04.20.20 MEETING MINUTES - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of Council Monday, April 20, 2020 Page 6 that a large investment in the Civic Center would solidify the SW quadrant of the Town Center, likely for at least the next 50 years. Rather, they suggested doing the minimal amount needed to upgrade the Civic Center to serve the needs of the community until a comprehensive Town Center plan can be developed and put into place. I concur with their recommendation and so the Master Plan is currently on hold while we work out these avenues. As I have said many times, it is our business base that sustains us. Our Economic Development Manager, John Marquart, is in regular contact with our businesses so that we know what their needs are and are ready to assist them. This time is particularly challenging for our small businesses, so John is doing everything he can to assist them with applying for SBA loans and anything else we can do to coordinate available resources. You may also have noticed that we added a new notice on our LED sign encouraging people to get takeout food from our local restaurants. That is an unusual step for us, but we want to help our community, which includes our businesses, to weather the storm. All other Departments continue to run smoothly, albeit remotely, at the current time. As I indicated, in compliance with the Governor's Stay at Home Order, phones have been forwarded to employees' cell phones and emails are checked and responded to regularly. Employees also come in as needed to take care of tasks that they cannot complete at home. The Recreation Department continues to thrive under the leadership of Parks & Recreation Director Shane McAvinew, and our facilities and recreational programming are still second to none. This year, programming and entertainment at The Grove and Gazebo are planned but, as of this writing, we await word on whether going forward with the season and other special events will be possible. The Building Department reported 629 residential building permits issued in 2019 with an increase in construction valuation of over $400,000 from 2018. Work is underway at the Montebello subdivision on Highland Road, so 2020 is expected to show a considerable increase in activity with several new homes, of the 52 planned, being permitted. I am truly thankful for all of our first responders and dispatchers at Police and Fire who remain on the job and ready to respond as needed. Chief Matias is making sure that residents are complying with the current directives to avoid congregating by increasing our neighborhood patrols. As a result of the Coronavirus crisis, many Fire Departments in the area are no longer allowing their full-time members to work part-time jobs in other departments. This has made staffing in our Fire Department more challenging, and Chief Carcioppolo has requested that we amend this year's budget to add three additional full-time firefighters to our ranks. I agree with Chief Carcioppolo's recommendation to add staffing now. Amending the budget to allow for these hires is on Council's agenda this evening. The Fire Department is also working with our neighboring communities to be ready to reactivate our MIPOD. MIPOD is an acronym which stands for Mass Inoculation Point of Dispensing, and we last used it in 2009 in response to the H 1 N 1 pandemic. In the event mass testing or mass vaccines become available, the Board of Health will activate the POD and a drive-thru site will be