Comments are by Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS/COMMENTS – MAYOR, COUNCIL, STUDENT LIAISONS
Councilmember Kabir reminded residents that September is National Preparedness Month and mentioned that emergency preparedness was a primary topic of the most recent Community Policing meeting held on Monday, September 12. He also informed residents of an emergency preparedness campaign to be sponsored by the city.
Councilmember Kennedy acknowledged Suicide Prevention Month and the new 988-crisis hotline. She also recognized the new leadership of the North College Park Civic Association (NCPCA).
Councilmember Esters added to Councilmember Kabir’s comments related to emergency preparedness and encouraged residents to go to Ready.Gov and go to the Prince George’s County website and search the term “Are you ready?”
Councilmember Whitney mentioned the upcoming recital at Clarice Smith to benefit the College Park Food Pantry. The event will be held at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Gildenhorn Recital Hall on Sunday, September 18 at 3pm. Admission is free, and the suggested donation is $15.
Councilmember Adams acknowledged the City for recent events including the Friday Night Live series which recently concluded with the well-attended Oktoberfest on Friday, September 9th.
Councilmember Rigg mentioned the upcoming meeting to be held at City Hall on Thursday, September 15 to discuss noise-related issues in Calvert Hills/Old Towne.
Councilmember Mackie mentioned the upcoming community meeting on September 21 with the North College Park Civic Association (NCPCA) to discuss the County’s new zoning and a proposed development. She asked attendees to mark their calendars for Good Neighbor Day on November 12, 2022
Councilmember Mitchell also thanked staff for recent events and mentioned upcoming School Board meeting on Thursday, September 15th.
Mayor Wojahn acknowledged Frances Tiafoe for his accomplishments at the US Open. He announced the first MML meeting for this year to be held at Greenbelt City Hall on Thursday, September 15. He shared he would not be in attendance for the MML meeting because he would be attending the meeting regarding noise in Calvert Hills/Old Towne.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Mr. Young welcomed Mr. Sussman who attended the meeting in place of City Attorney Suellen Ferguson. He mentioned the issue of loud exhausts throughout the city and shared that over the the last five months, contract police have issued over four hundred citations, over one hundred warnings and ninety-nine repair orders for loud exhaust systems, which was announced at the Community Policing meeting held on Monday, September 12. In addition, he said the Hollywood Gateway Park received a design award by the American Association of Architects; The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority has awarded a $30 thousand grant for money for the second phase of Lakeland Community Heritage Project’s augmented reality walking tour.
Mr. Young mentioned that City Hall has received two American Institute of Architects Firm awards for building design. He will not know which awards are to be bestowed until the awards ceremony at the end of September,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS
The following proclamations were read by Mayor Wojahn for the month of September:
Suicide Prevention Month and Hispanic Heritage Month
AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Motion by Councilmember Esters to add to the agenda a discussion about pending county legislation related to zoning. Mayor Wojahn provided background and clarification that a letter in opposition would be added to the Consent Agenda.
Motion by Councilmember Rigg to remove from the agenda the discussion about Tailwind Air. Mr. Dorcsh was in the audience and shared that Tailwind Air would not be going to Dulles. Mr. Rigg indicated that we can only use the information that is most current. The Mayor felt personally that the item could be discussed. Mr. Dorsch felt that we should move forward with what he considered a minor change. Councilmember Adams said he had no issues with discussing the issue. Councilmember Whitney said she was concerned about approving the change for the pilot program without any details or bookends. She said that since Council had been able to act quickly when the issue had been presented to us before, she saw no reason why it couldn’t act quickly again were there a need to do so. The Mayor suggested that we put parameters on the pilot program since there is concern about it. The item was removed from the agenda to return for discussion in a few weeks. Dr. Kabir moved to remove the item regarding bike lanes on Rhode Island Avenue from the Consent agenda. The motion passed.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS
Mr. Dorsch, Chair of the Airport Authority, requested $5000 to repair tables and chairs at the airport.
Gail Mamatova asked how the City, Mayor and Council feels about how Hispanic families are treated in College Park. She wanted to know how the city will address issues and how the city will ensure proclamations are more than performative.
Ms. King asked that glitches with Zoom be addressed. She is disappointed things are not working properly during hybrid meetings when the City has been conducting meetings in this format for a while. She suggested a run-through prior to each meeting.
Mr. Dorsch asked the City to consider connecting Rhode Island Ave with Campus Drive. He acknowledged there is opposition because people think there will be a great increase in traffic. He concluded his statements by saying “People are tired of the Route 1 mess.”
Councilmember Mitchell responded to Ms. Mamatova’s comments by indicating that as a City we take issues related to race seriously, including restorative justice and ensuring access. The Mayor said the referenced incident shared on Nextdoor was distressing and unacceptable in our community. He said the City is working on improving language access and has hired a Racial Equity Officer to foster better relationships with all residents and ensure we are serving all of our residents in an equitable way.
Anna Shipley, a 30-year resident of College Park, wanted to talk about the speeding issue on 51st Ave. Mayor Wojahn assured Ms. Shipley she would have the opportunity to talk about that specific agenda item shortly.
PRESENTATIONS:
Presentation of awards to Fourth of July Parade Winners: · Best Boy Scout/Girl Scout Entry — Boy Scout Troup 298 · Best Community/Civic Association — College Park Moose Lodge · Best Classic Car — College Park Moose Lodge, Mike Templeton
Mayor Wojahn thanked the City’s event staff for their work on the parade which was well attended. In total, fifty-three groups participated in the parade.
Melissa Sites, Executive Director of the College Park Arts Exchange shared her happiness to work in College Park for the past 17 years. She encouraged the various civic associations to inform the Arts Exchange about their events. Boy Scout Troop 298, which has been around for 54 years, was recognized for their participation. A member of the troop expressed his gratitude for participating in the parade. The Moose Lodge representative thanked the City for having the parade. Mike Templeton thanks the City and both Councilmember Mackie and Councilmember Mitchell.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Ordinance 22-O-07, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, To Amend Chapter 148, “Peace And Good Order”, By Renaming The Chapter, Repealing And Re-Enacting §148-1, “Unlawful Acts”, Enacting §148-2, “Adoption Of Rules And Regulations For City Recreational Facilities”, Repealing, Re-Enacting, Renaming And Renumbering §148-2, “Violations And Penalties; Intimidating Or Impeding City Employees; And To Amend Chapter 110, “Fees And Penalties,” By Repealing And ReEnacting §110-2 “Penalties,” To Delete A Number Of The Provisions That Have Been Included In Other City Ordinances Or Are Better Enforced At The State Or County Level, To Authorize The Adoption Of Certain Rules And Regulations For Use Of City Recreational Facilities By Council Resolution, And To Set A Fine For Noncompliance.
Mr. Ryan, Director of Public Services, introduced the hearing about the adoption of changes to rules for the use of the city’s recreational facilities. The review of the chapter also revealed antiquated language.
Councilmember Adams said he would be fine moving forward but had questions about how public urination and defecation were addressed. He worked with the City Attorney to make amendments to the language.
Councilmember Rigg asked Mr. Ryan about the necessity of making the proposed changes. Mr. Ryan indicated many of the items that were changed are items that are enforced by criminal codes at the state and county levels.
Ms. King, resident, asked if someone having a birthday party at Duvall Park would need to get liability insurance and how much that would cost. According to Mr. Ryan, the way the proposed ordinance is written allows flexibility to allow for a small family gathering.
Mr. Dorsch believes we should move forward since the lawyer did the work need to “clean up” the ordinance.
Public Hearing on the Petition Request for Traffic Calming in the 9000 block of 51st Avenue, between Branchville Road and Blackfoot Place.
Mr. Halpern, City Engineer, provided an overview of the report for the hearing which did not find a speeding issue based upon volume and speed, but also did not identify geometric conditions that would preclude a speed bump from being installed.
Councilmember Rigg asked Mr. Halpern to quantify the amount of work needed to conduct these studies
Resident Ann Shipley questioned the accuracy of the report since she only saw a counter closer to Branchville Road where there is a stop sign and drivers have no choice but to go left or right. She asked for the assessment to be done again. She shared that her mother sought traffic calming along 51st Ave. in 1991. Mr. Halpern clarified that counters were placed at both 9000 and 9006 blocks.
Councilmember Esters shared her familiarity with the area and the speeding cars/bikes. She indicated her concerns with the area where individuals and families are often walking in the street because there are no sidewalks.
Councilmember Whitney shared that she spoke with a 51st Avenue resident who was worried about allowing his children to walk to the park or their school bus stop due to fast traffic on his street.
CONSENT AGENDA
22‐G‐123 Approval of a task order under the on-call engineering services contract with Charles P. Johnson and Associates (CPJ) in the amount of $145,805 to design a sidewalk on 52nd Avenue between Narragansett Parkway and Huron Street – Steve Halpern, City Engineer
22-G-128, Council approval to send a letter in opposition to proposed County Council bills CB-69, CB-77, CB-78, CB-91, and CB-92.
The Consent Agenda was unanimously approved.
ACTION ITEMS
22‐G‐126 Consideration of a Pilot Program between the College Park Airport and Tailwind Air to provide commercial flights from the College Park Airport to Manhattan, New York and temporary suspension of the Operating Rules and Regulations of the College Park Airport required to enable operation of the Pilot Program – Patrick Wojahn, Mayor
Per amendments to the agenda (see above) this item was pulled from the agenda for discussion at a later date once there is additional information about the pilot program.
22‐G‐127 Consideration of a petition request for traffic calming devices in the 9000 block of 51st Avenue – Steve Halpern, City Engineer – Passed Unanimously
Councilmember Rigg clarified his request to quantify the work that goes into reports about traffic and asked whether or not we are spending too much time and resources on this since we do not reject such requests. Mr. Halpern stressed the need and desire to continue collecting the data which provide valuable information.
The petition request was unanimously approved.
22-O-07, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, To Amend Chapter 148, “Peace And Good Order”, By Renaming The Chapter, Repealing And Re-Enacting §148-1, “Unlawful Acts,” Enacting §148-2, “Adoption Of Rules And Regulations For City Recreational Facilities,” Repealing, Re-Enacting, Renaming And Renumbering §148-2, “Violations And Penalties; Intimidating Or Impeding City Employees;” And To Amend Chapter 110, “Fees And Penalties,” By Repealing And Re-Enacting §110-2 “Penalties,” To Delete A Number Of The Provisions That Have Been Included In Other City Ordinances Or Are Better Enforced At The State Or County Level, To Authorize The Adoption Of Certain Rules And Regulations For Use Of City Recreational Facilities By Council Resolution, And To Set A Fine For Non-Compliance – Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services – Passed Unanimously
Councilmember Adams asked that we add a civil citation related to urination and defecation and made a motion to add the following amendment to 22-O-05 Chapter 148:
D. PUBLIC URINATION OR DEFECATION. NO PERSON MAY URINATE OR DEFECATE IN PUBLIC, UNLESS THERE IS A PLACE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED FOR THAT PURPOSE, OR IN ANY OTHER PLACE WHERE THE PERSON MAY BE SEEN FROM A PUBLIC THOROUGHFARE OR PUBLIC PROPERTY.
Councilmember Mackie asked for clarification regarding the amendment and wondered if the acts of public urination and defecation were still criminal act. Mr. Ryan indicated it would still be a criminal act, but code officers cannot detain individuals. They can only issue civil citations. He agreed with Councilmember Adams that the addition would allow people to report such issues without calling the police. Mayor Wojahn cautioned that we need work against criminalizing homelessness.
22‐G‐124 Approval of a contract amendment in the amount of $426,585 with NZI Construction Corporation for construction of the Rhode Island Avenue Bike Lane and to ratify and extend the term of the Agreement for concrete and asphalt work through June 30, 2023 – Terry Schum, Director of Planning. Passed Unanimously after extensive discussion.
According to Planning & Community Development Director Terry Schum, the design plans have been complete for one year. It would be unusual for us to revisit plans for which we have had numerous community meetings and input. There were to be flex posts along the entirety of the lane, but both the Branchville Volunteer Fire Company (BVFC) and Public Works (DPW) expressed concerns about such barriers, and a compromise was to include flex posts at the intersections.
Councilmember Mackie asked about the speed limit being lowered from 35-30. Ms. Schum indicated the adjustment of the speed limit is still on the table.
Councilmember Adams asked about the range of distance between the protected and unprotected portions of the bike lane, and what portion of the total project area was protected versus unprotected. The figure for the total unprotected distance was not readily available.
Councilmember Kabir indicated no one wanted to go against the established designs, but there had been a lot of input from residents recently, and not as many had provided input earlier in the process. He asked about the leverage we would have as it relates to standards. Terry Schum and Steve Halpern confirmed engineering guidelines are a five-foot wide, painted bike lane with a one-foot buffer, which are the standards being used for the Route 1 bike lanes being installed by SHA. Ms. Schum added that there would be no solid barriers along Route 1. He asked if we could compromise, and Ms. Schum said they would need to go back to BVFC and DPW. She added, the fully protected bike lane originally proposed got a mixed response but that Council could move forward with the project as presented but make changes in the future.
Councilmember Kennedy mentioned concern about the issue of cars passing on the right and causing accidents. She did not want to wait until someone was hurt to do something.
Councilmember Rigg provided thoughts about what could happen with Fire and Emergency Vehicles. Motorists would only be able go as far as the bollards allowed, which could cause back-ups and delays for emergency vehicles navigating the roadway.
Councilmember Esters asked Ms. Schum if she could provide an idea what would happen if we were to stop the process and make the adjustments at this point, and Mayor Wojahn asked about the expense of doing so at this time. Ms. Schum indicated she did not know what would happen but said she would need to go back to the designers. She did note there would be added expense.
Councilmember Whitney said that a reasonable compromise would be to move forward with plans we have now and then identify a time to come back to the discussion and make additional adjustments. She added she would not want to wait until something happened.
Councilmember Adams indicated he wanted to move forward with current plans and then move forward immediately with additional safety measures.
Alaina Pitt thanked the Council for listening to residents. She said safe passage for bicyclists is paramount. She indicated her frustration with staff who said that people did not want this, but this is her everyday life. She said just putting paint on the street is not providing safety and that the fire department needs to determine if they would like to save cyclists or travel to a car crash.
Vanessa Hercules reiterated the importance of safety.
Resident John Evans said he’d been driven off the road by a bus on an unprotected bike lane. He said he’s thankful to Council for an immediate addendum to current improvements in order to provide further protections.
Carole Macknis said she supports the protected bike lanes but is concerned about cyclists who could care less about bike safety. She expressed the need for to bikers to be educated and the need to educate children in the community as soon as possible.
Councilmember Kabir thanked residents who spoke out and for Council coming to a compromise. He also thanked staff for their time.
Councilmember Mackie applauded colleagues for putting forth amendments and expressed her interest in the reduction of speed on Rhode Island Avenue, saying she would complete the request to add that to a future work session agenda.
DISCUSSION ITEM Presentation on 60% design plans for Duvall Field – Terry Schum, Director of Planning
Terry Schum indicated the item was continued from the September 6, 2022, work session. Representatives from KCI Technologies, Steve Jerrick and Rick Haynes attended the meeting to present 60% design plans for Duvall field. There was discussion about the inclusion of a splash pad, for which there seems to be overwhelming support from many residents who have written to the Council; adding storage to the amphitheater; and audio-visual costs.
The presenters said the splash pad was a simple design meant as an amenity for local residents, not a regional attraction. There is cost and maintenance that should be considered.
They proposed new field lights around the soccer and pickleball fields and the basketball court, as well as low-level lighting around the amphitheater. The lights can be controlled to avoid spillage. There will be a natural turf field. There will also be five micro-bioretention facilities for stormwater management that could double as landscaping features for plantings.
The $5.4 Million does not include the splash pad, amphitheater storage, or AV. The maintenance of the splash pad is estimated at 30,000 per year.
Open Discussion
The Mayor asked if adding storage to the amphitheater would accommodate the Boys & Girls Club equipment that would be displaced were their current storage space to be repurposed as the pump room for the splash pad. Ms. Schum said she thinks our events staff will need all of the amphitheater storage. The consultants said padlocked, locker-type storage that might fall in the $5 thousand range could be included for Boys & Girls Club storage.
Councilmember Kennedy asked about lighting. She wanted to make sure that paths would also be lit. The consultants confirmed that lighting pathways is indeed part of the plan.
Councilmember Kabir asked if there will be space for parents to train their kids to bike ride. His specific request was to use painted guidelines to designate at area of the parking lot as a bike-training course for children. The consultants believed such a feature could be added. Councilmember Kabir will provide additional information to the consultants.
Councilmember Rigg suggested adding as accessible swing set for children with neurological issues and asked about the size of the basketball court. According to the consultants, the basketball court is high school size. Councilmember Rigg wondered why we are considering adding a baseball filed that would be underutilized. He asked if the Boys a& Girls Club were defunct. Councilmember Kabir responded that the Boys & Girls club trains for soccer year- round.
Councilmember Mackie indicated the baseball field can also be used for kickball or t-ball.
Councilmember Kennedy said she didn’t see the point of sacrificing the baseball diamond if we were not losing anything by having it there.
Councilmember Adams thought a back stop should be present no matter what. He asked about the durability of the bandshell. He said he’d researched cedar forest products that looked similar that were only guaranteed for 10 years. The consultants said they’d asked that question of the manufacturers but had yet to receive a sufficient response. Councilmember Adams expressed concern, saying we would want the structure to be guaranteed for at least 30–40 years.
Ms. Schum indicated typically Council would not be asked to vote on these items, but in this situation, we need to nail down the things we want. Mayor Wojahn reiterated the concerns about durability and recognized we may need to spend more money to have something more durable. Councilmember Adams asked for options and cost.
Councilmember Whitney wondered if the baseball diamond were in better shape, area schools might actually use it. Mr. Young indicated that there was no analysis done on the types of sports offered at area schools but that lacrosse and soccer were the most popular.
Councilmember Kabir asked about safety and liability related to the splash pad. Mr. Young indicated we would not be the first to have a splash pad. Councilmember Kabir asked a series of questions: Will there be first aid? What will be the hours? Is it located to close to the roadway? The consultant assured Councilmember Kabir the pad would not be located near the roadway but indicated they would not be able to answer the specific questions about the splash pad.
Councilmember Kennedy expressed concerns about the maintenance cost.
Councilmember Rigg posed questions about budget and is concerned about cost. He believes there are a whole lot of amenities in a small space. It is a very expensive project.
Councilmember Whitney asked about the maintenance of the splash pad and who provided the estimate/analysis for maintenance cost. Council was informed that no formal analysis was conducted; the estimate came from the vendor. She asked the City Manager whether or not our budget can handle $30,000 annually for maintenance. Mr. Young indicated that the City normally budgets for double the estimated maintenance costs.
Councilmember Adams asked if staff could help to prioritize the add-ins.
Councilmember Kennedy talked about how the budget for the project will continue to go up as we proceed and indicated her preference for static signs are rather than digital.
Ms. Schum concluded the discussion by indicating we would have itemized cost for the add-ins and at the time of approving contract, we would then be able to look at the list and identify what we want. She clarified the splash pad was not part of the RFP, there will be a cost to include the design as part of the RFP.
MEETING ADJOURNED
Click here to see the work session agenda for September 13, 2022
Click here to find video of the Mayor and Council Work Session held on September 13, 2002
Click here to access the Mayor and Council Meeting agenda scheduled for September 20, 2022