TOWN OF EASTON, MARYLAND
November 15, 2004
Councilmember Maureen Scott-Taylor Councilmember Moonyene Jackson-Amis
Also in attendance were the Town Attorney Mr. Kehoe, Chief Blue, Town Engineer Mr. Glass, Town Planner Mr. Hamilton, Economic Development Coordinator Mr. Bond and Mr. Karge, the Town Clerk.
At 7:00 p.m., the President of the Council called the meeting to order. Ms. Scott-Taylor opened the meeting with prayer and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 1 AND NOVEMBER 8, 2004 MEETINGS
Upon motion by Mr. Wendowski seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried unanimously, minutes of the November 1 and November 8, 2004 meetings were approved.
ITEMS BY MAYOR WILLEY
Mayor Willey asked members of the Council to sign Christmas cards to send with the Boards and Commissions’ gifts.
Mayor Willey stated that Wednesday at 8:00 a.m., Mr. John Garlick and he will be going over a power point presentation of Mr. Garlick’s trip to Frederick regarding their rental housing program. He offered the 20 minute slide show for anyone that would care to join them.
ITEMS BY THE CHIEF OF POLICE
Chief Blue stated that it was a quiet Waterfowl Festival.
Chief Blue recommended approval for the following public assembly permits:
Mr. Jensen made a motion to approve the permits seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried unanimously.
ITEMS BY THE TOWN ENGINEER
The Town Engineer, Mr. Glass discussed construction updates; Kennedy Street and Glenwood Avenue. He stated that they are getting ready for the snow emergency plans for this winter. Mr. Glass stated that due to the request by Chief Blue, they are looking at the left turn scenario on Peachblossom near the Middle School.
The Town Engineer stated that they are putting together a report regarding the rental housing program regarding what activities are currently going on in town.
The Town Engineer discussed ongoing projects on the Utilities and Town side. He stated that due to the volume, they are falling behind on the bulky trash route. He asked that residents put leaves on the grass for pickup.
Ms. Jackson-Amis asked when there would be some finality regarding the repairs for the water problem on Dover Street.
The Town Engineer stated that they need to come up with approximately $180,000 to $200,000. He stated that it boils down to finding the money to do the work.
Ms. Jackson-Amis asked if there could be a temporary solution.
Mr. Glass stated that unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done to channel that flow temporarily or a short-term fix. He stated that the issue comes with the pipe size.
Mr. Wendowski asked if there is any update with Royal Farms.
The Town Engineer stated that he had received a telephone call from their contractors with questions but he has not heard anything definitive relative to utility relocations or cost sharing.
ITEMS BY THE TOWN PLANNER
Mr. Hamilton stated that the Planning Commission meets this week and has one item on the agenda which is the Plum Street project.
The President of the Council asked when the Draft of the Zoning Ordinance may be presented.
Mr. Hamilton stated that if the Historic District issues are to be included, it will be after the first of the year.
ITEMS BY THE TOWN ATTORNEY
The Town Attorney, Mr. Kehoe stated that he has three issues for Closed Session all regarding the advice of legal counsel.
ITEMS BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Mr. Bond reminded everyone that the Arts of Easton Banner Auction is scheduled for December 3 and will be held at the Academy of the Arts Museum.
Mr. Bond stated that he has been working on a program with Mr. Fred Smyth of the Talbot County Economic office regarding a program of major business tours to offer the opportunity to meet the people that are running the major businesses in the community. He stated that the first three tours are scheduled for Celeste Industries on November 30, Cadmus on December 15 and The Whalen Company on December 29; all at 5:15 p.m. He stated that they plan to cover the top 17 employers in the county in the next eight months.
PRESENTATION OF PROCLAMATION IN OBSERVANCE OF THE LIONS CLUB OF EASTON’S 65TH ANNIVERSARY
Ms. Scott-Taylor presented the proclamation to Ms. Dee Bell on behalf of the Lions Club.
ORDINANCE NO. 478, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF EASTON AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF A GENERAL OBLIGATION PROMISSORY NOTE IN A PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF $5,000,000.00 PAYABLE TO MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS TRUST COMPANY FOR THE PUBLIC PURPOSE OF PROVIDING WORKING CAPITAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TOWN OF EASTON WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AND PLEDGING THE FULL FAITH AND CREDIT AND TAXING AUTHORITY OF THE TOWN OF EASTON TO THE REPAYMENT OF SAME.”
Upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Mr. Wendowski and carried unanimously following a roll call vote, Ordinance No. 478 was approved.
ORDINANCE NO. 479, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF EASTON GRANTING THE APPLICATION OF PASSYN & PASSYN, LLC FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (“PUD”) ZONING DISTRICT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE EASTON ZONING ORDINANCE.”
The President of the Council introduced Ordinance No. 479 for a first reading.
The Town Attorney stated that this could be acted on during the first meeting of December. He stated that attached to the Ordinance is the proposed Findings of Fact. Mr. Kehoe stated that there are still some issues that need to be addressed before final action.
Mr. Jensen questioned the affordable housing subject on page 9. The Town Attorney stated that this reflects suggestions made by Ms. Jackson-Amis. Mr. Jensen asked if the Findings of Facts can still be changed. The Town Attorney stated that there is time to make changes. Mr. Jensen discussed Veteran’s preference on page 10.
Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that due to a request from the Assistant Town Attorney, she defined what she wanted regarding the Veterans’ preference.
The Town Attorney stated that the other outstanding issue has to do with the remedy for homeowners which he believes Mr. Jensen raised which has to be resolved.
The Town Attorney asked for Council comments by the end of the week or at least a couple days before the deadline for the Town Council packets.
The Town Attorney stated that he will forward an e-mail with everyone’s comments compiled.
Ms. Jackson-Amis asked the Council when reviewing the affordable housing component, the issue of what number is considered affordable is really important. She asked for feedback.
Mr. Kehoe discussed the income eligibility standards versus the pricing which is 23D on page 8. He stated what he has proposed is the Community Development’s Maryland Mortgage program where they calculate the price for homes for various counties. He stated that the current price for Talbot County is $161,000.
MR. AL BOND, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR’S REPORT REGARDING DOWNTOWN PARKING MANAGEMENT
Mr. Bond stated that Mayor Willey had asked him to work on recommendations for parking management in downtown Easton. He stated that he has looked at a number of sources. He stated that he has a series of recommendations based upon the previous studies and what has been found to work. Mr. Bond stated that he is looking at parking as a recurring theme; not the sort of problem that you solve but the type of problem you manage. He discussed current parking restrictions on the street and in lots. Mr. Bond discussed the perception of parking availability. He stated that the most frequently mentioned problem seems to be people that park on the streets but move their car every couple of hours. He discussed the additional comments which were to provide better incentives to get all day parkers to park in the peripheral and under utilized parking lots, building a parking garage, the need for longer on-street parking limits, eliminating the blue permits that allow a particular parking space, developing residential permits, developing the Town lot behind 142 N. Harrison Street (Brewer’s Lane lot), increasing the available parking on East Dover Street and moving certain loading zones.
Mr. Bond discussed the people that use parking in the downtown.
Mr. Bond discussed a series of recommendations for off-street parking. He stated that 38% of parking is used up by permit parking. Mr. Bond stated that Lot 1 and Lot 3 are at near capacity and at capacity on a regular basis. He discussed Lot 2 behind the Tidewater and stated that it is the most widely used by consumers and visitors and is not at its capacity. He suggested taking the permit parking out of Lot 2 in the northern section. Mr. Bond discussed the sale of blue permit parking permits. He suggested getting rid of blue permit parking entirely and encourages those that are buying blue permits to buy white permits instead. He stated that the suggestion is to take the more customer friendly parking lots and reserve them for more transient users. Mr. Bond stated that we are getting towards the beginning of a new year and it would make a great deal of sense to implement those in time for the next round of parking permits which is in January.
Mr. Bond discussed on-street parking and stated that the largest problem is the “sliders” or all day parkers that move their vehicles during the day. He discussed software that translates a graphic image to see when a car is parked in a particular spot no matter where it is. He stated that there are setbacks such as associated costs, training and putting the system into effect.
Mr. Bond stated that there is no need to change the 20 minute parking spaces.
Mr. Bond discussed loading zones and how they operate. He stated that the problem is that the loading/unloading zones on Harrison Street seem to be that the one used the most frequently and for long periods of time at peak business hours. Mr. Bond stated that the best solution would be to keep it where it is but to change the time such as from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. where it couldn’t be used as a loading zone. He stated that there would be a certain amount of leniency on businesses that need to accept goods during those hours.
Mr. Bond discussed parking around the courthouse.
Mr. Wendowski and Ms. Jackson-Amis commended Mr. Bond on the report.
Mr. Wendowski asked if the parking lot near the District Court was included. Mr. Bond stated that Lot 6 was not included. He stated that it is the least used lot in the Town with some peak experiences. He stated that Lot 7 operates at 40% capacity. Mr. Bond stated that $150 per year for parking anywhere is a pretty good deal. He stated that the Town of Easton does not make money on parking but charges what it costs to provide the service to the public.
Mr. Ford stated that folks do not like parking in that lot due to inadequate lighting. He stated that he would like some time to digest this report. Mr. Ford asked the Council to be prepared to discuss in detail Mr. Bond’s recommendations at the next meeting.
Chief Blue stated that what the Town really lacks is legislation to prevent the “sliders” that move their cars on the street to prevent that action. He stated that this is a problem in other towns as well. Chief Blue discussed legislation that Dover has enacted to deal with the same problem. He stated that the paving, parking and lighting of Brewer’s Lane is a valid suggestion.
Mr. Ford discussed the inability to enforce the action of “sliders.”
Chief Blue discussed the unloading/loading zone on Harrison Street and alternatives.
Mayor Willey stated that there may be some procedural issues that need to be addressed with the parking study. Mayor Willey asked the Council to keep in mind that revenue generated by the parking lots, does not cover the cost to maintain those parking spots. He cautioned the Council to be careful how they give away parking.
Ms. Scott-Taylor made a suggestion to the employers to purchase the parking stickers for employees and then do a payroll deduction so that it comes out of their paychecks. She discussed the challenge of parking availability when there is a meeting at The Tidewater Inn. Ms. Scott-Taylor asked for suggestions for 8-hour parking during meetings.
Mr. Bond stated that off-street recommendations should be considered at the next meeting if it is to change this year and on-street can be worked through and brought back to the Council.
Mr. Wendowski asked for Chief Blue’s comments on paper.
APPROVAL OF INVOICES TOTALING $436,628.09
Upon motion by Mr. Wendowski seconded by Mr. Jensen and carried unanimously, invoices were approved for payment.
ITEMS BY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
Ms. Jackson-Amis introduced Pastor Leon Hall from Bethel AME Church who recently returned to the area.
Ms. Jackson-Amis thanked the citizens in her ward for their comments regarding the expansion of the Historic District. She encouraged everyone to attend meetings to understand the process.
Ms. Jackson-Amis encouraged everyone to put on their calendars December 3 at 10:30 a.m. when Tuckahoe Bridge will be renamed The Frederick Douglass Bridge and the fundraiser December 4 at the Tidewater, Part I from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Part II Jammin' with Fred immediately following.
Mayor Willey asked that an item be added to the Executive Session regarding personnel.
Ms. Scott-Taylor stated that the RTC Task Force and the Chapel Farms Homeowners’ Association will meet at the Town Office November 29 at 7:00 p.m. to talk about the RTC project and the completion and Chapel Farms.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 8:26 p.m., upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried unanimously, the President of the Council convened into Executive Session for the advice of legal counsel and to discuss personnel.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Mr. Wendowski and carried unanimously the President of the Council adjourned the regularly scheduled meeting at 9:38 p.m.
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Town Clerk