22 February 2010 | Approved: 8 March 2010
Mayor Anderson called the regular meeting of the Town Council to order at 7:40 p.m. In attendance were Councilors Charlie Challstrom, Georgette Cole, Sylvie Favret, Marida Hines and Ted Kelly. Also present were Treasurer Mary Challstrom, Maintenance Supervisor Jim Fletcher and Town resident Ann Briggs.
Approval of the Agenda
Georgette Cole moved, Marida Hines seconded that the agenda be approved. Mayor Anderson added the following; #4) Approval of Ordinance 2010-03, #5) Maintenance Report; #6) Google Authorization Letter. Vote: 5-0.
Approval of Ordinance No. 2010-03; Ordinance to Amend Article X, Sections 3.1 and 4.1 of the Code of Ordinances Regarding Nominations and Write-In Voting
Georgette Cole moved to approve Ordinance No. 2010-03. Charlie Challstrom seconded the motion. Vote: 5-0.
Maintenance Report
Jim Fletcher began his report with a formal announcement of his plans to retire by June 30, 2010. He turned in a short letter to the Mayor and Council. There was a discussion about a search committee, contracting out some of the seasonal work and how to represent the full extent of the job to a potential employee. Marida Hines asked Jim for a status of the Town snow blower. Jim explained that isn’t currently working but that he had someone in mind to call and get the work done. Jim will pursue fixing the snow blower and report back to the Council.
Google Authorization Letter
Charlie Challstrom requested Council endorsement of the Google project that will include streetscape views of Town walkways. A discussion ensued. The Council provided its endorsement for the Mayor to sign an authorization letter to Google.
Resident Notification Process/E-mail Alerts – Continued Discussion
Charlie Challstrom gave an overview of this process and presented a handout of guidelines (Exhibit A) for the use of the Town e-mail list. There was a discussion about using more current technology, Twittering, the Town listserve, when/how to use this notification process and the new 311 service for Montgomery County.
Proposed Information Session (March 11) – Continued Discussion
The purpose of this information session is to have elected officials and committee/commission chairs explain how things work in Town; How to run for office or how to join a committee. All agreed that March 11th was too soon and decided to try March 23rd. The Clerk will contact commission/committee chairs and ask about availability. The Mayor will talk to Joe Clark about the expectations and the date change.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants – Discussion
There is a $5,000 grant available to the Town. Charlie Challstrom is the contact and paperwork person. There was a discussion about using this money for insulating the Town Hall crawl space and ceiling. Charlie indicated that the details did not have to be presented now but there was a deadline for submission. Charlie Challstrom moved to authorize the Mayor to sign the authorization for the grant money. Marida Hines seconded the motion. There was a brief discussion about the bid process. Vote: 5-0.
Council Reports
- Town Council Reports – February 2010 pdf
- Georgette Cole briefly mentioned that she had noticed that the PC agenda had remained on the Town website for approximately one week now. Although this is an improvement, it is still not exactly what she would like to see happen. Ted Kelly will talk to the webmaster.
Mayor’s Announcements
- LOS Update: Mayor Anderson reported that there was nothing new on this issue. He went on to say that we are in the expert witness gathering phase and the June 1st deposition date has been moved to August 15th. An official settlement letter has gone unanswered.
- Deer Park Bridge: Mayor Anderson reported that at a meeting with CSX and some of our delegates, it was made very clear that the Town wants the tracks lowered. He also reported that Gaithersburg would not support the removal of the bridge.
- Casey 6 & 7: Mayor Anderson reported that because of the blizzard, the February 23rd meeting was cancelled. It has yet to be re-scheduled. He also stated that there is no record of the County having purchased the needed land from Roberts Oxygen.
New Business
- Marida Hines brought up the Town snow blower issue again, expressing the opinion that it should be repaired so that if we get more snow we will have use of it. She is particularly concerned about certain areas where access is an issue.
- Georgette Cole brought forth the idea that all Councilors should present the Search Committee with a list of how Town Maintenance affects their areas of responsibility. Darrell asked that it be sent to him by March 1st.
- There was also a brief discussion about the repair of the fence around the hard tennis court. Ted Kelly will look into the replacement of the Grove Road section.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:23 p.m.