Part of the land purchased by the city of Lafayette to be developed as an industrial park has been deemed a wetland under Tennessee law.
The tracts of land were being prepared for marketing to outside businesses, with city leaders hoping to attract commerce to the area. Now that this portion of property has been deemed wetland, it is protected by state law, due to certain plant and animal life which now reside in the large pond there. This means that the original plans to fill in the pond cannot go forward. The pond will have to be maintained in its pristine condition and the industrial park features, buildings and roads will have to be incorporated around the pond. A smaller pond near the larger one will be filled in.
During the City of Lafayette council meeting on Tuesday, February 5, Resolution 02-05-2013A was passed, annexing the property into the City of Lafayette.
Other items approved:
Ordinance 635 (amending the Animal Control section of the city code, by changing the title Health Officer to Animal Control Officer) was approved and passed on second and final reading
Ordinance 636 (amending the Animal Control and Pound Keeper section of the code), was approved and on second and final reading
Adopted Resolution 02-05-2013B (calling for a public hearing on a plan of service for the above property, Passed.
Adopted Resolution 02-05-2013C ( a resolution to provide matching funds for the Macon County Community Development Block Grant, which is being applied for to make improvement in water lines in the County), Passed.
Approval for Mayor Driver to sign the application for the Lafayette Airport AWOS (Automatic Weather Observation System). The original grant terms were 95%/5% but it is now 75%/25%. The City’s match is now 25% of $150,000 or a total of $37,000. A proposal was made to have the Budget Committee try and find ½ of the money out of existing funds rather than from reserve funds. This was discussed and due to the importance of the AWOS to Lafayette Air Port commercial traffic this proposal was withdrawn and the Approval was approved and passed.
Approval for Mayor Driver to sign the application for the Airport Layout Plan Update (a 95%/% , $85,000 grant with the City’s match being 5% or $4250 dollars) was approved and passed.
Also discussed regarding the airport was the damage to one of the hangars during recent storms. The insurance covers this damage but there is a $500 deductible to be made. The City can request reimbursement from TDOT for Emergency repairs of this nature. Also of concern is the presence of a sink hole measuring approx. 8 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep, that while NOT in the safety zones of the runways, still needs to be filled in. There may be grant money available to help defray the cost of this but the grant would be a 95/5 grant. The projected cost for filling in and repairing the sink hole is $10,000. The city’s part of this cost will be 500 to 750 dollars. The City will do all of the work using city manpower and city equipment.
Motion made and passed for Mayor Driver to request Emergency Funding for this work as well as the repairs needed to one of the hangars which resulted from one of the recent storms.
Employee annual evaluations and salary increases were approved for Jeremy Keene, Wastewater and Michael Hackett, Wastewater. LPD Officer Henry Behr was promoted from Corporal (level 6) to Captain (level 9). Officer Josh Smith’s letter of resignation and Linda McDonald’s letter of retirement were approved. A job title change for the PD was approved—Corporal changed to Patrolman II.
Mr. Randall Killman, Field Operations Program Specialist with Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency, gave short presentation about the status of the UCHRA programs in Macon County and on the various services offered to residents of Macon County. One of the most visible programs is the U-CARTS transportation program. Transportation is available to ALL Macon County residents for $1.00 with 48 hour prior notice given. They will transport any resident to various places in Nashville and surrounding areas; residents must simply plan around their scheduling. Fares outside of designated local areas are based on miles traveled and will be charged accordingly.
The Beer Board met prior to the Council Meeting and approved the granting of a beer permit to Vanshabem Dineshkuman Patel, doing business as A-1 Discount Tobacco.
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