9 March 2009 | Approved: 13 April 2009
Mayor Anderson called the regular meeting of the Town Council to order at 7:35 p.m. In attendance were Councilors Charlie Challstrom, Joe Clark, Georgette Cole, John Compton, Kathie Evans and Marida Hines. Also in present were Treasurer Mary Challstrom and Town residents Ann Briggs, Howard Harary, Birgit Henninger, Audrey Maskery, Jean Myers, Bill Robertson and John Tomlin. Representatives from Ecology Services and Montgomery County Sanitation and Recycling also attended part of the meeting.
Approval of the Agenda
Joe Clark moved, Georgette Cole seconded that the Agenda for February 9, 2009 be approved. It was decided to add Budget Transfers as item 7, keep item 8 as written, add Planning Commission appointment as #9 and re-number the remaining items. Kathie Evans asked to move the Woodward Park Fencing to item #4 and the opening of the bids to item #5. The amended agenda was approved. Vote: 6-0.
Public Appearances
Ann Briggs announced that Meet the Candidates will be on May 2nd. She asked people to talk it up.
Woodward Park Fencing Options – Discussion
Mayor Anderson started the discussion by saying that the decision to fence had not been made nor did he anticipate that it would be made tonight.
Jean Myers stated that times have changed as far as the care and maintenance of the field goes and money spent. She went on to say that she didn’t want to see tax payer dollars spent on fencing the soccer field.
Audrey Maskery stated that if the Town wasn’t going to spend any money to prevent damage to the soccer field then she didn’t think they should spend any more money to maintain it either.
Birgit Henninger stated that she didn’t think that damage happened often enough to justify the expense of any kind of fencing.
There was some discussion about more development bringing more people, expenses incurred with last years’ efforts, frequency of the damage, the current condition of the field, the expense of continual maintenance and aesthetics.
Howard Harary stated that aesthetics was a big issue for him. He liked the openness. He went on to express his opposition to barriers and fences as being too much like suburbia. Fences are good for prisons and jails. The field is resilient and will come back.
Bill Robertson stated that he was opposed to any fencing. It is too expensive and not worth it. The field is resilient. It could be fixed many times for the money spent on fencing.
Ann Briggs stated that she didn’t see a low barrier as aesthetically unpleasant. Ed, Howard, Birgit and I all have fences. The Town spent money on repairs. There is significant damage at the goal post area right now. The question is, how much do we want to maintain it?
Mayor Anderson explained that the money collected from the rental fees would pay for some of the upkeep. The theory being that every three (3) years or so, there would be enough in the “kitty” to pay for professional maintenance.
Bill Robertson said that the Council decided to open the field 15 days after the soccer season started. It caused problems and we may not have the permits that we thought we would this season.
Ed Mroczka stated that comparing his fence to a fence at the field was not a fair comparison. He would take his fence down tomorrow if that was the standard.
Birgit Henninger asked what would keep people from doing the same damage in Morgan Park. Will we have barriers all over Town?
Kathie Evans stated that the Council’s decision about when to open the field for permitted play was based on Montgomery County’s policy and that it was done hastily, in her opinion.
Mayor Anderson asked for Joe Clark to report on the fencing options that he was charged with gathering.
Joe Clark presented the following;
- A pole and chain option = $4,800.00 + installation.
- A wooden barrier option = $2,500.00 + installation.
- A series of park benches with posts in between = $500.00 per bench.
He finished by saying that the Town would be looking at $5,000.00 – $8,000.00 for the fencing.
Kathie Evans stated that she wasn’t concerned about the vandals and doesn’t remember how much or how little this happens. She doesn’t like the idea of a barrier of any kind. She feels that residents have lived with the problem for a long time and thinks we should keep it as is.
Charlie Challstrom said that the visual aspect was very important to him. There is a sense of openness that exists throughout the Town and barriers are only used when absolutely necessary. He believes that a fence/barrier would be a danger to players and that the Town should not take on that kind of liability.
Mayor Anderson thanked everyone for their input and stated that this would be discussed further at the next meeting of the Town Council. He asked the Clerk to send a document to the Council which included all of the e-mails concerning this subject. He encouraged the Council to read the information ahead of time.
Opening of Refuse/Recycling & Leaf Collection/Disposal Bids
Mayor Anderson opened the six (6) bids for refuse & recycling.
| Company | Refuse | Recycling |
|---|---|---|
| Mont. Co. Sanitation | $2,573.76 | $1,608.32 |
| Waste Management | $3,644.47 | $905.61 |
| J & J, Inc. | $2,419.20 | $1,388.80 |
| Unity Disposal | $2,670.00 | $1,070.00 |
| Potomac Disposal | $2,632.00 | $1,624.00 |
| Ecology Services | $1,816.64 | $1,153.60 |
There was a discussion about tipping fees, truck size, references and Special Trash Pickups.
Charlie Challstrom moved to accept Ecology Services’ bid for refuse and recycling disposal pending the verification of references and the inclusion of the tipping fees. Marida Hines seconded the motion. There was another discussion about truck size. Vote: 6-0.
For the record, Kathie Evans stated that she did not like this method of handling bids.
Mayor Anderson opened the three (3) bids for Town leaf collection. J. B. Kline bid $35,200.00. Mumford’s Landscaping bid $45,000.00. Our current contractor, U.S. Lawns bid $18,600.00.
Joe Clark moved to accept the bid from U.S. Lawns. John Compton seconded the motion.
Vote: 6-0.
Approval of Minutes
John Compton moved, Joe Clark seconded that the Town Council minutes for February 9, 2009 be approved with one correction. Vote: 6-0.
Joe Clark moved, John Compton seconded that the Town Council minutes for February 23, 2009 be approved. Vote: 6-0.
Approval of February 2009 Council Reports for Posting on the Website
Kathie Evans moved, John Compton seconded that the reports from the Town Council for February 23, 2009 be approved for posting on the Town website. Vote: 6-0.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Mary Challstrom asked if there were any questions. There were none. There was a brief discussion about placing the budget in the Town bulletin. The Mayor said that he would provide quarterly updates for the bulletin.
Kathie Evans moved, Joe Clark seconded that the Treasurer’s report for February 2009 be accepted. Vote: 6-0.
John Compton moved, Georgette Cole seconded the motion to transfer funds to pay bills.
Vote: 6-0.
Joe Clark moved to transfer funds to cover legal and tree expenses as proposed by Mary Challstrom ($10K from Gypsy Moth Spraying; $3K from Code Enforcement; $3K from Invasive Species removal). Charlie Challstrom seconded the motion. Discussion… Vote: 6-0.
Approval of Mayor’s Appointments to the Board of Supervisors of Elections
Charlie Challstrom moved to endorse the Mayor’s appointment of Mary Kay DuBois, Betty Knight and Kristin Perry to the Board of Supervisor’s of Elections. John Compton seconded the motion. Vote: 6-0.
Approval of Mayor’s Appointment to the Planning Commission
Charlie Challstrom moved to endorse the Mayor’s appointment of Eric Gleason to the Planning Commission to fill the one year remaining on Peggy Ebner’s term. Marida Hines seconded the motion. Discussion…
Vote: 6-0.
Mayor’s Announcements
- LOS Condemnation: nothing new.
- Casey 6 & 7: nothing new to report.
- Deer Park Bridge: Mayor Anderson reported that the Montgomery County Department of Transportation has requested a meeting and a letter would be coming shortly. He went on to say that it looks like the bridge will be repaired and that a larger new bridge was off the table.
- Ordinance Enforcement: Mayor Anderson reported that a new design that fits the previously approved plans for 103 Brown Street will be presented to the Planning Commission at their next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.