Town Council Meeting #11-04
July 15, 2004
Council President Norman
Pinder convened meeting #11-04 at
7:00pm
in the Town Hall. Donna Turner, Council Member Vice President, Mary
McCarthy, Council Member, Steve Kehoe, Town Attorney, Police Chief Ben
Cohey and Deana Ashley, Clerk, were
present.
Welcome:
Citizens and guests were welcomed to the meeting.
Review of Minutes
from Previous Meeting: Meeting
#10-04 of
June 10, 2004
minutes were reviewed and approved as presented.
Mrs. Turner made a motion to accept the minutes; Mrs. McCarthy
seconded the motion. A vote was taken, members voted in the affirmative,
and the minutes were approved unanimously. (3 ayes)
Appearances:
- Mike Whitehill, McCrone, Inc. – Bozek
Project/Affordable Housing – Mr. Mike Whitehill appeared before
the Council, along with Mr. Mike Bozek, to describe their proposal
for development of affordable housing on Spring Street.
Mr. Whitehill presented the Council with information and photographs
regarding their proposal. The
Council discussed the type of housing and costs with
Mr. Bozek. The Council
thanked the gentlemen for their presentation.
- Allysha Nelson Lorber of McCormick Taylor, Consultants
to the Queen Anne’s
County
Office
of Tourism – Concerning Scenic By-Ways – Ms. Lorber and her
peers appeared to discuss their work for the County to present a
conceptual design for scenic by-way signs. If approved, their group
would then return to the Council with their proposed design and
placement. The Council
thanked Ms. Lorber and her peers for their presentation.
- Mr. Ed Parry, Farmer’s Market- Proposed Change to
Market Schedule –
Mr. Parry proposed the scheduled change to Wednesday’s from
9am-1pm
. The Council approved
the revision and discussed the placement of the market and signs in
order to increase its visibility.
The Council thanked Mr. Parry for his work on behalf of the
Town.
Business:
- First
Reading
, Ordinance 05-04, Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in Public
Places – Mr. Kehoe read the title of the ordinance into the
record.
Mrs. Turner made a motion to discuss the ordinance; Mrs. McCarthy
seconded the motion. Chief Cohey explained that it could be used as
an effective law enforcement tool when alcohol and drugs are
combined. The Council
discussed their concerns, especially with the severity of the
fines/imprisonment and decided to table the issue for further
consideration and discussion.
- First
Reading
of Ordinance 06-04,
Hammond Street
Easement – Mr. Kehoe read the title of the ordinance into the
record. Mrs. Turner made
a motion to discuss the ordinance; Mrs. McCarthy seconded the
motion. Mr. Kehoe
described
the easement was required to revise the previous one so that the
perimeter would be extended 5 feet (current easement places house in
right of way). The
Council decided to schedule the second hearing of the ordinance on
July 20, 2004
in order to expedite its implementation.
Mrs. Turner made a motion to approve the first reading of the
ordinance; Mrs. McCarthy seconded the motion.
The Council then voted unanimously to approve the first
reading (3 ayes).
-
Pennsylvania
Railroad
Freight
Station
Building
Report – Mrs. McCarthy
reported that she had worked with agencies to produce the appraisal
for the building which would facilitate the sale process.
The Council discussed the purchase of the building and its
intended use.
- Stephen Kehoe,
Appointment as Town Attorney – The Council presented
Mr. Kehoe with a certificate and thanked him for his service.
Maryland
Municipal League: None.
QAC Municipal League: None.
Announcements and
Correspondence: Mr.
Pinder read the announcements and correspondence into the record.
Report of
Department Heads:
Town Clerk – Ms.
Ashley reported the following:
·
Town staff mailed
the Council’s memo to all residents.
·
Meters were read
by Miller Environmental and Town staff from June 30 to July 12.
Bills were mailed over the next 2 days.
·
Receivables were
generated and mailed. $285,000
of which was an allocation bill to
Symphony
Village
for the clubhouse and pools.
·
The conversion of
the accounting system is progressing on schedule.
The quarterly reports will be produced in-house at a savings of
over $4,000.
·
Preliminary
end-of-year reports will be distributed to the Council and Town Manager
by the regularly scheduled meeting.
Chief of Police –
·
Officer Kim Conley appeared to request the Council approve
$150 for clowns for National Night Out.
The request was approved.
·
The Chief’s report was included in the Council’s books
for their review. There was
nothing unusual to report.
·
He reported that through the first part of 2004, there has
been an increase in the number of theft cases and aggravated assault
incidents. Overall, Part 1
crimes have risen 29%.
·
Under the term thefts, he included bad checks,
shoplifting, forgery, theft from vehicles and other similar crimes. He
noted that burglary has decreased by 75% and auto theft by 200%.
·
He stated that if the current trend in reported thefts and
aggravated assaults continues, there is a good possibility that at years
end, we will show an increase in Part 1 crimes.
·
The Chief also thanked the Council for their support of
the police department.
Town Manager – None.
Citizens Forum:
·
Mrs. Madelyn
Hollis,
103 Holton St
- Mrs. Hollis expressed her recent experience with noise and loitering
near her home. The Council
and Chief Cohey discussed possible resolutions to her concerns.
·
Mr. Luke Phipps,
202 S Commerce St
– Mr. Phipps reported on the latest Neighborhood Watch meeting (no
scheduled date for August): good
citizen turnout and input. He will keep the Council informed of their
meetings.
·
Mrs. Minor,
208 S Liberty St
– Mrs. Minor asked about the status of replacement of fire hydrants on
Liberty St; the Council noted that hydrants were being replaced in the
coming weeks.
·
Mr. Tom DeLormier,
URS Engineering – Mr. DeLormier reported the following:
o
The irrigation at
the spray farm was nearing completion.
o
The liner and the
rip-rap for the lagoon will be installed soon.
o
The equipment at
the new plant is being tested and operator training is underway.
·
Harriett Goodyouth,
Symphony
Village
– The Council stated there is no date for the lifting of the building
moratorium nor the complete conversion to the new plant.
Motion to go into closed session regarding
potential litigation: Mrs.
Turner made the motion to go into closed session; Mrs. McCarthy seconded
the motion. The Council
closed the meeting at
9:05 pm
.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deana Ashley, Clerk
