Mayor & City Council

MINUTES Regular Meeting of the College Park City Council Tuesday, October 26, 2021 7:30 p.m. – 10:27 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this was a virtual meeting. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Dennis, Esters, Day, Rigg, Mitchell and Mackie. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Kenneth Young, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Yvette Allen, Assistant City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Teresa Way- Pezzuti, Director of Human Resources; Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works; Brenda Alexander, Assistant Director of Public Works; Gary Fields, Director of Finance; Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager; and Student Liaison Megha Sevalia. Mayor Wojahn opened the virtual Regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Councilmember Kabir announced upcoming PGCPS meetings regarding new school district boundaries. Councilmember Kennedy discussed the recent COG boat trip to learn about pollution in the Bay. Councilmember Dennis announced the Prince George’s County Police District 1 Coffee Club tomorrow morning. Councilmember Rigg discussed a post card from WSSC that recently arrived about the College Park South Sewer Rehabilitation Project to be held on November 4 at 6:30 p.m.; the Calvert Hills Civic Association is holding a Special Meeting about the County’s Redistricting. Councilmember Mitchell said there will be shredding in Beltsville on Saturday. Councilmember Mackie discussed Good Neighbor Day and thanked the young people who are being good neighbors by moving trashcans in and out. She urged people to pick up trash. Mayor Wojahn announced the Four Cities Meeting on Thursday night; Friday there is a Hallowe’en Drive Through at the IKEA. Ms. Sevalia said this is Homecoming Week. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Young announced the Late Application Absentee Ballot procedure; Discovery District multi-use trail meeting was held today; this is Maryland Economic College Park City Council Meeting Minutes October 26, 2021 Page 2 Development Week; Hollywood Shopping Center lighting grant; Starbucks Coffee personnel have joined us tonight; Good Neighbor Day 10-year anniversary. AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: Agenda approved without amendment Mitchell/Esters 8-0. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS: Carol Nezzo, resident: Top of Beechwood Road where it intersects with Baltimore Avenue is dangerous. It needs to be scheduled on an agenda. Gene Ferrick, resident: Email re the proposed project at Guilford Woods and the need for affordable graduate student housing. Former East Campus project proposed affordable graduate housing at Leonardtown. That’s a good place for it. Judy Campbell, resident: Echoed concerns about the safety at the intersection of Beechwood Road at Baltimore Avenue. Louis Falasco, resident: what is the basis for the numerous Black Lives Matter billboards around the playgrounds? Does this open us up to having to display other banners? PRESENTATIONS: A. Presentation from the State Highway Administration on City projects: Derek Gunn, Claudine Myers, Winstina Hughes, Dorey Uong, Cicero Salles, John Gover, Shannon Coyne, Peter Campanides. SHA staff reviewed their PowerPoint and the status of various projects. US 1 will be completed in 2023. They will do an evaluation of US 1 at Beechwood Road. 193 at Rhode Island is on hold due to funding. Questions from Council:  Need for pedestrian Signal on MD 430 at the Trolley Trail crossing.  Striping of crosswalk at MD 430 at 48th looks incomplete  Timing of the reopening of the bus loop at the College Park Metro  Funding for north US 1  They are studying US 1 at Edgewood and 495 intersections; more to come  Quality of life issue impacting residents adjacent to Kenilworth Avenue due to racing  Signal at Hartwick Road at US 1  Bike lane on Campus Drive blocked by orange bollards – too narrow in some places  Divits in the road on Kenilworth Avenue  Ramp from southbound US 1 to 193  Heavy pedestrian/cycle use at 193 at Metzerott  Left turn from Autoville Drive onto US 1 at Blackfoot  Status of I-495 expansion project  Greenbelt Metro Interchange – status? College Park City Council Meeting Minutes October 26, 2021 Page 3 B. Quarterly Financial Presentation: Mr. Fields presented the 1st quarter FY 2022 financials. C. First Quarter FY 22 Strategic Plan Update: Mr. Gardiner provided an updated on the Strategic Plan. Council questions:  Deployment of Accela. Is a phased release possible?  Request for more information about how we reach our non-English speakers, especially our weekly bulletin. On-line translation often misses things.  Difficulty understanding the Objective level and how it filters down to the lower levels.  Where does Council have responsibility?  Show progress in a timeline format? Gantt chart? Show the change. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Mitchell and seconded by Councilmember Rigg to adopt the Consent Agenda which consisted of: 21-G-132 Approval of a third extension of the micro-mobility share contract with VeoRide through the end of January 2022 to allow time for further negotiations. 21-G-129 Approval of minutes from the July 13, 2021 Worksession and the July 13, 2021 Special Session. 21-G-131 Award of contract CP-22-02 for construction of the Odessa Park Playground Project in Sunnyside to E & R Services Inc. of Lanham, Maryland in the amount of $265,142, subject to the approval of the City Attorney. The motion passed 8-0. ACTION ITEMS 21-G-130 Presentation and possible action on the Prince George’s County proposal to improve Cherry Hill Road to address traffic back-ups. Mr. Halpern introduced Cicero Salles from Prince George’s County. Mr. Salles presented the proposed road improvements for Cherry Hill Road. A portion of the road closest to US 1 is SHA, and to the west is DPW&T. They propose a raised two-foot median for traffic control. The County is seeking the City’s approval. Next steps: design, cost estimate, programming, construction.  Concern about the impact this proposal would have on eastbound traffic throughput at the intersection with US 1, especially for cars going north on US 1. The County needs an analysis from SHA about this; it is their intersection.  Concern about the impact that traffic back-ups from the Starbucks Drive-thru is having. Having two turn lanes into the shopping center should alleviate this problem. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes October 26, 2021 Page 4  Concern about people coming out of Autoville or IHOP and crossing all four lanes to get into the shopping center. Safety problem. They will discuss with SHA. Request the County take tonight’s feedback, work with a representative of the Michaels Company and Starbucks, and return at a future Worksession. Consider getting feedback from the NCPCA as well. Mr. Joseph Gibbs, Starbucks store development manager for the DC region: There are long term solutions being considered such as revamping the store. They want to fix the problem and these concerns are not falling on deaf ears. 21-O-14 Introduction of an FY 2022 Budget Amendment (Amendment #1) to transfer ARPA funding and related expenditures from the General Fund to a separate ARPA Allocation Fund; establish budget amounts for the ARPA Allocation Fund; and including the transfer of recovered lost revenue for 2020 to the General Fund, including related expenditures in the General Fund. Mr. Fields said this is not a typical budget amendment; this is to remove the original ARPA related revenue and expenditures into a new ARPA allocation fund to track revenue and expenses; we have included $600K for a City-wide hydrology study; additional funding for Attick Towers to $469,587. In order to start giving out these grants, we need a commitment of these funds. We are working on a community forum and survey regarding the spending of the $8.8M for remaining uses. A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Kennedy to introduce Ordinance 21-O-14. The Public Hearing will be scheduled for November 9, 2021 21-O-13 Introduction of Amendments to the City Code, to allow for continued remote participation hybrid meetings for City Boards, Commissions and Committees. Ms. Ferguson said this ordinance is being introduced in tandem with the Charter Amendment to allow more flexibility for the City’s advisory boards to meet remotely. Details will be fleshed out in the Rules pertaining to advisory boards. A motion was made to introduce Ordinance 21-O-13 by Councilmember Kennedy and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell. The Public Hearing will be scheduled for November 9, 2021 21-CR-02 Introduction of Amendments to the City Charter to allow for continued remote participation hybrid meetings for the Mayor and Council. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes October 26, 2021 Page 5 Ms. Ferguson said the Charter Amendment enables the Mayor and Council to adopt in the Rules the process by which you can meet remotely in certain circumstances. A motion was made by Councilmember Mackie and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to introduce 21-CR-02. The Public Hearing will be scheduled for December 7, 2021 ADJOURN: A motion was made by Councilmember Esters and seconded by Councilmember Rigg to adjourn the regular meeting and reconvene in a closed session. Mayor Wojahn read the Closing Statement: Pursuant to the statutory authority of the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article § 3-305(b), the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park are providing notice that they will meet in a closed session after the meeting to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction, and to discuss a matter directly related to a negotiating strategy. Specifically, the Mayor and Council will discuss a personnel matter, and will discuss the VeoRide Contract negotiations. The Mayor and Council will not return to public session after the closed session ends. The motion carried 8-0 and the Regular Meeting was adjourned at 10:27 p.m. ______________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved CLOSED SESSION October 26, 2021 At the conclusion of the Regular Council meeting on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, a motion was made by Councilmember Esters and seconded by Councilmember Rigg to adjourn the regular meeting and reconvene in a closed session. Mayor Wojahn read the Closing Statement: Pursuant to the statutory authority of the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article § 3-305(b), the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park are providing notice that they will meet in a closed session after the meeting to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction, and to discuss a matter directly related to a negotiating strategy. Specifically, the Mayor and Council will discuss a personnel matter, and will discuss the VeoRide Contract College Park City Council Meeting Minutes October 26, 2021 Page 6 negotiations. The Mayor and Council will not return to public session after the closed session ends. The motion carried 8-0. At 10:32 p.m., the Mayor and Council reconvened in a closed session. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the meeting was held virtually. Mayor Wojahn was the Open Meetings Trainee. Mayor Wojahn and Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Dennis, Esters, Day, Rigg, Mackie and Mitchell were in attendance. City Manager Kenneth Young and Assistant City Manager Bill Gardiner also attended. City Attorney Suellen Ferguson, Planning Director Terry Schum, Community Development Planner Felicia Hutchinson, and City Clerk Janeen Miller attended a portion of the meeting. The Mayor and Council were advised by the City Attorney about the status of contract negotiations with VeoRide; negotiating strategies were discussed. The Mayor and Council conducted the Assistant City Manager’s performance evaluation. No action was taken. 12:01 a.m., a motion to adjourn the Closed Session was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Kabir. The motion passed 8-0.