To:
From:
Meeting Attendees
Richard Hiner
Date:
Subject:
July 13, 2009 (finalized August 3, 2009)
Final Public Meeting Minutes - July 9, 2009
Shillington CIP
Charlotte Storm Water Services (CSWS) and PBS&J conducted a public meeting at Sharon
United Methodist Church on July 9, 2009 for citizens within the Shillington CIP area. The meeting was attended by the following:
Stewart Edwards, CSWS
Douglas Lozner, CSWS
Julie Millea, City of Charlotte
Craig Long, PPS
Richard Hiner, PBS&J
Will Weathersbee, PBS&J
Citizens – see attached sign-in sheets.
The following is a summary of the main points highlighted during the presentation.
Stewart Edwards (CSWS) convened the public meeting at approximately 7:10pm and made the audience aware of the sign-in sheets, customer service evaluation cards, and the project vicinity map.
Stewart explained that CSWS is managing the project and PBS&J is the design consultant.
He then introduced the representatives from CSWS and PBS&J who serve on the project team and stated the purpose of this public meeting is to present the designs and obtain feedback regarding the proposed improvements from citizens residing within the project limits.
Stewart provided background on the development of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) initiated by CSWS. CSWS launched the CIP in 1993 to address storm drainage problems utilizing an overall watershed approach. Stewart stated that the Shillington project, which falls within the jurisdiction of the CIP, originated from flooding complaints made by citizens.
Richard Hiner (PBS&J) gave a general description of the project and identified the project limits, the existing storm drain systems, and the proposed improvements. He defined the primary system as the main branch of the drainage network, which is fed by the secondary smaller pipe and/or channel systems.
Stewart stated that this meeting is the last of the three planned public meetings. The purpose of this meeting is to present the final improvements and to discuss easement acquisitions

necessary to construct the proposed improvements. He then introduced Julie Millea to discuss the easement process.
Julie Milea (City of Charlotte) gave a general definition/description of what an easement is and its purpose. She introduced Craig Long (Professional Property Services 704-799-7620) and explained that his company would be handling the individual easement negotiations on behalf of the City and that this process was expected to take six to nine months. Julie mentioned that she has already spoken with about 25% of the affected residents and will be making more contacts in the coming weeks.
Stewart gave a brief summary of the guidelines for the question and answer session and for the breakout sessions and then opened the floor for questions from the audience.
The following is a brief summary of the questions and answers offered at the end of the presentation.
A resident was concerned that adequate notice be given of the proposed construction so that there would be time to relocate vegetation currently in or adjacent to the easement so that it could be salvaged. CSWS responded that the residents would be notified via a project mailer when the project goes out for bid and again when a contractor has been selected and that this should give ample time for any relocations.
The City Storm Water Project webpage will also include these updates.
A resident inquired about the project’s timeframe. CSWS
replied that it might take twelve to eighteen months to complete the construction.
A resident asked about personnel out on the project site and explained that he had seen several people walking around the property with no identifying insignia. He asked them what they were doing and was told that they were looking over the project and hoping to be able to work on it. CSWS explained that this project has not been advertised for bid and that, unfortunately, the City does not have control over private companies and that these people were not out there on behalf of the City.
A resident asked if we do background checks on the contractors and stated that they were concerned about criminal activity in the neighborhood and asked how they will know if the people they see out on the project are supposed to be there. CSWS replied that anyone out on the project should have identifying markers on their vehicles and should be able to provide a business card, ID badge, or some form of company identification. However, CSWS would request that the citizens contact the project manager (Stewart Edwards) or construction inspector with any concerns that they may have during construction. CSWS explained that a mailer with contact information for all parties associated with the construction will be sent out prior to construction.
Stewart then invited the citizens to visit one of the four tables manned by project team personnel to ask property-specific questions. Many of these questions had to do with concerns about how vegetation and/or property fences within the existing or proposed easements would be handled during construction. It was explained that each affected property owner would have an opportunity to negotiate with a City representative about their specific situation prior to any construction taking place. Although the majority of these questions about specific properties were answered at the break-out tables and will not be addressed in this memorandum, there is

one issue that was brought up by several residents in the vicinity of Bar Harbor and Shillington
Place that will be discussed.
With the construction of the new Shillington Place culvert within the roadway alignment, the portion of open channel between Bar Harbor and the existing 72” corrugated metal pipe will receive no flow from the upstream system and will be essentially dry except for local property drainage. The resident who owns this property believes it to be a safety hazard because of its depth and requested that it be filled in. Also, the residents on both sides of the channel north of
Bar Harbor expressed concerns about the safety and condition of the channel in this area and requested that channel be filled in and the stormwater be conveyed in a storm drain. PBS&J explained that these concerns would be presented to the project team and CSWS would decide what, if anything, can be done at this stage in the project. Should major changes to the design systems be made, the City will note this on the CSWS webpage and the appropriate property owners will also be informed.
The above represents our understanding of the topics discussed. Please notify us immediately of any questions or comments. cc: Project Staff in attendance