WORK SESSION OF THE GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL
Held Monday, January 5, 2004,
For the purpose of purpose of holding a quarterly review with the City Manager.

Mayor Davis called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. It was held in the Council Room of the Municipal Building.

PRESENT WERE: Councilmembers Konrad Herling, Leta Mach, Edward Putens, Rodney Roberts, and Mayor Judith F. Davis.

STAFF PRESENT WERE: Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.

ALSO PRESENT WERE: Trevor Siegel, Marc Siegel, Darryl Mach, and Councilmember Mach’s parents.

Trevor and Marc Siegel gave an update on PJ Siegel’s condition, and Council signed letters to be sent to several drug companies requesting use of blood substitute products on a “compassionate plea” basis.

Capital Projects: Council first reviewed the list of capital projects. Mr. Putens asked Mr. McLaughlin to look into the status of the issue of a City easement for the pathway behind the homes in Greenbrook. There was brief discussion of the process of the state Board of Public Works regarding the Sunrise property funding and whether there was an appeals process.

CAR Report: The status of CAR items was reviewed.

Forum on Fire Safety for Hearing Impaired (2003-03): Mr. McLaughlin said staff would pursue this a little further, since the responses from national advocacy organizations had suggested they might not have properly understood the nature of the request.

Park Rangers: Regarding (2003-100): Mr. Putens commented that the ranger report was identical to the previous report submitted. He said while he had no objection to the efficiency of reusing a prior report as a template, he wanted to confirm that this was indeed the current information. Mayor Davis added that she had requested this report because she thought this program had great potential, and she wanted to be sure that the City was making the most of it. Mr. Putens said he would like to know more about the job description for the rangers and their assigned responsibilities, particularly with regard to recreation vs. enforcement functions.

Greenbelt and Lakecrest: Mr. Putens asked about the most recent queries about a traffic light at the intersection of Greenbelt Road and Lakecrest Drive and whether it was necessary to make a formal request for another warrant study. Mayor Davis added that more work needs to be done on the question of the time allowed for pedestrian crossing on Greenbelt Road at Hanover Parkway.

Sidewalk Snow Removal (2003-22): It was noted that the sidewalk snow removal report is on the agenda of the next regular meeting. There was brief discussion of responsibility for sidewalks in front of residences.

Planning & Zoning (2003-90): Mayor Davis said the PGCMA vote on this would be deferred until more groundwork could be done.

Skateboard Park (2003-16): Noting that boarders were using tennis courts at Braden Field and the roadway behind the former bank at Roosevelt Center, Mayor Davis commented on the lack of cooperation from a small group. Mr. McLaughlin said he thought the City may have to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy.

Management Objectives:

GASB-34: There was discussion of problems in implementing the new auditing requirements.

Bus Service: Ms. Mach asked that 2000 Census information be given to her and Mr. Herling. In response to her question about cooperation between WMATA and the county on bus service, Mr. McLaughlin explained there wasn’t a great deal but said the City was monitoring it.

Greenbelt East Recycling Center: In response to the Mayor’s question, Mr. McLaughlin said the Center was being used more than previously but still not enough.

Other Business

Mr. McLaughlin said the new assessment notices are out from the state but do not reflect the City’s lifting of its cap. If the state will not correct this information, the City will advertise to make citizens aware.

Mr. Roberts reported vandalism at the diplay box at Hamilton Cemetery.

Mr. Putens raised a number of issues. He said there is graffiti on the sound barriers on the outer loop of the Beltway from Greenbelt to College Park. He asked that a copy of the accounting of ACE funds be sent to him and Ms. Mach. He asked for an update of data on the red light camera program comparable to one written by the City Treasurer dated October 15, 2002. He also distributed a 2001 memo from Fred Cunningham of Greenbelt Park regarding repairs planned for the Baltimore-Washington Parkway bridge over the Beltway.

There was discussion of the planning for the Springhill Lake charette. Council asked Mr. McLaughlin to request a list of those invited.

The Mayor asked if Council would be willing to be included in a letter to be submitted by PGCMA to local newspapers regarding the state budget, and everyone agreed to do so.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Gallagher
City Clerk

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