Minutes of Regular Meeting on June 10, 2015
Presentations
Change in Trash Collection Routes
Bob Stumpf, Public Works director, informed members of changes to the City’s trash collection routes and schedules. Since they no longer have to collect from the Knox Box area, they rescheduled the routes to make them more even. All homes whose pickup day would change have received a notice on their doorknob; there is no change for those who did not receive a notice.
WSSC Pipeline Replacement
Tom Tegby, a contractor with WSSC, presented members with an overview and timeline for the water main replacement plan. About 2 3/4 miles of supply lines (four 8″ mains) will be replaced, mostly east of Rhode Island Ave. Actual construction will take place Apr 2016 to Sep 2017. The old cast iron pipes will be replaced with ductile iron, which has an expected lifetime of 100 years; no PVC will be used. Homeowners will receive a minimum 48 hour notice before a water shutdown, which will last at most 8 hours.
Elections
John Krouse distributed ballots for the annual elections, then collected them, counted them, and reported later.
Presentations – continued
Branchville Crossing
Tom Tanner, vice president of the Branchville Volunteer Fire Dept., which has operated in College Park since 1924, presented members with a list of concerns his company has about the conceptual site plan proposed by Cruz Development Corp. for Branchville Crossing on the property across Branchville Rd. from their firehouse. The first concern was the turning radius required by their emergency vehicles: the current width of Branchville Rd. does not meet even current County standards, and the vehicles regularly have to pull onto a gravel shoulder on the opposite side of the street when turning out of or into the firehouse; there is no curb on the street on that side. The conceptual plan calls for a sidewalk and curb along that stretch. Second, there is insufficient parking on site for the proposed 7-story workforce housing, which could lead to cars parking on both sides of Branchville Rd. and blocking emergency vehicle movement. Third, cars currently use Branchville Rd. as a quick, although illegal, egress from the neighborhood, in spite of Do Not Enter signs along that stretch; this may be exacerbated when more vehicles use the road. Fourth, the proposed entrance is no opposite 49th Pl. but is offset from it, making entry to the property more difficult for emergency vehicles. Fifth, the proposed building location is too close to both University Blvd. and Branchville Rd. and would require variances for both. Sixth, fire rescue protocol calls for fire vehicles to park at and access the rear of the building, which would be from University Blvd. There is a proposed fence and shrubs/trees, which would make such access much more difficult. Seventh, the proposed location for the dumpsters and trash collection is opposite the fire station; trash trucks would block emergency vehicles. Lastly, Mr. Tanner is of the opinion that the building is too massive and out of character with the neighborhood.
Mr. Tanner also gave a short presentation on summer safety tips: fire pits must be located as least 30′ from a building, 10′ around it must be clear of flammables, let coals cool 48 hours before disposing of them, replace smoke detector batteries in spring and fall, replace the smoke detector itself every 10 years.
At 8:35 the meeting took a short recess; snacks and beverages were served. The meeting resumed at 8:46.
College Park City University Partnership
Eric Olsen, executive director for the CPCUP, gave a short presentation on the partnership’s University District Vision for 2020 and various strategies they plan to pursue. He also distributed a brochure and other material.
Reports and Announcements
Minutes, Reports
Moved by John Krouse/Les : Adopt the minutes of NCPCA May 14 meeting without change; motion passed.
President Chris Nagle distributed the results of the NCPCA survey. Members thanked Chris for her service as NCPCA’s president for the past two years. There were no other officer reports.
Announcements
Fazlul Kabir thanked members for their help during the Sunnyside cleanup; the next cleanup will be on 7/12 at the Holly Commercial District; residents should take the City’s Aging In Place survey, which can be found online or in the current Gazette; 6/22 Live Smart Eat Local with guest Dr. Maxwell; 8/5 grant workshop. In June there will be a City Council vote on a proposal by the University for a day care at Calvert Road school site; perhaps M-NCPPC should give a presentation on its trails plan.
New Business
Moved by Mark Shroder/Larry Bleau: Adjourn the meeting. Motion failed. Moved by Mary Cook/Daniel Walfield: Extend the meeting beyond 9:30. Motion passed.
Branchville Crossing
Members discussed in an informal manner various concerns about the development and took a straw poll on which ones were the most important.
Moved by Daniel Walfield/Arthur Eaton: Send a letter to City Council, with copy to County Council, expressing concerns members have with the Branchville Crossing conceptual site plan, noting in particular, the turning radius safety issue, parking on the street, the location of the entrance, the location of the trash collection point, and possibly the scale of the proposed building as it is not in character with the neighborhood. Motion passed.
The meeting adjourned at 9:58 pm.
Submitted by Larry Bleau, Secretary.