Mayor & City Council

MINUTES Special Session of the College Park City Council Council Chambers Wednesday, August 6, 2014 9:31 p.m. – 10:01 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Fellows; Councilmembers Kabir, Wojahn, Brennan, Day, Hew and Mitchell. ABSENT: Councilmembers Dennis and Stullich ALSO PRESENT: Joseph Nagro, City Manager; Janeen Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Bob Stumpff, Director of Public Works; Steve Halpern, City Engineer; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Cole Holocker, Student Liaison. During a regularly scheduled Worksession of the College Park City Council, a motion was made by Councilmember Brennan and seconded by Councilmember Kabir to enter into a Special Session. The possibility of a Special Session was listed on the Worksession agenda. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0 and the Council entered into a Special Session at 9:31 p.m. 14-G-82 Approval of an MOU between the City and Prince George’s County Department of Public Works & Transportation regarding installation of a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) on Rhode Island Avenue at Hollywood Road Mr. Nagro said this is the same MOU that was signed for the installation of the first two RRFBs on Rhode Island Avenue and this expense was approved in the FY ’15 budget. A motion was made by Councilmember Wojahn and seconded by Councilmember Brennan to approve the MOU with Prince George’s County DPW&T, and to authorize the City Manager to sign the MOU. There were no comments from the audience or from the Council. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. 14-R-27 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Authorize The Permanent Closure And Vacation Of Rossburg Drive Subject To Certain Conditions Ms. Ferguson said this document is the same that Council previously approved (14-R-14) but the company that is going to be the owner of the property has changed. The only change is to the name of the new party. A motion was made by Councilmember Day and seconded by Councilmember Brennan to adopt 14-R-27. There were no comments from the audience or from the Council. Special Session of the College Park City Council August 6, 2014 Page 2 The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. 14-R-28 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Amend The Declaration Of Covenants And Agreement Regarding Land Use Between The City And Toll Bros., Inc. To Require That The Rossburg Drive Right Of Way To Be Vacated By Vacation Petition V- 13008 Be Deeded To The City In The Event That The Project Authorized By Detailed Site Plan Dsp-13025 Is Not Constructed A motion was made by Councilmember Day and seconded by Councilmember Brennan to adopt 14-R-28. Ms. Ferguson said this document is the same that Council previously approved (14-R-15) but the company that is going to be the owner of the property has changed. The only change is to the name of the new party. There were no comments from the audience or from the Council. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. 14-G-83 Approval of two letters of support to the National Endowment for the Arts for grant applications from the Clarice Smith Center A motion was made by Councilmember Brennan and seconded by Councilmember Wojahn to approve two letters to support funding for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center for two projects, “At War With Ourselves” and “Telling: College Park.” Councilmember Brennan is excited about the community outreach that will be associated with these projects. There were no comments from the audience. Councilmember Mitchell asked if the Veterans Memorial Committee was aware of this. Councilmember Brennan has put the Clarice Smith Center in touch with that committee. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. 14-G-84 Request by the Tennis Center College Park for $10,000 for sponsorship of the International Junior Tennis Championship Mr. Nagro said Mr. Benton contacted him with this request just after the July meeting and because of our summer meeting schedule we couldn’t discuss until tonight. The tournament is August 16 and this has to be decided tonight in Special Session. Special Session of the College Park City Council August 6, 2014 Page 3 Councilmember Mitchell asked about the budget. $10,000 was budgeted for “marketing” and was not designated for the tennis center. Councilmember Hew asked if this would commit the City for three years. Mayor Fellows said no, this would only authorize the expenditure for one year because we can’t obligate future Councils. Councilmember Wojahn said this is a business in our community and does not provide direct services to our residents; this may not be the best way to market the City. A motion was made by Councilmember Day and seconded by Councilmember Hew to approve funding of $10,000 for one year to sponsor the International Junior Tennis Championship at the presenting sponsor level. Mayor Fellows said the Tennis Center gets a lot of press coverage and is known as “College Park” so we might be interested in supporting it. $10,000 makes sense for now and then we can reevaluate it after the first year. Councilmember Day said they are working hard to be more a part of our community. They bring people to our City to stay overnight in hotels and eat at our restaurants. Why would we not use this as an opportunity to raise our visibility? Councilmember Hew said when he was watching Wimbledon there was a mention of the College Park Tennis Center, and everyone in the room took note. There were no comments from the audience. The motion failed 2 – 4 – 0 (Mitchell, Wojahn, Kabir and Brennan opposed). ADJOURN SPECIAL SESSION: A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Day to adjourn the Special Session. With a vote of 6 – 0 – 0, Mayor Fellows adjourned the Special Session at 10:01 p.m. _____________________________________________ Janeen S. Miller, CMC Date City Clerk Approved