Internet café plan nixed by Danville City Council

Danville City Council voted down yet another request for a special use permit to open an Internet sweepstakes café in Danville on Tuesday night.

This request came from Starr Bell, owner of Starr’s Quick Shoppe, 3103 W. Main St., who wanted to install a kiosk with three monitors in the convenience store.

A bill has passed the General Assembly this year to close gaps in gambling laws that allowed Internet sweepstakes cafes to operate; Gov. Bob McDonald has suggested an amendment to the bill, which would put the changes into effect immediately.

“The governor suggested an amendment to this bill and sent it back to the General Assembly,” Jeff Caldwell, the governor’s press secretary, said in an email Tuesday. “They will convene (Wednesday) to take up the governor’s amendments to all legislation and are scheduled to rule on all legislation (Wednesday).”

Vice Mayor David Luther suggested that City Council might want to maintain some city laws that would limit where such businesses could operate, in case the state is challenged in court on the new law — a proposal that was tabled when the General Assembly took up the issue.

City Councilman John Gilstrap noted that should the bill become law, an additional ordinance in Danville would be unnecessary.

n In other action, Danville City Council adopted a resolution to apply for Revenue Sharing Program Funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation totaling $1 million. The money will be used to install curbs, gutters and drains on River Park Road, Stinson Drive, Davis Drive, North Davis Drive, Terry Avenue and Highland Boulevard.

An additional project would install curbs and gutters on the east side of Goodyear Boulevard if additional VDOT funds become available. The project would cost $800,000, with half of the proposed cost from VDOT and the remainder from the city’s Public Works Capital Improvement Funds.

Rick Drazenovich, director of Public Works, said the Goodyear Boulevard project would only happen if additional funding became available from VDOT, something he said is “unlikely” — but wants to apply for the funding is case it does become available.

Another transportation project also got the green light from City Council — applying for Section 5303 Transportation Planning Funds, which are administered through the Federal Transit Administration and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

The funds, totaling $83,225, would be used to pay for the Danville Transit Systems triennial review, update the Transit Development Plan and provide safety and security training.

The final item on the regular agenda was approval to hold the April 19 City Council meeting at a remote location — Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, at 1005 N. Main St.

According to the summary provided to City Council members, this meeting may be the beginning of a program to hold some meetings each year at remote City Council meetings at different locations throughout the city to allow more citizens the opportunity to attend the meetings in person.

City Councilman Adam Tomer noted that this meeting would not be televised live, and since there are budget issues, he would rather begin using remote locations after the budget is passed. Councilmen Gary Miller and John Gilstrap disagreed, noting that major discussions about the budget will not take place until May.

City Manager Joe King said the meeting would be telecast a day or two after the meeting, and said the April 19 meeting has a fairly light agenda that will allow “more opportunities for public comment.”

That meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the school’s gym.

King noted at the end of the meeting that his proposed budget is only that – his proposal, and City Council will be able to make changes before it is finalized.

Besides recommending a 10-cent property tax increase, and/or a 30-cent a pack cigarette tax, King also proposes stopping backyard trash pickups, closing the Westover branch library and downsizing the city’s tourism department.