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HomeMy WebLinkAbout890221February 21, 1989 Hagerstown, Maryland 21740 The Regular Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners 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 Martin L. Snook. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by Commissioner Snook, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. PRESENTATION OF PLAQUE - DAVID K. POOLE, JR. The Commissioners presented a plaque to David K. Poole, Jr., in appreciation for his service as County Attorney from 1982-88. Mr. Poole thanked the Commissioners for the plaque and stated that he enjoyed working as County Attorney. OPTION AGREEMENT - MAUGANSVILLE ROAD/NORTH STREET EXTENDED Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Snook, to accept the option agreement for a perpetual easement of 2,470 square feet on Maugansville Road/North Street Extended from William and Reba Shobe for the price of $1,875, needed for a drainage project. Unanimously approved. BOARD/COMMISSION REPORTS Commissioner Irvin reported on the Historic Advisory Council meeting and the Children's Council meeting; Commissioner Downey gave a report on the Drug & Alcohol Advisory Committee meeting; Commissioner Snook reported on the Parks Board meeting; and Commissioner Roulette reported on the Ad Hoc Committee on Animal Husbandry meeting. SERVICE AREA BOUNDARIES - VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES The Commissioners discussed the question of whether they have the authority to establish boundaries for volunteer fire companies in the County or to delegate such authority to the Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association. Barry Teach, County Administrator, stated that no authority is vested in any organization in Washington County to set boundaries, but that Frederick County received such legislative authority in 1981 to deal with training, equipment, safety, establishment of new companies, etc. The Commissioners also discussed having emergency legislation introduced in the General Assembly similar to that in Frederick County which would give them authority, with the advice of the Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association, to deal with these matters. The Commissioners asked Mr. Teach to arrange a meeting with County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association representatives before a final decision is made. TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM - METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Keith Godwin, Manager of the Washington County Commuter, explained the Transportation Improvement Program/Fiscal Year 1989 Annual Element which provides for continued assistance from the State of Maryland and Federal government for the County Commuter bus system. He also stated that all municipalities within the Metropolitan Planning Organization had been contacted regarding this meeting. Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin to adopt the Transportation Improvement Program Annual Element for the Metropolitan Planning Organization for submission to the State of Maryland. Unanimously approved. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 7 & 9, 1989 AND BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Downey to approve the minutes of February 7, 1989, the Special Meeting held on February 9, 1989, and the Board of Health Minutes of February 9, 1989, as corrected. Unanimously approved. BOARD OF EDUCATION - MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION FUNDING The County Administrator brought a request before the Commissioners from the Board of Education that they guarantee the same amount of funding for materials of instruction in Fiscal Year 1990 as was provided in Fiscal Year 1989. Mr. Teach stated that this will allow the Board of Education to order books at this time which would give them the benefit of a better price and of being assured that the books will be in by the Fall semester. The amounts budgeted for these supplies this fiscal year were: materials - $359,000, textbooks - $400,000 and library materials - $200,000. Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Roulette to guarantee funding in the Fiscal Year 1990 budget in the amount of $959,000 to be used for materials of instruction for the Board of Education. Unanimously approved. FEBRUARY 21, 1989 MINUTES, CONT'D. BID AWARD - ASBESTOS REMOVAL Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Roulette, to award the bid for asbestos removal and replacement to Asbestos Environmental Services of Maryland, Inc. for their bid of $70,650 for the Extension Service building, County Office Building, Court House and Annex, Martin Luther King Center and the Memorial Recreation Center, and to award the bid for air monitoring to Spotts, Stevens and McCoy, for their proposal of $26,320. Unanimously approved. NAMING OF ACCESS ROAD - COL. HENRY K. DOUGLAS DRIVE Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Snook to accept the recommendation of the Planning Commission and State officials to name the new access road off Sharpsburg Pike leading to the Motor Vehicles Administration and State Highway Administration facility, Colonel Henry K. Douglas Drive. Unanimously approved. TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS Cheryl Walkley gave a brief history of the Task Force on Homelessness which was formed in August of 1986 to provide a coordinated effort to profile the problems of the homeless. Ms. Walkley stated that statistics reveal that 902 households were homeless in a one-year period, there are 12 known street people, and 140 homeless on any given night in Washington County. She also distributed a report on the availability of emergency shelter placement sites in Washington County and a summary of resources available. After a slide presentation showing available resources in the County, Brenda Bartleston spoke regarding her experience as a homeless person and the assistance she received from the Community Action Council. The Commissioners thanked the Task Force for their work and for the information they provided. JOINT WATER/SEWER STUDY The Commissioners endorsed the concept of a joint City/County Water and Sewer Study and authorized the preparation of a Request for Proposals, to be reviewed by the Commissioners and to be distributed to see what would be involved in the project and estimated costs. A Committee consisting of the County Planning Director, Director of Planning & Review, a representative from the Sanitary Commission and a County Commissioner and their City of Hagerstown counterparts, would be formed to develop the Request for Proposals. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY ORDINANCE The Commissioners discussed the Animal Husbandry Ordinance and a possible date for a public hearing. Commissioner Roulette informed the Commissioners that the Ad Hoc Committee is concerned about making a farming use a Special Exception in an Agriculturally zoned area and they are recommending adoption of the Ordinance and a ceiling at 1,000 animal units. The Commissioners made no decisions at this time. BID OPENING - HALFWAY BOULEVARD & WEST OAK RIDGE DRIVE IMPROVEMENTS The bids for improvements to the intersection of Halfway Boulevard and West Oak Ridge Drive were publicly opened and read aloud. The firms participating in the bidding and their proposals were as follows: Eagle Rock Construction Co. - $47,177.50; P & W Excavating Company - $32,377.50; Henson & Son - $53,885 and Building Systems, Inc. - $49,880. The bids will be reviewed by appropriate officials prior to a decision being rendered. (Decision rendered later in this Session.) BID OPENING - HENSON BOULEVARD IMPROVEMENTS The bids for improvements to Henson Boulevard were publicly opened and read aloud. Firms participating in the bidding and their proposals were as follows: P & W Excavating Co. - $62,585 and Fayetteville Contractors - $42,527. The bids will be reviewed by appropriate officials prior to a decision being rendered. (Decision rendered later in this Session.) BID OPENING - JEFFERSON HEIGHTS DRAINAGE PROJECT The bids for the Jefferson Heights drainage project were publicly opened and read aloud. Firms participating in the bidding and their proposals were as follows: Eagle Rock Construction Co. - $17,360; K. M. Faith Excavating, Inc. - $15,755; P & W Construction Co. - $10,500; Henson & Son - $25,214; and Building Systems, Inc. - $18,600. The bids will be reviewed by appropriate officials prior to a decision being rendered. (Decision rendered later in this Session.) LANDFILL FEE PROPOSAL Richard Parks, Director of Planning & Review, presented the initial draft of the Landfill Fee Proposal to the Commissioners for their review. The fees in the proposal were calculated to reflect the actual cost to the County for the service and handling of the material. The Commisisoners decided to discuss the fee schedule at a later date after they have had an opportunity to review it in more detail. FEBRUARY 21, 1989 MINUTES, CONT'D. COUNTY FLAG DAY CEREMONY The Commissioners recessed the meeting to hold a dedication ceremony for the first official Washington County Flag. The flag displays a picture of George Washington with nine stars, representing the nine municipalities in Washington County and a large red "W" for Washington. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The Commissioners reviewed the draft copy of the Goals and Objectives for Washington County. During the review, the Commissioners decided to revise the document by adding a category for transportation to include roads, public, and air. The Goals and Objectives statement will be revised before final approval is given. COLE ROAD - IMPROVEMENTS Motion made by Commissioner Downey, seconded by Roulette, to require the developer, Randy Cohen, to pay 50% of the cost, not to exceed $25,000, for improvements to Cole Road and widen it to 22 feet for a distance of 800'. Unanimously approved. CONVENE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Roulette, seconded by Irvin, to convene in Executive Session at 2:10 p.m. in regard to personnel and property matters in accordance with Section 10.508 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Unanimously approved. RECONVENE IN REGULAR SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Downey, to reconvene in Regular Session at 2:55 p.m. Unanimously approved. EMPLOY MULTI -FAMILY LOAN SPECIALIST Motion made by Commissioner Irvin, seconded by Downey, to employ Karen Hoff in the position of Multi -Family Loan Specialist in the Housing & Community Development office at Grade 6, Step E, to fill an existing vacancy. Unanimously approved. BID AWARDS - HENSON BLVD., HALFWAY BLVD/OAK RIDGE DR. & JEFFERSON HEIGHTS Motion made by Commissioner Downey, seconded by Irvin, to award the bid for improvements to Henson Boulevard to Fayetteville Contractors who submitted the low bid of $42,527; to award the bid for the improvements to the intersection of Halfway Boulevard/West Oak Ridge Drive to P & W Excavating who submitted the low bid of $32,377.50; and to award the bid for the Jefferson Heights drainage project to P & W Excavating who submitted the low bid of $10,500 as recommended by the Director of Planning & Review. Unanimously approved. RECESS The meeting was recessed at 3:10 p.m., to be reconvened at 7:00 p.m. for a meeting with officials from the Towns of Funkstown and Smithsburg. EVENING SESSION - FUNKSTOWN TOWN HALL The Evening Session was convened at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall in Funkstown by the President, Ronald L. Bowers, with the following members present: Vice President Linda C. Irvin and Commissioners R. Lee Downey and Martin L. Snook. Also present were Robert Kline, Mayor of Funkstown, and Councilmembers Francis Mongan and Kim Ramer and Paul Boswell, Mayor of Smithsburg, and Councilmembers John O'Neal and Mildred Myers. Barry Teach, County Administrator, stated that this meeting has been called pursuant to Article 81, Section 32 of the Annotated Code of Maryland in regard to the payment -in -lieu of services program or tax differential. Mr. Teach also stated the estimated amount of payment to the towns for the current fiscal year is based on budgeted expenditures, but the payment will be based on actual audited expenditures. The Towns of Smithsburg and Funkstown both received an approximate 10% increase in their payments for Fiscal Year 1988 from the previous year. The Commissioners also informed those in attendance that landfill fees will go into effect sometime in the near future to offset increasing costs and a recycling project will begin when the new State regulations are received. Mayor Kline gave the Commissioners the details of the bridge improvement project for the bridge linking Funkstown to Hagerstown. Mayor Kline also informed the Commissioners that they are considering the possible annexation of property in the vicinity of Edgewood Drive and Haywood Circle, Baltimore Street and Hebb Road to the Hagerstown line and possibly area on Beaver Creek Road. FEBRUARY 21, 1989 MINUTES, CONT'D. The Commissioners updated officials from the Town of Smithsburg on improvements to the Leitersburg/Smithsburg Road. Mr. Teach stated that the County Engineer has the field work needed and has asked for additional funds for the improvement. Commissioner Bowers added that the County hopes to have this project underway during this construction season. The Commissioners also urged the Town of Smithsburg to send a request for a traffic signal at the square in Smithsburg to them to be placed on the agenda for the Transportation Advisory Committee to review. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Downey, seconded by Irvin to adjourn at 7:50 p.m. Unanimously approved. County Attorney , Clerk