MINUTES
BELL BUOY COMMITTEE
March 3, 2009

Present:  Cheryl VanMetre, Charles Boozer, Burley Lyons, Archie Johnston, Drew Weeks, Ray Archibald and Iris Hill

Mayor Lyons stated in the minutes of the last meeting even though the vote to add Iris Hill as a voting member was 5/1, he has rethought this decision and thinks it puts Ms. Hill in a vulnerable position.  He moved that the committee change that decision to place Ms. Hill as a non-voting member.  Drew Weeks seconded and the motion carried unanimously.  Mr. Johnston stated that at the last Council meeting, council voted for Ms. Hill filling the vacancy on the Bell Buoy Committee as a non-voting member in lieu of a voting member.

The minutes of the last meeting were approved after Ms. Weeks stated that she would like to clarify that her decision in opposing the request that the committee ask council seek grants using Ms. Woods in her consulting role was based on the economy and the statement made by Mayor Lyons that Ms. Hill is an experienced grant writer.

Seafood Building:

Ms. VanMetre stated that the RFP has been written for the demolition of the seafood building but we need to send this out correctly so we have bids from 3 companies.  She also stated that a gentleman asked about the boards on the outside of the building.  He thought if they could be taken down by the mission team or the art guild or someone such as that, maybe they could be sold as a fundraising thing and someone might be interested in that.  She asked the committee what their feeling was on this suggestion.  They did not have a favorable opinion of this.  The Bell Buoy sign and the Swamp Fox signs were items the committee decided to keep and Ms. Hill was asked to take care of getting these items and retaining them for future use.

Four (4) Polluted Spots:

Ms. Van Metre mentioned there are 4 polluted spots on the property that need to be taken care of at the proper time.  Ms. Hill stated that she has spoken with the town Building Official, Patrick Brown, about this to which he responded that typically people who do demolition work don’t do this type of work.  His thoughts are that we need to do two (2) RFPs, separating the demolition work from the fill of the polluted areas.

Sale of Equipment:

Mr. Archibald reported he met with Vincent Flowers, Bob Fold and Bobby Fontaine and they walked through all of the equipment.  The biggest problem is the equipment has been sitting there for years without maintenance and is in such disrepair it is in no shape to sell.  He met with Mayor Lyons and Bob Doub and they decided if some of the shrimpers mentioned above would come and haul off some of it, it would only benefit the committee to get rid of it.  The committee agreed with Mr. Archibald’s recommendations.

Ms. Van Metre suggested the Interpretive Center might want the shrimp grader, since it was an invention of Mr. Bell and one of a kind.  Mr. Archibald had already told Vincent Flowers he was more than welcome to it since he was the only one who showed interest in it.  If he decides not to get it, then the committee might want to consider Ms. Van Metre’s suggestion. 

Restrooms:

Gus Gusler, Zoning Administrator, handed out copies of the plans for the committee to have in front of them.   Ms. Van Metre commented that John Tarkany liked the plans and thinks they can be used on the property as they are.  Mr. Gusler stated the structure itself is very practical and functional.  His questions before getting someone to bid on the construction of it is what type of exterior finish it have, will it be used at night, and do we want round or square columns?  The committee recommended hardy plank.  Also, there is no electrical wiring on the plans and do we want hot water as the plans do not specify this either.  There was some discussion on the use of a tankless water heater and the committee thought this was a good idea.  The committee also thought it a good idea to go green as much as possible.  To answer Mr. Gusler’s other 2 questions, the building will definitely be used at night, and the committee asked for a few days to think about the columns.

Ms. Weeks moved to have Mr. Gusler investigate going as green as we can go, including the possible use of solar panels.  Mayor Lyons seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Four Car Garage:

There was discussion about the upper part of the building being open allowing birds to enter, as well as, which artifacts the committee wishes to keep for display.  Mr. Archibald is to be in charge of getting the artifacts and putting them aside. 

Mr. Johnston moved to clean up the garage building and seal the upper part of the building, putting this as a separate line item on the RFP.  Mayor Lyons seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Ms. Van Metre moved to also include the shed roof on the four car garage as a separate line item on the RFP.  Mr. Johnston seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Pier, Dock & Permits:

Permitting has been worked out on the railings on the dock, also, permitting of cleanup of the railway area has been worked out and drafts of these sent to the town for approval.  Ms. Hill stated she has received these drafts and is to meet with John Tarkany tomorrow when she and the Mayor will probably sign off on them.

Discussion on whether to use rip rap or build a bulkhead at the railway site resulted in the decision to wait until tomorrow when Tom Hutto will be here to advise the committee further in this matter.  The committee will meet 30 minutes prior to the public meeting with Messrs. Tarkany and Hutto on March 4, 2009.

John Tarkany’s Proposal:

The committee has before them Mr. Tarkany’s proposal to continue his work with the park under John Tarkany Associates since he no longer works with Design Works.  There was discussion as to whether or not we could legally hire him or if he is in a non-compete contract with Design Works.  Ms. Hill is to check on the contract with Design Works and if we can hire Mr. Tarkany, does this possibility of hiring someone else need to be put out for bids.

Ms. Van Metre moved that if Ms. Hill finds everything to be in compliance, then we do hire John Tarkany under his proposal after clarification of his proposal of an hourly basis with maximum 7 hour per month.  Mayor Lyons seconded.  After discussion the motion was withdrawn.

Ms. Weeks made motion that we do accept John Tarkany’s services even if that is to go through Design Works using Mr. Tarkany as sub-contractor with the Town re-writing the proposal so as to clarify the terms.  Mayor Lyons seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Update of Cost of Park:

Ms. Van Metre stated she had asked Maxine Burton, Town Finance Clerk, to send an update on the cost of the park thus far.  She thinks the committee needs to keep in mind what has been spent to date and how much we have left.  She reminded the committee that a grant application is also in the works. 

Grants:

Ms. Van Metre presented the committee with a letter of support for the grant application that she had prepared All the committee members signed the letter and it was put with the grant application file. 

Property Dispute:

Mayor Lyons stated that he has been working with the town attorney on the property dispute between the Pulaskis and the Town of Edisto Beach.  He has made a third proposal to him and made it explicitly clear that the proposal was without town council consent.  He wants to poll the council first and let them know what that proposal contains before informing the committee of its contents.  Hopefully, he will have an answer for the committee soon.

Other Business:

The committee has received a letter from the marina association stating interest in leasing a portion of property at the site for easier boat ramp access.  The sub-committee was asked to reconvene, adding Charles Boozer as a member, and submit a letter of response to the marina association.  Ms. Hill is to check into the legality of this.

Ms. Van Metre suggested the committee always meet on the Tuesday before the Council Work Session.  The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st at 10:00 am.

It was decided that the people who sign in to speak at the public meeting be limited to 3 minutes.  We will have someone timing them to keep the meeting in order.

Meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.

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