Town Commissioners Minutes — 2022-07-27
Minutes July 27, 2022 · 10 page(s)
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These are the minutes of the Queenstown Commissioners meeting on July 27, 2022. The meeting opened with a public hearing on five ordinances updating local codes (adopting the 2021 editions of the International Building Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Existing Building Code, International Residential Code, and a zoning amendment to allow storage of one boat on blocks); no public comments were received. In the regular meeting commissioners approved a $5,673 quote to repair a water main leak at 107 Old Wharf Lane, noted delivery/installation of a new 1,000-gallon chemical tank at the WWTP, and ordered a $977 replacement bearing for a plant drum; Harrison & Son Paving was paid $600 to remove an old basketball court tarp. Planning updates included Geneva Rieu willing to continue on the Planning Commission and lacrosse organizers preparing overflow parking plans and agreeing to a no-parking area on part of Thompson Ave. The Harbormaster position remains vacant with Lane Cole serving interim; Town Attorney will research mooring permit authority. Manager updates noted a concert on 7/30, a Verkada security system proposal that commissioners declined for now, and an MDE lead/copper rule requiring a town inventory of water lines by 2024. On infrastructure, commissioners instructed Rauch to submit bid documents to USDA to evaluate rehabbing the Wall Street water tower and to pursue increasing groundwater appropriation; meeting membrane-related WWTP conditions would cost the Town about $50,000. Marine work included a floating dock estimate of about $8,600 for a 6'x30' section and revised town dock bid documents being sent to DNR.
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QUEENSTOWN COMMISSIONERS July 27,2022 PRESENT: President Al Hardee, Commissioner Tom Willis, Commissioner Bryon Callahan, Town Manager Amy Moore, Town Clerk Aaron Horney, Town Attomey Lyndsey Ryan PUBLIC HEARING CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:04 PM ORDINANCE NO. 22.0I AN ORDTNANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN ADOPTING THE 2021EDTTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE, AS MODIFIED BY THE MARYLAND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE, AS THE BUILDING CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH o No public comments were received for Ordinance 22-0I. ORDINANCE NO. 22.02 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN ADOPTING THE 202r EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE, AS MODIFIED BY THE MARYLAND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE. AS THE ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH, AND TO RECODIFY THE GREEN BUILDING DESIGN STANDARDS AS ARTICLE VI OF THE TOWN CODE\ o No public comments were received for Ordinance 22-02. ORDINANCE NO. 22-03 AN ORDTNANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN ADOPTING THE 202r EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXISTING BUILDING CODE, AS AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE, AS THE EXISTING BUILDING CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH o No public comments were received for Ordinance 22-03. ORDINANCE NO. 22.04 AN ORDTNANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN TO ADOPT THE 202r EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE FOR ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS, AS MODIFIED BY THE MARYLAND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE, AS THE RESIDENTIAL CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH o No public comments were received for Ordinance 22-04. ORDINANCE NO.22.05 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN TO AMEND SECTION 67 OF THE QUEENSTOWN ZONING ORDINANCE TO PERMIT THE STORAGE OF ONE BOAT ON BLOCKS, JACKS, OR SIMILAR SUPPORTS PROVIDED THAT CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE MET o No public comments were received for Ordinance 22-05. REGULAR MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:10 PM PUBLIC WORKS o Water main leak present in area of 107 Old Wharf La. Will require boring instead of digging to replace due to ruilrowness of area. Quote to repair $5,673.00 from Steve Roberson Plumbing. Commissioners agree with completing repairs at quoted amount. o New 1,000 gallon chemical storage tank delivered to WWTP- working on installing as part of new membrane cleaning process. o Bearing on drum at plant broke today- part was ordered as is necessary to operate, at cost of $977. Operating without part for now but will need to be monitored every few hours. o Harrison and Son Paving removed/disposed of old basketball court tarp following completion of paving new surface at additional cost of $600. PLANNING o Planning member Geneva Rieu's term will expire in September 2022. Ms. Rieu has stated she is willing to continue on the Commission. No other residents have expressed interest in serving. Commission. Willis second. VOTE: 3 aye - 0 nav. o Ms. Moore met with Lacrosse representatives to discuss parking plans for Thompson Ave. Lacrosse will be submitting plans for overflow parking area to Planning next week. Lacrosse stated they were agreeable to the Town establishing a no parking area along a portion of Thompson Ave. as well. FINANCE COMMITTEE (no updates) HARBORMASTER o No applicants for the position of Harbormaster as of yet. Lane Cole serving as interim Harbormaster until replacement is found. o Pres. Hardee inquired if Town has ability to regulate boat mooring in Queenstown harbor as it is within Town boundaries. Town can require permits to establish moorings/docks/etc. Ms. Ryan will look into further. TOWN CLERK l. Treasurers/Finance Report o General Fund $73,139.86 / Water-Sewer Fund $69,054.07 / ARPA Fund $315.150.82 2. Minutes o June 22,2022 (Regular Meeting) . July 12,2022 (Regular Meeting) abstained as was not present -for meeting. 3. Correspondence/Requests/Info - Sent and Received (nothing to report) TOWN MANAGER UPDATES . Spoke with Verkada rep who sells security cameras, alarms, environmental sensors, etc. Currently works cameras at QAC Elections Board, in talks with Sheriff s Dept., as well as Easton. No ongoing costs for cameras. Cloud storage based. Offer a free trial. Commissioners not interested at this time. May explore other options in future. o Concert in Park scheduled for 7130. Possibility of another- Pres. Hardee will look into other bands for availability for a second concert. o Received notice from MDE regarding new lead/copper water line rule revisions. Town will need to develop an inventory of all water lines by 2024 to comply with new rules. Will follow up with Rauch to coordinate development and determine costs to Town. o Will need a closed session following regular meeting to discuss a personnel issue. OLD BUSINESS ITEMS o INFRASTRUCTURE l. I & I Project(no updates) 2. New Water Tower & Infrastructure Project Bank has been notified of potential changes to project due to price increases. Ms. Ryan discussed options for proceeding on project- does not see project being able to proceed as is for now due to fundinglgrarfi issues without increased costs to Town. Discussed were rehabbing Wall St. tower vs. decommissioning, possiblity to increase groundwater appropriation permit from 70,000 to 200,000 or more to supply portion of Wheatlands, Wheatland's developer building own water tower, etc. Commissioners agree to have Rauch submit bid docs to USDA for rehabbing Wall St. tower to determine costs to Town and also work on groundwater permit increase details. Ms. Ryan also planning to meet with Mann & Hummel reps to discuss conditions required of Town for the WWTP for covering membrane costs. Cost to Town to meet all conditions with exception of 6-month inspection schedule determined to be around $50,000. Commissioners agree would be beneficial overall to make upgrades to meet conditions. 3. Wall St. Water Tower Maintenance (discussed above) 4. Old Wharf Lane -Stormwater (no updates) 5. Wall St. Water Line Replacement (no updates) MARINE PROJECTS 1. Boat Ramp Improvements o Estimate received for construction of floating dock- would require 6' wide by 30' long Estimated around $8,600 with current pricing- could change over time. Pres. Hardee would like estimates for a fixed timber dock as well. 2. Town Dock Projects Bid docs for work are being revised by Rauch and then sending to DNR for review. 3. Federal Channel Dredging (no updates) POLICY 1. Review And Updates To Town Codes And Ordinances (2022) (no updates) 2. Water/Sewer Connections Code - Proposed Clarifications & Revisions o Still working on with Steve Roberson. J a . Breezeline (Atlantic Broadband) Renewal/Options o Awaiting response from Talkie to discuss options with them. Will reach out to them again. Breezeline agreement due for renewal in Fall 2023. 4. Codiff Ordinances Adopted Since Last Update o Ms. Ryan still working on. t. Update Building Codes (Introduced 5/10/22 and eligiblefor adoption) o ORDINANCE NO. 22-01 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN ADOPTTNG THE 2021 EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE, AS MODIFIED BY THE MARYLAND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE. AS THE BUILDING CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH o ORDINANCE NO. 22-02 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN ADOPTTNG THE 202r EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE, AS MODIFIED BY THE MARYLAND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE, AS THE ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH, AND TO RECODIFY THE GREEN BUILDING DESIGN STANDARDS AS ARTICLE VI OF THE TOWN CODE o ORDINANCE NO. 22-03 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN ADOPTTNG THE 202r EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXISTING BUILDING CODE, AS AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE. AS THE EXISTING BUILDING CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH O ORDINANCE NO. 22.04 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN TO ADOPT THE 202t EDTTION OF THE INTERNATTONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE FOR ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS, AS MODIFIED BY THE MARYLAND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY THIS ORDINANCE, AS THE RESIDENTIAL CODE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH 6. Zoning Ordinance Amendment (Introdaced 5/10/22 and eligiblefor adoption) o ORDINANCE NO. 22-05 AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF QUEENSTOWN TO AMEND SECTTON 67 OF THE QUEENSTOWN ZONING ORDINANCE TO PERMIT THE STORAGE OF ONE BOAT ON BLOCKS, JACKS, OR SIMILAR SUPPORTS PROVIDED THAT CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE MET o DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS l. Wheatland's Project (discussed during New Water Tower Project above) o OTHER l. Speeding On Main St (no updates) 2. American Rescue Plan Act (no updates) NEW BUSINESS o Pres. Hardee requested an update on the Events Committee- any progress? Has their role been established? Comm. Callatran believes committee should take over planning current events such as park concerts, tree lighting, etc. and work on ideas for new events. Ms. Moore will schedule meeting with Pres. Hardee and committee members to discuss proposed roles and guidelines for the committee to follow. o Pres. Hardee requested an update on the garden request by Jenny Walton for the Town landing park area. Ms. Moore has reached out to Ms. Walton to discuss ideas. Stated Pat Bowell can offer assistance if desired by Ms. Walton regarding plantings, etc. ATTORNEY UPDATES (nothing to report) PUBLIC COMMENT o Paul Cain - Believes pictures of boats that are registered for each Town boat slip should be on file with the Town. Has provided pictures to Town Office of all boats. Noticed certain slip holders are not following rules- allowing other boats to use slips without notiffing Town. Wants rules to be enforced for all slip holders. Commissioners agree rules should be enforced. Notices will be sent to all slip holders to remind of policies/rules in place. Town will keep pictures provided on file as well. o Lane Cole - Believes if dock is being considered at Town boat ramp it should be put to a referendum to Town voters. Does not think money should be spent on ramp dock. Also noticed bushes growing in the bulkheading at the docks that should be cut down/cleaned up. Pres. Hardee stated his belief that a dock at the ramp would be helpful to rarnp users who have difficulties using the ramp as is and would be beneficial to residents whether they use it personally or not as it would be an amenity to potential new residents of town, similar to playground equipment and other amenities not used by all residents. CLOSED SESSION (Authori=ed by Section 3-305(b) of the General Proyisions Article of the Maryland Annotated Code, and vored upon in Open Session) issues at 7:4lpm. Callahan second. VOTE: 3 alte - 0 nalt. Hardee motion to end the closed session and return to the regular meeting at 7:45pm. Willis second. VOTE: 3 aJte - 0 nay. DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION ON CLOSED SESSION MATTERS IF APPLICABLE immediatelv. lI/illis second. VOTE: 3 aye - 0 nalt. Callahan second. VOTE: 3 alte - 0 nav. TOWI\ OF OUEENSTOWN CLOSED MEETING/EXECUTIVE SESSION RECORI) A public body that meets in closed session may not discuss or act on any matter not permitted under the Maryland Statute summarized below. The public meeting law does not apply to executive firnctions, quasi judicial firnctions, or chance encounters or social meetings. (l) DATE AND TrME OF PROPOSED CLOSED MEETTNG OR E)GCUTM SESSION: Date: r/el/ aoaa- Ilme: 4.t . Q) LEGAL AUTHORITY FOR CLOSING PUBLIC MEETING OR GOING INTO EXECIJTM SESSION (circle tle section of the law which authorizes the closed session): Open Meetings Act, Maryland Code Annotated, State Govemment Article, $10- 508(a), 2004 Repl, Vol @ discuss: (i) theappointrnent,employment,assignment,promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or offrcials over whom it has jurisdiction; or (ii) any other personnel matter that affects 1 or more specific individuals; (2) protect the privacy or reputation of individuals with respect to a matter *rat is not related to public business; (3) consider the acquisition of real propefty for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto; (4) consider a matter that concems the proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand, or remain in the State; (5) consider the investuent of public funds; (6) consider the marketing of public securities; (7) consult with counsel to obtain legal advice; (8) consult with staff, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation; (9) conduct collective bargaining negotiations or consider matters that relate to the negotiations; (10) discuss public security, if the public body determines that public discussion would constitute a risk to the public or to the public secr:rity, including; (D the deployment of fire and police services and staff; and (iD the development and implementation of emergency plans; l) (l prepare, administer, or grade a scholastic, licensing, or quahfring examination; (12) conduct or discuss an investigative proceeding on achral or possible criminal conduct; (13) comply with a specific constitutional, statutory, or judicially imposed requirement t}rat prevents public disclosures about a particular proceeding or matter; or (14) before a contact is awarded or bids are opened, discuss a matter directly if related to a negotiating strategy or the contents ofa bid or proposal, public discussion or disclosure would adversely impact the ability of the public body to participate in the competitive bidding or proposal process. (3) TOWN BOARD, AGENCY, OR COMMISSION PROPOSING CLOSED OR E)GCUTME SESSION: (Name of Board, Agency, (4) IDENTTFY TOPrC(S) PROPOSED FORDISCUSSION rN CLOSED SESSTON: (5) MEMBERS OF tsOARD, AcENCy, COMMISSION, OR COMMITTEE PRESENT AT PUBLIC MEETING AT WHICH CLOSED SESSION REQUESTED: Name Trvn tuitlis For/Against (6) TIME CLOSED SESSION CONVENED: -1: 45 TIME CLOSED SESSION CONCLUDED: Onr PERSONS PRESENT AT CLOSED SESSION: (8) PLACE CLOSED ORE)GCUTTVE SESSION HELD: (e) PURPOSE OF AND TOPICS DISCUSSED AT CLOSED SESSION: (10) St MIvIARY OF ACTIONS TAKEN AT CLOSED SESSION, IF ANY: CERTIT'ICATE OT' PRESIDING OFFICER I hereby cqtiry that I am the presiding officer of CCnnntf igiarf gfg public board, agency, commission, committee, or ottrer public body of thq.Town of ,, the aforesaid agency, board, committee, or commission voted to hold drclosed meeting for the puposes, and to discuss the topics, set forth above, and that no other topics were discr.ssed, and that the foregoing is a true record of the closed meeting described herein. The Clerk or Secretary is directed to maintain this document as a public record of the Town of Queenstown, and to append the same to the minutes of the next public meeting of the aforesaid agency, board, committee, or commission.