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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRDA MINUTES 2010-03-18 MINUTES OF THE 216TH REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA The 216th Regular Meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority of the City of Livonia, Michigan, was called to order at 3:00 p.m., Thursday, March 18, 2010, in the 4th floor conference room of City Hall. Members Present: Wayne Glass, Chairman Jack Kirksey, Mayor Scott Grace Betsy McCue Lowell Peterson Jeff Staebler Members Absent: John Hiltz (excused) Toni Mette (excused) Greg Meyer (excused) Dan West Others Present: John J. Nagy, Executive Director Michael Slater, Finance Director John Elkins, Fast Forward Main Street Carey Baker, Beckett & Raeder Linda Levesque, Commercial Mowing Margot McCormack, Westland Resident Robert Auth, Resident Christopher Martin, Resident Margie Watson, Secretary 1. Roll was called. A quorum was present. 2. Audience communication. Margot McCormack, Master Gardener, 30616 Cooley Boulevard, Westland, Michigan 48185 (734-522-4778), addressed the issue of over-mulching trees on Plymouth Road between Merriman and Farmington. Her concern was that the trees had too much mulch, that the mulch was touching the tree bark, and that it could result in damage to the trees and set a bad example for residents. Linda Levesque, Commercial Mowing, offered to inspect the trees but stated many of the trees had been planted incorrectly and give the appearance of over-mulching but, in fact, the trees only have two inches of mulch and that the mulch does not touch the tree bark. The Chair thanked Ms. McCormack for her concern and for bringing it to the attention of the Board. He assured her that someone would look into the matter. March 18, 2010 2 C 3. Adoption of the 215th Regular Meeting Minutes. On a motion made by Peterson, seconded by Grace, and unanimously adopted, it was #2010-08 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of the 215th Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority on February 18, 2010, are hereby approved. Mr. Glass, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 4. Financial Reports: (a) The Financial Statements of the Authority's Special Revenue Fund for the month ending September 30, 2009, were presented by Michael Slater, Finance Director. The Balance Sheet reflects total assets in the amount of $3,077,600.33, total liabilities in the amount of $15,911.00 and a total fund balance of $3,061,689.33. (b) Mr. Slater advised that General Motors and Ford Motor Company have filed significant tax appeals against the City that could result in serious ramifications for the Board. He recommended that the Board be as conservative as possible with optional expenditures. On a motion made by Grace, seconded by McCue, and unanimously (ire adopted, it was #2010-09 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby accept and approve the Financial Statements of the Authority's Special Revenue Fund for the month ending September 30, 2009. Mr. Glass, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 5. New Business. (a) Presentation on Fast Forward Main Street. Mr. John Elkins provided an introduction to the Fast Forward Main Street Demonstration Project. It is a program of support and economic development for distressed small businesses with the goal of creating a sustainable increase in net profit and employment. The Main Street Project will provide participating businesses with business coaching and resource acquisition. Livonia was selected to participate in this program because of the presence of the automotive industry in the City. (b) PRDA Policy on Public Comments and Presentations. Mr. Glass presented a policy on public comments and business presentations in order to set parameters for PRDA meetings. Mayor Kirksey strongly March 18, 2010 3 (irof endorsed the policy as a way of helping people plan for presentations and to efficiently conduct meetings. On a motion made by Peterson, seconded by Kirksey, and adopted, it was #2010-10 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby accept and approve the following policy in order to conduct the meetings of the PRDA in the most efficient manner, while still providing a venue for residents and business owners of the Plymouth Road Corridor to express their concerns and present new projects to the Board: Audience communications, as scheduled on the agenda for the regular meetings of the Board, will be limited to three minutes per person. Audience communications are intended for the purpose of short announcements of concern to the public, but that do not require action by the Board. Presentations, proposals and other actionable items from the public will be entertained by the Board at a regular meeting of the Authority, with prior approval. fibe Citizens wishing to address the PRDA should contact the PRDA Director to discuss their proposed presentation. A written proposal or summary of the presentation must be provided to the Board at least 10 days prior to the next Board meeting. Presentations by the public will be limited to 10 minutes per presentation. Handouts are encouraged. The time limit for a presentation can be extended by a majority vote of the Board members present. A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: Peterson, Kirksey, McCue, Staebler, Glass NAYES: Grace ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Hiltz, Mette, Meyer, West Mr. Glass, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. March 18, 2010 4 6. Old Business. Ciw• (a) Proposed Changes to Bylaws. At the February meeting, Mr. Grace suggested that the Bylaws be amended to authorize the Executive Committee to make decisions when the full Board does not meet on a monthly basis. Mr. Glass suggested that a Bylaw Subcommittee be formed to study the matter and to make a report and recommendation to the Board. Mr. Glass appointed Mr. Grace, Mr. Hiltz and Mr. Staebler to the subcommittee. (b) Presentation by Martin's Yard Accents. Mr. Christopher Martin, Martin's Yard Accents, provided a written plan and pictures of his proposal to install a wrought iron fence on the front property line of his business located at 12275 Inkster Road, which is within the PRDA District. The City's Zoning Board of Appeals has tabled his request to install the fence, and Mr. Martin requested the Board make a formal recommendation on his behalf to the ZBA. On a motion made by Peterson, seconded by Grace, and adopted, it was #2010-11 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby find the proposed plan as presented (loy by Martin's Yard Accents requesting to install wrought iron fencing to help sustain his business and secure his property at 12275 Inkster Road aesthetically acceptable, subject to compliance with all City codes and ordinances and as they may be modified by actions of the Zoning Board of Appeals. A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: Staebler, Peterson, Grace, McCue, Glass NAYES: None ABSTAIN: Kirksey ABSENT: Hiltz, Mette, Meyer, West Mr. Glass, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 7. Committee Reports: Construction Committee: (kbe (a) Mr. Nagy distributed the Light Pole Inspection and Repair Report, prepared by Above & Beyond Installation, for the period October, 2008 through December 2009. March 18, 2010 5 (b) Mr. Glass asked for a definitive report from Mr. Slater advising if there will be any funds available for projects this year. (c) Carey Baker, Beckett & Raeder, provided a report dated March 18, 2010, on the following items. (1) Mr. Nagy advised that the Construction Committee met with Holophane Representative Jason Faron to discuss the light pole paint issue. The question arose as to whether the aluminum cast clam shells were dismantled when they were re-painted. It was confirmed that the 3 year warranty has expired. Mr. Faron stated that he would discuss this matter with his company's officials and thereafter advise the Board of what their position may be regarding these issues. (2) MDOT and Northwest Engineering are reviewing the Plymouth Road Reconstruction and Traffic Signal Project at Wayne, Stark and Levan Roads. The design meeting should take place within the next month. Todd Zilincik, City Engineer, will be representing the City on this matter. (3) Corrected drawings will be submitted to MDOT for the Hubbard and Tech Center Drive traffic signals. Easements are being acquired. Rauhorn has not provided any quotations to date and Mr. Carey suggested that the project should be bid if Rauhorn does not submit a quotation by March 21. A discussion ensued concerning the ability of the Authority to proceed on any of these projects, given previous financial report. Mr. Baker suggested that there would be steps that could be taken to close out the projects, essentially mothballing them until they could be completed. He will provide recommendations at the next meeting, concurrent with a discussion of the Authority's ability to proceed with work this year. 8. Director's Report: Mr. Nagy advised that the spring banners have been installed, and that the Livonia Community Prayer Breakfast will take place on Friday, April 30, 2010 at 7:00 a.m. at Laurel Manor. 9. Polling of Members. Jeff Staebler inquired if the website had been updated. Mr. Nagy replied that he had submitted the missing Time Line information to Enablepoint. There was discussion about an Enablepoint mailer that may reference the work Enablepoint has done for the PRDA and the need for the mailer to be reviewed by the City's Law Department. • March 18, 2010 6 Adjournment: On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 216th Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority on March 18, 2010, was adjourned at 4:45 p.m. The next meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority will be held on Thursday, April 15, 2010. Margie W tson, Secretary