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Adjourned Meeting
June 9, 2001
6:00 p.m.
Meeting Convened. An Adjourned Meeting of the York County Board
of Supervisors was called to order at 9:13 a.m., Saturday, June 9, 2001,
in the Resolution Room, Holiday Inn 1776, by Chairman James S. Burgett.
Attendance. The following members of the Board of
Supervisors were present: Walter C. Zaremba, Donald E. Wiggins, James S.
Burgett, and H. R. Ashe.
Sheila S. Noll was absent.
Also in attendance was James O. McReynolds, County Administrator.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RETREAT
REVIEW OF CURRENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Mr. McReynolds asked the Board to first look at its Mission
Statement and decide whether or not to continue in this format.
Discussion followed concerning the protection of individual
property owners' rights and including appropriate wording in the mission
statement. At this time the Board made no changes to the current
statement.
Mr. J. Mark Carter, Planning and Zoning Manager, began a review of
the current status of the Board's Goals and Objectives, indicating those
areas that were basically completed and were shown as shaded areas on
the handouts.
Mr. James Noel, Director of Economic Development, updated the
Board on the status of Goal #1 and the Industrial Development Authority
(IDA) initiation of a strategic plan.
Mr. McReynolds indicated the Board needed to have some discussion
on what the emphasis should be before the strategic plan was published.
He noted there were limited resources in both dollars and people, so the
County needed to make sure the resources were placed in the proper
places.
Mr. Noel stated that during the economic development briefing
later in the meeting, he would review the issues and specific projects.
He then updated the Board on the second part of Goal #1 dealing with the
designation of a technology zone. He briefly explained the purpose of a
technology zone and its benefits to York County and how to accomplish
it.
Mr. Ashe asked Mr. Noel what he thought was the major impediment
to getting an enterprise zone.
Mr. Noel explained that the state had capped the zones, and at the
present time they were all gone except two pocket zones which the
Governor controls. He explained the competitive process that took place
several years ago when the County tried to get a zone. Through the years
there have been a few opportunities to apply when the cap was raised,
but York County has only applied once, and one was not awarded. Mr. Noel
stated his best guess at the time was that the County was not in a good
competitive position because of the absence of fiscal stress. He noted
he was conservative at the time with making recommendations on what the
County would provide as incentives, and the General Assembly has not
established any new enterprise zones since then. All the County can do
now is lobby the General Assembly to try and get them to establish more
zones.
Discussion followed on qualifications for receiving an enterprise
zone.
Mr. McReynolds noted that even if the County was able to compete
again, he would not be optimistic because of the County's affluence.
Mr. Ashe suggested the Board might do well in the future to work
the political side.
Mr. Noel stated his intent was to ask the Board to support asking
the General Assembly in the County's next Legislative Program to
increase the number of enterprise zones.
Mr. Ashe suggested that he be allowed to facilitate a meeting with
the state staff to get their recommendations on what the County needs to
do to improve its chance in getting an enterprise zone.
By consensus the Board agreed to allow Mr. Ashe to facilitate a
meeting with state staff regarding criteria to meet in order to obtain
an enterprise zone.
Mr. Noel then briefed the Board on the initiative for a
comprehensive tourism development strategy for the County that meets the
objectives of the County as well as the region.
Chairman Burgett stated he felt the Board needed to look at hiring
a tourism director to actively promote tourism.
Mr. Ashe stated that with the County's contribution to the
Williamsburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Board needs to
make sure the County is getting equal representation.
Mr. Wiggins stated he felt the County was getting equal
representation and is well represented. One of the things the members
need to do as a Board is to attend their functions, meet with all of
these people on a regular basis, and keep them ever mindful of York
County. He stated he did not think there was a need for a person
dedicated to tourism. Before the County considered doing that, he stated
he felt the Board needed to get something in Yorktown to attract people
to visit.
Chairman Burgett indicated he realized the County was not ready
now for a tourism director, but it should be included in future
planning.
Mr. Ashe stated he felt it should be a duty of the Economic
Development Office to make sure the County is getting ample
representation from the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Mr. McReynolds stated that staff does monitor it very closely to
make sure the County is getting good coverage for its dollars.
Mr. Ashe indicated that once Yorktown is revitalized and the
tourist traffic is generated, then there will be a need for a tourism
person.
Mr. Zaremba noted the whole Williamsburg area has grave concerns
that the tourist industry will be off significantly this year. Hotels in
York County as well as Williamsburg and James City County are happy to
get 50 percent room occupancy. He noted the industry was really hurting.
Discussion followed on the slowing tourism economy.
Mr. Zaremba stated he felt all the goals' initiatives were very
critical, and it was important to stay on track and keep to the
timelines. He also indicated he felt the County needed to get more
mileage out of the Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as get more of
a regional effort started.
Mr. Wiggins reiterated the importance of getting to know the
people of the Williamsburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Convention
and Visitors Bureau.
Mr. Ashe stated he felt the Board needed to be concerned, but the
Convention and Visitors Bureau Board has taken some very big steps
toward promoting the region.
Mr. Carter then reviewed Goal #2, its strategies and status.
Mr. Zaremba spoke of the citizens who come and speak before the
Board during Citizens Comment period, and he stated he felt there was a
need to develop some system of responding/answering their
concerns/questions.
Mr. Carter then reviewed Goal #3, its strategies and status.
Mr. McReynolds indicated he planned to revamp the PEP process,
stating he felt the employees needed to move toward performance
management. He stated he was working with FMS to set up another round of
training. A part of this training will be benchmarking with peers
externally and identifying the trends internally. He stated this will
help to objectively analyze whether or not the staff needs to be
expanded or reduced.
Mr. Ashe indicated he felt staff needed to be looking at having a
seminar a couple of times a year conducted by a nationally trained
speaker who could talk about municipal government and customer service.
All staff should have the opportunity to attend these sessions for
update training. He also noted there could be dynamic returns on the
cost of training. Mr. Ashe stated he would like to see a positive image
and attitude that is immediate when someone comes in to talk to a county
employee. They need to be looking to help without impacting on the
citizen negatively. In terms of a commercial or industrial developer,
Mr. Ashe suggested that the developer be taken by the hand and led
through the process from the beginning to the end. He noted that no
matter how good the staff is, there is always room for improvement.
Chairman Burgett and Mr. Wiggins expressed their agreement with
Mr. Ashe's suggestions.
Mr. Noel spoke concerning the current process followed by his
office with businessmen and developers in the County. He suggested that
plan review staff needed to look at an incoming plan finding ways to
approve the plan rather than trying to find things wrong with it. He
stated if the Board wished to amend this initiative, it should be in the
development review process.
Mr. McReynolds stated he had discussions with John Hudgins who was
working on a plan. He stated he wanted some mechanism to provide
accountability for each department in meeting its deadlines. A system is
needed whereby people know when they are supposed to get plans back; and
when they don't, there should be a system notification to the County
Administrator with the reason why. Mr. McReynolds spoke of the
importance of clearly communicating with the development community as to
what the process and deadlines are, and that the County staff is there
to help them get their plans through and not throw roadblocks in their
way.
Mr. Carter stated that one thing that has helped a great deal
lately is the preapplication meeting. The applicants come in a sit down
with staff and review the plans prior to submission. He stated if the
developer does this, he is guaranteed a 21-day review return on his
plans. If not, the review time could extend up to 60 days.
Mr. Zaremba stated there is a clearly defined written process, and
perhaps what needs to be done is to review the process internally by the
staff. He stated what he was hearing was that there was a possibility
that the necessary manpower is not present to get the job done.
Mr. McReynolds stated he felt volume was a concern, and that was
why another individual is being added to staff. He noted that some
tightening up of internal accountability needs to be done also, as well
as working on the general attitude of the staff.
Discussion followed on the 21-day plan approval system.
Meeting Recessed. At 10:47 a.m. Chairman Burgett declared a short
recess.
Meeting Reconvened. At 11:00 a.m. the meeting was reconvened
in open session by order of the Chair.
Mr. McReynolds stated he felt the last two goals were on track, and he
recommended that the Board move on to the Economic Development item at
this time.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Noel briefly reviewed the business retention and expansion
program. Steve Cook works with this program on an everyday basis with
the business community. He also reviewed the benchmarks and measures for
evaluating whether or not economic development is heading in the right
direction for the County. He then spoke concerning some investment
opportunities to stimulate economic development activity, and he asked
for the Board's feedback on the following proposals:
York River Commerce Park Construct a new shell building
Busch Industrial Park Construct a new shell building
C. A. Barrs Property Construct a shell office building
International Center Business Park Construct a shell office building
Keener-Cupp-Berrane property Construct a new shell building
Mr. Ashe suggested that the plans be duplicated for the shell
building to lower the architectural costs. He suggested that the
architect design three different front elevations for variety, and this
way costs will be cut for future shell buildings. He also suggested that
the Board take a proactive stance and get in touch with the people in
the economic development community.
Chairman Burgett stated he felt the Busch property will never have
a problem filling up, and the shell building should be built at the York
River Commerce Park.
Mr. Ashe, in speaking regarding the C. A. Barrs property, stated
the Board needed to shift its focus to maximize private development. He
stated he felt an office building on the Barrs property was the most
viable option at this time.
Chairman Burgett asked where Mr. Barrs was making his money on
this property.
Mr. Noel indicated he was only receiving funds from the sale of
the land.
Mr. Zaremba asked how many vacant buildings did the County have on
Route 17.
Mr. Noel stated there were two large facilities-the former Winn
Dixie and the former Farm Fresh. Staff is working very hard with the
owners of the Winn Dixie Center, but the market has shifted to office
space. People don't want to reconfigure retail space.
Mr. Ashe stated he would like to see a briefing from staff on how
the last six-year plan was presented. He noted that Jim Cleveland was
telling him some things about the $14 million that was supposed to be
used for Route 17. He stated the County needs to get that money back,
and he would like to get as much input as possible before he meets with
Mr. Cleveland again.
YORKTOWN REVITALIZATION
Mr. Robert S. Kraus, Director of Yorktown Revitalization Projects,
spoke on the goals of the Yorktown revitalization, including:
· Improvements west of the York River Bridge
· Water Street Revenue Sharing project
· Beach Trail Enhancement project
· Riverwalk connection to the Victory Center
· Construction of a small boat pier
He then spoke of the small boat pier, stating it was eligible for
federal funding, it will reduce the cost of the Wharf Area pier, and it
could help the Watermen's Museum. Mr. Kraus also stated it would enhance
the Riverwalk project and provide a sheltered area for small boats.
Discussion followed on the impact to the Watermen's Museum due to
construction of a new small boat pier and how the Museum could work in
partnership with the County. By consensus the Board directed staff to
work out a deal with the Watermen's Museum and bring back a proposal for
the Board to consider.
Mr. Zaremba asked what the timeline would be for the project.
Mr. Kraus stated he saw it fully constructed within two years.
With the grants the County has been able to secure, everything can be
done, with the exception of the pier, from the bridge to the Victory
Center within the next two years. He stated he would be working with the
Watermen's Museum to develop a master plan for its property.
Mr. Kraus then outlined the Wharf project which will be done in
three phases. Phase 1 will include moving and renovating the freight
shed building and demolishing the old wharf. Phase 2 is to issue the RFP
for commercial structures and conduct a parking analysis. Phase 3
includes building a new pier, building the commercial structures, and
building the wharf area/plaza.
Mr. Ashe indicated some brainstorming needed to be done on the
layout of the project, perhaps after the Nick's Restaurant property has
been settled.
Mr. Kraus then reviewed the funding possibilities for the freight
shed. Over $1 million has been budgeted to relocate and renovate the
shed. A private company has proposed to negotiate a contract for some
private funding involving historic preservation tax credits, which would
bring the County's funding portion down to $200,000. He noted there was
also a $550,000 enhancement grant that was approved in 1999.
Discussion followed on the cost of moving and renovating the
freight shed building.
Mr. Ashe asked if it was possible to work the wharf area plan so
that the space at the top is where the concert area will be. He stated
there was a need for ample parking to facilitate the patrons of the
businesses that will be there. Mr. Ashe indicated his pleasure with the
idea of two restaurants on the waterfront, but noted they should be
viable 12 months out of the year.
Mr. McReynolds noted it would be up to what the private sector was
willing to invest and under what conditions. Once that information is
acquired, staff will have a parking analysis done for the village.
Mr. Wiggins stated the Board was not trying to provide parking for
individuals who use the beach, and this should be a secondary concern.
The Board's focus should be to provide people with something other than
the beach to visit in Yorktown. If the people are willing to park at the
beach and walk around Yorktown, they would probably also park at the top
of the hill behind York Hall and walk down to the beach.
Mr. McReynolds indicated that close-in parking probably should be
limited to less than one hour. He noted that Yorktown would have two
different clientele-one in the off-season for the restaurants and shops
and the other being tourists walking the area and spending a long time
in the town. He stated the latter will be willing to use the trolley and
walk the Riverwalk, but the first won't invest 30-40 minutes for the
trolley when they just want to drop in a shop to pick up something or to
visit a restaurant.
Mr. Zaremba noted he would like Mr. Kraus to move ahead with what
he has presented at this time.
Mr. Ashe stated he felt there should be an analysis first to make
sure all the Board members are comfortable with the plan.
Mr. McReynolds recapped his understanding of the Board's direction
to prepare an RFP for commercial space in short order and that a parking
analysis be performed by a consultant.
By general consensus the Board directed that the advertising for
an RFP and a parking analysis be accomplished.
Mr. Kraus then briefly reviewed other noteworthy topics including:
· A Master Plan for the Watermen's Museum
· Federal funding for National Park Service Projects
· Poor Potters
· Other projects on Park Service property
· Reorder the CIP to match anticipated funding stream
He indicated he would like to go beyond the Poor Potters project.
He stated staff was negotiating for an easement over the Picnic Area to
improve it. For this project, the County should be able to get some
federal money. This area is the location that was suggested during the
Master Plan planning for the concert area, and the National Park Service
is receptive to this idea as long as it does not conflict with its
everyday operations.
Mr. Ashe stated he felt there was a need for single piers inside
the large pier to handle recreational and smaller boats.
Meeting Adjourned. At 1:37 p.m. Chairman Burgett declared the
meeting adjourned to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 12, 2001, in the East
Room, York Hall, for the purpose of conducting a work session.
_____________________________
_______________________________
James O. McReynolds, Clerk
James S. Burgett, Chairman
York County Board of Supervisors
York County Board of Supervisors
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