BC 2005 12 19 REGULAR - Laserfiche WebLink

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December 19, 2005 - Regular Meeting Page 432 UPON MOTION of Commissioner Privette, seconded by Commissioner Freeman and unanimously carried, the Board approved the Agenda with the changes as requested. (D) RECOGNITIONS AND PRESENTATIONS (D-1) Recognition of Patsy McGaha on Her Retirement from the Cabarrus County Sheriff's office Sheriff Brad Riley recognized Pasty McGaha on her retirement from the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office. Ms. McGaha began her career with the Sheriff's Office on February 1, 1992, and worked in the civil and records division. On behalf of the Board, Commissioner Freeman presented a retirement plaque to Ms. McGaha in recognition of her 13 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Cabarrus County. (E) INFORMAL PUBLIC COMMENTS Chairman Carruth opened the meeting for Informal Public Comments at 6:49 p.m. He stated each speaker would be limited to three minutes. Deborah Arbes, resident of 348 Union Street South and a registered Architect, expressed concern there was no three-dimensional aspect to the October 28th presentation on the jail project. Therefore, she stated she had taken it upon herself to build a model of the jail complex. Although the model was not completely finished, Ms. Arbes said most persons were surprised to see the size of the buildings, especially the housing units and how they fit into the gully on the future jail site. Ms. Arbes stated it would be wise for the Board to step back, take another look at the project and get additional public input. Kathleen Hannon, resident of 161 North Union Street, stated her experience with the film industry and distributed information regarding the film industry in North Carolina. She said the last two films shot in North Carolina were "Shallow Hal" and "Talladega Nights" and both came to Concord and brought in estimated revenues of $35 million to the State. Ms. Hannon stated building the jail downtown would stop future productions from coming to Concord and negatively impact the film business and associated revenue. She said the size and scale of the proposed jail were out of keeping with the downtown character and asked that the jail be built elsewhere or at a size consistent with the rest of downtown. Bo Dickens, resident of 65 Union Street North, requested an additional three minutes of time to review an architectural rendering. UPON MOTION of Commissioner Privette, seconded by Commissioner Carpenter and unanimously carried, the Board granted a total of six minutes to Bo Dickens to address the Board. Mr. Dickens presented alternative plans for the jail site that he stated would be a higher and better use for that property. He stated the topography of the site was not conducive to the two housing units and there would be no room to expand in 20 to 50 years. Mr. Dickens proposed that the Annex and Law Enforcement Administration building be constructed downtown and the remainder of the property be developed as mixed use, including businesses, condominiums, etc. Finally, he stated the need for a parking deck that could be accessed from two streets. Jim Rothwell, resident of 575 Dogwood Street in Concord, commented on his family's move to Concord over ten years ago. He stated Concord has grown significantly over those ten years and has managed to maintain, if not revitalize, its main street image. Mr. Rothwell cited the following concerns regarding the proposed project: (1) Children walking past the jail; (2) Lack of downtown parking; (3) Adverse effect on character of surrounding areaj and (4) Negative impact on the City's image as an All American City and on the desirability and economic vitality of the downtown area. Mr. Rothwell called for a reasonable expansion of a downtown jail supported by a remote site utilizing video technology. Bill Smith, President of the Cabarrus County Home Building Industry Association, presented information regarding "Infrastructure Finance: Alternatives Translate to More Affordable Housing." He stated a recent study from the National Conference of State Legislatures had identified the following 12 key infrastructure finance tools: Community Development