arbor Day Tree Celebration ($700) 4)Beautification awards ($100 for awards and certificates) - Adopt a Spot program. (The Hound is glad to see that the CAC is making efforts to improve conditions in more parts of the city and broaden its outreach).

4. Community Relations Council Ms. Alice Whitener - Overall plan costs $17,000. Maintain the grants program from the past, which assists private non-profits and public agencies ($12,000). Multi-Cultural event to be sponsored every year. Encourage City leaders to be educated on Human relations issues that can create better human relations in the city. Those given grants will be asked to partner with the CRC more.

5. International Council Mr. Hani Nassar - 7th time he has presented before the City Council. 12 members represent 9 countries. Spoke about the 8th and 9th annual Springfest at the SALT Block. PANGEA United Nations Conference held at Lenoir Rhyne on March 9 and 10, 2011. Working in association with the Footcandle Film Society to show International Films. Community Conversations - Community Outreach at the Library and other high traffic areas. All area schools are represented at their meetings. Budget is growing slightly ($10,000). Mary Sizemore has acted as a Liason between the city and the International Council.

6. Hickory Youth Council Ms. Sarah Carter - Comprised of 25 students from all of the area high school (public and private) Act as an advisory group to the City Council and liaisons to the various Borads and Commissions. Participate at State youth conference events. Participate in service events such as Cops for Tots and Animals for Alex. Host Dialogue Circles - This year they will discuss Cyber Bullying and other social media. Promote community and general public knowledge in the hearts and minds of our youth. Requesting $3,600 for general uses, programs, and a possible Summer retreat. (The Hound Knows this is a good Investment, because kids need to be more civic minded.)

7. Hickory Regional Planning Commission Mr. Brian Frazier - Implementation of the newly revised Hickory by Choice and the Land-Use Development plan. Getting geared up and used to the new codes. Optimistic about their application and possible reception of new Brownfield Grant monies ($200,000 or $400,000). Should know by Memorial Day.

8. Historic Preservation Commission Ms. Ernie Sills - This past year they updated their ordinances and by-laws. Designated the Train Depot as a local Historic landmark. Held a public hearing on recommending the former Ridgeview Library for the national registry. Asking for $10,100, $5,000 of which will be utilized to for offsetting the costs of incentive grant programs for Historic Designations. They want to extend outreach for the idea of Historic Preservation.

9. Parks and Recreation Commission Ms. Kelly Hurley - (I encourage you to go read the minutes of the January Parks and Recreation Meeting. It is very descriptive of this whole presentation. Ms. Hurley went over the list of goals and stated that this year the commission voted to not rank the objectives in order of priority. The Parks and Recreation staff now provides an e-newletter. She also gave a thorough update of the Hickory Community Gardens at Civitan park and Taft-Broome Park. The Civitan Park now has 40 plots compared to 20 last year. The North Carolina cooperative extension service is partnering with Parks&Rec to provide classes to citizens. She went into public-private and other partnerships that provide more opportunities for the people of the area.

1) Support completion of the Sandy Pines Park master site plan as recommended in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and endorsed by Hickory By Choice. Should the decision be made to market and sell residential lots on Cloninger Mill property, some of the proceeds should be used to fund completion of the master site plan for Sandy Pines Park. 2) Pursue the creation of a parks and recreation endowment/foundation for the city of Hickory. 3) Support the City of Hickory in its efforts to provide an aquatic recreation facility that would serve the entire Hickory community. 4) Support the development of an outdoor amphitheatre at Henry Fork River Regional Recreation Park. 5) Pursue the development of a dog park within Hickory’s parks system. Proceed with plans to develop the dog park at Fairbrook Optimist Park as previously recommended. 6) Support the City of Hickory in its efforts to develop greenways and trails in accordance with the 2005 Greenways and Trails Master Plan. Work with staff to prioritize the recommendations contained within the master plan and develop an implementation strategy. 7) Support the efforts of the Hickory Landmarks Society to refurbish the Boy Scout Hut located within Geitner-Rotary Park. 8) Begin study and research on the potential implementation of a park ranger program for Hickory’s parks system. Focus should be on both law enforcement and interpretive education components for the program. 9) Pursue local partnerships and collaborations to establish a program to provide accessibility and affordability for swimming lesson to be made available to all children licving within the City of Hickory 10) Support the development of the proposed Cloninger Mill Park as recommended by the approved park master site plan.

(The Hound thought this was an excellent presentation. It was on point and I appreciate Ms. Hurley's enthusiasm related to the Community Garden Project. It has really been a success and I think the movement will really grow moving forward. I think that going out of their way to try to put a chill on the Swimming Pools issue is understandable, but in the end it is a waste of time, because what has happened is not going to be forgotten. In the end, people aren't going to blame the people on the Commission or the P&R staff. They are going to blame the people who were behind the decision; who showed no sense of respect for the people of those communities who were affected. That is the sad, but true, reality of the mess. The people know who and what was behind all of this. The people who cared about this issue are not going to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. It was not only the dishonesty from the get-go related to the subject. It was the fact that the City officials created a tyranny by not listening to the will of the people and by tearing up something that was not a part of their own neighborhoods.)

10. Public Art Commission Mr. David Zagaroli - Develop a Master Art plan, implement plans for art walk, and initiate a sculpture project. They are struggling with the proposes Fire Sculpture. They are going to look to a North Carolina Artist. Working on Art Walk Brochures (in-house $2,000) and Website enhancement to allow citizens to see the areas art work and the art benches that have been located throughout the city. he talked about the need for money to maintain the art benches. Total request is $11,500.

11. Recycling Advisory Board Mr. Jeffrey Wright - Chuck Hansen presentation. 9% increase in participation (74% of households). Recyclables are down a little related to the economy. In house video will be formed to educate how to and how not to recycle. Expand the scope of the program through Household recycling. This past fall they collected 55,000 pounds of household waste, of which 48,000 was electronics. They are working to educate schools through a Play event ($3,000). Education of students.

Consent Agenda:
A. Approval of Pyrotechnic Display Request by St. Stephens High School for Event Held at CVCC Campus - The North Carolina Fire Code requires a mandatory operation permit for the use and handling of pyrotechnic special effects material The City of Hickory has received a permit request from St. Stephens High School to display fireworks by Zambelli Fireworks Company at CVCC on June 11, 2011 for their graduation ceremony. The Fire Prevention Bureau will inspect the pyrotechnics display area prior to the event to ensure compliance with all guidelines..

B. Approve Second Amendment to Parking Lot Agreement With Transportation Insight, LLC - Due to parking need changes, Transportation Insight, LLC, desires to amend the initial parking lot agreement dated September 2008 for the second time to include releasing two handicap parking spaces as open to the general public and retaining twenty-four (24) usable parking spaces at $26.00 each per month.

C. Approve Resolution in Opposition to Closing the Hickory Mail Processing and Distribution Center and Rerouting Mail Through Greensboro, NC - The Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir MSA has lost 47,538 jobs since the year 2000; 1,319 in the last 12 months and holds an unemployment rate of 12.4 percent, this it is not the time for further loss. Consolidation of some operations to the Greensboro Processing and Distribution Center would close the entire Hickory P&DF and all 200 employees would be forced to relocate to other jobs outside the Hickory area. City Council requests the U.S. Postal Service to reconsider and take into account the high unemployment rate and loss of jobs when implementing the U.S. Postal Service AMP Study.

D. Deny Extension and Terminate Vacant Building Grant Contract With El Tio Food Systems, LLC for Property Located at 1180 Lenoir-Rhyne Boulevard, SE in the Amount of $25,000 - This request is to deny El Tio Food Systems, LLC an extension of time to complete work required to meet the terms of the contract for a Vacant Building Revitalization Grant for 1180 Lenoir-Rhyne Blvd, SE originally approved by City Council on August 3, 2010. Said termination of contract is based upon Section 8, failure to perform. According to the Vacant Building Grant Guidelines, the grant contract requires the work to be completed within 180 days of August 3, 2010. The applicant can request an extension for up to an additional 180 days for extenuating circumstances. The grant expired on January 30, 2011. The City Manager’s office recommends denying the extension request and termination of grant contract.

Budget Ordinance Amendments -
1. To budget a $300 donation from Grasche in the International Council line item for the 2011 International Springfest.
2. To transfer $50,000 of Water and Sewer Contingency to the Water Plant Maintenance and Repair Building line item. This transfer is to help pay toward an $82,000 project to topcoat a 2MG Clearwell (ground storage tank for finished water). This project was budgeted this year but due to several unforeseen failures additional funds have been used.
3. To appropriate $16,667 of General Fund Balance to the Airport Transportation Capital Projects. This appropriation represents the 10% local share of a $166,667 VISION 100 Grant from the North Carolina Division of Aviation. This grant will pay for the preparation of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures (SPCC) Plan. Both plans are mandated by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) and the North Carolina Division of Aviation. Runway Approach Obstruction removal and Land Acquisition are mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the North Carolina Division of Aviation. The North Carolina Division of Aviation has approved $150,000 federal share under the Federal Aviation Century of Flight Authorization Act (VISION 100).
4. To transfer $1,882 to General Fund Contingency and $19,777 to the Transportation Capital Reserve Parking Fund from the Downtown Bus Station Project Bus Shelters and Construction line items. This transfer is necessary to close the project and return a total of $21,659 of unspent monies to the original
funding sources.
5. To transfer $12 to General Fund Balance Appropriated from the Brownfields Assessments Grant Salaries line item. This transfer is necessary to close the project and return a total of $12 of unspent monies to the original funding source.

Informational Items:
A. Report of Alderman Seaver’s Attendance at the 2011 Annual Catawba County Meeting Held in Hickory, NC; registration - $40.00
B. Report of City Manager Berry’s Attendance at the 2011 Annual Catawba County Meeting Held in Hickory, NC; registration - $40.00

New Business - Public Hearings:
1. Approve Amendment to Final Statement of Community Development Objectives and Projected Use of Funds for FY 2010 in the Amount of $70,000.00 - This amendment is for funds to be loaned to Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley for installation of a new roof for the new Habitat Store located at 1615 8th Street Drive, SE at a 3% interest rate for 20 years. These funds must be used for Community Development related programs and Hickory’s Community Development Department estimates that at least 51% of these funds will benefit lower income citizens within the City of Hickory. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee recommends approval of said amendment. Todd Hefner made the presentation where he went over the information above. The Council gave unanimous consent.


Recognition of Persons Requesting To Be Heard
1. Mr. Sam Glaberman of Union Square Emporium has requested to address City Council regarding some creative and invigorating ideas for downtown -

To Distinguished leaders of our community: This is a note with the basics for a project of a temporary ice skating rink for Union Square and the Hickory Downtown that would have enormous benefits for the downtown businesses and the greater Hickory area and once again make Hickory the center of commerce and excitement. This would have the added benefit of turning Union Square into an area more family oriented. I will be attending and speaking at your City Council meeting to help get your advice and thoughts

Cost of rink rental for 7 weeks ....11/21/11 - 1/9/12...................$78,600
Rental of a transformer to step up to 480 volts............................$2,500
Site preparation ( sand and leveling) .........................................$1,500 estimate
Elec. Hook up...........................................................................$1,500 estimate
Insurance...............................................................................$12,000 estimate ( rink co. said between $10-$12)
Lighting....................................................................................$1,000 estimate
Advertising...............................................................................$3,000 to include easels placed at hotels, restaurants, visitor centers etc.
A shed to keep the and rent the ice skates..................................$1,000 estimate
Payroll for the 7 week event.....................................................$10,000 very rough estimate
Electric consumption................................................................$10,500 (based on ave. consumption of 65,100KW per month @ $.08 per kw)
Total cost..............................................................................$120,600

Magic Ice USA would be responsible for the set-up on a flat area and complete take down and removal. They will also provide all the tools necessary as well as 300 pr. of ice skates which will allow for people to try on while waiting for ice time. Many of these costs might be offset or donated. Duke (Energy) could be approached to supply the electric, maybe city workers could prepare the site with sand and maybe even oversee it.

This would be a wonderful, uplifting venue for the greater Hickory area and provide a place for parents to bring their children and would truly be an exciting venue and a focal point for the entire area. It would give Hickory and Union Square a family oriented activity and help make a more family friendly identity for Union Square. It would also give a tremendous boost to restaurants and retailers at a time of year that drives shoppers to the Malls and would instead create a wonderful alternative that can help save the businesses downtown. The potential benefits are enormous for Downtown and the image of Hickory

Now the part of how would this be paid for as the rink etc. are all up-front costs. This project should at worst be revenue neutral and actually makes a profit in all the places I've looked into.

Using Charlotte as a template there used to be a wonderful skating rink in the Eastland Mall off Independence that closed when the shopping center did but far outlasted most of the stores in the center and was very successful. There are currently 3 ice skating rinks in Charlotte. Two are indoors and privately owned and the third, which is our model is operated by WBT radio for the last 7 years and is Downtown in the old Wachovia Plaza. WBT radio makes money each year on their rink as well as using this as their promotional centerpiece over the Holiday Season. They have actually started buying parts of the rink over the years to further reduce costs.

Mecklenburg County has approx. 913,000 residents and let's say for this scenario that 1/2 the potential users would prefer to use the WBT Holiday on Ice Rink which gives a possible usage of 450,000 people. WBT gets approximately 25,000 visitors to their rink in their same 7 week period. Imagine if we could get anything like that kind of response coming to the Downtown Hickory area. However only 17,000 people actually go on the ice. The charge is $7.00 for the ice and $3.00 for the rental of the skates. So the WBT rink itself takes in approximately $170,000.

I was going to use a figure for us in Hickory of 608,000 people which is Catawba and all counties that border on Catawba but was told that the Metropolitan Hickory statistical population that regularly shops and and comes to Hickory is more like 350,000. I will use the lower figure for comparisons. If out of 450,000 possibles in Charlotte, 17,000 are paid skaters for the WBT rink then we should have approx. 13,200 paid skaters. This would be approximately $132,000 which now covers ALL the costs...but it gets much better.

Charlotte has many sponsors that might be ours as well such as Duke Energy, Piedmont Gas, Wells Fargo..Amtrac actually bought them a Zamboni this season. These are some of the "Major" sponsors involved and most of those sponsors are the same companies involved heavily in the Hickory area and would think would be viable for us as well. I have also encountered Doctors, Dentists and real estate firms that would also like to be sponsors but at a lower level. The Magic Ice company can supply us with white or clear dasher boards around the rink that can be used with an applique for sponsors.I've also spoken with people that would like to rent the rink for a day or evening for their events . The Tap room has indicated they would want to be a sponsor as well. If this could be partially handled by the HDDA it could be their biggest moneymaker and would certainly rival Oktoberfest. This would be a real family event that would last 7 weeks as opposed to a few days.

I had thought that Charter was strongly considering being the Title sponsor however it was too late for this year for a big budget item.

Our reason for trying to do this is to help the failing Downtown and actually utilize and make Union Square a destination and give people something to do on Union Square. It will also as a family event counter some of the image that some people have of the Downtown area.

We are not alone in this venture...it has been tried and proven to succeed and draw people back to the Downtowns. Magic Ice is the company that does it for Charlotte and they do 23 other cities as well. This venue is working well in Charlotte, Greensboro, N.C.; Manassas Va., Knoxville,Tenn., Wintergarden, Fl., Tampa,Fla., and Greenville S.C. All thes other cities use another rental company.

The results of this venue are the same everywhere. Lot's of people, lot's of shoppers, and a wonderful image as well as great Usage for Union Square which was intended as a gathering place and focal point for Hickory. It will also give a necessary boost to retailers and businesses in the Union Square area that we desperately need.

Mr. Glaberman stated during his presentation that he is from New York and he doesn't know if that is a strike against him. He talked about the Emporium as an incubator to try their hand at business. He talked about Union Square not being populated the way that it used to be. He talked about the Farmer's Market discussion from the last meeting. He believes that Union Square should be a showcase for Hickory and the area, but there is nothing to do Downtown, except when there are events. Real Estate values have gone down a lot Downtown. He is an outsider and maybe that is good and maybe that is bad. What he has noticed is that there are a lot of vacancies Downtown.

Vacancies don't bring people down. Only businesses that are occupied bring people downtown. Friends of his from California mentioned to him what they had done when their city had the same problem. They instituted a vacancy tax on property owners who had persitent vacancies. Wherever they did that it seemed to be successful.

Another problem that they have, and he has been down there every day since he started his business, we have a lot of events Downtown and they are all centered around beer and that is fine, but we need to bring other people Downtown besides the beer crowd. We need families Downtown. They are good for business. Beer is good for certain types of businesses. he is not against beer and he is not against certain businesses. 95% of the people that come into his business don't come Downtown. They come down to do a little shopping sometimes, but they don't come to the events, because they are centered around beer. The shops Downtown are high end retailers, so we need events that will bring those type of people Downtown.

The Ice Skating idea is not a new idea and none of his ideas are new. This idea has worked in many Downtowns. he furnished pictures from Charlotte's Downtown Iceskating rink. Downtown needs a lift and is struggling. Downtown is the heart of hickory and he wants it to look like it did in the past and that is how he came up with the Ice Skating idea. It ends up being revenue neutral to making a profit. He needs to find a sponsor. He is asking for help to network with people in the area. He believes that putting heads together can make this happen.


The Hound appreciates this man's thinking. He is trying to create an atmosphere of Vitality Downtown and that is what creates a marketplace. I hope that he can find some sponsors that will help him attain the start-up cost to facilitate this. It would look so cool and create a memorable spectacle and that is most definitely something this City needs. Mr. Glaberman told me that his agenda is limited and simple...A great deal of his efforts are focused on "The Emporium" and trying to get enough people to walk in the door to give each vendor/partner a chance to test their products and business skills and to create a family atmosphere for the downtown Union Square area. This man is exactly what this city needs.

Comments by the Council - Alder Fox stated that she had seen a series on ABC this week that supported the buy local movement and Lee Industries, from Newton, was featured in one of the segments. Alder Patton stated that she had been at the small business task force meeting that morning, in which Northstar, the consultant, spoke about the craftsmanship and the pride our community has in that craftsmanship and our people.

Closed Session Per NC General Statutes - Discuss Litigation Matter – Glen Edward Chapman vs. Dennis Alvin Rhoney, the Estate of Mark Richardson Sams and City of Hickory – Case 1:10-cv-00258 - NCGS§143-318.11(a)(3)- Death Row Inmate Freed After 15 Years