The City Council met in regular session on Monday, October 22, 2001, in City Council Chambers.  A quorum being present, Mayor Cleveland L. Rippons called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Those Commissioners in attendance were Commissioners Bohlen, Watkins, Weldon, Atkinson and Travers.

 

Ed Kinnamon led in the Lord’s Prayer.  Commissioner Atkinson led in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Commissioner Watkins made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 15, 2001 Council meeting as distributed.  Commissioner Travers seconded the motion.  Commissioner Bohlen asked that the spelling of the word parlor be corrected.  Commissioner Weldon asked that the spelling of Buzz Follmer’s name be corrected.  The minutes will unanimously approved with the two corrections.

 

APPOINTMENTS

 

Presentation of Awards for Crime Prevention Month—Sgt. Pat Doyle presented certificates to the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 91 President Lavinia Epple and Exalted Ruler of Elks Lodge 223 Carlton Stanley for their support of the Cambridge Police Department and their organizations’ assistance in crime prevention.  Mayor Rippons and Commissioner Watkins thanked the organizations for the commitment they show to the City.

 

Open Bids for Furnishing & Delivering One New 2001/2002 Regular Cab ¾ Ton Pick-Up Truck (DPW)—Bids were received from:

 

q       Preston Mazda Suzuki (Preston, MD)—$19,857.50

q       GM Giant (Easton, MD) —$20,053.62

q       M&L GMC & Volvo Truck Center (Federalsburg, MD) —$19,635.50

q       Schaefer & Strohminger (Cambridge, MD) —$25,208.05

q       Preston Buick, Pontiac GMC (Cambridge, MD) —$21,497.30

 

Commissioner Atkinson made a motion to refer the bids to the Department of Public Works for their review and recommendation.  Commissioner Travers seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

Open Bids for Furnishing & Delivering One New 2001/2002 20-Cubic Yard Rear End Garbage Packer (DPW) –Bids were received from:

 

q       Mid-Atlantic Waste Systems (Easton, MD) —$75,464.75

q       Maryland Industrial Truck, Inc. (Linthicum, MD) —$74,524.00

q       M&L GMC & Volvo Truck Center (Federalsburg, MD) —$73,103.84

q       M&L GMC & Volvo Truck Center (Federalsburg, MD) —$73,127.00

q       Elliott Wilson Capital Trucks LLC (Landover, MD) —$77,675.75

q       Meadows Hydraulics, Inc. (Fruitland, MD) —$84,692.00

q       Barr International (Salisbury, MD) —$79,829.00

 

Commissioner Atkinson made a motion to refer the bids to the Department of Public Works for their review and recommendation.  Commissioner Weldon seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

Open Bids for Phase 2 of the Combined Sewer Separation Project—Bid were received from:

 

q       J. M. Bryan & Sons (St. Michaels, MD)—Schedule A $1,032,175; Schedule B $735,200; Schedule C $17,634

 

q       Hopkins Construction, Inc. (Bridgeville, DE) —Schedule A $986,223; Schedule B $724,545; Schedule C $10,125

 

q       Teal Construction (Dover, DE) —Schedule A $1,156,061; Schedule B $837,963; Schedule C $24,360

 

q       David A. Bramble, Inc. (Chestertown, MD) —Schedule A $878,411; Schedule B $589,893; Schedule C $24,127.90

 

q       BEKA Industries, Inc. (Ellicott City, MD) —Schedule A $1,751,785; Schedule B $1,227,148; Schedule C $12,180

 

q       American Paving Corporation (Eden & Salisbury, MD) —Schedule A $1,040,566; Schedule B $658,061; Schedule C $12,180

 

Commissioner Atkinson made a motion to refer the bids to the Department of Public Works for their review and recommendation.  Commissioner Travers seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

Proclamation for Epilepsy Awareness Month—Ed Kinnamon read a proclamation declaring November as Epilepsy Awareness Month, Mayor Rippons signed it, and it will be mailed to the Epilepsy Association of the Eastern Shore, Inc. in Salisbury.

 

Anya Tillery to Request Permission for Groove City Rockers to Practice Their Routine in the Parking Lot Off Locust Street (behind Rolston’s Restaurant)—The Groove City Rockers consists of 43 girls who would like to practice in the parking lot on the corner of High Street and Locust Street behind the restaurant every day from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.  They are a non-profit organization that participates in community activities.  Commissioner Weldon said the group does a great job representing the City but because the location is on private property, the City cannot grant them permission to use the parking lot.  He suggested Ms. Tillery work with David Pritchett to use a City park for practice.  Commissioner Weldon will work with her also in searching for a good location.  Rob Collision said after a location is found, Ms. Tillery should come back to Council for a noise variance.

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

 

Discuss Modification to Resolution for Granting a Tax Abatement for Real Property Taxes for Palisades, LLC—Mr. Edward Nabb received a letter from Mr. Parker asking for a modification to Resolution 01-015 for a time extension.    Mr. Nabb suggests no later than December 31 of this year for Palisades to take title of the property.  Judge Johnson has given them until March 27, 2002 to get things done.  If they are delayed but moving hard, Council can grant another 3 months.  Mayor Rippons feels it might be more appropriate to follow the lead of the court in establishing deadlines.  Other dates will also have to be revised, for instance the Brownfield application date.  Commissioner Weldon made a motion to extend the resolution to December 31, 2001 for Palisades to take title and to apply for Brownfield designation.  If additional extensions are required, Palisades should appear before Council.  Commissioner Bohlen seconded it.  Commissioner Atkinson feels Council should grant an extension but should go with the date the Judge gave them, March 27, 2002.  Commissioner Weldon said the reason he feels Council should stagger the deadline is because if other circumstances arise, the Council won’t find out about them until the last minute.  Establishing a deadline ahead of the Judge’s deadline will give the developer more flexibility in accommodating Council and the Judge.  He withdrew his motion and restated it to change the date to March 27, 2002 with monthly progress reports similar to those requested by the court.  Commissioner Watkins seconded the motion.  The motion was passed unanimously. 

 

Approval of Revised MOU Regarding Sailwinds Management Board—Rob Collision said the original MOU included the City, the Management Board, and the Committee of 100.  They will have internal agreements among themselves on the internal matters.  The new MOU is between the City and the Management Board.  Any reference to the Committee of 100 was deleted.  Commissioner Travers made a motion to approve the revised MOU.  Commissioner Atkinson seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

Approve Purchase Order 2075 for George, Miles & Buhr LLC (DPW)—David Pritchett reported the invoice is for work that was part of the original Phase 1 design.  The work has been done.  Commissioner Weldon made a motion to approve the purchase order.  Commissioner Bohlen seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

Award Contract for Demolitions—Commissioner Weldon made a motion to accept Planning & Zoning’s recommendation to award the contract to the low bidder, Jerol Moore Landscaping & Excavating, in the amount of $9,551.00.  Commissioner Watkins seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

Award Contract for Engineering Proposals for the Franklin Street Boat Ramp Facility—Commissioner Watkins made a motion to accept the Department of Public Works’ recommendation to award the bid to the low bidder, George, Miles & Buhr, in the amount of $27,500.  The Department of Natural Resources will fund this project 100 percent. No matching funds are required.  Commissioner Weldon seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Discuss Cambridge Country Club’s Request to Connect to City Sewer System—David Pritchett reported that the Cambridge Country Club has a failing sewer system and they have requested to tie into the sewer line which runs from Horns Point into Cambridge.  The line is owned by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES).  The approval would have to come from UMCES.  This issue before Council would be to accept the sewage and take it on to the wastewater treatment plant.   Rob Collison would strongly advise against granting any tapping into sewer and/or water system without requiring annexation unless the State demands that the City take them in or under extraordinary circumstances.  The State paid for the installation of the line for Horns Point.  To qualify for annexation, there are a lot of property owners between the present City line and the Country Club to be brought in with them.  Rob Collison will investigate if the County line could be jumped across Jenkins Creek.  Rob Collision suggested sending a letter to the Country Club advising that Council will entertain their request, but it will require annexation.  David Pritchett had at least 4 different people on that road requesting annexation.  He said the present line could only accept a limited number of additional users.  The Country Club would not overload the line; however, it could not handle all the houses between the Greenlawn Cemetery and the end of Horns Point.  A new line and pump station would cost millions of dollars.

 

The Mayor and Council received a letter from Jonathan P. Johnston of Cambridge Motorsports on Route 50 requesting annexation into the City to obtain water and sewer.  He has contacted business/land owners in the immediate area and find that all of them would like to be annexed.  He supplied Rob Collison with a copy of all the deeds for the property owners.  Rob will have an annexation resolution drafted to be read next week.  The extension of water and sewer lines would cost between $800,000 and $1,000,000.  The current lines ends near Wal-Mart. 

 

Mayor to Appoint Sub-Committee to Economic Development Commission—Mayor Rippons announced that the sub-committee will consist of Earl Brannock, Chuck Esser, Ken Usab, Steve Wilson, and Nick Hurley.  They are working on a single issue at this time.

 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

 

David Pritchett would like Council to refer an issue of parking on the side of Maces Lane as it adjoins Washington Street to the Traffic and Safety for evaluation.

 

Ed Kinnamon presented two resolutions for Council’s approval regarding mutual aid with the Police Department and Cambridge Emergency Medical Services.  Chief Wroten has reviewed the agreement for the Police Department and it is satisfactory.  Commissioner Weldon made a motion to approve the mutual aid agreements and resolutions.  Commissioner Travers seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.  The Mayor and all the Commissioners signed the agreements.

 

Ed Kinnamon said in light of the issue regarding the bids for Phase 2 of the Combined Sewer Project and George, Miles & Buhr, the City will need to draft a Resolution of Intent.  There are four more phases that will take the City up through Year 2005/2006.  This is critical for the City to receive the low interest loan money that is available through the Maryland Department of the Environment.  The Resolution of Intent will be adopted at a future meeting.  Additional monies have been anticipated in the amount of 3 to 4 million dollars at least.  David Pritchett has written to some agencies to try to get some grant money to cover some of the expenses. 

 

Commissioner Travers announced that this Saturday will be the Fifth Ward Clean-Up Day.  Commissioner Atkinson announced that the City carried out 6.4 tons of trash during the Fourth Ward Clean-Up Day.  He thanked Bill Smith and everyone else for their efforts.

 

Commissioner Atkinson discussed the regulation stipulating that all members of certain City Boards must reside in Cambridge.  Others require a majority to be residents.  Commissioner Atkinson made a motion to direct the City Attorney to bring all the Boards in line stating that a majority of the members are residents of Cambridge.   Commissioner Travers seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.  Rob Collison will prepare the ordinance.

 

Commissioner Atkinson asked Rob Collison to investigate an ordinance to help get rid of all the abandoned cars and boats in Cambridge. 

 

Commissioner Atkinson announced that Veterans Recognition Day will be celebrated at Sailwinds Park this Saturday, October 27.

 

Commissioner Weldon reported that a local church has raised $600 for the relief fund for Cambridge Park Apartments.  The Department of Public Works raised $300 for the family of an employee who was displaced by the fire.

 

Commissioner Weldon asked if the City could review Easton’s Adapted Reuse Ordinance to see if something similar could function for Cambridge.  

 

Commissioner Weldon made a motion to go into executive session after the meeting regarding personnel.  Commissioner Bohlen seconded it.  The motion was passed unanimously.

 

Commissioner Watkins announced the Dorchester Elks Lodge 223 will hold their parade this Saturday beginning at Maces Lane School.

 

The City’s Board of Appeals will hear a consideration as it relates to off-track betting on Tuesday, October 23^rd at 7:00 pm at Maple Elementary School.  The Planning & Zoning Commission met this past Thursday and recommended approval.  They forwarded it to the Board of Zoning Appeals for their consideration. 

 

With no further business, Mayor Rippons adjourned this portion of the meeting at 8:20 p.m.

 

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate account of the Council meeting Monday, October 22, 2001, insofar as I personally am aware.

 

 

Edwin C. Kinnamon

Clerk & Treasurer