Meeting began at 7:30 pm. Councilmembers Mary Cook, and Patrick Wojahn were present; Jonathon Molinatto, Bob Catlin, and Jack Perry arrived later. Faith Calhoun (on behalf of P.G. County Councilman Tom Dernoga) also attended.
Mike Nagy and Gary Budson gave a presentation on development proposal at the Chinese Bible Church, at 9618 Autoville Dr. The church wants to expand, has purchased adjacent property, and has filed a preliminary plan to subdivision to form a single lot, which would have a split zone (RR and MUI). The church currently has 190 seats and would remain that size, but there would be additional offices, meeting rooms, rest rooms, a library, a warm-up kitchen, and a large multipurpose room. While the church has a faith community of about 300 members, only 100 are served at a time due to language differences. The parking in front of the property would be removed to make a more pedestrian friendly area; parking (total of 144 spaces) would be placed in the rear. There is a single-family residence on the property, which would remain and be used for occasional visitors. There are tree conservation areas behind the property. An underground stormwater management system will filter runoff using a water quality device that would be maintained by the County before allowing it to drain into Paint Branch. If all goes well they expect to get building permits in one year and complete construction in 1 ½ years. There will be hearings in front of Park and Planning Commission (7/3) and City Council (7/8). There is no access to the property from the south.
Moved by Betty Colonomos / Peter Lakeland: Approve the minutes of NCPCA May 8 meeting with corrections; motion passed. The corrections were: paragraph 1, line 2, change “Secretary” to “Treasurer”; paragraph 6, line 4, change “Talukder” to “Sarwar”; paragraph 9, line 2, replace last clause with “that a full investigation report regarding the incident was pending.”
President Arthur Eaton reported one significant item of mail: Prince Georges County Council asked for NCPCA’s input on emergency legislation on dwelling units and standards that authorized the county to go through the neighborhood, fix problems with properties, and charge the owner. This would be in addition to a similar ordinance passed by the City. The measure was passed on 6/4.
Treasurer Anna Ubeda reported 28 new or renewing members since last month, for dues of $280 plus a $15 donation, giving a current balance of $1,629; no expenditures have been paid since the last meeting. Larry submitted an expense request of $61.92 for copying and stamps, which Anna paid that night.
City Councilmember Patrick Wojahn had nothing to report on progress towards the Al-Huda School’s site plan; we are waiting for Prince Georges County’s action plan. The recently conceived Good Neighbor Council has been deferred; it is still in the works with no specific timeline. There will likely be two leaders: one from the Al-Huda community and one who is not a member of that community.
At this point, each of the candidates for NCPCA office that was present was given time to make a statement to the members, after which members voted by secret ballot. The Elections Committee chair was Mark Shroder, with John Krouse and Betty Colonomos assisting.
While the votes were being counted, Maureen Malone, chair of the Variance Committee, reported that they received one variance notice, CPV-2008-02, for 5012 Iroquois St., which contained two variance requests: to repave an existing driveway that is crumbling, and to expand the driveway in front of the house. The committee recommended approval of the former and was split on the latter. The other committee members are John Krouse, Bob Seward, Kennis Termini, and Seth Weene.
Moved by Chris Nagle / Judy Pepoy: Have NCPCA take a position in favor of granting both variances. Motion passed.
City Councilmember Patrick Wojahn reported that funds had been found for trash receptacle, and solicited members’ opinions on where they should be placed. Suggested locations were 53rd & Edgewood at entrance to school; Cherokee St. at the triangle; a second one at the Metro entrance; on Cherry Hill Rd. at the bus stop across from Shoppers Food Warehouse; along 51st Ave; and west of there on Apache.
The Elections Committee reported that, for the office of Vice President there was not a majority, but only a plurality. Of 52 votes cast, the two highest vote getters of the four candidates received 22 and 20 votes. For the other offices, Larry Bleau was elected President; Fazlul Kabir was elected Secretary; and Anna Ubeda was elected Treasurer. Members discussed at length what to do, since the By-Laws do not cover this situation. Moved by Bob Seward / Fazlul Kabir: accept the election results for the three candidates, let the current Vice President continue in office until another election can be held, and hold an election for Vice President at the next meeting at which all four candidates would be on the ballot. Motion passed 20-19, with President Arthur Eaton breaking the tie.
Faith Calhoun announced she would be leaving the area; she was thanked with a motion and a warm round of applause.
City Councilmember Patrick Wojahn reported that City Council increased the property tax by a small amount; he thanked the many people who came to speak on the budget; he queried NCPCA members on when the city’s contract officers should speak with members, either at a NCPCA meeting or another forum (members said the new officers should decide this); that the officers would cover each of the districts equally; and that he still wants a Postal Service representative to speak to members at a future meeting.
The meeting adjourned at about 9:40 pm.
Submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary.