Weekly Status Report - 12/17/09

MEMORANDUM

TO:               City Council

FROM:         David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT:  Status Report

DATE: December 17, 2009   

Status Report

1.  M-NCPPC Task Force Bill

Senator Peters and staff testified in support of the bill last week at a hearing held at Prince George’s Community College by the Bi-County Subcommittee of the Prince George’s County House Delegation.  No one spoke in opposition to the bill.  It will probably be February before a hearing is held by the entire House Delegation in Annapolis.

2. Demolition of House

The demolition of the burned out house on Jenkins Ridge Road will be completed by tomorrow.

3.  New Senior Citizen Van

Earlier this year, the City retired two senior citizen vans and sent them back to Prince George’s County.  Staff has acquired one replacement vehicle under the Senior Statewide Transportation Assistance Program (SSTAP) administered by the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation.  A replacement for the second vehicle noted has been applied for and is anticipated for delivery approximately one year from now.  The program allows us to acquire a $65,119.75 vehicle for a payment of $3,255.  Delivery of the vehicle is anticipated by the end of the year and will be put into service immediately.

4.  Police Vehicle Replacement

On October 17, 2009, a City police vehicle was involved in a single vehicle accident and was declared totaled by Local Government Insurance Trust at a value of $12,658.  Criswell Chevrolet was awarded the 2009 State of Maryland Contract for Chevy Impala police vehicles and it has one unit available for immediate delivery at a cost of $19,121.  Funding for this purchase will come from the Reserve for Contingency Fund.  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 Criswell Chevrolet in the amount of $19,121 for the replacement of one police vehicle.

5.  Bowie 2010 Census Event

The Community Outreach Committee is organizing a Census 2010 event in Bowie.  An outreach event targeted toward business, civic and religious leaders, as well as other community "movers and shakers", has been scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2010, from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. at the Bowie Town Center Food Court.  Mr. Fernando Armstrong, the manager of the Census Bureau's Philadelphia regional office, will be one of the guest speakers.  The purpose is to bring representatives of all groups together to hear about the significance of a complete count in the 2010 Census and take the outreach message back to their constituencies to promote the Census.  The event is being held well in advance of the mailout of the 2010 Census in mid-March.  Participants will also be asked to help with the City's Census Awareness Day (to be scheduled sometime during the month of March) when residents will be encouraged through advertising media to complete the Census form.  Staff expects to mail invitations out for the outreach event in early January.  In addition, several of the City's facilities, including City Hall, the Gymnasium and Senior Center, will be used for Census recruitment testing and, later, as Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QAC).  We have also asked that each of the three Community Centers run by Park and Planning be designated as QACs.

6.  Route 450 Turn Lane

As you are aware, SHA striped Route 450 between Race Track Road and Public Works Road to eliminate one eastbound lane and replace it with a dual left-turn lane.  Although this reconfiguration wasn't supported by our Public Works Department, once staff found out about it, they did ask SHA if they could extend it past the entrance to Public Works Road in order to provide for a protected left-turn lane exiting onto Route 450.  This has always been a dangerous movement, mixing large refuse and dump trucks that are slow to accelerate with high speed traffic moving eastbound on Route 450.  SHA agreed to do that.

However, when SHA striped the dual left turn lane, they stopped just short of Public Works Road.  And to make matters worse, they painted cross-hatched yellow stripes across the existing left-turn lane entering Public Works Road.  SHA has now installed the left-turn lane out for outbound traffic from Public Works and re-established a left turn lane into Public Works.  They have used "Quick Curb", which is not as much of an obstruction as a concrete island would have been.  What this means for eastbound traffic is that they will have to stay in a single lane for a few seconds longer. But they will no longer be at risk of hitting the back of a refuse or dump truck, which is slow to accelerate. There have been such accidents at this intersection in the past.  It will also make it safer for the general public who use the oil recycling facility at this location.

Note that the left-turn lane out of Public Works Road conforms with the design included in the ultimate widening of Route 450 between Stonybrook Drive and Route 301. As you know, there are currently no State funds available to construct this section of roadway.  But the decision by SHA to install the dual left-turn lane did provide an opportunity to add the protected left-turn lane out of Public Works as a safety improvement to separate slow and fast moving traffic.

DJD/asf

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