The March 4, 2010, Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Frank C. Ogens, in the Goodwill Fire Department. The following members and staff were present: Frank C. Ogens, President; Norman P. Pinder, Jr., Vice President; Timothy E. McCluskey, Member; Bob McGrory, Town Manager; Chief Charlie Rhodes; Steve Kehoe, Town Attorney; Abigail Hill, attorney; and Jane Saulsbury, Administrative Aide.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Ogens.
Review and Approval of Minutes
Mr. McCluskey made a motion to approve the February 2, 2010 Council work session minutes as amended. Mr. Pinder seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Pinder made a motion to approve the February 18, 2010 Council meeting minutes as submitted. Mr. McCluskey seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Announcement of Closed Sessions – None
Citizens Forum – No comments.
Appearances – None
Old Business
a. Railroad Avenue Project Update
• Mr. McGrory reviewed the Railroad Avenue project based on comments and questions from Michael Troxell, PE, URS Corporation, and walk-through notes provided by Jerry Katzmire of URS. The following items were discussed: (1) running down spouts underneath sidewalks; (2) sidewalks on Green Street; (3) width of multi-use path on the north side of Railroad Avenue.
• Mr. McCluskey suggested investigating the number of down spouts to be installed under sidewalks. How many are there and who pays for them? He thinks six feet (6′) is wide enough for the path on Railroad Avenue.
• Mr. Ogens noted that in some areas there is sufficient soil to absorb the run-off of water.
• Mr. Pinder suggested having a work session so public can have input on these areas of concern.
New Business
a. Ordinance No. 02-2010, Re: Setting the Maximum Speed for Residential Streets: Second Reading
• Mr. Kehoe began reading Ordinance No. 02-2010. Mr. Pinder moved to submit Ordinance No. 02-2010 into the public record and dispense with the reading of the ordinance in its entirety. Mr. McCluskey seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
• Mr. McCluskey made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 02-2010 setting the maximum speed for streets in Centreville, unless otherwise posted, to 25 miles per hour. Mr. Pinder seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
b. Maryland Energy EECBG Clean Energy Communities Program Grant
• Mr. McGrory gave a Powerpoint presentation of the grant program which is available to 160 local governments in Maryland through the Maryland Energy Administration. The total amount of funding available statewide is $438,000. Centreville is eligible for $19,000. Mr. McGrory requested authorization to execute the agreement between the State of Maryland – Maryland Energy Administration, known as MEA, and the Town of Centreville to avail the Town of funding to facilitate energy conservation projects. Possible projects include: upgrading of street lights; power generation by wind turbines, solar thermal hot water.
• Mr. McCluskey made a motion to authorize Mr. McGrory to execute the MEA grant agreement. Mr. Pinder seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
c. Stormwater Utility Bid Award
• Mr. McGrory gave a report on current stormwater projects. There was discussion about maintenance and ownership of stormwater ponds. There are two stormwater ponds at Symphony Village and one at Heritage. It was noted that the Homeowners Association
at North Brook is responsible for some of the ponds in that development. The Town will maintains the Wooded Wetland being installed at the Wastewater Treatment plant.
• There was discussion about the apportionment of responsibilities for the Zoning Administrator/Watershed Manager. Mr. Pinder would like more enforcement of zoning regulations and said that the zoning ordinances need to be updated. Mr. McCluskey reported that the Planning Commission is well aware of the need to update the zoning ordinances.
• Mr. McGrory reported that two bids were received for the Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study, the low bidder being URS in the amount of $36,800.
• Mr. McCluskey made a motion to award the bid to URS in the amount of $36, 800. Mr. Pinder seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Announcements
Mr. Ogens read the announcements for the information of the Council, staff, and public.
Correspondence – None
Department Head Reports
a. Town Manager
• Mr. McGrory presented the Council members with a fee spread sheet for review. An increase to Town fees will be considered during the budget process.
• Mr. McCluskey requested the amount of additional money spent in providing this service.
• Mr. Frank suggested checking with other towns to see how they handle similar situations.
• Mr. McGrory reported he did a walk-through of the Railroad Avenue sewer lining project with Jerry Katzmire of URS. Flyers were distributed to property owners so they would be aware of usage constraints during the project. Care will be taken to limit disruption to residents and the business community.
• He reported on the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy conference at Chesapeake College, during which the Town of Centreville, as a participant in the Corsica Watershed Implementers Group, received an award for work on restoring the watershed.
• Mr. McGrory reported on a letter written to Mr. Richard Hughes, Administrator of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program and signed by Mr. Ogens on behalf of the Town of Centreville. Funding is being requested through the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to create a Centreville Heritage Master Plan. Mr. McCluskey agreed that the letter should be sent to Mr. Richard Hughes of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program as the money the Town is spending on the Corsica River watershed and other conservation
projects is yielding good results.
• Mr. McGrory reported that sewer notices have been distributed to property owners and businesses on North and South Liberty Street for work scheduled to begin soon.
• Mr. McGrory thanked Mr. George Harvey for helping staff set up the public address system being used this evening.
• Mr. McGrory reported that the Kennard School is being rehabilitated as an African American Cultural Center. It has been identified as a Target Investment Zone which enabled the school to apply for capital improvement funding through the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.
b. Chief of Police
• Chief Rhodes read the statistics for the month of February. He reported that the installation of computers in police vehicles is nearly complete.
c. Town Attorney – No report
Citizens Forum
• Mary Margaret Goodwin, 221 North Commerce Street, offered comments.
Council Roundtable
• Mr. Ogens commented that the Annual Appreciation Dinner held at the American Legion on Saturday, February 27, 2010 was a great evening and thanked all those who attended.
• Mr. McCluskey reported that he attended the ribbon-cutting for the Small Town Bakery which has opened on East Water Street and that it was a very nice event. He also attended the 102nd birthday of Dr. Leon Taylor which had a great attendance and highlighted some of Dr. Taylor’s fantastic accomplishments.
• Mr. McCluskey noted that Ms. Mary Margaret Goodwin is actively involved in the planning and preparation of the 1812 celebration.
Motion to Adjourn
Mr. Pinder made a motion to adjourn the meeting to go into closed session to discuss personnel and legal issues. Mr. McCluskey seconded the motion and the March 4 2010 regular meeting of the Town Council adjourned at 8:06 p.m. by unanimous vote.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jane Saulsbury, Administrative Aide