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HomeMy WebLinkAbout900313 March l3, l990 Hagerstown, Maryland 2l740 The Regular Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by the President, Ronald L. Bowers, with the following members present: Vice President Linda C. Irvin and Commissioners R. Lee Downey, Richard E. Roulette and John S. Shank. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Bowers led the assemblage in The Lord's Prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. COMMISSION FOR WOMEN - INVITATION TO WOMEN'S FAIR Barbara Fetterhoff, President of the Commission for Women, and Donna Smith, Co- Chairwoman of the Organizing Committee, appeared before the Commissioners to extend an invitation to the Women's Fair to be held on Sunday, March 25, at Hagerstown Junior College. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 27, l990 Motion made by Commissioner Downey, seconded by Irvin, to approve the minutes of February 27, l990, as submitted. Unanimously approved. ADOPTION OF RECYCLING PLAN Motion made by Commissioner Shank, seconded by Roulette, to formally adopt the Recycling Plan which was presented to the Commissioners at their meeting on February 27, l990, for submission to the State. Unanimously approved. BOARD/COMMISSION REPORTS Commissioner Irvin reported on the Historical Advisory Board meeting and the Task Force on Homelessness meeting; Commissioner Downey reported on the Tri-County Council meeting; and Commissioner Roulette reported on the Tourist Information Bureau meeting. APPOINTMENT - HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Roulette, to appoint Roger Keller to the Historical Advisory Committee, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Gloria Dahlhamer, as media representative. Unanimously approved. COMMUNITY ACTION COUNCIL PRESENTATION - CERTIFICATES OF AWARD Betty Willson, President of the Community Action Council Board of Directors, and Cheryl Walkley, Acting Director, appeared before the Commissioners to present Certificates of Award to Commissioners Ronald L. Bowers and R. Lee Downey for their invaluable support and contributions in support of the war on poverty in the State of Maryland. She also presented Certificates to Dr. Fred Otto, Rome Schwagel and Odell Rosen, who were instrumental in the creation of Community Action Council. Ms. Willson also invited the Commissioners to the 25th anniversary celebration for CAC. WATER/SEWER PLAN AMENDMENT - WS-90-l Barry Teach, County Administrator, informed the Commissioners that the Planning Commission has voted to recommend that Water/Sewer Plan Amendment, Application WS- 90-l, be denied, finding that it is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin, to DENY the request for amendment to the Water/Sewer Plan, made by Horn Property Partnership (WS-90-l) based on the finding that it is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, that it lies outside the Urban Growth Area as defined in the Comprehensive Plan and that the level of density proposed, 20,000 sq. ft./lot, with septic is not appropriate or consistent with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. Unanimously approved. LINE ITEM TRANSFER - SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Shank, to approve the line item transfer requested by the Sheriff's Department to transfer $5,400 from Regular Wages (0l-5-l22l-4l2-000) to Contracted Services (0l-5-l22l-524-000). Unanimously approved. LINE ITEM TRANSFER - NARCOTICS TASK FORCE Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin, to approve the line item transfer requested by the Narcotics Task Force transferring $l,500 from Investigation Fund (0l-5-l202-529-l60) to Office Furniture & Equipment (0l-5-l202- 687-0l0) to cover the estimated cost of night vision equipment. Unanimously approved. MARCH l3, l990 MINUTES, CONT'D. ROADS DEPARTMENT - AUTHORIZATION TO UTILIZE FUNDS Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Shank, to allow the Roads Department to use the $l,325, which they received as settlement payment from a recent automobile accident, to purchase new office chairs and to place the remaining funds into the Office Supplies line item. Unanimously approved. CAPITAL FUND TRANSFER - HAGERSTOWN JUNIOR COLLEGE Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin, to transfer funds in Hagerstown Junior College's Capital Budget, as requested by Dr. George Elliott, from the project designated for construction and repair of pavement (Project 90-07) to fund a new project necessary to repair the leaks discovered in the underground storage tank and for removal of asbestos, which is estimated to cost $25,000. Unanimously approved. ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION - HIGHFIELD/CASCADE/PEN MAR WASTEWATER FACILITIES PROJECT Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Shank, to authorize President Bowers to execute a resolution, on behalf of Washington County, requesting $500,000 in Maryland Small Cities Community Development Block Grant assistance, to be used for the Highfield/Cascade/Pen Mar Wastewater Facilities construction, for submission to the State of Maryland. Unanimously approved. CANCELLATION OF AIR SHOW James Alphin, Experimental Aircraft Association, and Don Talbert, of the Longmeadow Lions Club, appeared before the Commissioners to apologize for not informing them sooner that the groups will not be sponsoring an air show this year at the Washington County Regional Airport. Mr. Alphin explained that rising costs for the acts and declining attendance contributed to this decision, but stated that possibly they would sponsor a show in the future. PUBLIC HEARING - CLOSING OF MARGIN ROAD The President convened the Public Hearing at l0:30 a.m., as advertised, in order to hear any comments regarding the request to close a section of Margin Road. Ralph H. France II, County Attorney, informed the Commissioners that the portion of the road which we are requesting be closed is depicted on State Road Commission Plat l8475 and is within the Airport Business Park but is not a part of the transportation system for the Park. Margin Road has been used primarily by Martin H. Burkholder and his family and the County. Until recently, the road was the only access to the Burkholder farm and the Park's stormwater management facility which is maintained by the County. Recently, the County opened and constructed the airport access road which provides better and direct access to Burkholder's farm and the facility, and Margin Road as depicted on the above plat, is no longer needed. In addition, Margin Road intersects at a critical point with one of the private roads which provides direct access to the Citicorp building. The intersection of Margin Road and the road providing access to the Citicorp buildings is a very dangerous intersection for both Mr. Burkholder and the employees of Citicorp and visitors to that facility. There have been several near accidents at this intersection and the closing of the road will eliminate the possibility of future accidents. In addition, Margin Road intersects with the Park's internal road system and despite excellent road signs, those who enter the Park have used the road as a primary access to the Citicorp buildings only to discover that Margin Road took them to the Burkholder farm. This confusion could be avoided by closing the road. In addition, the closing of the road will eliminate unnecessary public traffic which may interfere with the orderly development of the Washington County Business Park which already includes an excellent road system. The closing of the road will enhance the integrity of the Park and make it more attractive to potential business and industrial prospects. There was no one present to speak in favor of or in opposition to the proposed closing. Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Shank, to close a section of Margin Road, as advertised, from its intersection with the Citicorp Access Road to just north of the Burkholder property line. Unanimously approved. CONVENE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Downey, seconded by Roulette, to convene in Executive Session at l0:35 a.m. in regard to personnel, property and to confer with the County Attorney, in accordance with Section l0.508 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Unanimously approved. MARCH l3, l990 MINUTES, CONT'D. RECONVENE IN REGULAR SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Shank, to reconvene in Regular Session at ll:05 a.m. Unanimously approved. PLANNING DATA BASE STUDY Gary Rohrer, Chief, Division of Planning & Codes Administration, and Kathleen Riley, Chief, Division of Citizens Services, met with the Commissioners to present the Planning Data Base Study prepared for them to provide a base to aid them on decisions regarding growth management and related issues. The study compared trends in Howard, Frederick, Carroll and Washington Counties on the topics of permits, housing, subdivision activity, open space, financial information, population and staffing. Mr. Rohrer stated that they were encouraged to note that most of the growth is occurring in and around designated growth areas and that, although Washington County is growing steadily, there has not been an explosive growth rate, and that the rate of growth appears to be decreasing. Ms. Riley also noted that this data will be updated annually. The Commissioners thanked Mr. Rohrer, Ms. Riley, and the Permits staff and Planning staff for their work on this project. EMPLOY SECRETARY II - PERMITS Motion made by Commissioner Shank, seconded by Roulette, to employ Vanessa Warner as Secretary II in the Permits & Inspections Department to fill an existing vacancy. Unanimously approved. EMPLOY SCHOOL/COMMUNITY RECREATION PROGRAM Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin, to employ the following people for the School/Community Recreation Program from April 2 through July 27: Pat Caricofe, Aide, Western Heights Middle School; Tracy Cianelli, Director, North High School; Harry Haven, Director, Western Heights Middle School; Steven Reese, Co-Director, South High School; and Teresa Reese, Aide, North High School. Unanimously approved. ENDORSEMENT - REGIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin, to endorse the application for the establishment of a 5l-bed regional rehabilitation program in Western Maryland through the Washington County Hospital and Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Cumberland. Unanimously approved. RECESS The Meeting was recessed at l2:25 p.m. March l3, l990, as submitted. Unanimously approved. LINE ITEM TRANSFER - SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT Motion made by Commissioner Shank, seconded by Roulette, to transfer $750 from Maintenance Agreements (0l-5-l22l-543-000) to Computer Maintenance and Enhancements (0l-5-l22l-543-050) as requested by the Sheriff's Department. Unanimously approved. HOUSING MATTERS Karen Hoff, Multi-Family Housing Specialist in the Housing & Community Development Office, appeared before the Commissioners to discuss the changes in the administration of the Housing Preservation Grant Program for l990-9l. Ms. Hoff explained they are experiencing problems recruiting experienced and reliable contractors to bid on jobs due to the small size of the rehab work and in locating homeowners who qualify. Ms. Hoff also stated, that, for this reason, they are proposing that Housing & Community Development contract to utilize the services of the crew established by Community Action Council to perform the rehab for these units. The Commissioners agreed with the changes proposed and authorized Housing to proceed with the application. Richard Willson, Director of Housing & Community Development, informed the Commissioners that the State Office of Housing & Community Development has agreed to formalize the self-administering relationship they have with them. He explained that the County would then accept responsibility for making loans and would be held accountable if the loans were not in compliance with State regulations. The County Attorney has reviewed this agreement and is comfortable with it. The Commissioners took this matter under advisement at this time in order to review this agreement in more detail. EVENING SESSION The Evening Session was convened at Town Hall in Clear Spring by the President Ronald L. Bowers, with the following members present: Vice President Linda C. Irvin and Commissioners R. Lee Downey, Richard E. Roulette and John S. Shank. Also present were Mayor Betty Shank, Assistant Mayor Gary Grove, and Councilmembers Dennis Crosby and Ronald Suffecool. Barry Teach, County Administrator, stated that pursuant to Article 8l of the Tax Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Commissioners are required to meet with each municipality annually to discuss the tax differential or payment-in-lieu of taxes program. He informed Town officials that they will receive the base payment of $2,000 since Clear Spring does not provide for parks, highways, or police protection services on which the formula is based. Commissioner Bowers also mentioned that the rate may possibly be increased since it has remained the same for four years. The Commissioners discussed the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and Impact Fee legislation and answered questions regarding these issues, and the Town's interest in a possible Town Growth Area Study. The Town also questioned the possibility of having a County Building Inspector perform inspections within the municipal limits of Clear Spring to be certain that buildings are being constructed according to applicable codes. Mr. Teach explained that there are several municipalities which have this agreement with the County Permits & Inspections Department and that it seems to be a satisfactory arrangement for both the municipality and the County government. MARCH l3, l990 MINUTES, CONT'D. The Town officials also discussed their attempts to have the State Highway Administration install a traffic light at the intersection of Routes 40/68 and Mill Street. Mayor Shank explained that the State has informed them that their study concludes that a signal is not warranted at that location. She also reported that Dr. Foster has informed her that funding is in place for the proposed White Tail Ski resort, which he is developing in Pennsylvania, just west of Clear Spring, and that this will heavily impact this intersection. The Commissioners discussed possibly funding one-third the cost, the Town funding one-third and requesting that the State provide one-third in light of the new situation regarding construction of the ski resort. Mayor Shank also mentioned that the Washington County Free Library hopes to receive grant funds to perform a study and they are anticipating that Clear Spring will be designated as a critical area for library services if the grant is approved. The Meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. County Attorney , Clerk