REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2006

CALL MEETING TO ORDER:

The Regular Meeting of the Bowie City Council was held on Monday, December 4, 2006, in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Mayor Robinson called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m.

QUORUM:

In attendance were Mayor Robinson, Mayor Pro Tem Brady, Councilmembers Conroy, Jenkins, Lyles, and Turner; City Manager Deutsch, Asst. City Manager Fitzwater, City Attorney Robert Levan, Members of the Staff, the Press and the Public.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG:

The Council led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION:

A. Mr. Terry Summons, 7307 Quartz Terrace, spoke about the proposed public safety tower at Jericho Park. His statement is attached.

B. Mr. Michael Botega, 2909 Brierdale Lane, spoke about a new Recycling Task Force and noted that he had served on the previous task force 10 years ago. He requested that a similar task force be created to further stimulate interest in recycling in the community.

PRESENTATIONS:

A. Teacher of the Month Recognition - Ms. Pat Dolan, Chairman of the Bowie Education Committee, introduced the Teacher of the Month for December, Ms. Nancy Jones, who is a first grade teacher at Grace Christian School. Mayor Robinson presented Ms. Decker with a Certificate of Recognition and a savings bond from Washington Savings Bank.

B. Proclamation P-22-06 - Commending Audrey E. Scott For Her Outstanding Career and Service to the Citizens of Bowie - Mayor Robinson read and moved approval of P-22-07. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. Mayor Robinson then presented the proclamation and a Key to the City to Mrs. Scott and commended her for her dedicated public service. On behalf of the Council and staff, he wished her well as she relocates to the Eastern Shore.

Mrs. Scott thanked the Council and said that serving the public is an honorable experience and that she gained so much more in return. She thanked all the citizens of Bowie for their support over the past 40 years.

COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mayor Robinson announced the following: 1) He congratulated the Civic Affairs Committee and staff for the tree lighting ceremony held at City Hall last Saturday. 2) There will be no Council meetings until January 2; 3) The deadline for letters of interest for the District 1 seat is December 29, 2006.

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT:

City Manager Deutsch reported: 1) The referendum for the Twelve Oaks Annexation is scheduled for January 30, 2007; a letter will be sent to all residents of that subdivision. 2) The State Highway Administration has scheduled a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Rte. 450 bridge for December 8 at 10:00 a.m.

CONSENT AGENDA:

A. Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved the approval of the following items: A. Approval of Minutes of October 16, 2006 Council Meeting; B. Approval of Minutes of November 6, 2006 Council Meeting; and C. Introduction of Ordinance O-1-07, Providing Supplemental Appropriations for the Annual Budget for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2007 for the Purpose of Funding the Redemption of the Public Improvement Refunding bonds of 1994, Street Improvements in Old Town Bowie, Parks Maintenance Facility, and Updating the Green Infrastructure Plan and Map. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Resolution R-98-06 - Approving a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Bowie and Prince George’s County to Install a Public Safety Communication Tower at the City of Bowie Jericho Park - Mr. Charlie Bryson, RCC Consultants, provided an overview of the radio system through a PowerPoint presentation. He said the County has entered into a contract for a state-of-the-art radio system, which is a digital trunked radio system; the intent is to provide support for all local governments in Prince George’s County. Mr. Bryson added that they are meeting all the first responder criteria as defined by the Department of Homeland Security. He said that the system is designed so that if one site should fail there is overlapping coverage from another site that permits first responders in that area not to lose radio coverage; they have tried to minimize any impact on the residential areas and have not gone onto private property; the system needs 21 radio sites and 2 sites are needed to provide primary coverage within the City of Bowie and the surrounding areas; besides the Jericho Park site, a tower will be constructed at Route 50/301 for the southern Bowie area.

Assistant City Manager John Fitzwater summarized the staff report dated November 27, 2006, a copy of which is on file at City Hall. He said that because of the safety aspect of this project, staff felt this was one of the main reasons to work closely with Prince George’s County; staff also felt that the communications system will benefit the new City police department as well as provide a safe communication environment with regards to public safety for the residents. He said this site was selected because it is one of the most remote sites in proximity to the City; the proposed MOU between the City and the County provides the opportunity to have cellular equipment co-locate on the tower; the City would receive the proceeds from the co-location of those cellular carriers; currently, no carriers have indicated an interest in the Jericho Park site; there is a tower already located on the site that has cellular communication and microwave equipment on it and there are some cellular towers on the PEPCO lines as well. Mr. Fitzwater further reported that the tower’s proposed height is 330 feet; the existing tower is approximately 180-200 feet tall; the project will be reviewed by FCC and the FAA, and the County is required to perform an environmental assessment on the site; the zoning is R-A which is a permitted use. He said staff felt that the Jericho Park site is more remote and would have less of an impact on the property owners in proximity to the site and recommended Council approval of Resolution R-98-06.

Public Hearing:

Ms. Jill Lyon, 13306 Overbrook Lane, thanked the City for their efforts on behalf of the citizens and for the responsiveness in reviewing the proposal, providing time for discussion and considering an alternative. She felt the location of Jericho Park is a far better site.

Following discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved approval of Resolution R-98-06. Councilman Conroy seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

B. Recycling Task Force - City Manager David Deutsch summarized the staff report dated November 28, 2006, a copy of which is on file at City Hall. He said the suggestion of a newly constituted task force makes sense to staff and recommend Council approval. He suggested a six month time frame; would like to get a group together by mid-January and report back to Council with findings and recommendations in early July.

Councilman Jenkins moved approval of establishing a recycling task force for the purpose of exploring the parameters of new uses, applications for recycling, and enhanced community education for an estimated period of six months. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

C. Bowie Business Incubator Facility Feasibility Study - Mr. John Henry King, City Economic Development Director, summarized the staff report dated November 30, 2006, a copy of which is on file at City Hall.

Ms. Lisa Smith, ANGLE Technology Group, said they have received interest not only from the Bowie business and University community, but also from the City Council, and the Economic Development staff which has made an ambitious project very short and rewarding. She gave a brief history of ANGLE Technology and displayed a PowerPoint presentation explaining the results of the study.

Mr. Jean-Louis Racine, ANGLE Technology Group, reviewed the market analysis and said that it concludes that a mixed-use incubation program could be feasible in Bowie; this is based on both the strengths of the City and regional opportunities that would further support such a program. He said that some of the strengths are strategic location of Bowie as seen by businesses and residents as very conducive to tapping into Washington/Baltimore/Annapolis markets and sources of technology; Bowie residents have a high educational attainment, higher than the State or Prince George’s County on average; Bowie has a high quality of life which would attract employers who would want to attract staff; there is a sizable community of home-based businesses in Bowie which represents a sizable demand for incubator services and facilities; there are signs of new business activity, and from the market analysis, they have found strong business and community support for an incubator program in Bowie which is extremely important for such a program to succeed. Mr. Racine said that in terms of regional opportunities, when neighboring incubators are looked at, they find high occupancy rates which suggests an existing demand for incubator space; Bowie State University has a great interest in this program. He further summarized the market demand, existing incubators in the region, community and stakeholder support, and incubator feasibility.

D. City Development Review Guidelines and Policies - Mr. Joe Meinert, City Planning staff, reported that the Council had before them the public hearing draft of this document; staff conducted a review at the worksession of November 13 and have provided a report that describes the substantive changes made to the existing document. He further reported that notice of the public hearing was advertised in the City newsletter, and notices were distributed to the Bowie Advisory Planning Board and the Economic Development Committee; a letter dated December 1, 2006, was received from the Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce which agrees with a number of the existing policies and suggests a number of additional recommendations which have been incorporated in the draft. Mr. Meinert said that staff recommends Council approve the draft; a resolution will be brought back to Council at a subsequent meeting for formal action.

Since there were no persons signed up to speak, Mayor Robinson declared the public hearing to have been held.

Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved to direct staff to update the Development Review Guidelines according to the draft presented by staff and bring them back to Council in the form of a resolution.

Councilman Turner said that he had not had an opportunity to review the full document and would like to do that before giving staff direction. He then moved that this item be postponed until the January 2 Council meeting. City Manager Deutsch said that the recommendation of staff accomplishes not only what the maker of the motion intended, but what Mr. Turner is also seeking; the item will come back to Council accompanied by a resolution to adopt and if Council has changes, they could be made at that time. Mr. Turner withdrew his motion.

The motion made by Mr. Brady carried unanimously.

COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A. Councilman Jenkins reported that there is a large tent in the parking lot at New Town Center, which seems to have become a permanent fixture. He asked staff to look into to whether this is an authorized use. Mr. Deutsch said that it is his understanding that they expect to leave in 2 weeks, but staff will check and let Council know. Councilman Brady asked that this matter be broadened to look into other places where similar tents have existed for 3-4 months.

B. Mayor Robinson noted that this is the last meeting of the year and wished everyone best wishes for an outstanding holiday season. He asked that as the season is celebrated, that everyone take a moment to remember the men and women from Bowie and other areas that are serving in harms way.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Pamela A. Fleming, CMC, City Clerk