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town meeting Minutes
February 10, 2010
The meeting was called to order
at 8:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Calvo, Mayor Pro Tem
Lofgren, CMs Ahrens and Dennison. Also present were
Town Administrator Murphy, Chief of Police Murphy,
Clerk Harper and citizens. CM Wilkinson and
Treasurer Lape had an excused absence.
Mayor Calvo led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
1. Minutes
Clerk Harper read a summary of
the January 13 Town meeting minutes. On a motion by
CM Ahrens and second by CM Dennison, the minutes
were approved 4 to 0.
2. Treasurers Report
TA Murphy gave the Treasurer's
report for the month of January.
3. Mayors Report
Mayor Calvo said that the last
week's record setting snowfall has stretched the
Town's resources to the limit. But Town employees,
especially Public Works employees, have responded
with dedication, stamina and ingenuity and managed
to to keep streets passable and safe and the Town
offices open. By comparison, County and State
government were unable to provide many services and
lagged behind in clearing snow off their roads.
Town officials made a concerted
effort to keep residents informed and respond to
inquiries. He personally sent out e-mails to update
residents on snow plowing operations and trash
collection. Before the first storm, the Code
Department, MPT Lofgren and many residents helped a
family, that was put out of their home, transfer
their belongings to a safe location. During the
first storm, Public Works employees stayed
overnight and put in 18 hour days to plow snow.
Before the second storm hit, municipalities were cut
off from receiving road salt supplies and had to do
without it. Today, with the second storm blowing in,
residents on Pepco's B and C grid in Berwyn Heights
lost power. However, because 136 residents called to
notify Pepco about the outage, power was restored
within little more than 1 hour. Chief Murphy and
Sergeant Moroney were on duty and fielded many calls
to help coordinate the Town's response. Despite the
outstanding effort of Town employees, it will take a
while to return to normal. Trash, which has not been
collected since before the first storm hit, will
remain un-collected as long as the County landfill
is closed. Residents are encouraged to dig out as
much as they can on their own and take cars off the
road so that plowed lanes can be widened. Residents
need to be mindful that plows will need to go fast
so as to be able to get greater amounts of snow off
the road. Some snow will be plowed back into
driveways.
In other news, the budget
process has begun with the Council receiving budget
requests from its department directors. Chief Murphy
presented a hold the line budget at the last
worksession, followed by Neighborhood
Watch/Emergency Preparedness Chair Mike Attick. At
the next worksession, Code, Public Works and Parks &
Recreation budgets will be presented and on March 1,
the Town Administrator's FY 2011proposed budget.
Additional funds will have to be budgeted to
purchase new snow clearing equipment, which has worn
out in the recent snow storms. The snow removal
budget is expected to be $15,000 - $20,000 over
budget due to overtime and materials used. Further,
with the upcoming Town Council elections, candidates
must file papers by March 2. Elections judges, who
are normally sworn in at the February Town meeting,
will be sworn at the March Town meeting. Also at
that meeting, a revised Refuse Ordinance will be
introduced.
4. Department Reports
Administration:
There was no report as CM Wilkinson was absent.
Code Compliance:
CM Ahrens complimented Code Director Solomon on her
professional handling of the eviction that took
place last Thursday before the first snow storm hit.
The back to back snow storms of the last week
presented unfamiliar challenges to many residents.
Some of his neighbors had snow shoveled off their
roofs to reduce the load. Flat roofs may reach a
load limit at 3 feet of snow, but pitched roofs can
likely carry more. Residents may want to conserve
fuel, as long as fuel cannot be delivered to homes
and be careful when using Kerosene heaters. They
should avoid overexertion when shoveling snow, watch
for signs of hypothermia, and to drive only if
necessary and by day. Should pipes freeze, radio
announcers suggested wrapping pantyhose containing
warm water around the pipe to gently thaw it. Blow
torches should not be used as they could start house
fires.
Parks and Recreation,
Education and Civic Affairs: CM Dennison
said that because of the snow, kids have been off
from school. Many of them were out sledding on the
school grounds. The Berwyn Heights Elementary School
(BHES) science bowl team, coached by 6th grade
teacher Bret Goldstein, advanced to the state
finals. On March 19, the second annual Talent Show
will be held at the school. Mayor Calvo has agreed
to be Master of Ceremony. Volunteers are needed for
Berwyn Heights Day. CM Dennison announced that she
will present her department's budget at the next
worksession. No new spending is planned. Some budget
savings will be realized from switching to the
County's I-Net for Internet service. She urged
residents to participate in the Census and send in
their questionnaires by April 1. Any questions about
the census can be called into the Town office, which
will function as an official Census questionnaire
assistance center.
Reporting for the Education
Advisory Committee, CM Dennison said that the main
topic of discussion at the next meeting will be a
letter of support for the Hyattsville Middle School
Creative & Performing Arts Program. Changes to the
sibling entrance policy proposed by the Board of
Education will probably not move forward this year.
This fall, Prince George's residents will elect a
new school board, which will consist of 9 district
representatives. At-large positions will be
eliminated.
Public Health and Safety:
Mayor Calvo thanked Chief Murphy for coming in today
despite the snow. His presence was very useful when
the power went out this afternoon. Chief Murphy said
that he will probably stay overnight as it would be
difficult to get back home after the snow storm
dropped another foot of snow. He will back up
Sergeant Moroney, who has spent long hours on duty,
filling in for officers that could not come in. The
Department has been providing 24 hour coverage this
week with 2 officers out, one because of an injury
sustained in an accident and another because he is
stranded at the Miami airport because flights have
been canceled.
Chief Murphy gave the police
activities report for the month of January. There
were 11 Part I offenses, which is higher than the 5
year average of 8. The increase is due in part to 4
break-ins, which appear to have been committed by 2
different groups of perpetrators. One group breaks
in through the front door of homes they believe to
be vacant and take what they can carry, and another
breaks in through unlocked rear windows and fills up
a van with stolen items. Howard County police has
since arrested a couple from Florida believed to be
responsible for rear window break-ins. Merchandise
stolen from two homes in Berwyn Heights were found
in their van and their hotel room north of Laurel.
He has drafted a letter that informs residents of
the burglaries and gives advice on how to protect
their homes. The letter is being reviewed by the
Administration Department before it is sent.
Mayor Calvo commented that he
believes there might be connection between the
recent increase in burglaries and an estate sales
shop that opened up in front of the Washington Post
building on Greenbelt Road around the same time. The
owner was denied a license to open a pawn shop 4
year's ago but appears to have found a loophole with
estate sales. He urged residents to be vigilant and
report any suspicious persons to the police. Chief
Murphy added that residents should also be on the
lookout for unusual activity and report it by
calling the County non-emergency number
(301-333-4000) and ask for a Berwyn Heights officer
to respond. Officers are trained to check out
strangers in a professional way. Chief Murphy
further reported that Berwyn Heights was awarded a
grant to purchase police radios by the Governor's
Office of Crime Control and Prevention that will be
needed when the County switches to an 800 MHz
communications system.
Public Works: MPT
Lofgren reported the snowfalls have presented the
Town with unique challenges. Luckily, the power
outage that occurred this afternoon lasted only an
hour. Otherwise this meeting might have been
canceled. If these storms recur with any frequency
the Town needs to come up with plans on how to
respond better. When the second storm hit, Public
Works was unable to get road salt from its neighbors
and therefore unable to properly treat the roads.
Berwyn Heights does not have its own salt dome and
so far has been able to rely on its neighbors to
purchase salt when needed. The trucks are also
showing signs of wear from the snow plowing duty. On
the large truck the frame for the plow broke and
cannot be used for plowing. The little pick-up
trucks cannot plow as effectively. Public Works
employees also had to deal with downed lines and
securing these locations. After the first storm,
Public Works was ready to pick up the trash but the
County landfill was closed and has not yet
re-opened. When it does, Public Works will have to
catch up with trash and recycling that has
accumulated over a week. Once people have dug out
and are back on the streets, they tend to be more
short tempered and complain more.
Mayor Calvo said that he very
much appreciates the effort Public Works employees
have put into keeping the roads open and hopes that
residents will be patient and civil. He worries
about possible flooding when all the snow begins to
melt and the ground is still frozen.
5. Committee Reports
Education Advisory Committee:
Reported under Department Reports.
Historical Committee:
There was no report.
Neighborhood
Watch/Emergency Preparedness: There was no
report.
Recreation Council:
Reported under Department Reports
6. Unfinished Business
There was none.
7. New Business
There was none.
8. Citizens Discussion
Phil Ventura of 57th Avenue
said that the estate sales business is a front for
reselling stolen goods, some of which may also be
sold on e-bay. He commended Public Works for their
hard work. He brought some donuts to the shop after
they spent the night there. He also has a newfound
appreciation for the Town's Latino population who
went from home to home offering shovel services.
However, there were also some inconsiderate people,
who cleaned off their car roofs in the middle of the
street or shoveled snow from their driveways into
the streets that had just been cleaned.
CM Ahrens commented that, as a
census taker in the 2000 Census, he interviewed a
couple of students in a Berwyn Heights rental home.
They were very obliging in answering his questions.
However, the landlord was not, and told him to
finish up and leave his house. Looking back on the
incident, he believes that the landlord must have
had an unlicensed rental and was afraid that he
would report him to the Town's Code Department. He
pointed out the Census data is confidential and will
not be reported to other government agencies.
In response to a question by
Mr. Ventura, CM Dennison said that the Census has a
Spanish component and that the questionnaire
assistance center is equipped to advise the Spanish
speaking population.
The meeting was adjourned at
9:15 p.m.
Signed:
Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk
Copyright © Town of Berwyn Heights.
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