REGULAR MEETING OF GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL held Monday, January 8, 2001.

Mayor Davis called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m.

ROLL CALL was answered by Councilmembers Edward V.J. Putens, Rodney M. Roberts, Alan Turnbull, Thomas X. White, and Judith F. Davis, Mayor.

ALSO PRESENT were Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; Robert Manzi, City Solicitor; David E. Moran, Assistant to the City Manager; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.

Mayor Davis observed a moment of silence for former resident June Francisco. She then led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

CONSENT AGENDA: Mayor Davis requested that item #16 (Appointments to Council of Governments (COG) Boards and Policy Committees) be removed from the consent agenda. Mr. Turnbull moved approval of the consent agenda, so amended. Mr. White seconded the motion, which passed 5 to 0.

Council thereby took the following actions:

MINUTES

- Work Session, November 4, 2000
- Work Session, December 13, 2000
- Interview, December 18, 2000
- Regular Meeting, December 18, 2000
- Work Session, December 20, 2000
Approved as presented.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

-Youth Advisory Committee, Report #2000-2 (Scooter, Skateboard & Bicycle Safety): Council accepted this report and will consider it on a future agenda, when other advisory groups have completed their review.

-Advisory Committee on Trees, 1/1/01 Report (Greenway Place Bradford Pear Trees): Council accepted this report and will consider it on the agenda of the next meeting.

APPROVAL OF BOARD OF APPEALS RESOLUTION FOR VARIANCE #00-003-V: Council adopted the Board of Appeals Resolution for Variance #00-003-V.

REAPPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS: Council approved the reappointment of Judith Ott and Jean Cook to the Board of Elections and directed staff to send the appropriate letters.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND ADDITIONS: Mr. Putens requested that an additional item, Appointment to the Park & Recreation Advisory Board, be added to the agenda. Mr. Turnbull moved approval of the amended agenda. Mr. Putens seconded. The motion passed 5-0.

PRESENTATIONS: Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Department. As part of the department’s community outreach program, Acting Captain Terry Justin, a former Greenbelt police officer, gave a presentation on the role of the Sheriff’s Department in the community. He described the mandates of the department and responded to questions regarding the department’s reducing its backlog on warrants and its interactions with the Greenbelt Police Department. Council thanked him for coming.

PETITIONS AND REQUESTS

Sheldon Goldberg, 7848 Jacobs Drive, asked the status of resolving the problem of news racks. He said he thought they were proliferating again at Mandan and Hanover. Mr. McLaughlin said that we should get back to the vendors now that members of Council had picked up materials at the National League of Cities conference. In response to another query from Mr. Goldberg, Mr. McLaughlin said the City is still expecting signs on Greenbelt Road near the high school comparable to the new ones placed at the middle school.

Mayor Davis noted that Councilmembers had received a letter from the Greenbelt Clergy Association regarding College Park’s upcoming tribute to Martin Luther King. Since at their stakeholder meeting they had raised the question of developing a program in Greenbelt, she said she thought Council should consider this a request to keep the idea alive.

MINUTES OF MEETINGS

Executive Session, December 20, 2000

Mr. Roberts moved that the minutes of the Executive Meeting of the City Council held Wednesday, December 20, 2000, be approved as presented.

He further requested that the minutes of this meeting reflect that the Council met in Executive Session at 8:07 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Municipal Building and that Council held this closed meeting in accordance with Sections 10-508 (a) (3) and (8) of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Public General Laws of Maryland to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto; and to consult with staff, consultants or other individuals about pending or potential litigation. Mr. Putens seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL: Mr. Putens - yes
Mr. Roberts - yes
Mr. Turnbull - yes
Mr. White - yes
Mayor Davis - yes

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

Mr. McLaughlin announced that Councilmembers had received their copies of the annual financial report for FY 2000 and that the auditors could come and answer questions if Council wished. He commented that the year had turned out better than expected because of good returns on income taxes and the hotel/motel and entertainment/amusement taxes.

Mr. White brought a pamphlet for distribution about the availability of an educational kit, targeted at high school students, on the Human Genome Project. His employer is one of the sponsors of the educational program.

Mayor Davis reported on the Prince George’s County Municipal Association (PGCMA) dinner on January 4, which several members of Council and staff attended.

The Mayor also reported on a phone call she received from Norman Rivera, the new representative of the developers of Metroland, who said they are aiming to present a revised concept plan to Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning on January 19 and would like to make a presentation to Council. Because of the tight time frame, she suggested he might come to the 4 Cities Meeting on January 18. She suggested staff notify Citizens to Conserve and Restore Indian Creek (CCRIC) if he decides to do so. Mr. White commented that he agreed the 4 Cities meeting was an appropriate venue but that he hoped they would also present to the City Council at some point. There was agreement that a work session would be better for this than a regular meeting.

LEGISLATION

A Resolution to Amend Resolution Number 916, to Authorize the Negotiated Purchase of Certain Goods and Services from Various Vendors as Enumerated Herein When Total Fiscal Year Purchases from Each Vendor Exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000): The Mayor read the agenda comments. Mr. Turnbull introduced this resolution for first reading.

FOLLOW-UP ON PLAN TO UPGRADE CITY PLAYGROUNDS: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments and noted that she was pleased to see that block grant funding can be used on four of the playgrounds. Mr. White asked why staff was proposing to test only two types of surfacing materials. Bill Phelan, Superintendent of Operations, Public Works, responded that although there are variations on these two types, the expectation is that only surfaces falling into these two categories (wood fiber chips and a poured-in-place rubberized surface) will be deemed compliant under the forthcoming regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Given its heavy use and public nature, Mr. Turnbull was concerned about not surfacing the Buddy Attick Park playground until next year. Mr. Roberts subsequently added the other two playgrounds not proposed for resurfacing during the upcoming year (Greenbriar Park and St. Hugh’s) to that list, saying the City should move on resurfacing all the playgrounds in use, since resurfacing has been identified as a serious concern and top priority. Mr. Phelan responded that these three playgrounds have the most problems and need more lead-time for planning than the others; in particular, staff does not want to put new surfacing under equipment that requires serious re-evaluation. In addition, doing all the resurfacing in the first year would absorb the entire first year’s budget. He suggested that if there were funds left over in the first year, some chips could be put down selectively on the other playgrounds in the most critical areas. Mr. McLaughlin concurred with Mr. Phelan’s response, adding that this is a multi-year plan and that staff fully intends to keep moving ahead with all the work that must be done. The Mayor agreed that the expectation had been that the work would be completed over several budget years.

Mr. Phelan had also mentioned that Greenbriar Park had not been on the list because there was an impression that the neighborhood did not support maintaining that playground. Mayor Davis said there was difference of opinion on that question, with some residents thinking the playground was attracting undesirable activities, while others thought it might be viable with better lighting, some clean-up, etc., and wanted to wait and see. She said she thought that, for this reason, waiting until next year to evaluate Greenbriar Park would be preferable.

Mr. Roberts responded that he would still like to see some resurfacing done, even if temporary, on all the playgrounds and that he would not support the plan otherwise. Mr. White said his reservation about the plan came from the opposite direction. He thought the project was moving too fast and that the City should be doing more testing and evaluation as it went along. He thought we had agreed to do demonstration projects before moving ahead. He said he would also like to see an account in six-months of any injuries reported after the work was done. Mr. Turnbull said he shared Mr. White’s concern–that if we move too fast, we cannot evaluate properly. Mayor Davis said Council should not slow the pace down–that Council had recognized the existence of a dangerous situation, that the resurfacing needed to move ahead as quickly as possible, and that a promise had also been made to residents that equipment that had been removed would be replaced promptly. Mr. Putens said he agreed in spirit with Mr. White’s reservations but thought the reality is that the City needs to move promptly because of the potential liability concerns.

Mr. Roberts raised a specific question about the proximity to the street of the playground at the curve where Crescent joins Ridge. Mr. Phelan said he would look into this to see if there was a need for a fence and/or signs to warn drivers.

Mr. Putens asked about a letter received from the Greenbelt East Advisory Committee regarding City support for playgrounds in Original Greenbelt versus other parts of town. Mr. McLaughlin said staff was doing research on the question and would report back within a couple of months.
Mr. Putens moved approval of the plan as presented, with the understanding that 1) if there is extra money in the first year’s budget it will be used for the remaining playgrounds and 2) staff will provide a six-month injury report. Mayor Davis seconded the motion, which passed 3-2 (Roberts, White).

UPDATE OF GREEN RIDGE HOUSE ADMISSIONS AND OCCUPANCY POLICY: The Mayor read the agenda comments. Terry Blake of Home Properties, the City’s management representative, was present to answer questions. An initial motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Putens to approve the policy. It was discovered, however, that there had been a misunderstanding on whether there had been any opportunity for the residents of Green Ridge House to comment on the revised policy. Council agreed that it preferred to defer its vote on the policy until after it was presented to the residents. Mr. McLaughlin estimated that it could be placed on the agenda in March. Council also asked that Mr. Manzi explore whether any exceptions are possible to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s disallowance of residency as a preferential factor for admission, given the City’s investment in Green Ridge House. In addition, Council asked that statistics on Greenbelt residency status be provided, if available, for both current residents (prior to admission) and individuals on the waiting list. Mr. McLaughlin suggested a work session be held on these issues when the research is completed.

Mr. White made a new motion that this item be deferred until one of the March meetings. Mr. Putens seconded the motion, which passed 5-0. Jim Cassells, a resident of Green Ridge House, then spoke in support of the vote and the recommendation to hold a work session. He said he was not aware of the change in residency preference and thought the residents of Greenbelt, including the residents of Green Ridge House, should be apprized of this change.

RED LIGHT CAMERA PROGRAM: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Mr. White questioned whether the designation of the off-ramps at Kenilworth was correct, saying the problem at the intersection of Kenilworth and the Beltway ramps is with through-traffic on Kenilworth, not with cars on the ramps. Chief Craze said he would check into this. He also explained that the selected sites did not represent the worst light-running locations because some intersections simply will not work with the cameras because of engineering issues. He said that at these camera locations, Greenbelt has some of the highest levels of traffic being tested in the state. He also reported the unexpected phenomenon that findings of this program in other areas are that although frequency of offenses initially drops, it comes back up again. Mr. Roberts expressed concern that the program should have a genuine safety and enforcement impact and not be, or be perceived to be, just a generator of revenue. Mr. Turnbull suggested the Police Department and the Public Safety Advisory Committee should devise supplemental ways to use the statistics the program would produce. Mr. Putens asked staff to copy the committee on the information on the program that Council had reviewed at the meeting.

The Mayor also asked Chief Craze about use of the speed gun that is available to civic associations and requested that the program receive more publicity, e.g., on Channel B-10.

Mr. White moved that Council approve the payment for the purchase and installation of the cameras from the fund balance and authorize the City Manager to sign the MOU and to hire an additional person in order for the program to proceed. Mr. Putens seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.

APPOINTMENTS TO COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (COG) BOARDS AND POLICY COMMITTEES FOR 2001: The Mayor asked that in addition to the following reappointments, Council approve the appointment of Mayor Pro Tem Turnbull as an alternate delegate to the COG Board of Directors. Mr. Putens then moved, with Mr. Turnbull seconding, that the following appointments be approved and communicated to COG by the City Clerk: COG Board of Directors, Mayor Davis, Mr. Turnbull (Alternate); Transportation Planning Board, Mr. Roberts; Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee, Mr. White; Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, Mr. Turnbull, Mr. White (Alternate); Human Services and Public Safety Polity Committee, Mr. Putens; Chesapeake Bay Policy Committee, Mayor Davis, Mr. White (Alternate). The motion passed 5-0.

APPOINTMENT TO PARK & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD: Mr. Putens moved that Council appoint Rick Ransom to the Park & Recreation Advisory Board and direct staff to prepare the appropriate letter of appointment. Mr. White seconded. The motion passed 5-0.

MEETINGS: The Mayor reviewed the calendar presented in the agenda comments. At Mr. Turnbull’s suggestion, it was agreed that there is not a need for a work session on commercial licensing fees at this time and that a memo from staff on the subject will suffice.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Putens moved the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Turnbull seconded the motion, which carried 5-0. Mayor Davis adjourned the regular meeting of January 8, 2001, at 10:17 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Gallagher
City Clerk

"I hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct report of the regular meeting of the City Council of Greenbelt, Maryland, held January 8, 2001."

Judith F. Davis
Mayor

City of Greenbelt, Maryland
City Offices, 25 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-8000 FAX: 301-441-8248