Weekly Status Report - 11/1209

MEMORANDUM

TO:               City Council

FROM:         David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT:  Status Report

DATE:     November 12, 2009

Status Report

1. Proposed Safeway Fueling Station at Marketplace Shopping Center

An updated Needs Analysis for the Safeway fueling station proposed at the Bowie Marketplace site was received by the City on November 9th.  This study reviewed several characteristics, including:  location (both on-site and within the MD Route 450 corridor); customer convenience; Safeway customer base; fuel supply by area competitors; demand in the trade area; unmet demand; and, Safeway’s capture of unmet demand in the trade area.  Upon analysis of these factors, the study found “that there is sufficient evidence of public need for the proposed Bowie Marketplace Safeway gasoline fueling station.”

A copy of the Needs Analysis has been provided in this week’s package and is being placed on the City’s website (as was done with the earlier study).  No City public hearing dates for this Special Exception have been set yet.

2.  State of the Environment Report

Attached is a copy of the State of the Environment Report, which staff drafted and shared with the Environmental Advisory Committee.  This annual report identifies the City's progress in implementing the Environmental Infrastructure Action Strategy Plan ("EI Plan"), as well as other environmental initiatives, during the last fiscal year.  If you have any questions about the report, please contact the City's Planning Director.

3.  MD 197 Sidewalk Retrofit -- Evergreen Parkway to Mitchellville Road
The Hiker-Biker Trails page of the Capital Improvements Program includes $40,000 in City matching funds for a State Highway Administration (SHA) sidewalk retrofit project on MD 197, between Evergreen Parkway and Mitchellville Road.  SHA plans to complete the project this fiscal year, and a draft agreement and revised cost estimate were recently provided to the City.  Unfortunately, approximately $18,000 in administrative and construction engineering services costs were not included in the project cost estimate previously supplied to the City.  As a result, the total cost of the project has increased from approximately $80,000 to $98,000.  As the City is expected to pay 50% of the cost of the retrofit project, SHA calculated the amount of the City's contribution to be $48,864.00.  Because of the high importance of this project and the fact that $40,000 of City funding has already been committed, we assume Council would agree to authorize the additional $8,864.00 out of the contingency account, which has funds available.  SHA anticipates construction of the sidewalk in the spring.

4.  Electronic Reporting and E-Citation Additions

The Police Department is obtaining a vendor for the purchase and installation of an Electronic Reporting System and the continued growth of our E-Citation program.  The Electronic Reporting System will allow Officers to complete and submit reports electronically without having to return to the station to print them out for supervisory approval.  The supervisory approval will be done electronically. The electronic reports will also eliminate the need for Administrative Personnel to scan paper reports into Laserfiche, increase the search capabilities of reports, and reduce work hours needed for the scanning and filing of reports.  An Accident Report component will be included so that Officers will be able to write and diagram traffic accidents electronically.  The cost of the Electronic Reporting System is $60,000 and includes licenses to cover the full staffing of the Department.

The E-Citation component continues the expansion of the E-Citation program that allows Officers to issue tickets electronically, utilizing scanners that automatically populate citations after swiping a driver’s license.  The system also automatically runs record checks on the driver.  This increases officer safety and efficiency, both in terms of neat, accurate information and reducing the time of the traffic stop.  We are purchasing thirty-five (35) more E-Citation units at a cost of $60,000.

APS is the sole source vendor for the purchase on the basis that we are building upon the previously purchased E-Citation programs that utilizes their “ReportBeam” technology.  “ReportBeam” is also utilized in the Electronic Reporting and will allow information from reports and traffic citations to feed into the same database.  The total cost for the Electronic Reporting and E-Citation expansion is $120,000 and will be completely paid through a grant from the Department of Justice.          

As provided by Section 62 of the City Charter, this will serve as the required seven (7) day notice of intent to issue a purchase order to APS.   

5.  Speed Camera Update

The Chief of Police and the City Attorney are working with the contractor to complete the adjustments needed to make the contract Bowie specific.  A rough estimate of initial installation is sometime around the first of the year.  Please note the attached letter from the Prince George’s County Government which indicates an unwillingness to allow the City to place a speed camera on Race Track Road near Yorktown Elementary.  The County intends to place a camera there under its program since this is a County road.  We now understand that the municipality right of first refusal applies only on State highways and not on County roads. 

DJD/asf

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