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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN JAN 25 1994 REGULAR SESSION CITY COUNCIL - CITY OF BEAUMONT HELD JANUARY 25, 1994 - 1:30 P.M. BE IT REMEMBERED that the City Council of the City of Beaumont, Texas, met in regular session this the 25th day of January, 1994, with the following present: HONORABLE: Evelyn M. Lord Mayor Guy N. Goodson Mayor Pro Tem Councilman, Ward II Andrew P. Cokinos Councilman At Large Brian R. Alter Councilman At Large Lulu L. Smith Councilman, Ward I John K. Davis Councilman, Ward III Absent: David W. Moore Councilman, Ward IV Ray A. Riley City Manager Lane Nichols City Attorney Barbara Liming Deputy City Clerk -000- The Invocation was given by the Reverend Phillip Hodge, Sr. , Antioch Baptist Church. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilman Davis. -000- One Proclamation was issued: "Teen Court of Beaumont Day, " January 25, 1994. Municipal Court Judge Lupe Flores thanked Council for the Proclamation, those who have helped with the Teen Court Program from the City of Beaumont, the City Clerk's Office, Court Administrator Winnie Kocot and Municipal Court Personnel, Coordinator Nancy Schilhab, the Young Lawyers Association, Police Department Explorer Post, who act as bailiffs, the James Martin and Jefferson County Probation Department, and said in return the Young Lawyers Association has a Resolution to read. Mr. David Starnes: Whereas, the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association has spent many months organizing and initiating the Teen Court of Beaumont; and, Whereas, the City of Beaumont through the outstanding leadership of Mayor Evelyn Lord has facilitated and implemented the operation of the Beaumont Teen Court; -11- January 25, 1994 Whereas, the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association has reviewed the period of September 23, 1992 through July 28, 1993; Whereas, the review demonstrates that the coordinated efforts of the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association and the City of Beaumont have established an overwhelmingly successful Teen Court Program; Be it resolved that the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association supports and endorses the renaming of the Beaumont Teen Court to the Evelyn Lord Teen Court; Be it further resolved that the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association will continue to assist the City of Beaumont with the Evelyn Lord Teen Court. Dated January 25, 1994 . Ms. Michelle Englade: Mayor, at this time, on behalf of the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association and the Teen Court Board of Directors, we would like to present a plaque to you: "Presented to Evelyn M. Lord in recognition for outstanding leadership and devotion to the Evelyn M. Lord Teen Court of Beaumont, January 25, 1994 . " Mayor Lord: Thank you very, very much. I 'll have to tell you, they caught me by surprise--very much so! At their one-o'clock press conference, which I thought was just about bragging on the wonderful awards they've received. I never knew why Miss Americas cried, and I surprised myself by doing it. I 'm in control a little bit better now, and just again, let me thank you all for this wonderful honor. Mr. Michael Truncale: Again, we do want to thank you. This is our way of honoring you for what you've contributed, not only to Teen Court, but you've been a great mayor all these years, and we want you to know that we support you all the way and will continue to do so. You know, Mayor Lord is an attorney, and she has a great interest in the rule of law, and she also has a great interest in young people and in rebuilding the lives of young people. And, the Teen Court, I should say now, the Evelyn Lord Teen Court Program, does just that, and it does it through using peer pressure in a positive way. Young people serve as the prosecutors who tell the young jurors why tough sentences should be given. The teen jurors make their decisions and award the judgments. And, of course, as would be proper, there are those who stand up and speak for the young offenders, and they are also teens. It gives a great opportunity for young people to exhibit leadership skills by serving as prosecutors and as defense attorneys and as jurors, but the peer pressure works, and we've seen young people who have had some minor offenses turn around and devote their time to constructive things. If they're given a sentence of 20 or 30 or 50 hours, they're spending their time doing something to -12- January 25, 1994 build the community, instead of tear it down, and that's the genius behind the program, and we thank you, Mayor Lord, for being inspiration in that. We thank all of you on Council for your support of it. Now, the real proof of the pudding, as I say in determining the value of this program, comes not from what we say, but from what people outside the City of Beaumont say. And, I 'd first like to start with what people around the State of Texas are saying. This program was entered into a contest sponsored by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, a contest of Bar Associations from all across the country. And, in competition with programs--community service programs from across the state, this program received second-place of all the programs in the competition throughout the state. Finally, the--and Judge Flores is passing that (the plaque) around--I 'd like to note too, let you all know Judge Flores is doing an excellent job, and we are very fortunate to have Judge Lupe Flores as our City Judge. He shows excellent judgment in handling the teens that appear before him, and you all should know what a fine job he's doing, if you don't already. Now, back though to other recognition, the American Bar Association also sponsored a contest, and we entered this program in that. . .contest. Our Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association in competition with other Bar Associations from all across the country received second-place in a nation-wide contest. So, people throughout the state and the nation think this is a positive program, and I hope that your support for it will continue. We will certainly support it. (second plaque submitted for Council perusal) Thank you. Mayor Lord: Well, I want to thank Mike Truncale for explaining how wonderful the Evelyn M. Lord Teen Court is. It's just done a super job, and the involvement of our young people is wonderful. My Youth Commission members have enjoyed being part and parcel of it, as well. So, we thank you for everything that you're doing for our community. -000- Dr. Tom Nelson, Chairman of Keep Beaumont Beautiful Commission, assisted Mayor Lord in presenting Pride in Beaumont Awards to organizations and individuals. Mr. Nelson: The Pride in Beaumont Award was established, well about the conception of the Clean Community Commission, which is now Keep Beaumont Beautiful, to recognize organizations and individuals that have taken a leadership role in helping in cleaning and beautifying the city. And, today, we think we have some recipients of this award who more than justify the intent of this award. The first award was presented to the Charlton-Pollard Neighborhood Association and received by Rose Marie Owens. Dr. Nelson said the -13- January 25, 1994 "Charlton-Pollard Neighbor Association has shown much pride in the community. They have participated in the Spring Sweep and Fall Sweep, cleanup projects for many consecutive years, and they are also very active in the paint project. . . " The second award was presented to Gulf States Utilities, now Entergy Corporation. Dr. Nelson said, "GSU has always prided itself in being a good corporate citizen. Over the years, GSU has demonstrated this good citizenship in many ways. But, the reason we are presenting the Pride in Beaumont Award to GSU and its employees, is for their faithful service to the City of Beaumont through their participation in Operation Clean Street, Spring Sweep, and Fall Sweep projects. Employees of GSU have religiously cleaned up their Operation Clean Street section of Calder Avenue from through MLK Parkway through Fourth Street on a monthly basis since the program's inception in 1987. Mr. Arden Loughmiller, an original member of the Clean Community Commission, accepted the award and said about 1, 000 GSU employees have participated in the program during the last seven years and that employees, Sam Bethea and Laura Davis (also a Keep Beaumont Beautiful Commissioner) , have been the leaders and coordinators of GSU's participation. Mr. Quincy Martin, accepted the Pride in Beaumont for the Jefferson County Boot Camp. Mr. Nelson they have become a regular participant in Spring Sweep and Fall Sweep cleanups for the past two years. During the Fall Sweep 193, their group removed the greatest amount of trash from our city of any group at any time. In addition to other projects, they participate in the Texas Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway Program that requests quarterly cleanups, but he said they exceed those requirements and clean their designated portion of the highway each month and keep it spotless. Dr. Nelson presented Mr. Lynn Milam a Pride in Beaumont Award and said, "this is indeed a special person, here. Lynn has served as President of Beautify Beaumont and has donated many hours and much effort to making Beautify Beaumont a successful program. In fact, if it probably wasn't for Lynn Milam, there would not be a Beautify Beaumont. Beautify Beaumont is a small group of citizens committed to the goal of beautifying and enhancing the aesthetic appearance of public property in Beaumont. All projects are coordinated through the Parks, Planning and Engineering Departments. Beautify Beaumont selects sites, designs projects, secures. . . funding and constructs projects and then donates them to the City. Nine projects have been completed to date with several still in progress. Beautify Beaumont has also been instrumental in Trees for Beaumont Project in which over 365 trees have been planted and over 6, 000 seedlings have been distributed. For Mr. Milam's continued commitment, and I should say long-term and tireless commitment, he is presented with the Pride in Beaumont Award. " In accepting the award Mr. Milam, said, "I consider this to be an award of maximum--it's just a great thing. However, I don't--I have a little bit of trouble justifying that I, as an individual, am selected for this. -14- January 25, 1994 Beautify Beaumont is an organization of a number of people, and we all work hard. We try to do it as a group. I think that over the past seven or eight years that we've been in existence, we've made some impact, favorable impact here in the city, but the success ratio of our projects would be absolutely zero, if it weren't for the support and help of a number of organizations and individuals. The City has been extremely helpful to us. We couldn't have operated without them. A number of organizations, such as labor unions, Gulf States, individuals have contributed a tremendous amount of cash and assistance in-kind. And, it's hard for me to find the words to adequately express our appreciation. And, on behalf, and as a member of Beautify Beaumont, I 'm extremely pleased to accept this award. Thank you very much. " Mayor Lord acknowledged the members of Beautify Beaumont in the audience, congratulated Mr. Milam and told him she was sure that Beautify Beaumont members are very pleased to have him as their representative. The final Pride in Beaumont Award was accepted by President Myron Myrick for the South Park Neighborhood Association. Dr. Nelson expressed a desire that Councilman Moore could have been present for this award, and Mayor Lord informed him that Councilman Moore is attending a funeral, but may be here later. Dr. Nelson said he is extremely pleased with this recognition because his business is located in South Park, and he has seen the changes that have occurred there during the past two years. He said, "the South Park Neighborhood Association was formed on September 3, 1991, with a purpose of promoting and enhancing the quality of life in their community. Their primary concerns were the physical condition of the neighborhood and the high incidents of crime. With the support of the City of Beaumont and the Beaumont Police Department, projects were initiated to clean up and beautify South Park and make it a safer place in which to live. The South Park Neighborhood Association has become a regular participant in the Spring Sweep and Fall Sweep projects. . .they have also initiated their own contests to promote the beautification of their neighborhood including Yard-of-the-Month contests and Light Up South Park, which was held this past Christmas. They have also been instrumental in establishment of a Police Sub- station. The Association has renewed a sense of security and pride. . .once again in South Park. . . " Mr. Myrick accepted the award for the Association and asked Association members present in the audience to stand, and he acknowledged their combined efforts and thanked the City for their assistance. -000- Mayor Lord said that last week a semi-official proclamation was given to Mr. Henry Dannenbaum to commemorate his birthday, but he was not called forward to shake hands with Council. To complete his wish, Mr. Dannenbaum was invited to personally shake hands with Council and then express his sentiments at the close of the business session. -15- January 25, 1994 Citizen comment was invited on the Consent Agenda and Main Agenda Items 1 - 4. No one wished to address these subjects. -000- The following Consent Agenda items were considered: Approval of the Minutes of the regular City Council session held January 18, 1994 ; Resolution No. 94-15 reappointing Joyce Bosche to the Keep Beaumont Beautiful Commission and Dr. Robert Swerdlow to the Convention and Tourism Advisory Committee for terms expiring September 30, 1995; Resolution No. 94-16 approving a Small Improvement Historic Preservation Loan in the amount of $5,000. 00 at 0% interest for 30 month to Daryl Prejean to re-deck and re-shingle the existing dilapidated roof in a manner that is architecturally compatible with the property at 2245 Ashley located within the Oaks Historic District; and Resolution No. 94-17 authorizing a License to Encroach 1.6 feet for a distance of 49.5 feet into a twenty-foot alley adjacent to Lot 2, Block 5 of the Oaks Addition and 6. 0 feet into Duperier Street right-of-way for a distance of 93 feet to Everette W. Browning, Jr. for property located at 2525 South Street for a one-time fee of $500.00. The Consent Agenda was approved on a motion made by Councilman Alter and seconded by Councilman Smith. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Mr. Riley commented that today has been highlighted by happy presentations, and that Agenda Item No. 1 continues in that vein. He presented independent auditors, Cook Shaver Parker & Williams, PC. , and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the 1992-93 Fiscal Year to Council. Mr. Ted Williams thanked Council for the opportunity to conduct the audit, said the financial statement has a clean audit opinion and the accounting records are in excellent shape. Mr. Williams recognized Travis Harrington and said his company's partnership with Botley and Harrington went smoothly and seamlessly and they are pleased to have worked with them. He specifically thanked Mr. Riley, Sara Culbreth, the Accounting Department, City personnel and Tom Lowrance for their cooperation in helping them perform their job with efficiency. Receipt of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the 1992-93 Fiscal was acknowledged on a motion made by Councilman Alter and seconded by Councilman Smith. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -16- January 25, 1994 Resolution No. 94-18 authorizing a contract with Wisenberg Insurance and Risk Management Agency for CIGNA Property and Casualty to provide property damage insurance for City buildings and contents in the amount of $105, 000. 00, $99,500. 00 for property values and $5,500.00 for the Boiler and Machinery policy, was approved on a motion made by Mayor Pro Tem. Goodson and seconded by Councilman Smith. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Resolution No. 94-19 authorizing a contract with A-1 Guarantee Plumbing in the amount of $31, 035.50 for construction of the Water Service Line Replacement--Contract II, which includes moving the building service line from the deteriorated 2" water line located in the back easement to new water lines located in street right-of-way, in the South Park area was approved on a motion made by Councilman Smith and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Goodson. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Resolution No. 94-20 authorizing submission of an application for and acceptance of a used oil collection program grant of up to as much as $15, 000.00 from the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission for the Recycling Division of the Solid Waste Management Department to further develop and promote their Used Oil Collection Program was approved on a motion made by Councilman Alter and seconded by Councilman Davis. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- - Public Hearing was called to consider the fifteen (15) below listed dilapidated structures found to be in violation of the City of Beaumont's Dangerous Structure Ordinance, Article III, Section 14-50: 3150 Cordova - John D. Rogers, owner (22 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 5530 Helbig Road - Harvey Rose, EXEC. , owner (22 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 3172 Pine - (24 violations) and 1520 E. Gill (22 violations) - Mollie Bean, owner, Staff recommendation to raze both structures within 30 days; 2030 Leight - Shirley Bucker, owner (23 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze structure within 30 days; 2195 Leight - Southern Cross Inv. , Inc. (18 fiolations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 3495 Grand - Christy Knowles c/o Bobby Knowles, owner (18 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 1304 Grand Shed (9 violations) and 1304 Grand (Utility House) (13 violations) Richard Mathews, owner, Staff recommendation to raze both structures within 30 days; 1072 Forrest - Lemul D. Duncan, owner (19 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 1375 Long - Rodney Senegal, owner (24 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 780 -17- January 25, 1994 Center (Storage Bldg. ) - Dwight B. Gasaway ET UX, owner, (13 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 1780 Herring - Leon Lyons, ESTATE, owner (24 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; 3695 Houston - Albert & E. Thomas c/o Delores Godeau, owner (22 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days; and 3525 Edmonds - Booker T. Hartfield, owner (22 violations) , Staff recommendation to raze within 30 days. The above-listed parcels of property have been inspected, are vacant, and have been found to be in violation of Article III, Section 14-50 of the Code of Ordinances. Notices have been sent to owners by Certified Mail and published in the Beaumont Enterprise. The three (3) below listed dilapidated structures meet the criteria of a dangerous structure and have deteriorated such that they are no longer suitable for repair, and owners of the structures have executed Demolition Consent Forms authorizing the City to demolish the structures: 980 Chamberlin (Garage Apt. ) - Roy D. or Sammie Conerly, owner (23 violations) ; 2194 Harriot - Otis C. Gadison, owner (24 violations) ; and 505 Jackson - Anthony Gordon c/o Mildred Goodwin, owner (20 violations) . The twelve (12) structures listed below have been condemned by City Council and the owners ordered to either raze or repair them within specified time frames. Reinspection of these structures have revealed non-compliance with the Council 's order. The Community Development Division of the Administrative Service Department is requesting authorization from the City Council to demolish these structures in accordance with the Dangerous Structure Ordinance and charge the property owners with the cost of demolition: 1970 Brooklyn, 435 E. Elgie, 4154 Fonville (Garage Apt. ), 1153 Gladys (rear) , 1157 Gladys (rear), 3995 Goliad, 2630 Lela, 2640 Lela, 2860 Orange, 3633 St. James, 3639 St. James, and 1665 Washington Boulevard. There being no one to address Council, the Public Hearing was closed. Ordinance No. 94-3 declaring certain dilapidated structures to be public nuisances and ordering their repair or removal by the owners and authorizing the removal of certain other structures whose owners failed to comply with condemnation orders was considered: ORDINANCE NO. 94-3 ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE FINDING CERTAIN STRUCTURES TO BE PUBLIC NUISANCES AND ORDERING THEIR DEMOLITION AND/OR REPAIR; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR A PENALTY. -18- January 25, 1994 ordinance No. 94-3 was approved on a motion made by Councilman Smith and seconded by Councilman Davis. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Councilman Alter said he attended a meeting of Drug-Free Schools and Communities last night, and that it was quite interesting to see how it is progressing. Mayor Pro Tem Goodson complimented Don Kelly and the Southeast Regional Planning Commission for a fine annual meeting last night in recognition of the year Commissioner Ed Moore has served and now Commissioner J. D. Brown, mentioned that an opportunity to welcome Bill Burnett, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Transportation, will be at a reception Monday evening from 5: 30 p.m. to 8: 00 p.m. at the Harvest Club, preceded by a tour of the MLK Parkway with an update of the status of that project, hopefully, with information about a completion date. Councilman Smith reminded everyone of the Health Fair to be held at the Civic Center Saturday from 10: 00 a.m. to 4: 00 p.m. , said there will be testings, educational programs, a lot of information, immunizations for children, and two lectures on diabetes. Mayor Lord added that several members of Council enjoyed the opening of the new section of the Health Department with an impressive ceremony, again thanked the Teen Court for the honor given her earlier, and said she spoke last night in Orangefield and the young people asked her to take back to Beaumont their best regards. -000- Mr. Henry Dannenbaum, 2880 Grand, addressed Council to again express appreciation for acknowledgment of his birthday last week and to thank other City personnel for their support to him. -000- There being no further business, the Regular Session of City Council was recessed to conduct the Workshop Session. -000- I, Barbara Liming, Deputy City Clerk of the City of Beaumont, Texas, certify that the above is a true copy of the Minutes of the Regular City Council Session held January 25, 1994. Barbara Liming Deputy City Clerk -19- January 25, 1994