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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.12.2000 MinutesDecember 12, 2000 Hagerstown, Maryland The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by President Gregory I. Snook with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz and Commissioners Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. 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. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – DECEMBER 5, 2000 Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, to approve the minutes of December 5, 2000, as amended. Unanimously approved. COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Iseminger reported on the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) conference. He also stated that he attended the ceremony in Funkstown announcing the designation of the Town as a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places. Commissioner Wivell stated that he attended the employees’ holiday party held by the Highway and Landfill Departments. He reported on the meetings of the joint School Facilities Review Committee and the Historic District Commission. Commissioner Wivell stated that he also attended the opening of the Forty West Landfill. Commissioner Swartz wished Assistant County Attorney John Martirano a happy 35th birthday. He informed the Commissioners that he presented the Health Department with a proclamation on National Drunk & Drugged Driving Awareness Week. Commissioner Swartz reported on the meeting of the Recreation & Parks Board. He also stated that he attended the employees’ holiday party held by the Highway and Landfill Departments, a dinner sponsored by Allegheny Energy, and the Troopers Association breakfast, as well as the opening of the Forty West landfill. Commissioner Schnebly informed the Commissioners that he attended the monthly meeting of the Homebuilders Association. He stated that he spoke with a representative from the Governor’s office regarding the City/County growth plan for utilization of existing infrastructure and will be meeting with J.L. Hearn, Director of the Water Management Administration, on January 8. He also stated that he met with Dr. Herman Bartlett, School Superintendent. Commissioner Snook reviewed MACo’s initiatives for the 2001 legislative session. He reviewed a copy of a letter sent to the Department of Natural Resources by Mayor Brandenberg of Keedysville regarding the conveyance of a property known as the “Old Railroad Line” for the purpose of developing a park. He also distributed a letter from Mayor Brandenberg requesting the County’s assistance in seeking grant funding through the Neighborhood Conservation Program for replacement of the main water line through the Town. The Commissioners agreed to provide County assistance in applying for State grant funding. Commissioner Snook stated that he attended the kick-off meeting for the Arts Implementation Committee and the Steering Committee for the University System of Maryland project. REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Debra Bastian, Director of Budget & Finance, informed the Commissioners that she hopes to have the information they requested on the rubble landfill next week. She stated that she received a draft copy of the water service agreement for the Conococheague and Martin’s Crossroads areas from the City of Hagerstown. Ms. Bastian informed the Commissioners that the recent income tax distribution met budget projections and that the County has approximately $58,000,000 invested at this time. Alan Davis, Human Resources Director, reported that flu shots for employees should be offered in the near future. He stated that the Employee Pension Review Committee would make its final recommendation tomorrow and that the pre-bid conference on the health insurance program is also scheduled for tomorrow. DECEMBER 12, 2000 PAGE TWO Gary Rohrer, Public Works Director, reported that the flow from the Sharpsburg Pike interceptor to the Conococheague Wastewater Treatment Plant is scheduled to begin on Thursday. He informed the Commissioners that the Highway Department has been dealing with damage from high winds this morning. Mr. Rohrer stated that the proposed stormwater management ordinance would be presented for review at next week’s meeting. He thanked the Board for providing County Commuter buses for the candlelight tour in Keedysville. Mr. Rohrer reported that there have been software problems with the scales at the Forty West Landfill. He noted that December 16 would be the last day that the rubble landfill would receive refuse. Mr. Rohrer also provided information on the status of the centerline placement for Robinwood Drive and the Williamsport senior housing project. Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, informed the Commissioners that he met with Pat Schooley and Yvonne Hope of the Washington County Historical Trust regarding the house on French Lane. He stated that he attended a meeting of the Western Maryland Senior Games committee. Mr. Arch informed the Commissioners that the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for the improvement of Rayloc Road would be ready soon. He informed the Commissioners that Allegany County might submit an amendment to the SmartGrowth law. He stated that he would be attending a meeting at MACo regarding the legislation being proposed by the Maryland Municipal League to give municipalities the authority to submit their own sewer and water plans to the Department of the Environment. Mr. Arch indicated that the Civil War Heritage Committee has applied for a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program. AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM – GRANT APPLICATION Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, for the County to serve as applicant for a grant request to the American Battlefield Protection Program on behalf of the Civil War Heritage Committee and as a conduit for the funding. Unanimously approved. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING – JOINT CITY-COUNTY GROWTH PLAN FOR OPTIMAL UTILIZATION OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Hagerstown for the “Joint City-County Growth Plan for Optimal Utilization of Existing Infrastructure” dated November 21, 2000 for the transfer of wastewater flows from Hagerstown Water Pollution Control to the Washington County sewer system. Unanimously approved. (A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding is attached.) BUDGET TRANSFER REQUEST – HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to approve a budget increase of $35,000 in the Airport’s budget from the Federal and Maryland Aviation Administrations to permit the Hagerstown Regional Airport to acquire additional firefighting equipment and to approve a budget transfer in the amount of $1,750 from the Taxiway A extension project (515000 30 45010 RUN 005) to this project to meet the County’s five (5%) percent match for the grant funds. Unanimously approved. APPROVAL OF CANDIDATES FOR RURAL LEGACY CYCLE 3 GRANT AGREEMENT Eric Seifarth, Farmland Preservation Administrator, met with the Commissioners to review potential candidates for cycle 3 funding of the Rural Legacy easement purchases. Mr. Seifarth stated that Washington County was awarded $1.4 million in cycle 3 to purchase permanent conservation easements. He indicated that the State has asked that a list be submitted showing the landowners that have expressed an interest in the program to assure that the funding could be utilized. Mr. Seifarth informed the Commissioners that these landowners are not guaranteed funding from the program and that the list can be changed at a later date with State approval. He then reviewed the proposed list of the properties that are eligible for Rural Legacy funding. After discussion, the Commissioners agreed to take the proposal under consideration and requested that Mr. Seifarth obtain additional information to present at next week’s meeting. DECEMBER 12, 2000 PAGE THREE RECESS The Commissioners recessed at 2:55 p.m. in order to attend a joint meeting with the Board of Education at the Board’s central office. JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATION The Commissioners met with the Board of Education at its office on Commonwealth Avenue at 3:15 p.m. The following members of the Board of Education were present: Paul Bailey, Mary Wilfong, Herbert Hardin, Roxanne Ober, Bernadette Wagner, and Edward Forrest. Staff members present were Dr. Herman Bartlett, Superintendent of Schools; Dennis McGee, Director of Facilities Management; Teresa Flak, Assistant Superintendent; William McKinley, Executive Director of Support Services; Phil Ray, Director of Human Resources; and Christian South, Director of Budget & Finance. Introductions were made and Commissioner Snook welcomed recently elected Board of Education members Roxanne Ober, Bernadette Wagner, and Edward Forrest. Tennis Court Inspections and Joint Use Agreement William McKinley reviewed the findings of a safety inspection performed by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education on the poor condition of several tennis courts at Washington County schools. Mr. McKinley stated that many of the tennis courts were built using Program Open Space funding and are to be maintained by the County’s Department of Recreation & Parks. He cited a 1999 Joint Use Agreement between the Board of Education and the County Commissioners for operation of five tennis courts. Commissioner Snook stated that he would have the appropriate department include funding in its annual budget request or through Program Open Space for the repairs. He indicated that not all the repairs/renovations could be addressed in one year but that they would have to be done on a staggered basis. Middle School Literacy Initiative/Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) Report Theresa Flak provided an overview of the 2000-2001 middle school literacy initiative. She stated that this is the second year since its implementation. Sherry Purkey, Reading Resource Instructor, presented the goals and initiatives of the program. She stated that the test results show that the Washington County students are now in sixth place in the State, up from ninth place in 1999. Ms. Purkey informed the Commissioners that three schools showed double digit increases. The Maryland Functional Reading Test showed that Washington County students have improved in their test scores in reading, writing and language usage. Ms. Purkey stated that they anticipate using grant funds from the State to fund the high school literacy program in the four communities that are in most need. The meeting was then opened for questions from the County Commissioners. Ms. Flak reviewed the MSPAP test scores for Washington County. She stated that County scores have increased 22 percentage points since the test was initiated in 1993. Ms. Flak then analyzed the data from the test. She indicated that they are studying the correlation between the students receiving free and reduced meals as an indication of poverty and their MSPAP scores. She distributed the Maryland School Performance Report for 2000. Cost Comparison – County School Buses vs. Contracted Buses Mr. McKinley and Chris Carter, Transportation Supervisor, compared the cost of contracted buses versus the cost of operating county-owned buses. The results project an annual savings of $5,753 by using exclusively county-owned buses. Mr. Carter stated that vehicle acquisition, operation and driver costs were factored into the comparison. He informed the Commissioners that the Board currently has 63 contract buses and 112 county-owned buses. The Board will be taking this information under consideration. Mr. South provided information on how the analysis was performed and the conclusions were reached. The meeting was then opened for questions. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to adjourn at 5:00 p.m. Unanimously approved. DECEMBER 12, 2000 PAGE FOUR , County Administrator __________________________, County Attorney , County Clerk The Commissioners attended the presentation of the final report of the space needs study for the Washington County Free Library which was presented by Gilbert Architects at 7:00 p.m. at the Library.