Council Minutes, Mar. 2011

SECTION 5 OF THE VILLAGE OF CHEVY CHASE

COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

Date: March 8, 2011

Time: 7:30 PM

Place: 5906 Connecticut Avenue. Chevy Chase Village Hall

Present: Alec French; Karin Flynn; Peter Gray; Frances L. Higgins, Chris Richardson; Andrew Smith; 4 Section 5 residents

1. Agenda Item: Minutes

   Andrew moved that the February 8, 2011, Council meeting minutes be approved as amended; Karin seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

2. Agenda Item: Discussion of Responses to Traffic Questionnaire and Possible Next Steps

   Andrew said that the majority of residents do not want speed humps or limited access on the main east/west streets. Some residents said that they believe there is a speed issue but did not want speed humps as a preventive measure. It was suggested that additional police presence could remedy some of the speed issues. Andrew said that Leland St. because of its width and its bus traffic has problems that are unique to it. Andrew also said that it is not possible to limit access to Leland St. because Section 5 controls only a portion of the houses in the block from Connecticut Ave. to Glendale Rd. and none of the houses in the block from Glendale Rd. to Brookville Rd.

   There was some discussion about sending an additional survey form to the Leland St. residents notifying them that limited access is not a possibility and asking them if they would be in favor of the installation of a speed hump. A Leland St. resident asked if he could resurvey the Leland St. residents about their views on the installation of a speed hump on the portion of Leland St. that is within the town limits of Section 5.

   Decision:
   The Council asked the resident to survey Leland street residents on speed control alternatives, including, but not limited to the installation of speed humps, and to petition the Council for its review of the responses. She will then send it to the Council for its approval. The Council will review the survey form and let the resident know if he may use his survey material.

   The manager will investigate the cost of temporary speed humps, speed cameras and a device that monitors the speed of motorists and report at the April Annual meeting.

   Andrew said that he will write a report concerning the responses to the traffic questionnaire which will be sent to the residents. Peter's report titled "Analysis of Responses to the Traffic Questionnaire" has a summary on page 19. This summary page and Andrew's remarks will be combined and sent to the residents.

3. Agenda Item: Discussion of Budget

   Karin presented a proposed budget for FY 2011-12. The Council reviewed each revenue and expenditure item. The expenditure item for police patrols was $16,000. There was some discussion about increasing the amount for this item and using the additional patrols as a deterrent to the problems of excessive speed as well as cut through traffic on Section 5's streets.

   Decision:
   The Council decided to increase the budget expenditure for police patrols from $16,000 to $30,000.

   Karin moved that the budget for FY 2011-12 which was amended be adopted as Section 5's budget for FY 2011-12. Peter seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. A copy of this budget will be sent to residents two weeks before the April 5th, 2011, Annual Meeting.

4. Building Inspector's Report

   Permits granted:

   3712 Woodbine St. - redo driveway
   3708 Underwood St. - back yard fence
   3809 Thornapple St. - front yard stone wall

   Alec said that the problem with the Woodbine St. driveway was resolved by the resident removing the center of his impervious driveway and replacing it with gravel.

5. Manager's Report

   The manager completed the paper work to have Section 5 listed on the National Flood Insurance Map. This listing will allow Section 5 residents to apply for flood insurance.

   Andrew paid NZI Construction, Inc., to replace the driveway apron at his house. The company widened the apron to include a triangular piece of concrete on the right side of the apron. NZI did not charge for this extension.

   The owner of La Ferme Restaurant reported to Section 5 that the copper downspouts were stolen from his business during February.

   There was some discussion about the unreliability of Pepco's delivery of electricity to Section 5 residents. Alec suggested that a Face Book page be established so that Section 5 residents as well as residents in the other Chevy Chase towns may post each incident when they lose power. Alec said that then residents may notify the politicians about the number of outages. He also said that people should write the Public Service Commission to alert them about the number of outages.

   Pepco has begun a project to remove many trees which are potential hazards to the electric power lines in Section 5. The Pepco arborist, Matt Young, has identified 7 public trees which need to be removed. The manager went with the Mr. Young who identified the 7 trees. He will obtain the State permit to remove these trees. There are also 6 trees on private property that Mr. Young has identified that need to be removed because their branches are involved with the electric wires. Mr. Young will complete the Section 5 tree removal permit forms for these 6 private trees, send them to the manager and she will inspect the proposed trees and issue the permits for removal.

   The manager suggested that landscape expenses be a separate item in the budget rather than be entered under trees. Karin agreed to this change.

   The manager presented the list of Section 5 CD's and their maturity dates. As the CD's mature the manager will obtain the best rates for the new CD's.

   The manager has attended several meetings with the other municipalities regarding the planned development at Chevy Chase Lake. It is in the interest of all the Chevy Chase munies to coordinate their efforts so they will have some input in the type and size of the development which will be built at Chevy Chase Lake.

   Andrew adjourned the meeting. The next meeting will be the annual election, Tuesday, April 5, 2011, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM and the Annual Meeting at 7:30 PM at the Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Ave. Everyone is welcome. There is handicapped access to the Village Hall.