FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: NORMAN BASSETT
240-313-2077
Review
of Actions Taken in the Washington County
Board
of County Commissioners Meeting
June
8th, 2004
The
Board attended a joint meeting with the Board of Education
at the Washington County Free Library. A Memorandum of Understanding
for the Washington County Public Network was signed, creating
the network as a cooperative endeavor by the Commissioners,
the Board of Education, the City of Hagerstown and the Library.
The Commissioners also heard a report on the Third Quarter
General Fund budget adjustments from the Board of Education,
as well as a request for adjustments to the school system's
Capital Improvement Projects budget and a progress report on
the Maugansville Elementary School project.
CITIZENS PARTICIPATION
Each week the Board of County Commissioners sets aside time
to hear from the Citizens of Washington County on matters of
community interest.
Bill Pennington of Hagerstown commented on the need for a hardship
variance to place one manufactured home on a site to accommodate
an individual with a disability displaced through the purchase
of a mobile home park by the Gateway Crossing project. Consensus
was given to proceed with the single lot in the manufactured
housing community.
A group of parents of children who attend Pleasant Valley Elementary
School commented on the plans by the Board of Education to remove
a fifth grade teacher from that school. Commissioner Dori Nipps
told the group that the School Board has not made a final decision
on that issue. Operational issues within the schools are the responsibility
of the elected Board of Education.
OTHER
BUSINESS:
County
Administrator's Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop told
the Board that the Task Force studying land use issues has
been delayed in issuing its report, and that the document should
be ready for review within the next several weeks. County flags
will fly at half-staff throughout the week in honor of former
President Ronald Reagan, Shoop said.
COMMISSIONERS'
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner
John Munson commented on a meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory
Committee. Revenues for the month of April were 16.8% above
budgeted figures and year-to-date revenues are 11.9% above
this time one year ago. Recently a citizen request was heard
relative to landfill sticker costs. An individual with a disability
on Social Security Disability fixed-income requested rates
for people with disabilities under age 62 be the same as the
rate for Senior Citizens, $90 after July 1 st. The Committee
turned that request down, Munson said.
Commissioner
Dori Nipps reported on a request by a telecommunications consulting
company for the Historic District Commission to issue an advisory
opinion on location of a cell phone tower at the Hagerstown
Fairgrounds. That Commission's recommendation , that the tower
not be allowed, will be forwarded to the Hagerstown Mayor and
Council, Nipps said.
Commissioner
Jim Kercheval reported that the Mental Health Advisory Committee
will partner with the Mental Health Authority to conduct a
needs assessment in the community. Findings of that study will
be reported to the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The Golf Course Board of Directors reports that repairs to
the roof of a barn on the course have been completed. The Commissioners
had originally granted $6,000.00 from the Howard Trust for
that repair, expecting the remainder of the costs to come from
insurance. No assistance was forthcoming. Kercheval asked that
the Commissioners rescind the original $6,000 grant and authorize
expending the total amount, $15,738.00 from the Howard Trust.
The measure was approved by unanimous vote. The Planning Commission
is requesting a presentation on the county "fast-track" development
process by the Economic Development Commission, Kercheval said.
Commissioners'
President Greg Snook told the Board that the process for funding
of the Smithsburg Library involves the County signing an application
and sending that document to the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development, which will issue a check. A consultant's
report on the County's Interoperable Communications System
project will be available for review in 3 to 4 months. Snook
said a statewide meeting on public safety communications showed
some counties' systems better and some worse than Washington
County's. As many as 200 additional communications towers may
have to be erected across Maryland to enable police, fire and
emergency services to freely communicate with one another,
Snook said. A letter from Governor Ehrlich has announced a
grant of $14,000 to the County's Dive/Rescue Team. The Chamber
of Commerce Board of Directors' search committee has narrowed
the list of candidates for the President's position to 3 individuals,
Snook reported, with a target date for hire of August 1 st.
REPORTS
FROM COUNTY STAFF
Division
of Public Works Director Gary Rohrer presented the Board copies
of a list of roadways to be included in the Pavement Management
Program. The $1.05 million list includes 12.4 miles of roadways
with a focus on the Urban Growth Area, and older subdivision
streets. The document is for information and review and could
be modified, Rohrer said.
BID
REJECTION: AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING AND APRON
County
Purchasing Agent Karen Luther, Hagerstown Regional Airport
Manager Carolyn Motz and Mahesh Kukata of the URS consultant
firm brought this matter before the Board. Recently, bids were
received for renovations to the airport Terminal Building and
Apron which were significantly higher than the engineers' estimates.
The original estimate for the project was $1.9 million and
the lowest bid came in at $2.5 million. Several line items
were primary reasons for the bid amount. The bid would be reformulated
into separate projects, with the most critical advertised and
bid first. The request was to reject all of the bids received
on May 18 th. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
BID
AWARD: PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
County
Buyer Vicky McKenzie brought this request, to accept the low
bid for Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) for the Department
of Emergency Services and the Sheriff's Office from several
vendors. Structural Fire Fighting PPC was recommended for award
to Mason Dixon Fire Equipment of Williamsport in the amount
of $10,760.00. The Urban Search and Rescue PPC bid award would
go to Maryland Fire Equipment Corporation of Rockville, Maryland
in the amount of $12,635.80. The PPC for the Sheriff's Office
would be obtained from Red the Uniform Tailor of Lakewood,
New Jersey for a total base bid of $16, 224.00. The total for
the three awards is $39,619.80. The clothing will provide protection
to responders to "Weapons of Mass Destruction" structure
fire and rescue incidents. Provisions would be made to allow
any Fire or Rescue company in the County to piggy-back on the
bid. Funds are available from federal grants to the Department
of Emergency Services and the Sheriff's Department. The measures
were approved by unanimous vote.
BID
AWARD RECOMMENDATION: SALE OF AIRPORT GROUND VEHICLES
McKenzie
and Airport Fire Chief Phil Ridenour brought this request,
to accept the highest bid for one used 1987 Ford F700 Jet A
Fuel Refueler truck from Am Av, Inc. of Martin State Airport
in Baltimore in the amount of $26,500.00. The County also had
an Aviation Gasoline Refueler Truck and a Tractor Tug in the
bid, but the bid came in only for the Jet A Fuel Refueler vehicle.
Since the bid was opened, Airport staff negotiated sale of
the tug, also to Am Av, for an additional $1,500.00. The measure,
to approve sale of the equipment for a total of $28,000.00
was approved by unanimous vote. All vehicles were surplus property.
ADOPTION
OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING MORATORIUM ORDINANCE
County
Attorney Richard Douglas brought this issue to the Board. A
public hearing on the Ordinance, which would establish a moratorium
on the construction of new billboards for a 90-day period,
pending the development of amendments to the existing outdoor
advertising regulations in the Zoning Ordinance was held on
May 25 th. 12 citizens testified in favor of the measure and
no one testified in opposition to the moratorium. The public
record was be held open for ten working days, to allow for
written comment. The moratorium was supported by the Planning
Commission, and would allow those billboards that have approved
site plans to go forth, but no new applications would be processed
after the date of adoption, for a period of 90-days or until
the Ordinance is amended. Discussion centered on major revisions
to existing signs. Wording would be added to the amendments
that would allow only minor changes to billboard structures,
and no additional square footage on sign faces. The measure
was approved by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Munson voting "no".
CONSTRUCTION
BID REJECTION: 40-WEST LANDFILL
County
Chief Engineer Terry McGee and Public Works Director Gary Rohrer
brought this issue before the Board. A single bid was received,
from Polino Contracting, Inc. in the amount of $10.4 million,
which greatly exceeded the engineer's cost estimate. The contract
would have been for construction of Cell III at the 40-West
Landfill, with a 188-day time constraint. Prospective bidders
said that due to the busy construction season, the time limit
might not be met, and that factor will be addressed in readvertisement
of the project. The design engineer's base estimate was $4.85
million. Because Cell II is rapidly being filled, the delay
could result in alternate means of solid waste handling being
utilized. McGee told the Board that redesign of the project
and readvertising the bid in split phases would give contractors
a greater time limit and increase the number of bidders. The
measure, to reject the existing bid, was approved by unanimous
vote.
