Minutes, Town Meeting (virtual)

This meeting was held by videoconference due to the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency. The meeting was broadcast on Berwyn Heights cable TV channels and streamed on the Town website. Residents were given the opportunity to comment by telephone and email.

Call to Order 7:00 p.m.
Present were Mayor Amanda Dewey, Mayor Pro Tempore (MPT) Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, Councilmembers (CMs) Chris Brittan-Powell, Jason Papanikolas, and Ethan Sweep. CM Brittan-Powell arrived at 7:10 p.m. Also present were Town Manager (TM) Laura Allen, Town Clerk Kerstin Harper, University of Maryland (UMD) students Alex Dao, Aesha Raza, Christian Raphael Flores, Tsun Pung Lai, Rainy Fung and UMD Community Outreach Coordinator Andrew Fellows.

Pledge of Allegiance

1. Announcements
There were none.

2. Approval of the Agenda
On a motion by CM Sweep and second by CM Papanikolas, the agenda was approved 4 to 0.

3. Presentation
Campus Community Connection (C3) students’ presentation: Mayor Dewey welcomed University of Maryland (UMD) Community Outreach Coordinator Andrew Fellows and a group of UMD students who worked on Berwyn Heights flood risk project this semester as part of the Town’s C3 partnership with the University.

The UMD project team consisting of Alex Dao, team liaison, Tsun Pung Lai, data analyst, Aesha Raza, project manager, Rainy Fung, data researcher and Christian Flores, design analyst, gave a presentation on the project. Mr. Dao said the goal of the project was to identify high risk flooding areas in Berwyn Heights as well as the main causes of flooding. Surface permeability, quality of the stormwater drainage systems and rainfall volume were found to be the main causes of flooding. Berwyn Heights surfaces have an average rain permeability of 35% to 50%. The presence of streets, homes and other paved surfaces reduce water absorption into the ground. In addition, the Town’s stormwater intake system is not optimal, with some inlets being blocked.

Tsun Pung Lai said his focus was on gathering and evaluating flooding data to develop a stormwater management strategy. Aesha Raza said the team initially had difficulty finding data to analyze but after connecting with people in the County’s Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) and Department of the Environment, it gathered sufficient data to develop an effective flood risk assessment tool. Tsun Pung Lai gave a demonstration of the tool that will be made available through a dedicated website. The tool maps properties that are at high risk of flooding and suggests solutions to mitigate the flooding risks.

Rainy Fung said the team is still working on a user manual for the tool and a final report, which will be made available when finished. Christian Flores said the team plans to hand the project over to another team for further development of the tool, which they believe has a lot of potential. Overall, the team is happy with how the project turned out and thanked the Town for assisting them.

In response to MPT Kulpa-Eddy, Mr. Fellows said that the tool in its current stage will be delivered to the Town and can be used as seen fit. A possible follow-on project could be done by another team in collaboration with the Town if there is interest. Mayor Dewey, MPT Kulpa-Eddy and CM Brittan-Powell said they are looking forward to exploring the website and thanked the students for their work.

4. Approval of Minutes
On a motion by CM Sweep, seconded by MPT Kulpa-Eddy, the October 19 worksession minutes were approved 5 to 0, as amended. On a motion by MPT Kulpa-Eddy, seconded by CM Sweep, the November 2 worksession minutes were approved 5 to 0.  On a motion by CM Sweep, seconded by MPT Kulpa-Eddy, the November 10 Town meeting minutes were approved 5 to 0.

5. Mayor’s Report
Mayor Dewey said the Town tries to ensure that residents get the services they need during the pandemic and reminded residents to keep up their efforts to stay safe and limit gatherings during the holidays. Mayor Dewey also noted that the Maryland covidLINK system is now available as a phone app, which alerts you if you have been in contact with someone who has been exposed to the virus.

6. Department Reports
CM Papanikolas moved, and CM Sweep seconded to accept the department reports into the record. The motion passed 5 to 0.

Administration: CM Papanikolas reported that Treasurer Rodriguez has accepted another position and wished her success in her new role.

Town Manager’s Report: TM Allen reported that Berwyn Heights was permitted to reallocate CARES Act funds towards Police Department expenses and food support for Prince George’s County residents. The Town also received a $45,000 reimbursement under the CARES Act, is evaluating 5 small business grant applications for CARES Act funds and has scheduled a deep cleaning of Town facilities. TM Allen also noted upcoming holiday closures and encouraged residents to sign up for the e-newsletter.

Code Compliance: CM Brittan-Powell said the Code staff is trying to be mindful of hardships residents may be suffering due to the pandemic when enforcing code regulations. He commended them for their continued service and for dealing with some difficult situations. Mayor Dewey noted that the monthly Code Compliance report has undergone reformatting and contains some useful new graphics.

Parks, Recreation, Education and Civic Affairs: MPT Kulpa-Eddy reported that she attended a November 17 forum on local government budgets during COVID-19 in preparation for the upcoming budget season; that she and other Councilmembers attended a virtual National League of Cities conference November 18-20; and the Council held its annual legislative dinner virtually on December 1. Further, M-NCPPC has launched an initiative to develop a Youth Sports strategic plan dubbed ‘Game On’ and would like to get input from interested residents at upcoming meetings. The information has been shared with the Berwyn Heights Boys & Girls Club and will be posted to the Town website. Input can also be given through the webpage  www.pgparks.com/Game-On-Plan.

Public Works: CM Sweep reported that Public Works has hired two new employees. Curbside leaf collection continues through the end of December and trash collection is cancelled for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In response to MPT Kulpa-Eddy, TM Allen said the prospective Public Works employees are still undergoing background checks and that she has not yet resumed the search for a Public Works director.

Public Safety: Mayor Dewey reported that letters to Santa will be accepted at the Police Station until December 18 and Toys for Tots until December 11. Residents are advised to keep checking for packages delivered to their door and to lock their cars to prevent thefts. She thanked police officers and fire fighters for continuing to work over the holidays to keep residents safe.

In response to CM Brittan-Powell, Mayor Dewey said that Berwyn Heights police is working with Greenbelt Police and other agencies to address the motorcycle and car racing on Kenilworth Avenue. It is difficult to catch the perpetrators because they put out spotters to watch for police before racing. She will refer further questions on this subject to Chief Antolik, who can provide more details.

6. Committee Reports
Education Advisory Committee: MPT Kulpa-Eddy reported that the BHEAC will hold its next virtual meeting on January 25. Committee members have developed an education grant application form which they plan to present to the Council in January. The committee is also developing a workplan for 2021, which focuses on virtual learning and mitigating potential negative outcomes.

Green Team: Mayor Dewey reported that the Town’s Tree City USA application has been submitted. The Green Team also prepared questions for a recent discussion with Pepco on new LED lights and tree trimming; discussed how to reduce litter in Town during the pandemic; explored becoming a Bee City, USA, and interacted with Thriving Earth Exchange.

MPT Kulpa-Eddy added that community garden plot tenants are requested to clean up planting beds before winter, and residents are encouraged to take the litter survey posted on the Town website.

Historical Committee: BHHC Chair Debby Steele-Snyder announced an upcoming meeting, which will be held virtually. The BHHC Facebook page offers historical presentations as part of the Committee’s virtual wine & cheese events series. Accompanying wine glasses with BHHC logo are for sale through Ms. Steele-Snyder. Per request by MPT Kulpa-Eddy, the Committee is reviewing its historic markers to ensure they don’t contain objectionable content.

Neighborhood Watch/ Emergency Preparedness: NW/EP Chair Mike Attick reported that the Town took delivery of a new emergency trailer. He still needs a key to access it. The Committee is pushing to sign up new members to assist BHPD, soon to lose two officers to retirement, with neighborhood watching. The main complaint received by the Committee is about thefts from vehicles. Residents can greatly reduce that risk by locking their cars.

Recreation Council: Recreation Council President Susan Jones reported that the virtual tree lighting party came together well thanks to many resident musicians who pitched in with performances. The recording is still available on the Recreation Council’s YouTube channel. Another virtual concert is scheduled for January 14 at 7:00 pm.

MPT Kulpa-Eddy announced a new community connections pilot program, in which residents can meet up with someone else in Town by telephone, email or video chat. Interested residents will be matched with someone else based on shared interests. Details about the program will be announced in the Town Bulletin, the website and social media.

7. Old Business
There was none.

8. New Business
Resolution 17-2020 – Capital Improvement Program Policy: Mayor Dewey said, following receipt of the final report of the Walkable, Bikeable Berwyn Heights Task Force (WBBH) in early 2020, the Council discussed adopting a policy in a Council Rule to consider sidewalk construction whenever a road project is undertaken. TM Allen in turn suggested that this type of decision might more appropriately be made in the context of a Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

TM Allen said the Council reviewed a first draft of the CIP policy in November and proposed a couple of changes. One was to reference Town committees generally, rather than the WBBH specifically, as entities who could recommend capital projects for inclusion in a CIP. Another was to clarify the meaning of ‘cost-effective’ as a criterion for ranking and scoring CIP projects. The revised policy defines ‘cost-effective’ as “something of good value, where the benefits for usage are worth at least what is paid for them.”

TM Allen continued that the CIP process set forth in the policy charges a CIP review committee, consisting of the department directors and the Town Manager, with scoring proposed capital projects and then recommending a list of prioritized projects to the Town Manager. The Town Manager reviews the projects and in turn makes recommendations to the Town Council. The Town Council reviews, modifies and approves the CIP as part of the annual budget process. The CIP planning process also assesses the Town’s fiscal capacity to ensure funding is available for the life of each project, which can stretch over multiple years. Finally, the Town Manager is responsible for monitoring the CIP program and giving a status report to the Council on a quarterly basis.

CM Brittan Powell moved, and CM Sweep seconded to approve the Resolution.

In discussion, the following points were made:

• It might be useful to broaden the category of ‘sidewalk improvements’ to encompass pedestrian and/ or bicycle connectivity improvements generally.
• The policy’s scoring criteria for capital projects might result in a lower score for sidewalk projects, such as proposed by the WBBH.
• Charts or tables might be used to illustrate the cost-effectiveness of projects during the scoring process but need not be explicitly mentioned in the policy.

Mike Attick, 62nd Avenue, asked whether new sidewalks are being planned and recalled problems with a recent sidewalk construction project. Mayor Dewey clarified that no specific sidewalk projects are being considered at this time but rather a policy for considering sidewalks when road improvement projects are planned.

Clerk Harper read the Resolution. The Council voted 5 to 0 to approve Resolution 17-2020 with an amendment that requires consideration of all types of pedestrian and bikeway connectivity projects when road improvement projects are planned.

CARES Act food donations: TM Allen explained that the County allowed Berwyn Heights to reallocate $9,400 of its CARES Act funds towards food support donations. Some local options include Meals on Wheels-College Park, Berwyn Presbyterian Church’s food pantry, Capital Area Food Bank or other food programs. The Council is requested to choose an organization to which a donation should be made by the deadline of December 15.

MPT Kulpa-Eddy proposed splitting the money between the Berwyn Presbyterian Church and Meals on Wheels. CM Papanikolas so moved. CM Sweep seconded. The motion passed 5 to 0.

Council 2021 meeting schedule: Mayor Dewey said the Council was presented with an annual schedule of Town holidays and Council meetings for 2021 for adoption. The Council reviewed the schedule for needed adjustments and agreed to move the February 15 worksession to February 17, the July 5 worksession to July 12, and to cancel the September 6 and December 20 worksessions. CM Brittan-Powell moved, and CM Sweep seconded to approve the 2021 Council schedule. The motion passed 5 to 0.

9. Citizen Discussion
Mike Attick, 62nd Avenue, commented by telephone about a doorhanger code citation he received but found across the street. He suggested code officials be more careful about delivery of notices so that residents are not caught unawares.

MPT Kulpa-Eddy noted that she received a doorhanger from Xfinity/Comcast notifying her of planned service upgrades and possible interruptions. She asked if TM Allen could find out what upgrades are being planned.

Joan Hayden, Seminole Street, commented by telephone that a lid that had only recently been placed on a trash can near the Indian Creek bike trail has gone missing and trash is again being blown into the neighborhood. Mayor Dewey replied that Public Works will check on it.

CM Brittan Powell said he was asked by some younger residents whether the Town could provide public Wi-Fi service Town-wide. With more online learning internet access has become a basic need. Mayor Dewey said that is an interesting idea and might be explored with Park & Planning, which owns some of the recreational areas in Town. She believes Berwyn Heights Elementary School has a public Wi-Fi network that can be accessed from the parking lot, as does the Town office. However, the Town’s Wi-Fi network is password protected.

CM Papanikolas said that Wi-Fi networks are relatively simple to establish and could probably be set up in more places around Town. He offered to look into whether and how this might be done. TM Allen added that Greenbelt is working on creating more hot spots throughout its city. She can reach out to their IT director to find out more about their initiative. The City of Berlin has worked with its utility to leverage electric meters to set up a Wi-Fi network, something that could be explored with Pepco.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

Signed: Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk