# Council Work Session - September 23, 2014 > Auto-transcribed civic record · September 23, 2014 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/3463 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/3463?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2014-09-23 - **Last revised**: July 15, 2026 - **Length**: 6,013 words > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed with OpenAI's open-source Whisper large-v3-turbo model, run locally by The Lexington Times. Structured facts were extracted with GPT-4o; the narrative summary was written by Anthropic Claude. Verbatim wording may contain errors. See [methodology](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/about/methodology) or [report a correction](mailto:editor@lexingtonky.news). --- ## Meeting Overview The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council met on September 23, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center, with Mayor Jim Gray presiding. The council addressed ten agenda items during the meeting, including public comment periods, rezoning requests, budget matters, and proclamations. The body took ten motions and votes, approving the majority of items brought before it, including requested rezonings, budget amendments, neighborhood development funds, and a proclamation recognizing McConnell Springs' 20th anniversary. One public comment was heard during the meeting. The council also received informational reports from council members and the mayor's office. ## Attendance The following individuals were present at the meeting on September 23, 2014: * Mayor Jim Gray * Council Member Clark * Council Member Lane * Council Member Scottsville * Council Member Ellinger * Council Member Kaye * Council Member Farmer * Council Member Scotchfield * Council Member Stenet * Council Member Henson * Council Member Myers * Council Member Mossadi * Council Member Gordon * Council Member Massati * Council Member Stennett No council members were absent or late. ## Votes and Decisions All motions during this meeting were decided by voice vote and passed unanimously. **Rezoning Docket** [timestamp: 00:04:10] Council Member Ellinger moved to approve the docket of rezoning requests for the September 25, 2014 Council meeting, seconded by Council Member Beard. The motion passed. **Rezoning: 2500 Polo Club Boulevard** [timestamp: 00:05:14] Council Member Lane moved to place on the docket without a public hearing an ordinance changing the zone from an expansion area residential 3 transition area (EAR3/TA) zone to a community center (CC) zone for property at 2500 Polo Club Boulevard (Identifier: 0974-14), seconded by Vice Mayor Gordon. The motion passed. **Rezoning: 3400 Todd's Road** [timestamp: 00:06:24] Council Member Scottsville moved to place on the docket without a public hearing an ordinance changing the zone from a single-family residential (R1D) zone to a high-density apartment (R4) zone for property at 3400 Todd's Road (Identifier: 0974-14), seconded by Council Member Ellinger. The motion passed. **Xerox Lease Agreement** [timestamp: 00:07:34] Council Member Kaye moved to place on the docket a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a lease agreement with Xerox Corporation Limited for two Xerox printers, seconded by Council Member Farmer. The motion passed. **September 9, 2014 Work Session Summary** [timestamp: 00:08:35] Vice Mayor Gordon moved to approve the September 9, 2014 work session summary, seconded by Council Member Scutchfield. The motion passed. **Budget Amendments** [timestamp: 00:09:08] Council Member Beard moved to approve budget amendments, seconded by Council Member Scutchfield. The motion passed. **New Business Items** [timestamp: 00:19:11] Vice Mayor Gordon moved to approve new business items, seconded by Council Member Ellinger. The motion passed. **Neighborhood Development Funds** [timestamp: 00:24:53] Council Member Stennett moved to approve neighborhood development funds for September 23, 2014, seconded by Council Member Scotchfield. The motion passed. **Committee Meeting Schedule** [timestamp: 00:31:17] Council Member Farmer moved to change the time and date of the Planning and Public Works Committee and Public Safety Committee meetings, seconded by Council Member Henson. The motion passed. **Adjournment** [timestamp: 00:40:12] Council Member Stennett moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Council Member Ellinger. The motion passed. ## Budget and Financial Actions The meeting included authorization for multiple contracts, grants, and budget amendments totaling significant financial commitments across various city departments and programs. **Contracts and Agreements** The city authorized a three-year lease agreement (L0960-14) with VAR via CDW-G to provide Apple MacBook Pro Laptops to the Coroner's office for $4,420.36. An Engineering Services Agreement (L0981-14) with URS Corporation for the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Regional Intelligent Transportation System Architecture Study was approved for $77,250.00. The city also authorized agreements with Funai Lexington Technology Corporation (L0978-14) and Creative Lodgings Solutions, LLC (L0979-14) to participate in the Kentucky Business Investment Program, with no fiscal impact. An agreement with Lexington Center Corporation (L0972-14) for use of the Opera House for the Kiddie Kaper recital in May 2015 was approved with no fiscal impact. **Grants** The city accepted a $34,405.00 award (L0977-14) from the U.S. Department of Justice under the 2014 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. Authorization was granted to submit an application and accept a $28,150.00 award (L0965-14) from the Kentucky Justice Cabinet under the Violence Against Women Act Program for continuation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program in FY 2015. The city also authorized submission of applications to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for federal Transportation Alternatives Program funds (L0971-14) with no fiscal impact. **Donations and Budget Amendments** The city accepted a donation of 30 hardhats from Bullard (L0983-14) for the groundbreaking of the new senior center at Idle Hour Park. Numerous budget amendments were approved, including $467,278.13 for a Fire Truck in the Division of Fire and Emergency Services, $149,036.20 to establish grant budget for the Kentucky Pride Program, and $148,670.00 to establish grant budget for Emergency Management 2015 personnel costs. Additional amendments addressed Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program funding, ad valorem budget adjustments, and various departmental operating needs totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. ## Public Comment [timestamp: 00:35:19] Robin Osgood addressed the council with concerns about public safety during severe weather events. She urged the establishment of storm shelters at the transit center and other public buildings, citing dangerous conditions that residents face during severe weather. Osgood drew on personal experiences with lightning and tornadoes to emphasize the importance of accessible shelter infrastructure. In addition to her primary concern about weather shelters, Osgood advocated for two other community initiatives: converting vacant properties into community gardens and supporting veterans through home restoration projects. ## Contested Items **Funding for Brighton Trail Bridge** Council Member Stenet raised concerns about the submission of a full funding request for the Brighton Trail Bridge project. Stenet questioned whether the council could make informed decisions without complete knowledge of the project's financial status, particularly given that prior funds had been lost due to inactivity. The core disagreement centered on proceeding with the funding request under these circumstances. This item resulted in a split vote among council members, indicating that the council was divided on whether to move forward with the request as presented. ## Public Comment - Issues on Agenda [timestamp: 00:03:33] No members of the public signed up to speak on issues on the agenda. As a result, this portion of the meeting proceeded without public comment, allowing the meeting to move directly to rezoning motions and docket approval. ## Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval [timestamp: 00:04:10] Three rezoning motions were placed on the docket for approval without public hearings. The rezonings involved the following properties: - 950 960 9619 73 980 Midnight Past 3101 Wall Street and 330 52 and 3084 Beaumont Center Circle - 2500 Polo Club Boulevard - 3400 Todd's Road Council Members Clark, Lane, and Scottsville participated in the consideration of these items. All three rezoning motions were approved without discussion. ## Approval of Summary The council approved the summary from the September 9, 2014 work session without dissent. [timestamp: 00:08:35] Vice Mayor Gordon moved to approve the summary, and Council Member Scutchfield seconded the motion. The summary was subsequently approved. ## Budget Amendments A motion to approve budget amendments was presented and passed without discussion [timestamp: 00:09:08]. The amendments encompassed adjustments to multiple funds, including: - Personnel recovery for Kentucky Pride - Reimbursements - Grants for emergency management and public safety Council Member Beard and Council Member Scutchfield were the key speakers on this agenda item. **Outcome:** The budget amendments were approved. ## New Business [timestamp: 00:09:08] The council discussed several new business items during this portion of the meeting. **Items Discussed:** - Short-term telecommunication franchise agreement - Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) applications - Brighton Trail Bridge funding request **Key Concerns:** Council Member Stenet raised concerns about the potential loss of previously allocated funds for the Brighton Trail Bridge due to inactivity. This issue was a focal point of the discussion as the council considered the implications of the funding timeline. **Participants:** The discussion involved Council Member Farmer, Council Member Stenet, Council Member Kay, and Commissioner Paulson. **Outcome:** The new business items were approved. ## Neighborhood Development Funds, September 23, 2014 [timestamp: 00:24:53] The council approved $4,225 in neighborhood development funds distributed among five recipients during this agenda item. **Approved Recipients and Allocations** The following organizations received funding: - Center for Entrepreneurship Services - Athens-Chilesburg Elementary PTA - Radio Eye, Inc. - Miss KY Scholarship - Division of Environmental Policy **Key Participants** Council Member Stennett and Council Member Scotchfield were the primary speakers on this agenda item. **Outcome** The council approved the neighborhood development funds as presented. ## Proclamation: McConnell Springs 20th Anniversary A proclamation was adopted to commemorate the 20th anniversary of McConnell Springs [timestamp: 00:19:55]. The proclamation recognized McConnell Springs as the founding location of Lexington and honored the Friends of McConnell Springs for their preservation and educational efforts. Mayor Jim Gray, Jim Redman, Dick Mathy, and Steve Rogers participated in the discussion of this agenda item. The proclamation was approved. ## Council Reports Council members provided updates on various community activities and administrative matters during this informational segment of the meeting. **Activities and Events** Council Member Scotchfield, Council Member Massati, Council Member Henson, Council Member Myers, and Council Member Farmer shared reports on several upcoming and recent initiatives: * A book event honoring Joan Walsh Angland * A stream clean scheduled at Gardenside Park * A cookout related to the Gainesway-Smaray plan **Administrative Request** Council members also raised a request to change committee meeting schedules, though specific details about the proposed changes were not provided in the available information. **Outcome** This segment was informational in nature, with council members sharing updates rather than taking formal action on the matters discussed. [timestamp: 00:25:27] ## Mayor's Report The Mayor's Report was presented to the council at approximately 34 minutes and 39 seconds into the meeting. [timestamp: 00:34:39] The report was approved without discussion. Vice Mayor Gordon moved to approve the report, and Council Member Mossadi seconded the motion. The item passed without further deliberation or concerns raised by council members. ## Public Comment - Issues Not on Agenda [timestamp: 00:35:19] Robin Osgood addressed the council regarding two community safety and development concerns not listed on the agenda. **Storm Shelter Needs** Ms. Osgood raised safety concerns about the lack of storm shelters at public facilities during severe weather events. She specifically identified the transit center and the library as locations where storm shelters should be established to protect community members during dangerous weather conditions. **Community Revitalization** Ms. Osgood also advocated for community revitalization efforts focused on two areas: - Reuse of vacant properties in the community - Restoration of housing for veterans **Outcome** This item was informational in nature. Council Member Farmer participated in the discussion, though no specific action or resolution was documented as a result of the public comment. --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed: Motion to approve the docket of rezoning requests for the September 25, 2014 Council meeting - **0974-14** — passed: Motion to place on the docket without a public hearing an ordinance changing the zone from an expansion area residential 3 transition area (EAR3/TA) zone to a community center (CC) zone for property at 2500 Polo Club Boulevard - **0974-14** — passed: Motion to place on the docket without a public hearing an ordinance changing the zone from a single-family residential (R1D) zone to a high-density apartment (R4) zone for property at 3400 Todd's Road - **Motion** — passed: Motion to place on the docket a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a lease agreement with Xerox Corporation Limited for two Xerox printers - **Motion** — passed: Motion to approve the September 9, 2014 work session summary - **Motion** — passed: Motion to approve budget amendments - **Motion** — passed: Motion to approve new business items - **Motion** — passed: Motion to approve neighborhood development funds for September 23, 2014 - **Motion** — passed: Motion to change the time and date of the Planning and Public Works Committee and Public Safety Committee meetings - **Motion** — passed: Motion to adjourn the meeting --- ## Full transcript Music Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hello everyone. Greetings. It's three o'clock on the dot. So we'll start the meeting. I'll call the meeting to order. Call the meeting of the work session to order and ask Mr. Mundy if there's anyone signed up for issues on the agenda. Mr. Mundy, nobody signed up to speak on issues on the agenda. Okay, that allows us to move to any rezoning motions and the docket approval. So first I'll ask for a motion to approve the docket. Motion by Council Member Ellinger, second by Council Member Beard. Is there any discussion on the motion? yes we have a motion all right just a second here all right councilmember Clark thank you mayor I moved place on the September 25th docket without a public hearing an ordinance changing the zone from a highway services business R1B zone with conditional zoning restrictions to a highway service business zone with modified conditional zoning restrictions for 9.92 net 13.62 gross acres for the property located at 950 960 9619 73 980 midnight past 3101 Wall Street and 330 52 and 3084 Beaumont Center Circle so move motion by council member Clark second by council Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. If not, then we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Council Member Kaye. Thank you, Mayor. Mine's a motion to place on the docket if there are other rezonings. Are there any other rezoning motions? Yes, there are. Don't we take those first? Hold up. Yeah, okay. All right. Council Member Lane. I move to place on the docket item 0974-14 onto the council docket without a public hearing. Item 0974-14 is an ordinance changing the zone from an expansion area residential 3 transition area ear3 forward slash ta zone to a community center cc zone for 14.82 net 16.49 gross acres for property located at 2500 polo club boulevard a portion of including a height variance a and m hamburg llc council district 12 so moved motion by council member lane second by vice mayor gordon is there any discussion on the motion all right if not we can take a vote all in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries council member scotchfield thank you mayor um i have a motion to place on the docket zone change without a hearing the ordinance changing the zone from a single family residential r1d zone to a high density apartment r4 zone for 3.66 net acres for property located at 3400 todd's road andervid townhomes partners second motion by councilman scottsville and second by councilman ellenger is there any discussion on the motion all right hearing none then we can vote all in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries councilmember Farmer may remind us about changing the time and place of the Planning Public Works Committee in the Public Safety Committee and I assume would we need to docket that change is that just something we can do I'll pass for now thank you all right now councilmember Kay you've got a Thank you, Mayor. I move, at the request of the administration, I move to place on the docket of the September 25, 2014 council meeting a resolution authorizing and directing the mayor to execute a lease agreement with Xerox Corporation Limited for two Xerox printers. So moved. Second. Motion by Council Member Kaye, second by Council Member Farmer. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right, hearing none, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. All right. If there are no further motions, then we can vote on the original motion to approve the docket. Okay. We already, we did get a motion already, so we're now going to vote. But thanks for the second, for the reiteration of it. All right. All in favor of the original motion to approve the docket, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. All right. Next on our agenda is approval of the summary. Is there a motion? Second. Motion by Vice Mayor Gordon, second by Council Member Scutchfield. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. If not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next on the agenda, budget amendments. Is there a motion? Second. Motion by Council Member Beard, second by Council Member Scutchfield. Is there any discussion? All right, if not, then we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next is new business. Is there a motion? Move approval. Second. Motion by Vice Mayor Gordon and second by Council Member Ellinger. Is there any discussion on the motion? Council Member Farmer. Thank you, Mayor. Mine is on the item of business about the non-exclusive telecommunication franchise agreement. It's on page 15, and I'm not sure which item. It's item C. Item C. All right, that may involve Commissioner Reed and Mr. Slade. Gentlemen, I'm just interested in what are we getting at here? What's the? for a year's worth of right now. This is the short-term franchise. We're working on a long-term franchise, but we have to keep these things in place until we get that figured out. We formed a committee to evaluate the long-term options and how we want to structure those, but for now we're just extending this for another year so we can have these in place. So this is, am I right, this is an extension of a current extension? Yeah. We've already extended it but have come to no end. We don't have a final resolution yet, so we basically extend them under the same terms that we've been doing it for the past few years. Well, I just wanted to make, I mean, because our provider changed, if I'm not mistaken. There's multiple. There's multiple ones. This is, yeah, there's probably on the telecom one, I'm going to say there's probably four or five different companies that are involved in being a part of that franchise agreement. More than you would think. I understand, and thank you for that. I appreciate that. So this just provides us with more opportunity to make better business decisions with them over the next year, correct? Whereas we haven't been able to over maybe the last year, potentially. I think it's important to note, too, that we've set up a committee that's met once already that's composed of people within the administration and representatives from the council to work on this. And we're hopefully going to get a long-term arrangement and agreement before a year's out. then there's language in the short-term agreement that we can go on and enter into a longer-term arrangement prior to the ending of this one. There's been a lot of constituent interest in these agreements because some of these people we have agreements with don't necessarily please some of the people they're providing their service to. It's a reason I'm... I think that's a legitimate concern, and I think that's one reason before we get locked into something 10 years or so that we examine the options that we have to get a better long-term franchise agreement. We need to look at, you know, things are rapidly changing this area as well with fiber in particular that comes to mind and what are we going to include in a long-term franchise agreement as far as looking at that issue, looking at penalties, you know, from the simple things like who owns the polls to more complex issues. Well, I think it's good to work all those out, and I'm hopeful we do it in a positive way. But I think that in the end, there are constituents who feel like, as a customer, they are not heard or don't feel like their needs are heard. And I just want to make sure we try to take all that into consideration in making these plans. I think we're definitely going to do that. And I think also with what's going on with the cable right now and the council's involvement, council members' involvement in that model. And I think it's accomplished in some things in the past, haven't been accomplished in the negotiation process. I think it's a model for us to use in this area, even though this is much simpler. I think this partnership that is developed between the administration and the council on these agreements will be extremely rewarding moving forward. We're partnering. This is a great thing. Thank you. Thank you for that answer. I appreciate it. Then I had one other one, Mayor, about the item on page 23, which I don't know what that is. What's the number? Transportation Alternative Program. Okay. That'd be Commissioner Paulson. Because the list of worthy projects is on page 24. So we kind of pick those, and we're going to ask the MPO to rank them, and hopefully get them. We do, and it's not just the city. So as you see, there's a couple applications there from either partners or also community groups that can also apply. So there's one from Transy, there's one from DDA, and there's also one from the old Frankfurt Road, I want to say. Yes, it is. Yes, scenic corridors. So then I guess my question is, what is the likelihood we'll be successful in this ask? For all of them? Well, sure. Probably impossible to get them all. But to get some, and that's the way this has worked in the past, and it's been under different iterations of names. We've submitted some of these projects previously. We get some. We don't get some. And it's just one of those. I'd love to say that the rankings always get us. So is this the ranked order on page 24? I do not believe it is. Okay. I believe that's just the, it goes down the line for, in fact, I could be wrong on that, but I don't believe that's the ranked order. So when would we know the next step once we have passed this item of business? Or when will we know? Well, I think at that point we can ask Irene for the next, but I think it goes on to the state. And then when it comes to awards is when we will find out, unless there's another. I always like to hear from Irene, but my time is out. Oh, but Irene's here, yes. Well, I was on next, and I was on next. Go right ahead. Thank you. So we'll just keep moving on. Right, the NPO will review them and rank them. but they also go next week to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Yes, ma'am. It normally takes about a year for us to hear something. Yes. I appreciate that. Because we're just now hearing what was funded for last year. Okay. Town Branch Trail was just announced a couple weeks ago, and we submitted that last year about this time. Okay. Thank you for that timeline. I appreciate it Commissioner. Thank you mayor. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you Councilman from Councilmember Ellinger. Well mayor that was the one I wanted and I think I got all the information at this point So I'm asking for thank you. Vice Mayor Gordon. Thank you mayor. And I just had a comment about that So Irene reminded us that the MPO will rank these So council members remember that you have your three at-large large council members as well as the district council members who serve on the MPO. So if you care particularly about some of these, I think the input to the council members on the MPO is really important. Just a comment. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Correct. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Council Member Stenet. Thank you, Mayor. It's on the same item as well. Commissioner Polson, on the Brighton Trail Bridge that you have at number one, I guess the biggest price tag on here. or second biggest. Correct. Don't we already have part of that money? Why are we asking for the full amount? We already had a grant given to us by the state. That's what I'm trying to understand. Yeah, I'm not sure if we have that full amount. No, I believe this is for the bridge. I do not believe that we actually have it here. Irene can speak to that. I think we have trailheads on either side, but we don't have the actual bridge. The only thing we have for the bridge is the design. We were able to complete the design. We weren't able to move forward because the construction costs far exceeded the amount that was available. And we're not allowed to keep those funds if we don't move forward. So the remaining funds from that project have been stripped away. By who? KYT. FHWA actually strips them away. They will not allow us to carry inactive projects. And when did that happen? Do you know, Irene? We were told when I asked the same question, Bill, Councilman of Farmers Committee, about this same project that we would not lose that money. That's what we were told. And so the council didn't know we already lost the money. And here we are asking for the full amount. It was over half a million dollars. FHWA, after we, when we're not able to move forward, they deemed them inactive. And so KYTC may not have taken the money yet, but they're in the process of doing it. until we can move forward, we can't keep the funds. Well, we need to be able to make that decision whether or not we move forward if it's based on losing money we already have. So if you could meet with Commissioner Paulson and get back to the council and copy everyone so we can get an answer to that. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Stenet. Council Member Kay. Thank you, Mayor. Same item. I'm sorry, Commissioner. There's a lot of detail in this one item. One part of that is streetscape improvements on West 4th. Correct. And I presume that that is being planned in integration with the extension of the Legacy Trail, the final phase of the Legacy Trail. You are correct. How do they fit together? That will be the part that will be kind of the on-road bike lane that will be, I don't want to call it, I guess we'll call it a separated bike lane. But that will be one of the components of Legacy 3. It will give us extra money. It's not necessary for the legacy trailer. So the money is available already? Legacy can go forward. This would allow us to do some more and could give us a chance to do some other improvements if we were to get this or if Transy were to be able to get this. Great. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Kaye. All right. There's no further discussion on the motion for new business, and we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next. That allows the next on the agenda is presentations and continuing business. We've got a proclamation here that I'll go down to the podium. And this has to do with McConnell Springs. All right. Jim Redman and Dick Mathy and Steve Rogers. Thank you, guys. Yeah, you all are standing in the right place. You're about to get a picture taken, right, Malcolm? With the council members. All right. Today we are all honored, I'm honored, to present a proclamation in celebration of the 20th anniversary of McConnell Springs. McConnell Springs, as we all know, is the site where many historians believe Lexington was founded. It was June of 1775, 13 months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. William McConnell and his fellow frontier explorers camped at a natural spring in the wilderness of the Virginia Territory, then known as Kentucky. Word came to these settlers that the first battle of the Revolutionary War had been fought in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. And in honor of that battle, the group named their settlement Lexington. The Friends of McConnell Spring came together to raise funds and recapture the site. The Friends cleared hundreds of tons of trash and construction debris, and in November 1994 purchased an adjoining lot to build the education center. Over the years, they have continued to invest time and energy into improving program offerings and the area itself, and we all appreciate their 20 years of commitment to McConnell Springs and Lexington's. So now let me read a commemoration, proclamation, honoring McConnell Springs. Whereas the Friends of McConnell Springs, working in partnership with the City of Lexington, is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of McConnell Springs. And whereas McConnell Springs, where many historians believe an encampment of pioneers began using the name Lexington, is a national historic site, a vital educational resource, and a passive recreational park. and whereas preservation of the historical structures and restoration of the pre-settlement vegetation are key elements in the plan to develop the springs as an outdoor education center of regional importance with exhibits for the casual observer and formal programs for school groups. And two more whereases. Whereas McConnell Springs boasts unique geologic, natural, and historical features, more than 130 species of plants and numerous species of urban wildlife, providing a variety of opportunities for citizens who visit to hike and explore, and whereas this year the members of the Friends of McConnell Springs are observing their 20th anniversary by recognizing past achievements and planning for the future, and whereas the Friends invite all Lexington citizens to visit and enjoy the park. Now, therefore, I, Jim Gray, as mayor of Lexington, and commemorate the many accomplishments of the Friends of McConnell Springs and declare September 2014 as McConnell Springs Month in Lexington. Thank you all. There we go. And would you guys, we're going to get some pictures. Anybody want to speak? Anybody want to speak? Want to say something? Want to speak? Yes. Mr. We want to thank the mayor, all the past mayors, all the council people, all the past council people. There are a lot of friendly faces on the council that we have seen at the park, and it truly is a treasure. Thank you very much. Can we get a picture for you? All right. All right. Let's get a picture. Jim? No, I just said let's get a picture. Yeah, let's get a picture. Okay. Jim says let's get a picture for the newsletter. All right, don't forget the proclamation here, guys. I can't go too far. They can't see me if I go in front of people. I'm sorry. I'm short. Yeah. You can see over, right? Say Isabel. Yeah, really. Say Isabel. Isabel. Isabel. Isabel. Thank you all. Congratulations. All right, that allows us to move on to NDFs. Is there a motion? Second. Motion by Council Member Stennett, second by Council Member Scotchfield. Is there any discussion? All right, hearing none, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Council reports are next. If council members will please log in for council reports. Council Member Scotchfield. Thank you, Mayor. This weekend I had the pleasure on behalf of Jennifer Masotti, who was supposed to attend the event. But it was wonderful because Mary Diana Hanna is a very old friend. And she had started a weekend with Joan Walsh Angland, which, if you aren't familiar, is an artist. illustrator book author that came to town and they they hosted her on Friday night and Saturday they had a book reading and invited everybody out for tea but I was very honored on behalf of the mayor and the city to offer a proclamation that announced Saturday was Joan Walsh England Day but that was a wonderful and enjoyed doing that thank you thank you Councilman Scotchfield Councilmember Massati. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Councilmember Scotsfield. I appreciate you standing in for me. Mayor, I guess it was last Thursday night when we had a council meeting, I asked about the water franchise and where we were, and I don't see Commissioner Graham here. Is there anyone else can give me an update on that? Keith, are you able to? I can only tell you that they're continuing to work on it and working on the consultant contract that I think everybody's aware of. What is the consultant charged with what to do on this? I think that that's what's being worked out for negotiating the water franchise. Okay. And then I'm not sure you can divulge the particulars at this point, but will you keep us, I mean, as time goes on, can you give us a heads up? Yeah. And I'll pass that along to Commissioner Graham. I don't actually know the particulars of everything that's occurring, but I do know that Janet knew that you asked about it and that we could pass along that it's continuing. They're continuing to work on it. Okay, and then when you get a little bit closer to where the devil is in the detail, you'll let us know, I'm assuming. Yes. Okay, thank you very much. And one other thing, Mayor. I know that we had a winter last year that I'm not sure how you describe it, but it was kind of brutal. I'm reading the Farmer's Almanac. We may have another one like this year. Where are we on our salt? Are we okay with that? Because that's going to be a question that we're going to have winter here before you know it. Mr. Holmes is here. Sun is shining now, but it can change pretty quickly. We will have our regular order of salt. However you will recall in the budget cycle, you cut $200,000 out of what we had requested for salt. So remember us when it comes around to the budget excess debate you're going to have next month. So this was a timely question then, wasn't it? Yes, ma'am. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Henson. Thank you, Mayor. This past weekend, I participated in a stream clean event at Gardenside Park with a newly established Gardenside Neighborhood Association. And it was just so wonderful to see so many people out there working so hard and planting native plants and trees and clearing litter from the stream. and I got to run the chipper. And I just love it. I found my new calling. But actually, I had run one before. So since I was experienced, they allowed me to run it. But I'm just so proud of the Gardenside Neighborhood Association and the work that they're putting into this and getting reestablished. After that, Saturday evening, I attended Lighthouse Ministries fundraiser event, and it was so moving that the work that they do is just remarkable, and I was so glad that I went. And then I have one announcement, and that is this coming Monday, the 29th, there is a public meeting that will be held at Cardinal Valley Elementary for the Cardinal Valley Small Area Plan. And we just encourage as many folks to come out, their input in these plans are the most important. So that is Monday, the 29th at 7 o'clock at Cardinal Valley Elementary. So thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Henson. Council Member Myers. Thank you, Mayor. And just to piggyback on Council Member Henson's report, tonight we are having a cookout at Gainesway Park, and we're asking all the residents of the 8th District to come out. It is actually going to be our kickoff party for the Gainesway-Smaray plan. And so if you live particularly anywhere in the 8th District along the Manowar corridor from Armstrong Mill all the way out to Alumni, I it would be fantastic if you came out tonight and had some food and we've got a questionnaire for you to fill out we want to pick your brain and get information from you today about what you want to see change in your neighborhood so this is a kickoff event it's going to be 11 to an 18 month process we need your input early and often so we we want as many people to come out today as possible thank you very much thank you councilman manners councilman farmer thank you mayor first I have a motion that I've laid at everybody's place this is a a motion to change a couple of committee meetings. I talked with Council Member Henson and obtained her consent for this. This is just a convenience, some scheduling things on my part. I move to switch the time and date of the October 7, 2014, 1 p.m. meeting of the Planning and Public Works Committee with the October 14, 2014, 1 p.m. Public Safety Committee. So the Public Safety Committee would meet on October 7 at 1, and Planning and Public Works would meet on October 14th at 1. So moved. Second. Motion by Council Member Farmer, seconded by Council Member Henson. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. Hearing none, we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Thank you for that, and thank you, Madam Chair, for that help with that. And then if you'll put up the picture from Chevy Chase from today, and I'll read this while you look at it. Okay. Today, removal of the islands in the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Fontaine was successful. Temporary striping on Euclid has been installed. Crews were off the street by 2.40 p.m. today. This work included the removal of the large center island there as well as the smaller island nearby. Tomorrow, the right lane of Euclid Avenue from Ashland Avenue to High Street and the slip lane on Tate's Creek in front of Shoppers Village will be closed for the demolition of the right-turn slip lane. On Thursday at Fontaine and High Streets, the outbound lane will be closed for the removal of the small island there. One lane of traffic will remain open in each direction in the area with the exception of Thursday when the outbound land of Fontaine will be closed. The work will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. You should use caution and avoid. Well, I don't want to say avoid the area if possible because we hope people come down there, but we want you to come and be be careful while you're in the area. So this is the beginning of the pedestrian improvement plan, and probably the work in that slip lane where those cones are on the extreme right-hand side will be the most invasive part of this. It will take about a month's time, but should result in a much safer intersection as well as a much better-looking area of town in terms of having a new signal system and new paving and as much good work as we can have. And really, it just follows on what I now consider to be the really good work in the Woodland Triangle, which I think once it's all said and done, it's been a real improvement there in the traffic pattern and in the safety of pedestrian pattern there, too. So that was just my way of update. Then I wanted to thank, first, the Division of Police for their excellent work all weekend at the Oktoberfest, which was huge and successful and safe. And then I wanted to thank the Division of Fire for making such a quick response and doing such a great job with the unfortunate accident that happened in front of and inside the beer trap on Saturday night. So that was all of our services doing just really great work, and it's always appreciated sometimes under some very tough circumstances. Mayor, that's all I have. Thank you very much. Thank you, Council Member Farmer. All right, looks like it's all the council members who have signed on for a council report. allows us to move to Mayor's report. Is there a motion? No. A motion by Vice Mayor Gordon, seconded by Council Member Mossadi. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. Hearing none, then we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next on the agenda is public comment for issues not on the agenda. Maybe we have robin robin osgood hello robin yes um a lot of you know me i'm robin osgood i live at 137 rose street right down the street and um i had sent an email to diane lawless as well as the mayor which I believe went to your committee, Mr. Farmer, and dealing with getting storm shelter set up at the transit center. I was down there the night that severe storm hit. Early September was September 6th on that Friday night. and it hit just at the time when most of the buses were going into the garage for the changeover for the night shift, which meant people were down there for at least 45 minutes with that lightning coming in, literally on the wet bus bays and wet sidewalks. And there were only two of us who had enough brain to go down into the bottom of the thing and wait. I've been trying to find out what the date was that Channel 36 had reported. I believe it was in August that a tornado went over downtown Lexington and almost hit one of its tallest buildings. But I wasn't taking notes then. I apologize, but Atlanta got surprised by tornadoes in the downtown. Tennessee's gotten surprised by tornadoes and places downtown that they've never gotten before, and our weather is changing. So, but I didn't think about it. I'm sure there are other places in this community that need to have severe weather shelters pointed out for when people are in there, because the following Thursday, I was up on the 4th floor of the computer room or computers at the library, and over half of the people got up. they were scared to death because the lightning was hitting the glass, and they also saw it hitting the Stevens courthouse. So they didn't want to stay on the computers, and they were literally afraid that the lightning was so strong that it would shatter the glass. So it's not just the transit center, but when you've got 200 or 300 people waiting 40, 45 minutes in that kind of weather, Nonetheless, the other times during the day are on the weekend, and you get one of those severe storms. That's a dangerous thing. I grew up in southern Florida, and five doctors got killed out on a golf course playing when there was lightning coming down. One of them went out during the eye of a hurricane, thinking it was okay, and was killed. And the last place I lived in California, five people got killed in one day in a place that normally doesn't get a lot of rain. So I'm kind of sensitive to this issue. But also, I had sent the mayor and Diane Lawless a letter, I think some of the others, council at large, because of all the problems about being able to do something with the properties, where there's constant problems with drugs and so forth, but evidently that ordinance that I thought was passed in the 90s either no longer exists or wasn't what I understood it to be at a first district council meeting with George Brown at Shiloh Baptist where the city had the right that if the police had been called there three times for drugs, gambling, or prostitution, the city had the right to take it over. Robin, excuse me just a second. I want to ask for a council member to make a motion to extend your time. The routine time is by protocol is three minutes. So I'll ask for a motion by Councilmember Farmer makes a motion. Councilmember and Vice Mayor Gordon seconds unless there's an objection. Motion carries. Three minutes. Okay, thank you. Yes, ma'am. Some of the houses I know aren't in good enough shape to restore. So those can be torn down and used for, like, a street or neighborhood small park or community garden. but the ones that are good enough to restore. And the government does give a per diem for housing for veterans. With our homeless veterans, one of the things that could be the most healing for them is giving them the work of restoring a home with the help of donations from different companies to make it their own home. And that would put a good neighbor in those neighborhoods that are having problems. And I saw the support trooper sign. This is where I'll finish. I hope you all promote Red Shirt Day, which stands for those of us that are wishing and praying and hoping that all our troops get home safely and quickly. I didn't know if you all were aware of that. And maybe somebody can help me get UK put red, white, and blue and yellow ribbon on their uniforms as a stand of supporting our troops that are being sent even more and more into harm's way. There is nothing against military law, and I think Linda's husband could verify that versus the flag. And that would show support as well with our teams. Thank you. Thank you, Robin. Thank you so much. Council Member Farmer. Rob. Yeah. Sorry. You touched on many subjects. I just want to – the first one, you talked about an email or a letter that you sent about shelter at the transit center. Right. There's no direction of where to go if severe weather hits at the transit center. And there were two men that were getting ready to go get their cars. They were standing there looking up at the sky, and I go, are you looking at what I think I'm looking at? And they go, yeah, it looks like two tornadoes are trying to come out. And that was on the September 6th storm on that Friday. Well, I'll look for the email asking one of them to provide it. Okay. That is an area I've had interest in, not just downtown, but across the county, and something we've had a hard time trying to do. Well, most people don't even realize that if you have an open window in your living room and you're sitting in there, the lightning can come in through that open window and kill you. You seem to know more about lightning than I understood, but personally. But I would just, it's something that I think we'd want to take up among ourselves and with the transit authority, because you made a very good point about a very public place, and I appreciate it very much. Right, and there are other public places that probably need it, and when code enforcement possibly might want to put something in about to make sure when new buildings are built or restaurants or whatever, that they have to build it with severe weather shelter in mind. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mayor, thank you. Thank you, Council Member Farmer. Thank you. Thank you. All right. That is all we have on the agenda for today. Is that a motion to adjourn? Motion by Council Member Stenner, second by Council Member Ellinger. Unless there's objection, Council stands adjourned. For it works.