HISTORIC BUILDING TOUR (CELEBRATE AIKEN!): Our next major event to celebrate our 175th is the downtown historic building tour from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday, February 27, 2010. Please make plans to attend.
US CENSUS ROADSHOW will be Sunday, February 21, 2010 from noon to 2:00 p.m. In addition to their mobile display with interactive exhibits, it is strongly rumored that we might just be able to see the Hamburgular and Grimace McDonald’s characters who will hand out coupons, children rides on the No Baloney Pony, and other entertainment. Residents should expect to receive their Census forms in the next several weeks. Please complete these forms as they have significant financial implications for our State and City.
AIKEN’S TOMORROW: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the URS Center for the Performing Arts is the debut of Aiken’s Tomorrow: Local Acts – Global Impacts. This 2010 update of strategic plan provides an interesting glimpse into how Aiken could look in the future, and what projects need to be priority.
WORKPLACE SAFETY IMPROVES: The City of Aiken had an exceptional 2009 year with respect to work place injuries. The City experienced only 18 OSHA recordable injuries in 2009. We averaged 41 OSHA recordable injuries per year over the previous 5 years. Our record has improved over 50%. Our significant improvements can be attributed to many factors. The City places a great emphasis on Safety Training; Work of our Safety Committee; Job Design; Wellness Program and our City Nurse; and the City Risk Management Program. Over the last 8 years, the City of Aiken has placed strong emphasis on our Risk Management Program. Our Risk Manager and Safety Committee members work with every City department to make sure required safety training is done, accidents and injuries are investigated, and any necessary corrections and adjustments are made to avoid similar incidents. We have many staffers who have helped us make the City of Aiken a safer place to work. The City is now saving approximately $490,000 a year from the cost of our Workers’ Compensation premium. This is part of our budget which generates a positive return to taxpayers on an annual basis.
TRAFFIC LIGHT AT EAST PINE LOG AND SOUTH AIKEN BLVD: The City has a letter from SCDOT District Engineering Administrator JoAnn Woodrum about its request for a ‘left turn’ signal at this intersection. SCDOT wants a revised signal plan. Our consultant, Roger Dyer, is preparing this plan, and we anticipate submitting his findings to SCDOT soon.
AGENDA ACCESS ONLINE: Our IT staff has also greatly streamlined access to the online agenda packet at the city website. At the homepage, visitors can simply look under Top Governmental Links and click “Agendas.” IT continues to work on keeping our city website as user friendly as possible.
COMMENDATIONS: Peninsula Homeowner Corporation President Richard D. Evans, Jr. has written a complimentary letter for installation of water at their subdivision entrance sign. Congratulations go to our Public Works Water, Streets, and Drains Division along with Finance for setting up this account.
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO EXPAND THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN NORTH OF TOOLEBECK ROAD: One of the major items that City Council asked the Planning Commission to address on their last Action Agenda was to expand the Comprehensive Plan to the area north of Toolebeck Road. This area is located between Banks Mill Road and US 78 with East Pine Log as the northern boundary and Old Dibble Road approximately as the southern boundary. The area is currently primarily low density residential and the recommendation is to maintain this character. As shown on the future land use map there are a couple of pockets of industrial warehouses along Toolebeck and Woodward Drive and an area along Pine Log Road as commercial. There could be some other retail operations within this area. However, this development would be small in nature. The district is currently made up largely of undeveloped areas and in the future we would expect to see a steady growth with the typical neighborhood type development. The Planning Commission held a work session in December, 2009, with a public hearing in January, 2010. We have advertised that City Council would be receiving this information starting at their February 22, 2010, meeting. At the January, 2010 Planning Commission meeting, they unanimously recommended this Comprehensive Plan to City Council.
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO ANNEX PROPERTY AT 371-373 JEHOSSEE DRIVE: The owners of a 0.18 acre lot at 371-373 Jehossee Drive are requesting annexation for their duplex. The parcel is contiguous to the City through the Governor Aiken Park neighborhood. The proposed RS-8 zoning is compatible with the other properties within this area although the lot is just slightly smaller than the minimum 8,000 square feet. However, it does exceed the 70 foot minimum lot width as proposed in the RS-8 zone. All other aspects within the proposed zone are consistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan which recommends low density residential. The Planning Commission also recommends that the right of way of Jehossee Drive be included in the annexation. At their February 9, 2010 meeting they unanimously recommended approval of the annexation of this property with no conditions.
COMMERCIAL GARBAGE: At the Horizons Retreat, City Council discussed the possibility of eliminating the city commercial garbage service. In 2008 the City began a three year plan to decrease the revenue shortfall by making it self funding. We have adjusted the rates by approximately $85,000 during each of the last two years, and we are recommending approximately the same increase this year. To complete this adjustment we are recommending keeping the rates at $48.27 for each service trip and raising the rate from $5.20 to $6.60 for each cubic yard collected. There are four private companies currently serving commercial garbage in the City of Aiken. These are Advanced Waste Disposal, Waste Management, Curry's Sanitation and Tyler's Sanitation. When the City of Aiken began its commercial garbage service over 40 years ago, there were essentially no local providers for commercial garbage. Currently our costs for garbage service for an 8 yard container once a week is the least expensive. However, as shown below after the proposed increase, the City will be more expensive than two of the current providers. As more individuals/companies seek alternate services, this will decrease the number of customers the City provides service to and would require more increases to maintain the service at a break-even level.
Haulers Cost
Advance Waste $92.00
Tyler 95.00
City of Aiken 101.07
Curry 118.00
Waste Management 155.00
An alternative to providing commercial garbage would be the elimination of this service. If the City eliminated this service, the money which is currently in the Depreciation Fund could be used for other capital projects and equipment purchases. Personnel in the division would be reassigned to other positions through normal attrition. If the City ceases commercial garbage service, we recommend ending it in the next 90 to 180 days. If City Council would like to consider eliminating the service from next year's budget, we would recommend placing this on the March 8th agenda as first reading. Meanwhile we would notify by mail all of our current customers that Council is considering elimination of this service.
ACCESSORY BUILDINGS: At our last City Council meeting Councilmember Wells asked staff to review the current regulations concerning accessory buildings. In 2005 the Planning Commission over a several month period reviewed the then current accessory building regulations and recommended seven changes as follows:
1. An accessory building would be allowed in a rear yard as well as a side yard but can be no closer to the street right of way than the principal building on the lot.
2. In a residential zone or the LP and LB zones no accessory building could be closer to a street right of way than the plane of the front wall of the principal building on an adjacent lot. This provision would prevent an accessory building from being next to the front yard of a neighboring
lot, which becomes more likely if such buildings are allowed in the side yard.
3. An accessory building would be allowed three feet from the property line instead of the current 10 feet;
4. The height of the accessory building could be not greater than the principal building.
5. The floor area of all accessory buildings could not exceed 50% of the heated gross floor area of the principal building;
6. A swimming pool on a lot occupied by a single family dwelling would have to comply with the same setback and location provisions as accessory buildings where they do not now; also, a definition of swimming pool has been added.
7. Shipping containers cannot be used for storage except in the industrial zones.
All of the above were approved by Council at the October 24, 2005, meeting except for item
No. 3. As you will see from the minutes of those meetings, it was decided by Council not to allow an accessory building to be placed by right within 3 feet of the property line, but to keep it at10 feet.
We have two concerns about a blanket approval of buildings within 3 feet of the property lines. First, the International Building Code states that a building storing combustible material and over 6 feet in height should be at least 10 feet from the property line. Secondly, if less than 10 feet
from the property line we need to ascertain there are no buried utility lines.
RESOLUTION FOR NEW STRATEGY FOR NUCLEAR WASTE: As most of you are aware, the Federal Government has decided to abandon Yucca Mountain as the depository of defense nuclear waste and commercial spent nuclear fuel. Our community has supported the Savannah River Site for many years and will continue to do so in the future. Several years ago the Federal Government pledged that commercial spent nuclear fuel and high level defense waste would be permanently stored at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. We have attached a resolution, which the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization is asking all political entities to approve, strongly objecting to the government's decision to abandon Yucca Mountain. By abandoning Yucca Mountain, it means that the Savannah River Site may become a permanent repository for nuclear waste, and it is felt that permanent storage of nuclear waste is not compatible for our community. Through this resolution we are asking the Federal Government and the Department of Energy to continue development of Yucca Mountain for disposal of all nuclear waste.
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