Weekly Status Report - 12/30/10

MEMORANDUM

TO:               City Council

FROM:         David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT:  Status Report

DATE:  December 30, 2010

Status Report

1. Bowie Photovoltaic Projects
As you are aware, during the December 6 Council Meeting a contract was awarded for the installation of a grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system at the Bowie Genealogy Library.  Once complete, this project will offset the facility’s annual electricity consumption by approximately 100%.  The City’s architect is in the process of obtaining the County required permits, and staff anticipates the installation will be complete by January 31, 2011.

With regards to the PV project at the Radio and Television Museum, staff is working with the City’s architect to modify the PV design from a ground-mount array to a roof-mount array, which will be installed on the south facing roof of the existing garage.  This modification is necessary in order to obtain approval from the County Historic Preservation Division, as the County felt the ground-mount array on the south lawn of the facility would disrupt the environmental setting of the facility.  The cost for modifying the PV design is approximately $6,655 and includes the funds necessary for the required landscaping adjacent to the garage.  Staff expects to release a request for proposals in early February, with installation in March 2011.

2. Police Chief Recruitment
The recruitment process is underway.  The announcement and brochure were posted in about a dozen locations by The Mercer Group.  Those locations include various job posting websites, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the International Hispanic Network, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), among others.  The deadline for applications is January 21st.  I expect a report from Mr. Mercer next week, which I will share with Council upon its receipt.  If you want to view the position announcement and the brochure, you can do so by checking the Mercer website.  Click on Current Searches.

3.  Population and Housing Estimates
Enclosed in your package is the latest version of the Department of Planning and Economic Development's Population and Housing Estimates handout.  The January 1, 2011 estimates include a resident population of 57,678 people and 20,745 dwelling units.  The actual number of new residential units added in 2010 was only 11 dwelling units, the lowest recorded total since the Planning Department has been recording the information, and is 12 less than the 2009 total.  The new population stimate, however, revises last year's estimate by about 3.1% (or 1,720 people).  This change is based on the way staff conducted the estimate this time; the method relies on more up-to-date factors including a slightly higher persons-per-household multiplier and a much lower housing vacancy rate (using ACS data rather than Census 2000).  Please call the Planning Department if you have any questions about this information.  (We also understand the detailed results of the 2010 Census will not be available until May, based on the published schedule.)

4.  New Residential Construction Handout
Also enclosed in your package is a copy of the New Housing Construction handout, updated for 2010 by the Planning Department.  The dwelling unit growth of 11 housing units is from building permit activity only, as there were no annexations during 2010.

5.  Police Officer Swearing-in
At Monday night’s meeting, Officer Brandon Racadio will be sworn in.  He put himself through the Municipal Police Academy while studying Criminal Justice at Prince George’s Community College and graduated from the Academy on December 10th.  Officer Racadio currently resides in Mitchellville and is a longtime Prince George’s County resident.

DJD/asf