Note: This is a SUMMARY of the Commissioners Meeting for the purposes of a Press Release. These are not the official minutes of the meeting.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: NORMAN BASSETT
240-313-2077
Review of Actions Taken in the Washington County
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
September 21st, 2004
INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES
Human Resources Administrator Dee Hawbaker brought two new employees before the Board for introductions. Jim Hastings has recently been hired as a Collections and Distributions Operator Trainee. Todd Monroe has been employed as a Plant Operator Trainee. Both employees work for the Department of water Quality.
COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner Dori Nipps reported on reported on a meeting of the Airport Advisory Commission. The Runway extension project is ahead of schedule and the Commission toured the Ryder Air facility. The Mental Heath Authority discussed the coming public meeting to review the survey on mental health needs in the community. That meeting is set for next week at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Hagerstown. A forum on low-income housing held last week asked whether the County should defer Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance fees for low-income projects. The Associated Builders and Contractors legislative event discussed differences in the ways the City of Hagerstown and Washington County issue permits. That group is also working on repealing the prevailing wage legislation passed in Maryland, Nipps said.
Commissioner Jim Kercheval reported on the recent Local Management Board meeting. Issues discussed in that meeting will be presented to the Board later in the day, Kercheval said. There is $1.2 million in funds that could be used for one-time projects for Children and Youth left over from previous projects. A subcommittee is looking at the best way to expend those dollars. A meeting with outdoor advertising representatives has resulted in a proposal to swap spaces for a proposed billboard. If approved, a billboard would be located near the outlet mall near I-70 rather than on Leitersburg Pike near a historic property. Commissioner’s President Greg Snook suggested the company submit a plat for review, and get feedback from the State Highway Administration. The County/City two-plus-two committee met last week to discuss water and sewer issues. Contractor delays with paving overlay programs were also discussed, Kercheval said. The Mental Health Advisory Committee discussed concerns at the Finan Center in Allegany County. In the past, Allegany’s school system has provided instructors for educational programs for children at Finan. This year that County has rescinded the service. Special Education Director Mike Markoe of the Washington County Public School System will look into the issue, Kercheval said.
Commissioners’ President Greg Snook reported on the Junior Golf Tournament slated for September 24 th through the 26 th at Black Rock Golf Course, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. A tour of North Hagerstown High School produced a good beginning of the year report, Snook said. There are 1,270 students at North this year. The County, the City of Hagerstown, the Board of Education and the Washington County Free Libraries are promoting reading with a new public service campaign. The Traffic Advisory Committee reported on revision of some school bus routes at the beginning of the school year. The State Highway Administration reported that U.S. 40 at Licking Creek will be detoured for bridge work next spring, with I-70 to be used as the detour route. A letter to the Board from the Town of Boonsboro has announced a public meeting on annexation of land at the intersection of U.S. Alternate 40 and Route 67. That meeting will be held on October 20 th. A Public Hearing on planned improvements to I-81 will be held on October 6 th from 5:30 until 8:30 at North High School. The State Highway Administration is hosting that meeting and will make its presentation at 7:00 p.m. Snook said.
REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF
Department of Emergency Services Director Joe Kroboth told the Board that the Emergency Operations Center was partially activated during Friday night's storm as the remnants of Hurricane Ivan moved through the area. Assessments of damage in the County continued through the weekend. 5 residential properties were damaged in the County, and $157,000 in damage to public facilities occurred in the Town of Hancock. More than $112,000 in damages were reported in the County, with the Tollgate Road bridge project having the most significant damage. The Special Operations Team performed several water rescues in Fulton County, Pennsylvania during the storm, and the National Weather Service reported 5 tornado touchdowns in the County, Kroboth reported.
Public Works Director Gary Rohrer said the damage figures for road washouts would probably be higher than the previously reported figure. The Tollgate Road bridge was a County project under construction, and the bridge approaches were completely washed out by that storm. A detour will have to be created at Tollgate, but efforts will be made to re-open one lane of the bridge to through traffic as soon as possible. McFarland Road east of Timber Ridge remains closed. Locher and Rice Roads have been reopened, Rohrer said.
Human Resources Director Dave Hankinson requested approval to advertise three vacancies, a Collector Operator position at Water Quality, a Motor Equipment Operator I position at Highways and the Office Associate position at Emergency Services are all open. The requests were approved by unanimous vote.
Budget and Finance Director Debra Bastian proposed an option for excise tax administrative fees discussed last week. A 2% fee had been proposed to be paid to municipalities that collect the County excise tax on new home construction. The Board had discussed the percentage, with some Commissioners stating that 3% would be needed. Bastian said the State of Maryland has told County Finance Officers that only direct costs will be reimbursed for collection of the state “Flush Fee”, and overhead costs will not be reimbursable. Bastian said that the proposed excise tax fees included overhead costs. The proposal would be for a 2% flat fee, with no documentation required. If municipalities claimed the costs were greater, then documentation would have to be provided to prove the higher cost. The measure will be discussed as part of the County/City two-plus-two committee meeting, later this week.
YOUTH MERITORIOUS AWARD PLAQUE
Commissioners' President Greg Snook unveiled a plaque bearing the names of all Youth of the Month Meritorious Award winners. The plaque is hung in the hallway outside the Commissioners' meeting room. The Award is given to deserving High School and Junior High School age students who make a positive impact on their school, home and community. The Youth Meritorious Award is presented by the Washington County Community Partnership, which is the Local Management Board for the County.
PROCLAMATION: CITIZEN OF THE MONTH
Commissioners' President Snook presented the Citizen of the Month honor for September, 2004 to Pete Thomas, Executive Director of the Western Maryland Consortium, for his 30 years of service to the community (photo). Pete Thomas began his service with the Western Maryland Consortium in July, 1974 as Director of On-the-Job Training and became Executive Director in November, 1978. During this 30-year history Pete has led the Consortium in its efforts to successfully expand the local workforce in good and bad economic times in Western Maryland by providing educational and job training opportunities to over 22,500 unemployed or underemployed adults, youth, and dislocated workers. He has worked successfully in establishing public/private partnerships between local governments and businesses through the Workforce Investment Board. By taking the lead in retraining workers from companies forced to downsize and by coordinating the hiring of employees through businesses like Walmart, Sam’s Club, and American Woodmark. Pete has been honored by 3 Maryland Governors for sound fiscal management and also by the Washington County Chapter of Business and Professional Women as Employer of the Year in 2003. The Board of County Commissioners honored. Thomas for his 30 years of service to the economic development of Washington County and Western Maryland as Citizen of the Month for September, 2004.
CONTRACT AWARD: SCHOOL AGE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
County Purchasing Agent Karen Luther and Washington County Community Partnership (WCCP) project administrator Paula Fisher brought this request before the Board, arecommendation to award contracts to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington County in the amount of $44,580.00 and to C-Safe of Washington County/Hagerstown in the amount of $42,720.00 based on only utilizing Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families funds. sThe purpose of the service is to fulfill the requirements contained in the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families Community Partnership Agreement. The contract is for a first year period tentatively to begin October 1, 2004 and ending June 30, 2005 with funding requests to be made annually by the WCCP for the option year of FY ’06. Both programs hope to serve 40 - 50 students. Boys and Girls Club runs a weekday program for 4.5 hours per week while C-SAFE runs a three-day per week program for 3 hours per day . The programs will utilize an “out of school” time frame, including after school, holidays, weekends and school in-service days to increase those services The awards were recommended by the Coordinating Committee, and the WCCP Board concurred at its meeting on Friday, September 17th. Funding is from an $87,300 grant from the Maryland Governor's Office of Children, Youth and Families. Developmental Disabilities Administration funding of $30,000.00 would be issued under a separate request for proposal after clarification is received from DDA on programmatic content. The measures were approved by unanimous vote.
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.
Tom Berry of Rohrersville commented on devaluation of farmland under proposed rezoning in the County, and recommended that long-term land owners be exempted from changes in the Ordinance.
CONSTRUCTION BID AWARD: HALFWAY BOULEVARD BRIDGE
Public Works Director Gary Rohrer brought this request, to award the contract for emergency repairs to the highway bridge on Halfway Boulevard to J.D. Eckman of Altglen, Pennsylvania in the amount of $111,500.00. In July, a container truck struck the bridge over Underpass Way, shearing bolts and further damaging two support stringers. For public safety purposes, one lane of that road was closed to traffic. Because of the need for quick repair, the County utilized the State Highway Administration bridge consultant for inspection services under the Federal Bridge program. Heat straightening of damaged steel in place is the repair option chosen due to lower cost and shorter repair time. That procedure is specialized with a limited number of contractors available to perform such work. The project will include the heat straightening and reinforcing of the damaged steel, replacement of structural steel and repainting of damaged areas. A 50-day contract, anticipated Notice to Proceed is September 27 th with completion date of November 15 th. Cost is expected to be borne by the trash container truck's insurance agency. Rohrer told the Board that the insurance company has been cooperative, and that company's inspector concurred with the repair. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
WATER/SEWER PLAN TEXT AMENDMENT
Planning and Community Development Director Mike Thompson, Senior Planner Tim Lung and City of Hagerstown Water and Sewer Department Director David Shindle brought this request for text amendment before the Board. The City requested the amendment, to update information concerning improvements to the Hagerstown wastewater treatment plant. The City says that the proposed upgrade and improvements are needed to provide for projected capacity needs of existing and future customers as well as addressing the latest regulatory requirements. The proposed amendments will not involve any changes to the existing sewer service area, will provide for projected capacity needs, and should be considered consistent with the Comprehensive Plan for the County. A Public Hearing was held on September 20 th on the request, the City gave the only testimony and the Planning Commission voted to approve the amendment. Commissioners President Snook asked that consistency in the way municipalities adhere to the changes be assured. The measure was approved by unanimous vote and the resolution signed.
RURAL VICTIMS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM GRANT
Washington County Sheriff Charles Mades brought this request before the Board, to approve acceptance of $8,500.00 from the S*T*O*P VAWA Rural Victims Assistance Program. The grant is designed to offer local law enforcement agencies resources necessary to provide outreach to petitioners of protective orders in the western, southern and northeastern regions of the country. Law enforcement services such as victim assistance, transportation and information, along with follow-ups on petitioners and random checks on the welfare of the petitioner will be performed. The award period is October 1st 2004 to Sept 30th 2005, and requires a Case Match of 25% or $2,125.00 The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND AWARDS
Washington County Community Partnership (WCCP) Project Manager Tom Kline brought this request, to approve award of Community Development Funds to several programs Countywide, before the Board. Funding is from the governor's Office for Children Youth and Families. $25,000.00 is available each year to combat juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, family violence and substance abuse while encouraging community development and community enrichment. The Boys and Girls Club requested funds for the implementation of a technology program at the Pennsylvania Avenue site. This program, “Club Tech: Digital Arts Festival”, which will provide 30 children with 300 hours of technology instruction and practice, and will involve photo illustration, music making, movie making, web design and graphic design instruction. The instruction will take place during after school hours. Recommended award, $8,454.00. The Board of Education requested funding for a youth development program for teenage young women. This program, “Girl Power II”, will provide 48 teenage young women from each of the county middle schools with the opportunity to participate in a 2-day, overnight conference at Fairview Outdoor School, consisting of workshops to include such topics as communication skills, “Your Moral/Mental Bank Account”, teenage pregnancy prevention, substance abuse, family/relationship violence, being successful in schools, furthering your education after graduation and “Grounding”. Following the conference, the team of girls will work within their schools and communities, with the support of their adult advisor, to spread the messages they learned with other young women through inviting speakers to their schools, organizing brown bag-facilitated lunch discussions, and hosting awareness activities. Recommended award $5,000.00. Otterbein United Methodist Church requested funds for the implementation of the “Mothers of Preschoolers” (MOPS) program, which will provide mothers an opportunity to meet once a month to participate in discussion groups, listen to speakers, etc. while their children are provided childcare. The target population to which outreach will be offered for this program will be the community surrounding the church. Award amount $1,200.00. Walnut Street Community Health Center requested funds for the presentation of an educational program titled “Winning Flossophy” to be presented to approximately 100 4 th and 5 th graders at four different sites of the C-Safe after school programs twice this year. The program will stress the importance of good oral health as it relates to general overall health with special emphasis on how proper diets and healthy lifestyle habits contribute to a lifetime of well-being. Recommended award $1,411.00. Girls, Inc. requested funds for the “Parents Nights” program, which consists of 6 parent nights offered to approximately 60 Girls Inc. members and their parents offering instructional programs directed toward youth development and life skills in a fun atmosphere. Recommended award $7,211.00. The Hancock Police Department requested funds for the presentation of the “Stay Sober and Live” program to three groups totaling 80 Hancock Middle and High School students. The seminars will promote abstinence from alcohol and particularly abstinence from alcohol while operating a motor vehicle. Recommended award $724.00. Interfaith Service Coalition, Inc. requested funds for a 5-day “Adventures in Friendships” summer day-camp offered free of charge to approximately 40 Hancock middle school-aged persons. The purpose of the camp is to teach a broad array of simple, basic life and safety skills to participants who are often home alone and frequently caring for younger siblings. Participants will be taught about cooking and nutrition, how to handle household emergencies, ways to improve self-confidence/self-esteem, the police, fire and rescue, the dangers of alcohol, drugs and tobacco and CPR and first-aid instruction. Recommended award $1,000.00. All funds come from the state and there is no impact on The County General Fund. The measures were approved by unanimous vote.
RURAL AREA REZONING: INDIVIDUAL REQUESTS TO REVIEW ZONING CHANGE
Planning and Community Development Director Mike Thompson and Chief Senior Planner Steve Goodrich brought this discussion, a continuation of the requests filed by individual property owners for review of proposed zoning changes, before the Board. Public Hearings have been held on the issue, and input from property owners and the public have been received. A revised list of 37 requests for review filed after August, 2003 and/or during the public hearing timeframe was presented. The Board made determinations on most of the recommendations on August 31. Several cases were slated for further discussion at that time. Todd and Melanie Draper requested maintaining 90.811 acres on Falling Waters Road in the Agricultural category, which had been designated to be zoned Environmental Conservation. Staff analysis cited the property's floodplain location, slope and forest aspects and proximity to the C&O Canal and Potomac River as reasons not to support the request, and the Planning Commission denied the request. The County Commissioners' recommendation supported the Planning Commission. The Board had been informed that property owner Robert V. Klinger supported Bob and Mary Rotz' purchaser's request that 92 acres on U.S. 40 be zoned Rural Business, not Agricultural as recommended. The Commissioners had previously approved support for the applicants. A letter from the owner received September 15 th requested no change in the current classification of the property. The Commissioners supported the Planning Commission's denial of the original request. Ralph and Teresa Shank and Mary Shank Creek filed a request for 329.91 acres off Wagaman Road and Garis Shop Road be included in the Urban Growth Area (UGA). That request was recommended for denial by Planning Department staff because of the size of the UGA, inadequate roads and lack of public water and sewer hookups , and the Planning Commission agreed. The County Commissioners gave support to the Planning Commission decision. James and Bonnie Weddle requested that 58.43 acres of land on Poffenberger Road proposed to be zoned as Agricultural be included in the Urban Growth Area . Staff cited environmental issues and current size of the UGA as reasons to deny the request, and the Planning Commission agreed with that finding. The Board of County Commissioners disagreed, and recommended that the property owner's request be honored. Eugene Hornbaker requested that 68.32 acres on Falling Waters Road be classified Agricultural rather than be placed in the Environmental Conservation category as planned. Staff did not support the request because the land is surrounded by Environmental Conservation zoning, and a permanent easement is on the property. The Planning Commission agreed with staff assessment of the request, and the County Commissioners gave support to that decision. Elmer and E. Andrew Stone requested 427.9 acres on King Road proposed for zoning in the Preservation category be included in the Urban Growth area. Staff said no to the request based on lack of facilities, inadequate roads, and a ban on UGA expansion without a development plan. The Planning Commission agreed with staff assessment and the County Commissioners gave support to the Planning Commission decision. 7 additional requests were considered. Oscar and Gerald Hall's request that 29.5 acres on Dam #4 Road be allowed Conservation zoning at a 1 to 3 density ratio was denied by the Planning Commission because no such zoning exists, and that decision was supported by the County Commissioners. Thomas Sweeny asked that 5.5 acres on Maryland Route 34 be granted Agricultural zoning with 1 to 1 density. That request was denied by the Planning Commission because no such zoning exists, and that decision was supported by the County Commissioners. Taylor and Pat Lemkuhl requested 100 acres on Lappans Road be zoned Agricultural instead of the proposed Environmental Conservation category. The Planning Commission denied the request, but the County Commissioners recommended supporting the property owners' request. Richard Showe, Richard Showe II and James Showe asked that 118 acres on Spickler Road be zoned Agricultural with a 1 to 1 density. The Planning Commission voted to deny the request because there is no such zoning, and the County Commissioners agreed with that decision. Two of the requests required no action, due to previous decisions. Tamara Callas requested 79.7 acres on Taylor's Landing Road be zoned Agricultural with a 1 to 1 density rather than the proposed Preservation zoning. The Planning Commission accepted staff recommendations that the request be denied because there is no such zoning and the property is surrounded by permanent preservation easements. The County Commissioners gave support to that decision. A Public Hearing is set for Monday, September 27 th to hear input from the public regarding the proposed text amendments to the Zoning Ordinance. Thompson requested that the Board set an additional Public Hearing in October to gather public input on all 37 property owner requests, and to review any further changes to the zoning text as a result of the September 27th public hearing. The final Public Hearing is tentatively scheduled for October 18 th at Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Theater. That date will allow 10 days before the Moratorium on developments of over 5 lots is set to expire, on October 28 th.
Commissioners' President Greg Snook presents Citizen of the Month honors for September 2004 to Pete Thomas, of the Western Maryland Consortium.
