Worksession Minutes

 MaY 21, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Calvo, Mayor Pro Tem (MPT) Jewitt, CMs Dennison, Gourley and Lofgren. Mayor Calvo arrived late due to work-related reasons. MPT Jewitt chaired the meeting until Mayor Calvo's arrival. Also present were Town Administrator Murphy, Clerk Harper and citizens. 

1.    Mayor

Announcements: There were none. 

Calendar: The dates for two Safe Streets public hearings were added for June 28 and August 23. The date for National Night Out was added for August 7. 

Minutes: On a motion by CM Gourley and second by CM Lofgren, the minutes of the April 16 worksession were approved 5 to 0 with corrections. On a motion by CM Dennison and second by CM Lofgren, the April 30 budget worksession minutes were approved 5 to 0 with corrections. On a motion by MPT Jewitt and second by CM Gourley, the May 7 worksession minutes were approved 5 to 0 with corrections. 

Department reports: CM Gourley reported that the Administration Department re-ordered a larger shed to replace an old garden shed behind the Town Center. The larger shed can accommodate some items currently stored in a back room of the Town Offices. MPT Jewitt reported that there is a seasonal increase in high grass fines, that 2 rental properties were added and that an abatement of a large tree was performed. Further, the Code Department continues to work with the owner of a property on the corner of Edmonston and Berwyn Roads to modify a fence so as not to obstruct sight lines. The Code Director has followed up with the County regarding an incomplete home at 8507 58^th Avenue. The County has imposed a 15 day deadline for the owner to obtain the necessary permits to complete the home or face potential court proceedings. Lastly, the Department has received $19,500 in liens from the County. 

CM Dennison reported that District 1 School Board Member Rosalind Johnson will attend the June 12 Education Advisory Committee meeting for an informal roundtable discussion, that the Historical Committee will begin planning next year's events and that the Recreation Council is getting ready for the Town-wide yard sale and working on reconciling its Berwyn Heights Day accounts. CM Dennison will draft invitations for the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and will discuss trash cans for the Pontiac Street ball field with the Public Works Department and the Boys & Girls Club. CM Lofgren had nothing to report.  

Mayor Calvo reported that two broken Police radios will have to be replaced. Further, he attended the graduation ceremony for a recent Berwyn Heights CERT class taken by a local Boy Scout Troop, a Safe Streets Committee meeting, at which Chief Murphy presented useful traffic violation statistics, and the Farwell Park rededication ceremony at Berwyn Heights Elementary School attended by School Board members Rosalind Johnson and Donna Hathaway Beck as well as a dozen Berwyn Heights residents. 

CM Dennison reported the election results of the Prince George's County Municipal League (PGCMA); Malinda Miles was elected President, Micah Watson Vice President, Fred Smalls Treasurer and Margaret Terry Secretary. CM Dennison will not be a member of the board in the coming year. 

Citizen Comments: CM Dennison received a comment about Tasers. CM Lofgren recognized a citizen who helped clean up the overgrown yard of the Chlopicki House. He reported that he attended the Preservation Week Reception at Snow Hill Manor, where he inquired about the status of the Historic Homes program. Presently, the process of adding properties to the Historic Register has come to a standstill, with properties added only during updating of the area master plan. He was advised to talk to County Councilmembers about reviving the program. Mayor Calvo said he would like to raise the issue during an upcoming meeting with County Councilmember Eric Olsen and requested talking points. 

Mayor Calvo received comments about high grass at a 60^th Avenue property, the fence at the corner of Edmonston and Berwyn Roads and rental properties on Bucknell Terrace. 

Mike Attick said that he would have liked information that Tasers were to be discussed at tonight's agenda.  

Capital budget requests: Mayor Calvo said that the following capital requests were submitted, many of which can be funded from as yet unspent capital outlay line items: 

Police:                         

The Council discussed which requests are needed and feasible. Administration is requesting a new computer to replace an outdated model in the Council Office, plus associated software. It might be funded with overages in other Administration line items. Additionally, the Administration Department budgeted for a new rug in the Town Offices and for painting the Town Offices. However, the estimates exceeded the budgeted amounts. CM Gourley said he would also like to purchase a new TV for the Senior Center and an additional storage shed if there is money left in his budget. Mayor Calvo objected that the TV and second shed were not formally requested in a memorandum and should not be part of the Council deliberations on FY 2007 capital purchases. 

At 8:15 p.m., the Council took a 10 minute break. 

Capital budget requests (continued): MPT Jewitt said that the Code Department requested $1,500 for a new computer in the memorandum. He would like to add a request for a $2,500 ruggedized laptop with Internet access that is suitable for use in the field. Internet access would enable Code officials to use free Internet mapping software to gather information about properties in Berwyn Heights. This acquisition could be funded from the liens recently returned to the Town. Mayor Calvo said that he supports using revenues generated by a department for capital purchases such as this. 

Mayor Calvo said that the Police Department's request for a laptop, 2 radios and shotguns are probably less controversial than that for Tasers. He invited comments on Tasers. Mike Attick said he believes that the Tasers are not needed because there is not enough crime in Berwyn Heights to justify the expense. Berwyn Heights police have other weapons sufficient to deal with crimes occurring here. Also, if Tasers are misplaced or stolen the Town might become liable for any injuries caused by unauthorized use. CM Dennison commented that she doesn't think they are needed. Berwyn Heights has been named one of the safest Towns in Prince George's County and the police have never even had to shoot a suspect in the line of duty. She quoted from a news cast that there have been a number of fatalities as well as many lawsuits regarding injuries caused by Tasers. 

Mayor Calvo replied that, while crime is low in Berwyn Heights, it is a serious issue. There have been a number of homicides recently in surrounding areas. CM Lofgren agreed, noting that Prince George's and Baltimore City are the 2 jurisdictions with the highest crime rates in Maryland. Crime does not stop at the Town's border. Mayor Calvo said that Tasers are intended to be used instead of firearms as a way of subduing suspects with non-lethal force. He cited a number of recent incidents in which they would have been useful. He supports getting a couple of Tasers and the relevant training as an alternate way to subdue suspects. However, he conceded that there are valid concerns about their use. MPT Jewitt said that, while he is in favor of using non-lethal weapons over lethal ones, he believes it is too soon to outfit the Town's police with them. In Baltimore there have been 2 recent fatalities from Tasers and many lawsuits are filed in connection with Taser use. The Town should wait until this technology is more settled. 

Mayor Calvo withdrew the request for Tasers and will ask Chief Murphy to revise his memorandum. 

CM Lofgren said that this is the first time that he has heard of Public Works' request for a zero turn mulching mower. He is not sure it is needed because the mowing of ball fields, for which the mower is intended, should be done by the County Parks and Recreation Department. However, he fully supports the sliding gate for the Public Works yard. 

Mayor Calvo asked CM Dennison if she has a recommendation regarding the sliding gate, curb cut and asphalt path that have been requested by the Boys & Girls Club to improve access to the Pontiac Street field. She said she supports them. Mayor Calvo said he has recently walked the field with Boys & Girls Club representatives, who explained that they would like to be able to drive a pickup truck to the shed to drop off supplies. The asphalt path from the parking lot onto the field is the Club's first priority. It would require bringing in new dirt to smooth out the grade. He supports the path and the gate However, he believes that a curb cut is not needed and a less expensive swinging gate would be sufficient. CM Dennison agreed. 

Mayor Calvo asked for clarification of the Administration Department request. TA Murphy said that he budgeted $4,000 for the carpeting and the painting. However, the total cost based on the quotes he obtained is $6,400. Thus an additional $2,400 is needed. He believes that he needs $1,200 for a new Council computer plus Windows Office software and $800 for a replacement shed. Mayor Calvo said that a second shed and TV for Seniors should only be considered after the other items have been funded. Personally, he believes that storage space can be created by cleaning up existing space in the Town office. CM Dennison said that the Recreation Council should have been consulted about a new storage shed if it is intended to accommodate Recreation Council supplies. It was agreed that the budgeted capital items, carpeting, painting and replacement shed, should be funded first. TA Murphy was asked to revise the Administration request accordingly. 

Mayor Calvo proposed to earmark $10,000 for an engineering study to be commissioned by the Safe Streets Committee sometime this summer. The engineer would evaluate the Committee's traffic calming proposals for feasibility, effectiveness and cost and suggest alternate solutions. The money could be paid from the Metroland compensation that should become available with the first outsale of housing units. CM Gourley proposed to take the money out of reserves instead. Mayor Calvo said that the money would not be spent until the study is commissioned. TA Murphy was asked to add up all requests and identify funding sources in a revised budget amendment, which would be reviewed once more at the next worksession. 

Bulletin cover: The following items were selected for the cover of the June Bulletin: main item is Town-wide yard sale & tipping day and jumps to Strawberry Festival, Rosalind Johnson visit and volunteer dinner.

Employee appreciation lunch: The employee appreciation luncheon was set for July 18. 

Seminole/Ruatan Street update: TA Murphy reported that Town Engineer Vernon Kelley provided an engineering estimate of the cost of renovating the 5600 and 5700 blocks of Seminole and Ruatan Streets and a section of 58^th Avenue. The estimate is considerably higher than anticipated because Mr. Kelley believes that the trenches dug to replace water mains were not properly backfilled and compacted and may have to be redone. The estimate is based on market prices, not the WSSC contractor rate. The additional cost of approximately $30,000 for redoing trenches shows up in a “Full Depth Asphalt” application. TA Murphy suggested that, as a next step, the Town and Town engineer again meet with WSSC to discuss the engineering estimate and what is to be done about the trenches. 

Mayor Calvo confirmed that another discussion with WSSC needs to occur about the quality of their work and whether WSSC should pay for redoing the trenches. The Town does not have sufficient funds in its infrastructure reserve to pick up the entire cost of the renovation project, as outlined in the engineering estimate.

Branchville Road bridge: Mayor Calvo said that he received a letter from Metroland Attorney Norman Rivera explaining that the ownership of the planned bridge over Branchville Road has not yet been settled. However, this must be done before Metroland can proceed with the project. Greenbelt will own the connector road, but would not be given rights to a bridge located within Berwyn Heights. Mayor Calvo said he believes that Berwyn Heights should not accept ownership of the bridge under any circumstances because of the potentially high costs of maintenance. He thinks that, from a legal stand point, Berwyn Heights is not obligated to take ownership as this was not spelled out in the agreement. The best solution may be for the County to take ownership. Meanwhile, he agreed to take part in a meeting with Greenbelt and the County to discuss the issue. 

The meeting was adjourned at 10:06 p.m. 

Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk

 
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