REGULAR MEETING OF GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL held Monday, January 14, 2002.
Mayor Davis called the meeting to order at 8:09 p.m.
ROLL CALL was answered by Council members Rodney M. Roberts, Alan Turnbull, Thomas X. White, and Judith F. Davis, Mayor. Councilmember Edward V. J. Putens arrived at 9:15 p.m.
ALSO PRESENT were Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; John Shay, City Solicitor; David E. Moran, Assistant to the City Manager; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.
Mayor Davis observed a moment of silence for resident Eleanor M. Jarva and former resident Walter H. Penney. She then led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
CONSENT AGENDA: Mr. Roberts requested that item #20, the draft letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation, be removed from the consent agenda. A motion to approve the amended consent agenda was made by Mr. Turnbull and seconded by Mr. Roberts. The motion passed 4-0.
Council thereby took the following actions:
MINUTES
- Work Session, December 12, 2001
- Legislative Dinner, December 13, 2001
- Regular Meeting, December 17, 2001
- Work Session, December 19, 2001
Approved as presented.
COMMITTEE REPORTS: Advisory Committee on Trees, 12/26/01 (Management of Bradford Pear Trees) and 1/11/02 (Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Tree): Council received these two reports and agreed to consider them at a work session to be scheduled. Council further directed staff to send informational copies of the Bradford Pear report to the Advisory Planning Board and the Park & Recreation Advisory Board and of the Memorial Tree report to the Friends of the Greenbelt Museum and the Park & Recreation Advisory Board.
REAPPOINTMENT OF MR. TURNBULL TO MARYLAND HERITAGE AREA AUTHORITY - SUPPORT LETTER: Council authorized the preparation and sending of a letter to the Maryland Heritage Area Authority in support of Mr. Turnbull’s reappointment to the board.
REAPPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY GROUPS: Council reappointed the following individuals to advisory groups. (See also the later item Appointments to Advisory Groups.)
Danita Elkerson - Employee Relations Board
Walter Moody - Public Safety Advisory Committee
Etta Fitzgerald - Senior Citizens Advisory Committee
Helen Geller - Senior Citizens Advisory Committee
Keith Chernikoff - Board of Elections
Dorothy Lauber - Board of Elections
RESIGNATIONS FROM ADVISORY GROUPS: Council accepted with regret the resignations of Pamela Moody from the Advisory Committee on Education and Dennis Jelalian from the Arts Advisory Board and directed staff to prepare the appropriate letters for the Mayor’s signature.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND ADDITIONS: Mr. Roberts requested that "Appointments to Advisory Groups" be added to the agenda as #23. Mr. Turnbull moved approval of the amended agenda. Mr. White seconded the motion, which passed 4-0.
PRESENTATIONS: There were none.
PETITIONS AND REQUESTS: Elizabeth Barber, 16-Z1 Ridge Road, addressed Council to say there is no reasonable and safe pedestrian access from Old Greenbelt to Greenway Center west of the Center. She presented a petition requesting a pedestrian crosswalk and light at Southway and Greenbelt Road, a sidewalk on the eastbound side of Greenbelt Road, and a safe way to enter the shopping center from Greenbelt Road. Mayor Davis explained that although no formal action would be taken on the petition at tonight’s meeting, Council has discussed this problem in the past and requested action from the State Highway Administration (SHA). She added that right now any changes to this area would be considered under the pending SHA Neighborhood Conservation Project for Greenbelt Road. The Mayor thanked Ms. Barber for coming.
MINUTES: Executive Session of January 9, 2002: Mr. Roberts moved that the minutes of the executive session of the City Council held Wednesday, January 9, 2002, be approved as presented. He further requested that the minutes of this meeting reflect that the Council met in executive session at 8:40 p.m. in the Municipal Building Library and that the meeting was held in accordance with Section 10-508 (a) (7) of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Public General Laws of Maryland to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice on a legal matter regarding a request for Council action from the New Deal Café. Mr. White seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL
Mr. Roberts - yes
Mr. Turnbull - yes
Mr. White - yes
Mayor Davis - yes
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
Mr. McLaughlin provided some briefing on a pedestrian fatality that occurred last night on Greenbelt Road.
Mayor Davis thanked the City departments and the New Year’s and Millennium Committees for their work on New Year’s 2002. She offered congratulations to Woodrow Wines on his retirement. She noted that the Prince George’s County Municipal Association’s legislative dinner had occurred last Thursday, and the City’s delegation held its Open Door Meeting in Greenbelt on Saturday. She announced the upcoming essay contest sponsored by the Maryland Municipal League for fourth graders on "If I Were Mayor, I Would . . . " and confirmed her availability to speak to fourth grade classes on what a Mayor does. Lastly, Mayor Davis said she received a letter today in response to a letter sent by the City to request action on needed roof repairs at the Greenbelt Middle School. The county responded to say that they will do a "flood coat" on the roof in the spring and will, in the meantime, will continue to respond to calls for cold patches for leaks.
LEGISLATION
A Resolution of the City of Greenbelt, Adopted Pursuant to the Authority of Article XI-E of the Constitution of Maryland and Section 13 of Article 23a of the Annotated Code of Maryland, (2001Replacement Volume as Amended), Title "Corporations-Municipal," Subtitle "Charter Amendments," to Amend the Charter of the City of Greenbelt Found, in Whole or in Part, in the Compilation of Municipal Charters of Maryland (1983 Edition as Amended), as Prepared by the Department of Legislative Reference Pursuant to Chapter 77 of the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland of 1983, by Repealing and Re-enacting with Amendments Section 55 (a), Titled "Bonds–Issuance, Authorization": Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Mr. White introduced the resolution for first reading.
A Resolution of the City of Greenbelt, Adopted Pursuant to the Authority of Article XI-E of the Constitution of Maryland and Section 13 of Article 23a of the Annotated Code of Maryland, (2001Replacement Volume as Amended), Title "Corporations-Municipal," Subtitle "Charter Amendments," to Amend the Charter of the City of Greenbelt Found, in Whole or in Part, in the Compilation of Municipal Charters of Maryland (1983 Edition as Amended), as Prepared by the Department of Legislative Reference Pursuant to Chapter 77 of the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland of 1983, by Repealing and Re-enacting with Amendment "Elections" Section 14(b), Titled "Referendum": Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Mr. Turnbull introduced the resolution for first reading.
A Resolution of the City of Greenbelt, Maryland, to Authorize Application for a Maryland Historical Trust Capital Grant for Restoration of the Community Center Bas Reliefs and to Authorize the City Manager to Execute all Necessary Documents: The Mayor read the agenda comments. Mr. Roberts introduced the resolution for first reading.
PLANS FOR PEACE MONTH AND THE COMMUNITY PLEDGE: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Kevin Hammett and Booker T. Hughes were in attendance from the Community Relations Advisory Board (CRAB) to answer any questions about the recommendations made by CRAB in its report on Peace Month. Mr. Hammett said that although attendance at Peace Month events was disappointing, it was hoped that in future years it would grow. He particularly cited the collaboration with Eleanor Roosevelt High School as a strong feature of the program. Mayor Davis suggested that if CRAB holds the spring meeting suggested in the report, it may serve to gauge interest in next fall’s event. There was discussion of how to handle the Community Pledge in the future. CRAB suggested that smaller plaques or posters of the words of the pledge, without the signatures, be placed in a fairly permanent form in selected places. Mr. Roberts stressed the need for the pledge to be a "living document" that people could continue to sign. Because of the need for security with the signed pledge, the Mayor suggested the pledge might be piggy-backed when groups or City staff are otherwise in attendance at City events. Mr. White moved Council adoption of the suggestions made by the Community Relations Advisory Board in its report #2001-3. Mr. Roberts seconded. The motion passed 4-0. Mr. White asked that Bertram Donn be kept informed, and Mr. Hammett assured Council that he would be.
VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMMING IN THE COMMUNITY CENTER - REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: The Mayor read the agenda comments. Mr. White said he would be willing to pursue either option suggested by staff–to hold a work session or to go ahead and issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) and consider the evaluation of the first six months of programming by the Recreation Department with the responses to the RFP. He said he had some suggestions for the RFP. Mr. Turnbull said the first decision should be whether to issue the RFP, since it should not be issued unless the City is serious about considering other providers at this time. Mr. White said he assumed the RFP would be issued. Mayor Davis said she thought that since Council said last year that it would issue an RFP, it should do so. Mr. Turnbull responded that he was concerned that the timing was arbitrary. He said he did not have a sense that it was necessary to issue an RFP right now and that it would make more sense to evaluate what the best cycle would be for the programs. Mr. Roberts said that when Council discussed this last year he did not see the logic to wanting to issue an RFP annually, as long as it was possible for the City to be inclusive in terms of programs and providers and to be responsive to the needs of residents. He said he thought a work session was needed and asked, "Why go through this long arduous process every year if we have good programs?" Because Mayor Davis will be out of town at the time of the work session, she asked to be given a copy of the evaluation report prior to February 1 in order that she could send written comments in advance.
Mr. White requested that staff provide several items for the work session. He said if an RFP is issued, the first two items should be included for the benefit of other applicants as well, since they would presumably provide a benchmark for comparison of other proposals: 1) a detailed outline of staff services that are being provided under the new structure; 2) a detailed outline of those programs actually provided–not just offered–and such data on the programs as numbers participating and level of instruction; and 3) a financial accounting, since there were financial implications to moving from the previous provider to the City and these need to be evaluated. He added that projections had been provided last fall, but hard data should be provided for summer and fall.
Mayor Davis thanked Mr. White for specifying these items. At her request, Nicole DeWald, Arts Coordinator, provided clarification on several revisions that were made in last year’s proposal for this year. Mr. Turnbull also asked that clarification be provided for the work session regarding the vacancy in the visual arts specialist position.
REQUEST FOR SUPPORT FOR NORC PROGRAMS - LETTER TO SENATOR SARBANES: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments and requested that two minor revisions be made to the letter. Mr. Roberts moved Council approval of sending the amended letter under the Mayor’s signature. Mr. Turnbull seconded. The motion passed 4-0.
RESPONSE TO FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS - SUPPORT LETTER FOR HYATTSVILLE: The Mayor read the agenda comments. Mr. White moved approval of the letter, and Mr. Turnbull seconded. Mayor Davis requested two revisions in punctuation. The motion passed 4-0.
YOUTH OPEN FORUM - REFERRAL TO YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. She added that the Open Forum sponsored by the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee (SCAC) every year is always well-attended by community, City department heads, and Council, and it brings interesting and important issues to Council’s attention. Since SCAC provides a report to Council on the issues raised at the forum, a structure is provided for staff and Council to respond to issues. Mayor Davis said that, given the concerns that have been raised recently about Roosevelt Center and about a lack of activities for older teens, she would like to ask YAC to consider whether having a similar forum, organized by YAC for young people, might be constructive. She added that the Maryland Municipal League has encouraged holding youth forums during Municipal Government Week, which this year is the week of April 22, and this might be one possibility for scheduling. Other Council members indicated their support for asking YAC to consider this. Mr. Roberts noted that YAC has held open forums for youth in the past, but they have been less structured than those of the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee. Mr. Roberts moved that Council refer to the committee the question of YAC organization and sponsorship of an annual Youth Open Forum for the City. Mr. White seconded. The motion passed 4-0.
MAGLEV TRAIN PROJECT - LETTER TO MDOT SECRETARY PORCARI: Mr. Roberts said the draft letter did not go nearly far enough in delineating the proposed project’s potential negative impacts and in stating Council’s objections to it. He asked that the letter be strengthened considerably and that staff undertake additional research to provide the necessary detail and the factual and statistical grounding. He added that his concern was that the public is not properly informed about this matter and that the project’s proponents will try to put it on a fast track before there is solid information available in opposition to it. Other Council members agreed. Mayor Davis said she was also concerned that the routes being considered for the train were not accurately described. She added that when the letter is completed, it should be copied to the towns inside the beltway that would be affected. Mr. Turnbull said Council should also discuss soon the furthering of legislation to control the disposal process for BARC. Mr. McLaughlin said he thought some process had been laid out for this. Council agreed that a strategy work session should be held on this prior to scheduling a meeting with the City’s federal legislators.
APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY GROUPS: (See also the Consent Agenda.) It was moved by Mr. Roberts and seconded by Mr. Turnbull that Sharon Anderson be appointed to the Arts Advisory Board and Clement Lau be appointed to the Park & Recreation Advisory Board. The motion passed 5-0.
MEETINGS: Council reviewed the upcoming schedule of meetings. It was agreed to hold a work session on the visual arts RFP on February 4, a work session with the Advisory Committee on Trees on February 13, and an all-day session on City Goals on February 16. The mid-term legislative dinner was scheduled for February 12.
ADJOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Putens and seconded by Mr. Roberts. The motion carried 5-0. Mayor Davis adjourned the regular meeting of January 14, 2002, at 9:35 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 14, 2002."
Judith F. Davis
Mayor