STATE RECOGNITION OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE CITY OF AIKEN'S PRT DEPARTMENT: The City of Aiken is blessed with tremendous staff and volunteers who truly make Aiken an All American City. At this year's 64th South Carolina Parks Association Conference, two employees and one community volunteer were recognized for their outstanding leadership. The first recipient is Phil Berley who received the Central District Merit Award. This award recognizes a South Carolina Recreation Parks Association member who has demonstrated significant contributions and outstanding performance in the leadership of their job and for the community. Phil has served as the City's Assistant Director since 2002 and has been with the City since 1985. Since then, he has taken on the job of Track Manager (of the city's equine facility on Banks Mill Road) and then as the Assistant Director overseeing our Parks Division, including 32 full and part time employees. He has been instrumental in the design and development of Citizens Park, the Weeks Center, and the headquarters for the Parks Division. We congratulate Phil on the recognition of his leadership and contributions to the city and for all the hard work he has given to our community over the last 25 years. Our second recipient is Jeff Metz, who was given the S.C. Young Professional Award. This award is open to all Parks and Recreation staff who have been employed for less than 10 years. Jeff is the city's Athletic Superintendent and manages 20 full and part time employees along with a long list of volunteers within this division. He coordinates 30 weekend tournaments in soccer, tennis, baseball, and softball and works with the Farmers' Market Committee. He has recently worked with the United States Tennis Association tournament officials allowing Aiken to host our first state tournament this past summer. Although Jeff has been with the city for only 5 years, he has already made a tremendous difference with our programming and is destined to be a
future leader. The third individual we would like to recognize, does not work for the city, although based on the time he spends with the city, he is our best non-paid employee. We would like to recognize McDaniel Parker who is the brother of Willie Parker who works for the Parks and
Recreation Department. He has volunteered regularly for the last 9 years showing up with his brother Willie at 7:00 a.m. ready to help in many different ways, from picking up trash to helping out on the weekends with baseball and softball tournaments at Citizens Park. He has helped with Christmas in Hopelands and even at times comes to our staff meeting. He has a can do attitude and willingness to help in whatever way he can. We thank McDaniel for his past 9 years in volunteering and supporting us in so many ways.
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE CONVEYING PROPERTY ALONG THE CLOSED LIGON STREET RIGHT OF WAY: Over the years, the City of Aiken has been working to close unopened or paper streets within the city limits. One of those streets is Ligon Avenue Extension which originally extended east of McCormick Street to the Pine Lawn Cemetery and down to Abbeville. This street had never been opened and a couple of years ago, City Council authorized obtaining the ROW so it could be permanently deeded to the adjoining property owners. We have attached two potential ordinances. The first ordinance is to deed the property to Ms. Georgia Benton (who recently purchased the property from the city just to the north of this area) and the Pine Lawn Cemetery. The second ordinance calls for the property to be evenly divided between the two abutting property owners. If Council chooses to divide the property equally among the abutting property owners, we would have Todd Hass revise the plat to show this division. A letter was sent to all the adjoining property owners on December 18, 2009 letting them know that City Council was going to discuss this at their January 11, 2010 meeting and have second and final reading on January 25, 2010. City Council will need to choose which ordinance they would prefer based on comments from property owners and the review of the subject.
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REVISE PLANNED RESIDENTIAL CONCEPT PLAN FOR VILLAGE AT WOODSIDE: In the original concept plan for The Village at Woodside it stated that a minimum buffer of 100 feet would front along Silver Bluff Road. The City of Aiken is asking that the plan be revised to allow a water plant to be constructed along Silver Bluff Road at the southern most end of the development. The City would construct a well to serve the southwest portion of the city, specifically Woodside and the surrounding areas. A 50 foot buffer would be placed around the well site as shown on the proposed drawing. The plant will contain a 95 foot diameter water tank buried to approximately one-half its depth, a chemical feed building designed to resemble a brick home, a 5,000 gallon lime feed system with an 8' by 10' attached single story pump building, 3 high service pumps, and 1 deep well. A 50 foot wide buffer will be planted with wax myrtles, ligustrums, and other evergreen trees and
shrubs to screen the property from the surrounding area. All the trees in the buffer will be preserved at the site. There will be no public access to the building. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the concept change at their December 15, 2009, meeting.
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE HELPING HANDS TO PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL (PI): HELPING HANDS WOULD LIKE TO REZONE THEIR 4.74 ACRE PARCEL FROM LIMITED PROFESSIOINAL TO PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL (PI): In addition they would like Council's approval of the concept plan so they can build a new dormitory at the facility. Helping Hands is a private non-profit agency that provides
24-hour residential care to children ranging in age from new born to 21 years old. Currently 4 existing buildings have 58 beds, and they would like to add another dormitory which would house an additional 32 children. However, the floor area exceeds the 5,000 square foot limit allowed on an LP lot, and in order to construct this building they are requesting this zoning change. When Helping Hands moved to this location in 1988, it was zoned Professional. However, when the Zoning Ordinance was rewritten in 1999 all professional properties were changed to Limited Professional, except for large office areas which were later zoned Office/Institutional. The Professional Institution zone (PI) was established to provide for institutional uses such as Helping Hands. In the Planning Director's memorandum he states that the Helping Hands plan is consistent with all of the criteria set forth for the PI zone. The Planning Commission at their December 15, 2009, meeting voted unanimously to change the zoning of Helping Hands from Limited Professional to Planned Institutional (PI).
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REMOVE PROPERTY FROM THE HISTORIC DISTRICT: Joy Fogarty would like to remove her property at 751 Highland Park Drive from the historic overlay district: This property was placed in the Historic Overlay District by City Council in 1990. She purchased the property in 1999, and would like to make several changes to the outside of the structure which first requires approval by the Design Review Board. Her home is the last house in the district along Highland Park Drive and is contiguous to the Aiken Golf Club which is a primary property in the Historic District. The Design Review Board unanimously denied her request. However, at the Planning Commission meeting in December they approved the removal on a 4-3 vote. Her neighbor has written a letter on her behalf and has no objections to her home being removed from the District. Homes across the street, the Golf Course to the south and homes to the east are all within the Historic District.
RESOLUTION APPROVING DEED OF DEDICATION OF LAND AND STORM SEWER EASEMENT AT WHITNEY POLO FIELD: We have received a letter from the Whitney Trust and Aiken Polo Club requesting drainage relief for the Whitney Polo Field and residential property along Knox Avenue. This polo field, for the last several decades, has flooded. About 15 years ago, the Whitney Trust sold a portion of their property along Knox Avenue for new homes which has also increased the flooding and drainage problems in the area. We have worked out an agreement with the Whitney Trustees for them to convey a portion of their land for a detention pond and a drainage easement for a storm drain pipe which will convey this water to a drainage box at Mead and Two Notch Road. In addition, the city would clear some of the trees and create drainage ditches in the area to relieve this flooding problem. We have been discussing this for over a year with the trustees and recommend acceptance of the land for the drainage pond and ditch. This will be conveyed in a final deed of dedication once the drainage system has been completed and we know the exact location of the land that will be deeded. The cost of this project is approximately $175,000 and funds are available in our storm water account for this work.
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT WITH THE BISHOP OF CHARLESTON: Over the last several years, the City has been working with the downtown merchants to beautify the alleys at the rear of their buildings and to underground wiring where possible. The City is currently working on the streetscape and beautification in and around the Depot area and has obtained permission from the Bishop of Charleston to use their property to underground the wiring along Sea Lane and to improve the area by adding landscaping. Attached is an easement
agreement signed by the Bishop for this use and a resolution accepting this easement agreement. The City will have the power placed underground along Sea Lane and install plantings and an irrigation system in this area which they will maintain. We recommend acceptance of this easement.
REMINDER HORSE TROUGH DEDICATION: The dedication of the old horse watering trough, small animal water, and public water fountain is set for Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the serpentine wall of Banksia/Aiken County Historical Museum. This event is free and open to the public.
MAYOR PRO TEM – Congratulations to Councilmember Don Wells who was appointed by Council to serve as Mayor Pro Tem starting December 14, 2009, with the term to expire in December, 2011.
AGENDA FOR JAN 11, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/WebLink8/DocView.aspx?id=116476.
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