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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-08-17 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 AUGUST 17, 2023 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING PAGE 851 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met on August 17, 2023 at 4:02 p.m. for Agenda Review in Conference Rooms 138-139 at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chair Bill Rivenbark; Vice-Chair LeAnn Pierce; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Dane Scalise; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney K. Jordan Smith; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. Chair Rivenbark called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the August 21, 2023 Regular Meeting with discussions as noted: Consent Agenda Item #5: Consideration of application for funding through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) funding opportunity for the development and implementation of Space Science related programming, and equipment for the operation of a planetarium. Cape Fear Museum Director of Development Kitty Yerkes responded to questions stating that the funding will be used for equipment. The grant amount being applied for is $756,000 and will provide funding over four years. If awarded, the first year's funding will be to purchase equipment for the planetarium, and the last three years' funding will be for program delivery around science exploration. The grant application process is very competitive, with only six being approved nationwide, but Ms. Yerkes believes the application is very compelling with Project Grace and the planetarium. Regular Agenda Item #10: Consideration of New Hanover County (NHC) Board of Education Applications for Public School Building Capital Fund and Public-School Building Repair and Renovation Funds. NHC Schools Assistant Superintendent of Operations Eddie Anderson responded to questions stating that every five years an engineer evaluates the roofs of school buildings. When a roof replacement is done, the roof is torn down to the membrane or the roofing material. A roof cover goes over the existing roof using a vinyl single plow material, which has held up well during storms such as Hurricane Florence. A roof recover helps to extend the life of the roof up to fifteen years. All the repairs are being funded by the NC Education Lottery funds, except the Winter Park Phase II, which comes from the repair and renovation fund. Regular Agenda Item #11: Opioid Settlement Funds – Board Resolution and Revised Budget Ordinance. County Manager Coudriet stated in response to questions that no funding is intended to go to The Healing Place (THP) from the opioid settlement funds. Opioid funding will be allocated based on the strategy the Board approved in the spring. Regarding medication-assisted treatment (MAT), THP is not the supervisor or prescriber for MAT and as he understands it, THP will not deny someone the use of MAT based on a U.S. Department of Justice opinion. As to the resolution and budget amendment, it is in line with the memorandum of understanding and budget laws but does not change the intent when spending the funds. Regular Agenda Item #13: nCino Sports Park Project Update. Commissioner Scalise thanked the Board for the opportunity to have Wilmington Hammerheads Youth Soccer Executive Director Carson Porter provide an update on the construction of the nCino Sports Park project. Mr. Porter stated in response to questions that the facility is currently under construction and April 1, 2024 is the projected completion date. The park will be fully functioning within the next year. There will be dedicated food truck parking with all their needs including electricity to provide concessions. Commissioner Scalise thanked Mr. Porter for reaching out to the County after hearing the Board’s discussion on August 3, 2023. Regular Agenda Item #14: Consideration of a Request to Submit Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects for North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Funding Prioritization. Planning and Land Use Director Rebekah Roth responded to questions stating that the item focuses primarily on infrastructure and funding aspects of acquiring right of ways. Her department is working to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure by requesting easements for multi-use trails along the Carolina Beach Road corridor to ensure their implementation in future developments. The County and City of Wilmington’s adopted greenway plan has the multi-use trail only on Carolina Beach Road, whereas River Road will have more on-road facilities. The easement condition would be to have either the County or NCDOT install the multi-use trail going forward. The recent gas station approvals included commitments from developers to install some facilities themselves on the western side of the Carolina Beach Road corridor. Middle Sound Loop Road is not a project currently identified on the map that is included in the agenda packet. The County does not have an adopted bicycle and pedestrian plan other than the greenway plan. County Manager Coudriet stated that the Middle Sound Loop Road trail is being developed from at least Oyster Bay to connect to Market Street. Parks and Gardens Director Tara Duckworth added that the construction will begin this fall. Staff Update on Non-Compliant Housing County Manager Coudriet asked Ms. Roth to provide the staff update on non-compliant housing. Ms. Roth reported that staff has been receiving complaints about people residing in non-residential structures like tents and cargo units. Her department has been working with the Sheriff’s Office, Building Safety, Environmental Health, and the County Attorney’s Office to address the issue. The challenge is that tents and cargo NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 AUGUST 17, 2023 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING PAGE 852 structures do not fall under standard building codes nor entirely under Environmental Health or Zoning codes. The Sheriff’s Office enforces the nuisance code. There is no minimum housing code for the unincorporated County. The City of Wilmington manages similar issues through its code enforcement and zoning departments. The Board briefly discussed enforcement options for the nuisance code. Ms. Roth also updated the Board about Mr. Faulker's property which contains a non-compliant RV park. All RVs have been removed, and discussions are ongoing with the County Attorney’s Office and Finance department to determine how much is owed by Mr. Faulkner of which he has paid nothing to date. As to the monopole in an adjacent yard, she stated that zoning violations are complaint based driven and site inspections have not been conducted for the adjacent property as no complaints have been filed with her department. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chair Rivenbark adjourned the meeting at 4:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting. The entire proceedings are available online at www.nhcgov.com.