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The City
Council met in regular session on September 10, 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 August
27, 2001 Council meeting as distributed.
Commissioner Travers seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously.
COMMITTEE
REPORTS
Traffic
& Safety--Commissioner Watkins
reported that the committee met on August 28, 2001 to discuss the
following items:
q The Committee will conduct a more detailed study on
the request from the Dorchester County Detention Center on Fieldcrest Road to
install “no parking” signs on one side of the road.
q The owners of “Place on Race” located at 421 Race
Street asked to have the tree in front of the building removed because it is
damaging the sidewalk. Commissioner
Watkins made a motion to have the Department of Public Works remove the
tree. Commissioner Travers seconded it. Commissioner Watkins changed his motion to a
motion for DPW to see that the tree is removed. The motion was passed
unanimously.
q The Committee tabled a recommendation to look into
the feasibility of centerlines down Water, Cedar, and High Streets due to the
high cost of the project. After Water
Street receives a final asphalt coating, an evaluation of the appearance of a
center line will receive more consideration.
David Pritchett reported that following the meeting, the Department of Public Works received a $20,000+ grant to do striping, upgrade intersection painting, and order signs.
q The City Engineer and Chief of Police will study the
area of Maryland Avenue and Trenton Street to evaluate the feasibility of
creating a center turn lane to avoid some back-ups when the Creek Bridge is
open.
Street Lighting--Commissioner Bohlen reported that the Street Lighting
Committee met on August 28, 2001 to discuss the following issue:
q The Committee recommends installing three additional
lights, which will average every other pole in the currently unlit area. Commissioner Bohlen made a motion to accept
this recommendation. Commissioner
Watkins seconded it. The motion was
passed unanimously.
Open Bids for Demolition of Several Residential
Structures—Bids
were received from:
q
Wheatley Brothers (Cambridge, MD)--$14,295
q
Choptank Excavating (Denton, MD)--$24,800
q
Jerol Moore (Cambridge, MD)--$17,628
Commissioner Atkinson made a motion to forward the
bids to Planning and Zoning for their review and recommendation. Commissioner Travers seconded it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Ted
Bramble to Request a 30- to 60-Day Exception for a Portable Hot Dog Stand—While he is waiting for the City to consider a text
amendment to the City Code to allow a hot dog stand, Mr. Bramble would like a
30-day exception to this law. He is
considering a site on the property of Cambridge Equipment at the intersection
Cedar Street and Trenton Street. If it
works, it could possibly be a permanent location. The trailer is 4-ft x 8-ft and has two wheels. He won’t put in anywhere that will interfere
with traffic. Commissioner Atkinson
made a motion to grant Mr. Bramble a 30-day trial period for his hot dog
trailer. Commissioner Travers seconded
it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Award Bid for IBM Netfinity Server for Cambridge
Police Department—Chief Wroten reported that they reviewed the bids and found the lower
bid did not meet all the requirements.
He recommends accepting the bid from IBM Corporation. Commissioner Watkins made a motion to accept
CPD’s recommendation. Commissioner
Weldon seconded it. The motion was
passed unanimously.
CPD’s
Request for Noise Variance for Hot Spot Block Party on October 6, from
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (1000 Block of Cosby Avenue)—Commissioner Weldon made a motion to grant a noise
variance for this annual event.
Commissioner Travers seconded it.
The motion was passed unanimously.
Resolution
for the Creation of an Economic Development Committee—Ed Kinnamon read the draft resolution. Mayor Rippons asked that this be reviewed
further and voted on next week, which will give the business community a chance
to give their input.
Discuss
New Open Space Program—David
Pritchett reported that Governor Glendening has initiated the Community Parks
and Playgrounds Program as part of the Smart Growth package. It is targeted at restoring and enhancing
existing parks, playgrounds, and other open space. The City has a lot of areas that would qualify for this
program. Each local government will be
limited to one grant submittal package per grant round. The deadline date for submittal is
September 17th and the awards will be made on November 30th. David Pritchett and Jim Michael have been
reviewing the area and are recommending Cornish Park because of the heavy use
it receives. He is also recommending
enhancements be made to the Meadow Avenue Park. Mayor Rippons will meet with Jim Michael and David Pritchett
later this week to make the final recommendation so the application will be
ready by next Monday. The Mayor is
asking for input from the Commissioners and the citizens.
Discuss
State Highway Program for Signage—David
Pritchett met with Charles Martin of the MSHA Office of Traffic & Safety to
discuss Mr. Martin’s offer to help the City with it street signage and
striping. David is not comfortable with
the fact that the program uses a special product made only by 3M. The only way
this grant is applicable is if the City chooses a contractor to install this
product. This prohibits the City from
operating under the normal procurement policy. The State Highway Administration is doing this around the
State. The deadline for the list of
what the City would like to do with the money is September 14th. The money must be spent (contract awarded)
by the end of October. Some striping
has been requested. They will print any
kind of directional or informational signs.
The 3M representatives say the product will last at least 5 years.
Request
to Bid Pick-Up Truck and Garbage Truck for DPW—The fiscal year 2001/2002 budget for DPW was
approved with these allocations. Commissioner
Travers made a motion to allow DPW to go to bid for these items. Commissioner Bohlen seconded it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Request
from Wal-Mart for Permission to Put Six Storage Trailers Behind the Building
for the Christmas Season—Commissioner
Travers made a motion to grant this request for a 30-day period. The number of trailers must not exceed six
with the placement of the trailers subject to full compliance with fire
regulations and State and local regulations.
Wal-mart must address the issue again if they would like another 30-day
period. Commissioner Watkins seconded
it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Approve
PO 2103 (IBM) (CPD)—Commissioner
Atkinson made a motion to approve Purchase Order 2103. Commissioner Weldon seconded it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Approve
PO 1737 (Caldabaugh Communications); PO 1740 (Emergency Medical Products); PO
1741 (Potomac Fire Equipment)--Commissioner
Atkinson made a motion to approve Purchase Orders 1737, 1740, and 1741 for Cambridge
Emergency Medical Services.
Commissioner Travers seconded it.
The motion was passed unanimously.
These are related to the purchase of the new ambulance.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Mayor Rippons announced that
next week’s meeting will be a regular session instead of a work session.
Jim Michael would like to
submit a preliminary grant proposal to the Maryland Department of the
Environment for assistance with the annexation of the Christ Rock Area.
David Pritchett reported
that between Bayly’s Crossing (Maces Lane and High Street) and the existing
High Street there is a short area that is very dark. A new house has been built and the owner is requesting additional
street lighting. Commissioner Watkins
made a motion to refer it to the Streetlighting Committee. Commissioner Bohlen seconded it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Ed Kinnamon reported that
the contractors for the sewer projects have to be paid monthly. After the bills are approved they are sent
to MDE for drawdown on the loans. Because of the Federal paperwork, it takes beyond 30 days to
receive the funds. He is asking Council
for permission to borrow on a day-to-day basis an amount of $1,200,000 which is
the cost of the last invoice. He is
expecting the money any day. Commissioner
Atkinson made a motion to approve the loan.
Commissioner Travers seconded it.
The motion was passed unanimously.
The Cambridge Power Boat
Regatta Association is requesting permission to reserve Great Marsh Park for
the 2002 Eastern Divisionals from Thursday, July 18th to
Sunday, July 21st.
Commissioner Atkinson made a motion to grant them permission to use
Great Marsh Park. Commissioner Weldon
seconded it. The motion was passed
unanimously.
Commissioner Atkinson
requested a variance to the noise ordinance on October 27th for
the recognition of Korean Veterans at Sailwinds Park from 11:00 am until
5:00 pm. Commissioner Travers
seconded it. The motion was passed
unanimously.
Commissioner Atkinson
announced plans for a new sign on the corner of Maryland Avenue and Hayward
Street stating, “Welcome to Cambridge” which will have space to post current
events in Cambridge. The original cost
was $20,000. The Management Board of
Sailwinds has cut the cost down to around $9,000. He made a motion for City Council to provide half of the cost
($4,500). Commissioner Travers seconded
it. The motion was passed unanimously.
Council had offered the
Carlton Court developers in-kind services when they applied for tax credits
from the State. The in-kind would
consist of installation of a new 6‑inch water main. This will be installed in October.
The Nause Waiwash Band of
Indians will be having their 9th Annual Native American Festival on
September 15th and 16th at Sailwinds Park. They are requesting a variance to the noise
ordinance for both days. Commissioner
Travers made a motion to grant this noise variance. Commissioner Weldon seconded it.
The motion was passed unanimously.
Evangelist Denice Carswell
appeared representing the National Church of God on Washington Street. They are going out into the troubled areas
with a microphone and portable podium to minister to the people. They are requesting permission for this community
outreach and the associated noise variance.
In answer to Mayor Rippons question on the history of such requests,
David Pritchett reported that several years ago Council denied permission for a
similar situation, when the person could not give a specific time and location
for his ministry. Evangelist Coswell
reported that they will be working on Saturday afternoons from 2:00 pm to
4:00 pm. Mayor Rippons asked for a
written request and then Council will vote on it next week.
Lavone Chester, representing
the Greater Mount Gospel Baptist Church, 601 Douglas Street, asked permission
for the youth to use Cornish Park for a basketball tournament on October 20th
from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. They are
requesting a noise ordinance for those hours because they will be playing
gospel music. Commissioner Watkins made
a motion to grant the church permission to use Cornish Park and the associated
noise ordinance for said hours.
Commissioner Weldon seconded it.
The motion was passed unanimously.
With no further business,
Mayor Rippons adjourned this portion of the meeting at 8:12 p.m.
I
hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and accurate account of the Council
meeting Monday, September 10, 2001, insofar as I personally am aware.
Edwin
C. Kinnamon
Clerk
& Treasurer
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