Commissioners Meeting Minutes – October 18, 2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
October 18, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Town Clerk Cate McDonald, Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon
Town Residents: Barbara Ray, Duane Heiler, Sandy Heiler, and Debbie Wagner
Others: none
Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar
Commissioner Bartley will be 30 minutes late to the meeting

Open Discussion:
• Halloween: will the Town be “Trick or Treating” on Halloween night (Monday) night or move to another night? Response: The Town does not change the day for “Trick or Treating”. There was a discussion about having an event at the Academy Halloween night for Town Residents. It was decided to promote SUMC’s “Table and Treat” event, which will take place Sunday, October 30 on the lawn of SUMC.
• Suggestion to use the Brookeville Times to welcome new families and make personal announcements.
• A one point, the Town had a volunteer welcome wagon. The welcome “baskets” can be restarted and will include” a “Brookeville: Capital for a Day” DVD, Town directory, historical map poster, a pin, and a welcome letter that included historical tax credit information.
• A discussion was held about the 2 year tax increase that is set to expire in 2017. Any tax increases will be discusses at a later Commissioners Meeting. The Commissioners will ask the Treasurer to total up the amount of taxes collected in the 2 years and to highlight where the money was spent. If the Commissioner can find a stream of revenue, then they can cut taxes.
• When will the new entrance signs be installed? Discussion deferred until Commissioner Bartley arrives.

Academy Chairs: review of the “chair report” with updated information from Sandy Heiler was reviewed. The plan is to purchase “Windsor-style” chairs for use in the Academy’s Dining Room. The current chairs in the dining room would be moved upstairs to the Lecture Hall. The Lecture Hall chairs would be sold. Finding 75 Windsor chairs in good conditions is difficult. Mrs. Heiler has found groups of 6-8 from individuals or used-furniture dealers and 15 from the Howard University Law Library in Baltimore. The chairs will be a mixture of various kinds of Windsor chair. The Windsor chairs can be stacked 2 high when not in use. There are 3 options to come up with a total of 75 chairs:
1 – Purchase a batch of 75 new, unfinished custom made chairs
2 – Purchase in small good quality 75 used chairs
3 – Purchase a mixture of new and used chairs.
All chairs would need to be painted black.
New chairs would need a lead time of 8-10 weeks plus painting.
Buying chairs in small batches may take more time plus a place to store them until 75 are found.
There was a lengthy discussion about the Windsor chairs and the Commissioner agreed to the following:
Purchase:
15 chairs from Howard Univ. Law Library
15-20 good quality chairs from a dealer in New Market
40-45 new chairs from a furniture maker in WV
Total: 75
Average price will be $100 per chair
$25-$30 to paint each chair = $1,875 estimated
$11,000 for chairs
Total estimated cost = $12,000.00 for period appropriate chairs for the dining room
The consensus: a mix of new and used chairs feels more like “Brookeville”.

Town Commissioners voted (3-0) to purchase several lots of Windsor style chairs. To reach a total of 75 chairs, the Town may purchase unfinished bow back Windsor chairs from a furniture maker in WV. All of the Windsor chairs will be painted black.
The next purchase for the Academy will be new tables. We need to have tables the chairs can go under.

CPH Engineering:
Status report for regrading of lower Water Street: Commissioner Bartley is soliciting bids for contractors with the topographic map.
RFP sent to Serra Stone, Maxxon, and Weigand. Proposals should be back in a couple of weeks. After proposals are received, Commissioner Bartley and BPC Chair will review. An interim meeting of the Commissioners may need an interim meeting once proposals have been received and reviewed.
Question was raised about why the Town is only doing the lower portion of Water Street. There may be backlash from Residents. What do the commissioners say to Residents about splitting the road work?
Residents of 209 Market Street report having a lot of wash down water from Water Street onto their property. Commissioner Farquhar reports that the Residents of 209 Market believe that when Water Street was build, there were design and engineering things that happened and that there are drains under the road that are not working. The drains are from Water Street, under 211 Market, and drain onto 209 Market’s yard. There was a discussion about how this was not possible: The Montgomery’s would not have allowed a drain across their property and runs under their pool. Water Street was developed in 2003 and the pool was put in sometime in the 1990’s. There was a discussion about weather patterns changing due to climate change and the natural flow of storm water. The topographic maps will show the natural flow of water. There is a French drain along Water Street adjacent to 211 Market’s shed/garage. Residents of North Street have been asking what the Town is going to do about storm water runoff onto their property. Also, what surface will the roads become (gravel vs. tar & chip). Rain water flows downhill so there is not much the Town can do to disrupt the natural flow of rain water. Commissioner Bartley will review the plans from the Water Street development to determine if there are drains running to North Street.
How to make a decision about resurfacings? Many Resident would like tar & chip. First, the Town will need to consult with HPC to see if a surface change to tar & chip will be allowed. Mrs. Heiler, a member of HPC, said HPC approves tar & chip all the time for gravel roads because over time gravel roads are not long pervious.
Commissioner Farquhar wants to know what is holding up the road surface change; the Town has the money now. Commissioner Bartley said he gotten an estimate for North Street for a 12ft tar & chip strip with 2 feet of gravel on each side – the question: would that type of road works for Brookeville. The Town is now at the design / concept phase and need to determine what type of road surface. There may be financial help from the State and grants available to help defer the cost. The Town needs a design to get an accurate quote.
Options for road surface:
1. Improve the gravel roads. Cheaper but requires continual maintenance
2. Change surface to tar & chip (exposed aggregate). More expensive, easier to maintain, and less maintenance.
3. Restructured gravel (dig down to original gravel)
When North Street is resurfaces, Commissioner Bartley will work with CPH to see if there is a design option to channel water runoff onto Market Street. The object would be to minimize drainage across properties with a gutter or something similar, as best we can, particularly for North and Water Streets, as some houses were build lower than the road. Commissioner Farquhar will have meeting with the Residents of Water and North Street to get their input.

Question to Commissioner Bartley: when will the 3 new entrance signs be installed? Commissioner Bartley will get the contractor to schedule a date. Commissioner Farquhar wants to have the North Street sign moved at the same time. Commissioner Farquhar wants MoCo to erect a flood sign at the intersection of Market and Brookeville Rd.

Phase 1 of Schoolhouse project:
Jon Cholwek, an arborist at Pogo, will be providing an estimate to update the 2008 tree survey with particular attention to North Street trees.
Status of the Schoolhouse project: the Commissioner met with Heritage Montgomery. The proposed work for Heritage Montgomery to use the schoolhouse will be done in 4-5 phases. Phase 1 will be to access the trees from 209 Market to the Schoolhouse. If the Town proceeds with Heritage Montgomery’s proposed use of the Schoolhouse, the Town will pay for necessary tree removal and trimming. Heritage Montgomery will pay for the lot clean-up, installation of the walking path, and a fence along 211 Market’s property line. The Town would need to maintain the lot. Commissioner Farquhar wants to make sure the arborist surveys the tulip poplars on the lower end of North Street. There is no final agreement with Heritage Montgomery – the Commissioners are working on a preliminary agreement. Heritage Montgomery will not clean up the lot and install the fence until there is signed agreement. Once a draft agreement is reached, it will be uploaded to the Town’s website and be made available to Residents.

Schoolhouse exterior repairs:
• The Academy Manager is working on the chimney cap.
• Door frame – Heritage Montgomery will not pay to repair as maintenance of the Schoolhouse is the Towns responsibility.
• Commissioner Bartley, Miche Booz, Chris Scanlon, Josh Bryant (CPH) are working on re-grading plan for the Schoolhouse lot. After the lot is regraded, the repairs to the door frame will take place. If the French drain is removed, a HAWP will be needed.

Academy Update:
• Contract with Donna Will: Academy Manager reported that Donna Will’s first use of the Academy for a field trip was this past Friday. There was over 100 children and all went well. This past Monday, the bus went to the wrong location so the field trip did not take place. Currently, there are 25 field trips plan from now until the end of the school year.
• Another Cub Scout Den will be using the Academy for their meeting.
• Chabad of Olney is holding a weekly art class on Wednesday nights September – May

Storage: Academy Manager reports that Chabad and Donna Will has asked to store items at the Academy. Their contract for use of the Academy states items may not be stored at the Academy. Commissioner Farquhar does not want to make any contract commitments for more than a year (end of this fiscal year). The Commissioners need to discuss a strategic plan for the Academy. For example – weddings and parties make more money than community use of the Academy. Does the Town want the Academy to make more money; a significant income stream? Currently, community use of the Academy does not conflict with weekend rentals of the Academy.
The Town has discussed options for install a shed on property for storage, but MHT prohibits a shed. If the Academy Manager is flexible enough to allow storage, that is fine but The Town is not responsible to provide storage. The Academy Manager will organize a massive clean-up of the Academy to help free up some storage space for Town use. The Commissioners will decided what items to keep and what items to toss.
An idea to purchase 1 High Street to use as the Town office was discussed. That idea might be discussed at a later date.

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:

Minutes: The September Commissioners Meeting were approved as edited.

Financial: deferred until next Commissioner Meeting

BYPASS:
• Next Partnering Meeting at SHA, Baltimore = TBD

Town Operations:
• Town Lights: after many months and different bulb options, the Town will revert back to using HPS (high pressure sodium) bulbs in the Town’s cast iron streetlights. HPS bulbs should last 5 year. LED bulbs will be reconsidered in the future when the technology changes.

• Academy Metal/Shingle-Shake Roof: The Academy Manager solicited option from Sandy Heiler, BPC Chair Scanlon, and Miche Booz. After she gets all the opinions, she will solicit bids. After the bids are received, she will submit them to the Commissioners for comments / approval. After the Commissioner approve what material will be used on the roof, the Academy Manager will apply for MHT approval.

Material for October Brookeville Times: Water Street drainage remediation from Commissioner Bartley; information about what’s happening at the Academy.
Semi-Annual meeting: will be schedule for a date in January.
The Commissioners will have an executive session Friday, November 4th at 8:00am

Other Business:
• New website: deferred
• Technology and email: Town Clerk would like to use Google Apps or Outlook 365 for email. Currently, GoDaddy’s web based email is used but it does not sync email across all devices and it is glitchy. Also, she would like the Commissioner to determine what type of website they prefer (a basic information site or with more options ie: able to have directory online, send / receive text message, able to integrate social media). Also, have the ability to store documents online, in the cloud. Commissioner Farquhar will solicit opinions / input from Town Residents about uses of cloud based options and communication options.
• The request for a free Academy rental for private fundraiser will be offered a rate of $200 to cover the Towns cost of cleaning the Academy.

The meeting adjourned at 9:30p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – October 18, 2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
October 18, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Town Clerk Cate McDonald, Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon
Town Residents: Barbara Ray, Duane Heiler, Sandy Heiler, and Debbie Wagner
Others: none
Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar
Commissioner Bartley will be 30 minutes late to the meeting

Open Discussion:
• Halloween: will the Town be “Trick or Treating” on Halloween night (Monday) night or move to another night? Response: The Town does not change the day for “Trick or Treating”. There was a discussion about having an event at the Academy Halloween night for Town Residents. It was decided to promote SUMC’s “Table and Treat” event, which will take place Sunday, October 30 on the lawn of SUMC.
• Suggestion to use the Brookeville Times to welcome new families and make personal announcements.
• A one point, the Town had a volunteer welcome wagon. The welcome “baskets” can be restarted and will include” a “Brookeville: Capital for a Day” DVD, Town directory, historical map poster, a pin, and a welcome letter that included historical tax credit information.
• A discussion was held about the 2 year tax increase that is set to expire in 2017. Any tax increases will be discusses at a later Commissioners Meeting. The Commissioners will ask the Treasurer to total up the amount of taxes collected in the 2 years and to highlight where the money was spent. If the Commissioner can find a stream of revenue, then they can cut taxes.
• When will the new entrance signs be installed? Discussion deferred until Commissioner Bartley arrives.

Academy Chairs: review of the “chair report” with updated information from Sandy Heiler was reviewed. The plan is to purchase “Windsor-style” chairs for use in the Academy’s Dining Room. The current chairs in the dining room would be moved upstairs to the Lecture Hall. The Lecture Hall chairs would be sold. Finding 75 Windsor chairs in good conditions is difficult. Mrs. Heiler has found groups of 6-8 from individuals or used-furniture dealers and 15 from the Howard University Law Library in Baltimore. The chairs will be a mixture of various kinds of Windsor chair. The Windsor chairs can be stacked 2 high when not in use. There are 3 options to come up with a total of 75 chairs:
1 – Purchase a batch of 75 new, unfinished custom made chairs
2 – Purchase in small good quality 75 used chairs
3 – Purchase a mixture of new and used chairs.
All chairs would need to be painted black.
New chairs would need a lead time of 8-10 weeks plus painting.
Buying chairs in small batches may take more time plus a place to store them until 75 are found.
There was a lengthy discussion about the Windsor chairs and the Commissioner agreed to the following:
Purchase:
15 chairs from Howard Univ. Law Library
15-20 good quality chairs from a dealer in New Market
40-45 new chairs from a furniture maker in WV
Total: 75
Average price will be $100 per chair
$25-$30 to paint each chair = $1,875 estimated
$11,000 for chairs
Total estimated cost = $12,000.00 for period appropriate chairs for the dining room
The consensus: a mix of new and used chairs feels more like “Brookeville”.

Town Commissioners voted (3-0) to purchase several lots of Windsor style chairs. To reach a total of 75 chairs, the Town may purchase unfinished bow back Windsor chairs from a furniture maker in WV. All of the Windsor chairs will be painted black.
The next purchase for the Academy will be new tables. We need to have tables the chairs can go under.

CPH Engineering:
Status report for regrading of lower Water Street: Commissioner Bartley is soliciting bids for contractors with the topographic map.
RFP sent to Serra Stone, Maxxon, and Weigand. Proposals should be back in a couple of weeks. After proposals are received, Commissioner Bartley and BPC Chair will review. An interim meeting of the Commissioners may need an interim meeting once proposals have been received and reviewed.
Question was raised about why the Town is only doing the lower portion of Water Street. There may be backlash from Residents. What do the commissioners say to Residents about splitting the road work?
Residents of 209 Market Street report having a lot of wash down water from Water Street onto their property. Commissioner Farquhar reports that the Residents of 209 Market believe that when Water Street was build, there were design and engineering things that happened and that there are drains under the road that are not working. The drains are from Water Street, under 211 Market, and drain onto 209 Market’s yard. There was a discussion about how this was not possible: The Montgomery’s would not have allowed a drain across their property and runs under their pool. Water Street was developed in 2003 and the pool was put in sometime in the 1990’s. There was a discussion about weather patterns changing due to climate change and the natural flow of storm water. The topographic maps will show the natural flow of water. There is a French drain along Water Street adjacent to 211 Market’s shed/garage. Residents of North Street have been asking what the Town is going to do about storm water runoff onto their property. Also, what surface will the roads become (gravel vs. tar & chip). Rain water flows downhill so there is not much the Town can do to disrupt the natural flow of rain water. Commissioner Bartley will review the plans from the Water Street development to determine if there are drains running to North Street.
How to make a decision about resurfacings? Many Resident would like tar & chip. First, the Town will need to consult with HPC to see if a surface change to tar & chip will be allowed. Mrs. Heiler, a member of HPC, said HPC approves tar & chip all the time for gravel roads because over time gravel roads are not long pervious.
Commissioner Farquhar wants to know what is holding up the road surface change; the Town has the money now. Commissioner Bartley said he gotten an estimate for North Street for a 12ft tar & chip strip with 2 feet of gravel on each side – the question: would that type of road works for Brookeville. The Town is now at the design / concept phase and need to determine what type of road surface. There may be financial help from the State and grants available to help defer the cost. The Town needs a design to get an accurate quote.
Options for road surface:
1. Improve the gravel roads. Cheaper but requires continual maintenance
2. Change surface to tar & chip (exposed aggregate). More expensive, easier to maintain, and less maintenance.
3. Restructured gravel (dig down to original gravel)
When North Street is resurfaces, Commissioner Bartley will work with CPH to see if there is a design option to channel water runoff onto Market Street. The object would be to minimize drainage across properties with a gutter or something similar, as best we can, particularly for North and Water Streets, as some houses were build lower than the road. Commissioner Farquhar will have meeting with the Residents of Water and North Street to get their input.

Question to Commissioner Bartley: when will the 3 new entrance signs be installed? Commissioner Bartley will get the contractor to schedule a date. Commissioner Farquhar wants to have the North Street sign moved at the same time. Commissioner Farquhar wants MoCo to erect a flood sign at the intersection of Market and Brookeville Rd.

Phase 1 of Schoolhouse project:
Jon Cholwek, an arborist at Pogo, will be providing an estimate to update the 2008 tree survey with particular attention to North Street trees.
Status of the Schoolhouse project: the Commissioner met with Heritage Montgomery. The proposed work for Heritage Montgomery to use the schoolhouse will be done in 4-5 phases. Phase 1 will be to access the trees from 209 Market to the Schoolhouse. If the Town proceeds with Heritage Montgomery’s proposed use of the Schoolhouse, the Town will pay for necessary tree removal and trimming. Heritage Montgomery will pay for the lot clean-up, installation of the walking path, and a fence along 211 Market’s property line. The Town would need to maintain the lot. Commissioner Farquhar wants to make sure the arborist surveys the tulip poplars on the lower end of North Street. There is no final agreement with Heritage Montgomery – the Commissioners are working on a preliminary agreement. Heritage Montgomery will not clean up the lot and install the fence until there is signed agreement. Once a draft agreement is reached, it will be uploaded to the Town’s website and be made available to Residents.

Schoolhouse exterior repairs:
• The Academy Manager is working on the chimney cap.
• Door frame – Heritage Montgomery will not pay to repair as maintenance of the Schoolhouse is the Towns responsibility.
• Commissioner Bartley, Miche Booz, Chris Scanlon, Josh Bryant (CPH) are working on re-grading plan for the Schoolhouse lot. After the lot is regraded, the repairs to the door frame will take place. If the French drain is removed, a HAWP will be needed.

Academy Update:
• Contract with Donna Will: Academy Manager reported that Donna Will’s first use of the Academy for a field trip was this past Friday. There was over 100 children and all went well. This past Monday, the bus went to the wrong location so the field trip did not take place. Currently, there are 25 field trips plan from now until the end of the school year.
• Another Cub Scout Den will be using the Academy for their meeting.
• Chabad of Olney is holding a weekly art class on Wednesday nights September – May

Storage: Academy Manager reports that Chabad and Donna Will has asked to store items at the Academy. Their contract for use of the Academy states items may not be stored at the Academy. Commissioner Farquhar does not want to make any contract commitments for more than a year (end of this fiscal year). The Commissioners need to discuss a strategic plan for the Academy. For example – weddings and parties make more money than community use of the Academy. Does the Town want the Academy to make more money; a significant income stream? Currently, community use of the Academy does not conflict with weekend rentals of the Academy.
The Town has discussed options for install a shed on property for storage, but MHT prohibits a shed. If the Academy Manager is flexible enough to allow storage, that is fine but The Town is not responsible to provide storage. The Academy Manager will organize a massive clean-up of the Academy to help free up some storage space for Town use. The Commissioners will decided what items to keep and what items to toss.
An idea to purchase 1 High Street to use as the Town office was discussed. That idea might be discussed at a later date.

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:

Minutes: The September Commissioners Meeting were approved as edited.

Financial: deferred until next Commissioner Meeting

BYPASS:
• Next Partnering Meeting at SHA, Baltimore = TBD

Town Operations:
• Town Lights: after many months and different bulb options, the Town will revert back to using HPS (high pressure sodium) bulbs in the Town’s cast iron streetlights. HPS bulbs should last 5 year. LED bulbs will be reconsidered in the future when the technology changes.

• Academy Metal/Shingle-Shake Roof: The Academy Manager solicited option from Sandy Heiler, BPC Chair Scanlon, and Miche Booz. After she gets all the opinions, she will solicit bids. After the bids are received, she will submit them to the Commissioners for comments / approval. After the Commissioner approve what material will be used on the roof, the Academy Manager will apply for MHT approval.

Material for October Brookeville Times: Water Street drainage remediation from Commissioner Bartley; information about what’s happening at the Academy.
Semi-Annual meeting: will be schedule for a date in January.
The Commissioners will have an executive session Friday, November 4th at 8:00am

Other Business:
• New website: deferred
• Technology and email: Town Clerk would like to use Google Apps or Outlook 365 for email. Currently, GoDaddy’s web based email is used but it does not sync email across all devices and it is glitchy. Also, she would like the Commissioner to determine what type of website they prefer (a basic information site or with more options ie: able to have directory online, send / receive text message, able to integrate social media). Also, have the ability to store documents online, in the cloud. Commissioner Farquhar will solicit opinions / input from Town Residents about uses of cloud based options and communication options.
• The request for a free Academy rental for private fundraiser will be offered a rate of $200 to cover the Towns cost of cleaning the Academy.

The meeting adjourned at 9:30p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – September 12,2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
September 12,2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Town Clerk Cate McDonald, Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon, and Treasure Susan Johnson
Town Residents: Barbara Ray, Duane Heiler, Sandy Heiler, Jorge Chacon, Nick Roy, Harry Montgomery, Michael Acierno, and Micole Haris
Others: Terri Hogan, Greater Olney News; Vikki Garcia, Community Outreach for John Sarbanes; Donna Will
Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar
Welcome to our guest, Vikki Garcia, Community Outreach Specialist for Congressman John Sarbanes.

Open Discussion:
Donna Will gave an overview of her proposed use of the Academy for school fieldtrips and teas. Fieldtrips will be scheduled seasonally on T / W/ Th. She has a tea scheduled at the Academy on Sept. 24th. She does business as Woodlawn Manor Museum. She may rename her teas, but will discuss that with Academy Manager. Fieldtrips and teas will be during the daylight hours. There was a discussion about the Underground Railroad and whether there is evidence if it came through Brookeville.

Brookeville one-room Schoolhouse proposal: Sandy Heiler gave an overview of the proposed plan to utilize the Brookeville one-room schoolhouse in partnership with Heritage Montgomery. This proposal was presented to the July 25, 2016 Commissioners Meeting.
Summary: This proposal from Heritage Montgomery would provide an interpretive program for the schoolhouse, focused on the early 1800s history of the town’s Quakers, especially as relates to slavery, the anti-slavery movement, and the free black population. The program would be an integral part of a larger effort involving Woodlawn’s (stone barn) Visitor Center and Oakley Cabin and geared to educating school groups. Heritage Montgomery would research and then develop the program, materials, and signage; provide funding for making the schoolhouse lot attractive; and assist with recruiting volunteers and collaborators as needed. There would be a mulch pathway installed along North Street from Acierno property to the School house. The concept is to make the approach to the schoolhouse park-like and have a bird sanctuary (Audubon Society would be a partner) – no pesticides will be used — and provide a bench. A porta-potty needs to be installed at the top of the hill.
There were questions / concerns / comments raised during the North Street walk on August 28th:
• Tree removal: trees not in good health would be removed.
• Parking lot: would be cleaned up
• The Tilting Street light: could be moved
The above items would not be paid for by Heritage Montgomery. They will pay to clean up the schoolhouse lot.
Question: how big is the parking lot? Not part of the schoolhouse plat; the lot is part of the Town’s property
Mrs. Heiler has the plat of the schoolhouse lot. She also has pictures of porta potty enclosure from other historic facilities.
• Walking path: the Town will maintain the path after it is cleaned up. The Town will be responsible for maintenance of the path, which could be done with volunteers or by landscapers.
• Fence along pathway: Heritage Montgomery will pay for the installation; the Town will be responsible for the maintenance.
• Porta potty: The Town will pay for this expense. Mrs. Heiler and Miche Booz visited the Schoolhouse to discuss facilities and formed the following opinion: the west side of the parking lot, north of the maple tree, is the best location for a porta potty. The enclosure would look similar to the one at Woodlawn but taller with a gate that locks. She is not sure that Heritage Montgomery will pay for the initial screening of the porta potty. Mrs. Heiler cannot speak for Heritage Montgomery but believes they will pay for site prep and possibly the enclosure. Facilities would be needed at the Schoolhouse if the Town hosts an event there.
• Parking: only handicap or very small buses would park at the schoolhouse lot. All other parking would be at the SUMC lot.
Question: is there an on estimated visitor traffic? Not yet; Heritage Montgomery would use the schoolhouse in collaboration with school groups twice a month and the SchoolHouse would be open on same monthly hours as Oakley Cabin. A lot depends on the Town’s wishes.
Question / concern: person owns the lot adjacent to the schoolhouse. When trees fall down you just leave them there. Animals like to play there and live there. His yard has a lot of butterflies, fireflies because he does not poison them. Chainsaw the trees and putting mulch down is not beautiful. Be careful about how much we cut out. He does not want the lot clear cut.
Response: no trees will come down without permits. The Town likes trees as well.
Concern: people are capable of misrepresentation and afraid too much will be cut out. He likes things wild.
Response: Audubon Society is an interested party; nobody will clear cut North Street. The Commissioners will talk about trees in the negotiations with Heritage Montgomery and consult an arborist.
Concern / Comment: when people make decisions, the more information the better the quality of the decision. He fears we are ignorant and decision will be made very quickly, like the privy, without regard for the cost. He thinks we should precede slowly.
Response: The Town has taken cost into consideration and has preliminary budgets for a variety of scenarios for the Schoolhouse. The Schoolhouse interpretation proposal is not a done deal. Tonight’s vote is whether to continue negotiations with Heritage Montgomery. The Town still needs to get the schoolhouse into shape, which will take a few more months. Current estimate to open the Schoolhouse with the Heritage Montgomery proposal will cost the Town an additional $8K annually. Commissioner Bartley would like to trim that estimate down to about $4K annually. It is generally accepted that the Schoolhouse needs to be used to prevent further deterioration.
Barbara Ray comments that she has followed this proposal from the beginning and she is favor of it. She would like to get in writing who pays for what.
Response: that is what the Commissioners are voting for tonight: to move into serious negotiations with Heritage Montgomery and determine terms for a contract, after it is reviewed by the Town’s lawyer.
Michael Acierno: For many years, the Town spent $250 annually on Schoolhouse maintenance. The question every year is what to do with the Schoolhouse and there was never a solution. The recession hit in 2008 and the budget cuts were made to services (landscaping, dumpster, etc.) and maintenance to the Schoolhouse was deferred. The Town started saving for the 2014 Bicentennial event. Most of the 2014 event was covered by grants and the Town paid little out of budget. We are now coming out of the recession and having to pay for all the deferred maintenance to the Schoolhouse. Now the Town has a large capital expense to bring the Schoolhouse up to standard. The questions becomes again: what do you do with the Schoolhouse? He would like to see his tax money paid to the Town to go something that serves a purpose. He feels it is worthwhile to pursue this proposal. It allows the building to be used the way the Town agreed to use it. The 2014 event put Brookeville on the map, it allowed the Town to leverage support for the ByPass. The Schoolhouse, although small, will show that the Town is making a commitment to historic preservation. It is a plus for the Town to pursue the proposal.
As a tiny Town, the Town will need funds from the State to help pay for road improvements.
The Town has had a long relationship with Heritage Montgomery and they have been good supportive partners. They have provided the Town with several grants over the years.
Miche Booz: The Schoolhouse is a valuable historic resource. He would like to see the building used for something. The proposed used would not bring in many people. If not the Heritage Montgomery program, then what program?
Sandy: all the exhibits are movable, so the Town will be able to use the building for other purposes if needed.
Harry: could Heritage Montgomery be approached to fund some of the maintenance?
Response: Nothing has been finalized yet; this is very preliminary proposal. We need to find a use for the building.

Motion: The Commissioners initiate discussion with Heritage Montgomery to advance the One-room Schoolhouse proposal to the point of a draft agreement at which point the Commissioners will come back to the Town for feedback before a final decision is made.
Vote: 3 yes – unanimous.

New Town entrance signs: signs have been delivered. At the suggestions of the BPC, replace the 2 existing entrance signs and the 3rd sign to be installed where Brookeville Rd enters Market St.

Commissioner Farquhar thanked the Town staff and volunteers for the successful Town picnic yesterday. At least 75 people attended the picnic – record attendance.

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:

Minutes: The July Commissioners Meeting were approved as edited.

Financial:
This year the Town received $1300 more in municipal tax duplication.
Academy rental revenue is high
Large expenditures are coming: new chairs for the Academy and Schoolhouse repairs.

Updates:
• CPH Engineering: Water St – contract approved to redesign the roadway for storm water remediation at the end near the Roys’.
• CPH Engineering: Topological survey for Academy has been approved.
Harry Montgomery is upset that the Town is only looking at the problem at the end of Water St.
Response: CPH is looking at all of Water St. for drainage issues and was discussed at length at last month’s Commissioners Meeting, where CPH made a presentation. Neighbors on Water St will be consulted before anything is done.
Harry Montgomery thinks tar & chip is stupid.
No decisions have been made because there are no design plans. Work on lower Water St is being accelerated and will be consistent with what work needs to be done on Water and North Streets.

• Next Commissioners Meeting changed to Tuesday, October 18 – APPROVED

Town Operations:
• Website: deferred until October
• Town Staff Job Description project is underway; will be drafted by next Commissioners Meeting
• Codification: compile and organize the Town’s ordinances in clear numbered list.
Town Clerk: The ordinances are not located in one spot; there is a numbering system in place. She spoke to the lawyer, Patrick Thomas, who give the MML presentation. Once we locate all the ordinances, lawyer would review the codes and bring them up to date. Attorney Jody Kline has told the Town that we do not need to locate/organize ordinances before 1991.
• Open Meeting Requirements: there is a new law taking effect in MD on Oct. 1 – agendas: all public bodies will be required to make an agenda “available” to the public with “reasonable” notice before each meeting. The agenda must contain “known items of business or topics to be discussed at the portion of the meeting”; agendas to be available no later than 24 hours before the meeting. Agenda for the Town will be posted to the Town’s website.

BYPASS:
Next Partnership meeting is September 28th – Commissioners Bartley & Daley will attend.
• Current status: working on permitting with County, Meadow Branch bridge design, etc. MOA for historic mitigation is signed by Town but held up for a month while Park/Planning consults lawyers (our Town Attorney reviewed the draft MOA on Brookeville’s behalf).

Town Property
Academy update:
• Academy Metal/Shingle-Shake Roof: Academy Manager has met with Miche Booz, Sandy Heiler and has gotten input from BPC Chair regarding the roof. She has the specs to publish to everyone and get revised quotes. Cedar, painted metal, copper: she hopes to get pricing for each and a mix match. With the revised price quotes, will be able decided roofing material to go with and apply for a HAWP.
• Academy lawn: will be a simpler design.
a. Will get a topographic survey for Academy lawn
b. Will consult an arborist about the trees on the property and their health. There was an arborist report done in 2008 for the Town; have the report updated. Town Clerk will get estimates to update the Town’s tree report.
Design plan for the Academy lawn is grading, create a focal point, and make more functional.
• Academy Interior
a. Accessible Door System is now installed at side door
b. Chairs: Chiavari Chairs are not suitable. Sandy Heiler proposed to head to New Market to look at sets of used Windsor chairs. The Academy needs 70-75 chairs for the dining room. The current chairs in the dining room would be moved upstairs to the Lecture Hall. The current Lecture Hall armchairs would be sold. The Academy will possibly get new, lighter tables. If the Windsor Chairs are found suitable, Sandy Heiler can ask for a written quote and the Town will pay by check. Why buy used chairs? Chiavari Chairs are not sturdy and we need sturdy chairs; chairs should be historically accurate. The Townspeople will be able to take a look at samples before they are purchased. Why not have renters rent chairs? The added cost would price potential renters out of the Academy; also is a logistical problem for renters for drop off / delivery times.
c. Academy kitchen: need to get input from caterers before any upgrades.
• Academy Marketing:
a. Olney Community Night October 10 4:30-8 PM; Academy Manager will try to split a table with SUMC
b. Rack Cards: no meeting yet with graphic artist
c. Luca Casaretto photos: has not taken any photographs yet – no appropriate events.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
Schoolhouse:
a. ATR completed the critter removal work last week. They sealed the building and will be by several times to check the traps; after all clear of rodent, interior work– drywall and paint and floors, exterior – chimney cap
b. Grading at north side of Schoolhouse: need to get this moving and get a HAWP.
Town Lights: street light out in front of Montgomery’s: LED bulb was a sample, and not popular. It was replaced with incandescent bulb that burned out within a month. It was replaced with another incandescent bulb just to have light. The Academy Manager order “turtle safe” bulbs, which are amber bulbs to try. She will advise when they are installed.

TOWN STREETS:
1) Review & give formal approval to CPH Proposal to do water management design for Water Street – estimated cost $3K.
Vote: 3 yes – unanimous

2) North Street “Children at Play” sign – has not been moved yet

Other Business:
• Auditor will be in the Town Office tomorrow.
• Holiday Party will be Saturday, December 3rd at 6pm

The meeting adjourned at 9:09p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – June 13, 2016

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Town Clerk Cate McDonald.
Town Residents: Barbara Ray, Harry Montgomery, Karen Montgomery, Michael Acierno, Margaret Kay, Miche Booz, and Andy Spagnolo
Others: Terri Hogan, Greater Olney News

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar

Brookeville ByPass:
The Park & Planning Mandatory Referral Hearing is scheduled for Thursday June 16th at 2pm. The Town will have approximately 7 minutes for testimony. The Commissioners selected Michael Acierno, Maggie Kay and Miche Booz to testify for Town. There was a discussion about each speaker’s plans to testimony.
Michael Acierno, the first speaker, will give a brief history of ByPass
Maggie Kay will testify of the perils of living in Brookeville without a ByPass
Miche Booz will represent the BPC
Commissioner Bartley talked with SHA today and Commissioner Amy Presley, Montgomery Parks and Planning: essentially, Parks and Planning has accepted Alt. 7 M Modified for the ByPass and will leave Brookeville Road open. There are still a lot of items that Parks and Planning want to be completed before they will issue final permits because the ByPass will be built on their land. It is up to SHA to decide if they will accept what Parks and Planning wants.
Harry Montgomery: The ByPass that is being built, will I be able to drive out of my driveway, turn right and get onto Georgia Ave? You will have to get onto the roundabout to access Georgia Ave. Mr. Montgomery – the road will still run right through Town
Karen Montgomery: I will still have to drive to the Valley House, I won’t be able to walk, I would still need to take a car. I can’t walk down to take a basket of goodies, I would have to get in my car and drive 5 house down the street.
Commissioner Bartley said after the ByPass it is estimated that 300 cars will access the Town from the northern roundabout. Mrs. Montgomery – I still will not be able to walk because of the 300 cars and I will be carring a basket of food.
There was a discussion that less cars coming through Town will make it safer for pedestrians and would make crossing the street safer.
Commissioner Farquhar stated that sidewalks for the western portion of Market Street are a priority.
Mrs. Montgomery stated that sidewalks will take people’s property where the property is very short, where by if the road was closed you would not need sidewalks.
It was agreed that closing the road would be perfect but that is not an option
Mrs. Montgomery wants to have the option back to have the road closed.
The Commissioners said that trying to bring back the option of closing the road and having a dead end at the western portion of Market Street would delay the ByPass.
Mrs. Montgomery wants to stop the whole project. She wants to stop the illegal procedures. She has been for 13 years talking about open government – we no longer have it. She does not approve of government decisions being made privately. That is what is being done in Brookeville.
Commissioner Bartley stated that stalling the ByPass is not going to happen. The Town has worked long and hard … Mrs. Montgomery: but not effectively. Commissioner Bartley states that this is the same plan we accepted back in September. Mrs. Montgomery states that she did not agree and a number of people did not agree to keep Market Street open. Commissioner Daley stated that was option was not on the table back in September. Commissioner Farquhar stated that plan came from Cornelius Barber (SHA) as a suggestion – none of us had heard of this option before. Most people, not everyone, liked that plan and that was relayed back to SHA. SHA put that into their plan. At the Consulting party meeting, the Section 106 approval, and the historic community persuaded the State that closing Brookeville Road and Georgia Ave (closing Georgia Ave was always the plan) would cause serious historic adverse impact. SHA choose the plan that keeps Brookeville road open.
Barbara Ray: she has read the entire Staff report from Park and Planning and feel it is a compromise. She can see the lobbying of the historic community – it is very obvious; did not said want Brookeville Road closed. There is a huge issue with the historic people about wanting to preserve Newlin Mill raceway but compromised with Park and Planning about its preservation. Ms. Ray feels this is the best we can do for the ByPass and we should take it or we will get nothing.
Commissioners Bartley: this plan is what we fought for the whole time. Closing Brookeville Road was not presented as an option until late Nov. / early Dec. Mrs. Montgomery: which many people wanted. It was agreed that many people wanted the road closed.
Commissioner Farquhar: SHA made a mistake; they had a plan that was not fully vetted. SHA did not vet it with the historic community and the historic community said you can’t have a cul-de-sac there. The issue is how we get the most gain from an unfavorable situation.
There was a discussion about through traffic staying on the ByPass instead of coming through Town. It is more logical to stay on the ByPass. That is about 10,000 cars a day. It will be convenient for cars that want to go west to take Bordly Drive to Brighton Dam Rd.
Mrs. Montgomery suggested, for the third time, that part of the plan, if we are to go with this ByPass, is to at the same time that we get this undesirable ByPass to put a sign up at Brookeville Road and our little street here that says “local traffic only”. If that is not part of the plan she will do her best to derail the whole thing. It needs to be a condition of this proposed plan. The signs need to be at Brookeville Road and Bordly Drive. She does not want this to be addressed after the ByPass; it must be part of the contract.
Commissioner Farquhar says SHA is starting to work on sign placements as part of the ByPass plan and traffic calming measures for Brookeville Road. We are not allowed, by law, to say you can’t come through Brookeville. Mrs. Montgomery said she worked on laws for 13 years and laws can be changed.
Commissioner Farquhar: if we deviate from the current ByPass plan, it will take 2-3 years of replanning and design and hears. The Commissioners have made a choice to work to get a ByPass.
Mrs. Montgomery: you are working to your best but you were torpedoed elsewhere. It is time to deflect the torpedoing to help the Town get…. Commissioner Bartley: I can tell you what we torpedoed – if we kick this thing back, Park and Planning will choose Alt. 8. It would be horrible because we will have over 2000 cars a day coming through Town – what’s the point in having a ByPass?
Mrs. Montgomery: She counted cars going East / West traffic = 80 cars in 2 hours. Must deal with east / west traffic now. Put up a sign that says “local traffic only” and enforce it.
Commissioner Bartley: as a representative of this Town, I will accept Alt. 7 Modified because it is good for the Town and the right way to go.
There was another lengthy discussion about the pros / cons of the Alt. 7 Modified, the long history that led to where we are at today( prepping for the Mandatory Referral Meeting), ways East / West traffic was eased through Town due to Bordley Drive. Alt. 7 M was a plan that most everyone was happy with back in September 2015.
Mrs. Montgomery states that not everyone was ok with that plan and she would rather not have a ByPass.
There was a spirited discussion regarding life in current day Brookeville and what life would be like without a ByPass in the coming years. Having Alt. 7 M is better than having 4000 cars coming through Town.
There was a discussion of the Post ByPass era: narrowing Market St. to one lane
The SHA still holds the ROW for High St and western Market St and they would like to transfer the ROW to another entity after the ByPass is constructed. The Town will work with SHA on ways to reconstruct the roads for a rural setting before transferring ownership. The Commissioner’s position is they want a sidewalk which will narrow the road. There are no formal plans yet.
Mrs. Montgomery wants to know if property owners can do their own construction; move their properties onto Western Market St. – have obstacles into the road.
Commissioner Farquhar talked about SHA’s plan to build a sidewalk along High St and ways SHA can help slow traffic through Town similar to what SHA proposed for in Sandy Spring.
Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery want to know has the Town asked SHA what conditions they have for the Town to take back High and western Market; did the Town ask, say for $250K to take over the ROW. To change to a rural/rustic road before the ByPass not after the ByPass.
The answer is the Town Commissioners are working with SHA for the Beyond the ByPass era and they want SHA to proceed with the ByPass as soon as possible.
Mrs. Montgomery states if the Town does not add all these codicils now they will never get done. Why do we want a ByPass if we cannot walk 4 houses away?
Commissioner Farquahr: The Commissioners see this as a multi-stage process and Mrs. Montgomery sees it all in one. Mrs. Montgomery says this is the way things are done with other projects in the County; if it is not in the plan, it will not happen. It is not a plan for Brookeville, it is just a road. Need to have everything in writing. The Town is being cowed by SHA.
There was a spirited conversation about what Mrs. Montgomery feels happened in recent months – private meetings.
It was agreed that walkability is a good point for discussion.
Commissioner Bartley said he does not want to make this too complicated and it is very complicated now. He is worried it will take 2-3 years with Park and Planning to get the permits for current ByPass design unless we can get Park and Planning to compromise on what they are asking.
There was a lengthy conversation about what Park and Planning may or may not be interested in hearing at the upcoming meeting. Park and Planning wants what they want or they will not issue permits. The Staff report lists issues with environmental, historic, and road design issues. Walkability in Town is not Park and Planning issue. Park and Planning’s role is limited to the HAWP and not a sidewalk issue. If the Town were to have a sidewalk installed, the SHA would need HPC and MHT approvals and Park and Planning.
Park and Planning issues with the ByPass are in the Staff Report to be discussed at the Mandatory Referral Meeting.

Review of testimony to avoid overlapping:
Michael Acierno: he emailed the Commissioners a draft of his testimony. He will talk about the Town’s history, why we need a ByPass – fundamental goals we are trying to accomplish. At the end, make the point that this project is far more complicated than people first thought, that there a great number of agencies with competing interests who are working hard to get what they want. No matter what design, will not get 100% compliance. Park and Planning, on page 24, did come to some compromises. The goal is to protect a unique historic resource that traffic is destroying. The traffic has to move.
Miche Booz: will start out stating that he supports the Alt. 7 M option and recognizes that it is a compromise. Alt. 8 – the High Bridge option – would be unwelcome, incompatible with the Town, and ruin the viewscape. Cars will still have to travel through Town with Alt. 8 to go west on Brookeville Road.
Commissioner Bartley suggested that he not spend a lot of time discussing Alt. 8. He feels Park and Planning is throwing a lot of “land mines” in our way. For example, SHA will leave the bridge in place by Yinger’s property because they do not want to deal with environmental issue, FEMA, and hydraulic issues. However, Park and Planning wants it gone because they feel in a few years it will fall down and Park and Planning will have to fix it. If SHA has to go back to FEMA, it may delay the project for several years. All the changes Park and Planning propose change the design, which could delay the project. If the High Bridge option is chosen, it would delay the project for about 5 years because there is no current design for that option.
Commissioner Bartley will send Miche a list of what items that may delay the ByPass

Barbara Ray commended Michael Acierno and his point that not everyone can get what they want. He has a very gentle way to make that point. Perfection stands in the way of progress.

Margaret Kay: will be the 3rd person giving testimony for the Town. She came to the meeting to get ideas and be consistent in message. She will talk about the urgent need for the ByPass and personal stories of living without the ByPass: damage to personal property and safety issues. She will add personal stories: her car being t-boned while parked in her driveway; the physical damage her 200 plus old house has suffered in the 17 years she has owned the home.

Commissioner Farquhar: giving a few high point examples; the message will be now is the time to build the ByPass.
Michael suggested using Park and Planning’s own words: the ByPass has been a very long term project and SHA needs to move forward on a timely design in order to get this going in the near term.

Focus on the positive.

Barbara Ray: is anyone worried about the Corp of Engineering report?
Commissioner Daley said we do not know and it is out of our hands.

Mandatory Referral Meeting set for 2:30pm – Plan to be at the meeting by 1:30pm.

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:
Sandra Heiler presentation on the proposed educational use of Schoolhouse has been postponed

Minutes: The May Commissioners Meeting and Semi-Annual Town Meeting Minutes were approved as edited.

Financial: no new updates.

FY ’16-’17 Budget: The draft FY ’16-’17 budget was uploaded to the Town’s website on May 12th. The Town Clerk requested funds for a dumpster for large trash. The Commissioners agreed to increase line 6242 by $7500 for a one time dumpster. With that modification, the Commissioners vote on the FY ’16-’17 budget
Vote: 3 yeas – unanimous.

Academy update: Academy Manager was out of Town and emailed her reports prior to this meeting.
$335 plumbing repair was made to the men’s urinal.
Barbara Ray reported that Academy renters were parking in front of her house. She would like renters to be told not to park there. The Commissioners will ask the BPC about erecting a “no park” sign in front of her house.

Schoolhouse: Andrea Scanlon, Chris Scanlon, Buck Bartley, Jorge Chacon met at Schoolhouse on 5/28 to review remaining mold/water remediation issues. Dehumidification system working well, no signs of new water infiltration or other issues.
– It is likely that spots on drywall ceiling caused by mice infestation (nesting & peeing), rather than water leaks. Andrea called AT&R trapping service to set up appointment (date TBD) to review what needs to be done to remove or reduce mice. After mice are removed, Town to hire contractor to remove/replace damaged drywall and insulation. Schoolhouse should then be re-tested for mold spores.
– Possible dampness in chimney, evidenced by effervescence in mortar. Andrea to have chimney cap installed.
– Chris suggested asking Montgomery’s for permission to remove 2 trees that are overhanging Schoolhouse roof and gutters to prevent gutter clogging and give building a better chance to dry out when it rains; Buck to review with Montgomery’s.
– Buck, Miche, Chris to meet again to review re-grading and prepare design for HAWP; plan to include: removing brick gutter, sloping grade away from building in all directions, adding a culvert to carry water under entrance ramp away from building.
– Threshold at entrance and small section of wood flooring are rotted and need to be replaced.
– Some siding and trim also needs to be replaced, and caulk should be cut out from between ship-lap siding joints.

Town Operations:
• MML MoCo Chapter asks for host for meetings: Oct. 20, Jan. 19, and April 20. Commissioner Farquhar would like to Town to host one of these meetings. It was agreed to offer the Jan. or April date. Town Clerk will email the MML contact to confirm a date.
• Social Media Communication: nothing new to report

BYPASS:
• Park & Planning Mandatory Referral Hearing at P&P HQ: 2:00 Thursday the 16th. Michael Acierno, Maggie Kay and Miche Booz are testifying for Town.
• Who attends next Partnering Meeting at SHA, Baltimore? No announcement yet regarding next meeting date.

Town Property
Academy Update (via emailed report):
• We will place business card sized ads in Chabad of Olney Calendar again, $160/ea either 3 or 6 months depending on availability.
• Fire Alarm training provided by Sean Bogan (Bogan Service) to Andrea Scanlon, Cate McDonald, Katherine Farquhar on 6/2.
• Academy post lantern has been repaired and returned; waiting on landscaping plan for re-installation.
• Automatic opener for entrance door has been ordered; waiting on installation date from supplier.
• Phones, voicemail and alarm monitoring are working. We are still having issues with fax line (not sure if it is fax machine or Verizon) and will have them come back now that strike is over.

Academy Metal Roof: HAWP will need Miche Booz’s input. If a metal roof, will need to work on acoustics to help with rain on the metal roof.

Academy Grounds: Commissioner Farquhar is working on RFP

Academy Interior: nothing new to report

Visits soon to historic public buildings: time to visit is being coordinated.

Dessert Wall: Karen Montgomery will give ideas about this project after her trip. Academy Manager feels a wall of Brookeville history in the main floor hallway will detract from events. After discussion, it was agreed that the wall outside the Town’s office may be a more appropriate place to display pictures and awards.

Academy Marketing: Commissioner Farquhar will schedule Luca Casareto for photos. She will ask the Academy Manager about any upcoming events that might have a photographer and getting permission to use their photos.

Mrs. Montgomery wanted to know if there was money to put a picture rail instead of making holes in the walls.
Yes – there is money in the budget; can do something a little more upscale, like lit display cases.

Schoolhouse:
Miche Booz has agreed to help with the proposal for grading at north side of Schoolhouse.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
CPH: Commissioner Bartley said that Josh has the final report for topographic. CPH is working on the final report to the Town. Commissioner Bartley will ask Josh to attend the July Commissioners meeting to gave an update.

North Street “Children at Play” sign: HAWP has been approved. The Town Clerk reports that the BPC is not in favor of having another sign – they feel the Town is over signed and since there is a “Slow: Children at Play” sign at the beginning of North St., a 2nd sign is not needed. The BPC discussed speeding and if speeding is the issue, it was determined that it would be fair to discuss speeding with the offender; if the offender is a company, file a complaint with the company. Commissioner Farquhar will take to BPC Chair Scanlon.

Other Business:
MML Convention: Commissioner Farquhar and Bartley will attend. Town Clerk will contact the MoCo MML Chair to make arrangement for both Commissioners to attend the Tuesday night chapter dinner and make payment.

Next SHA Partnering Meeting is Weds. June??
Commissioners will attend on behalf of Town.
Next BPC Meeting – Tuesday July 5. 7:30 PM Academy
Next Commish Meeting – Mon. July 11th (7:00 PM)
Reminder of Town Picnic: Sun. Sept. 11 4-7 PM
Reminder of Charrette Date: Sat. Sept. 17 (Time TBD)

Commissioner Bartley and Town Clerk will not be able to attend the July 11th Commissioners Meeting. The July meeting was moved to July 25th. The July 25th meeting will be a combination for the July and August Commissioners Meeting.

Question from Barbara Ray: is there a packet for new comers? There used to be – the new comer letter needs to be updated and be distributed the first time to all Residents. Barbara Ray will draft a letter for review.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – May 9, 2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
May 9, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon, Treasurer Susan Johnson, and Town Clerk Cate McDonald.
Town Residents: Barbara Ray, Chris Haris
Others: Terri Hogan

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:
Minutes: The April Commissioners Meeting Minutes were approved as edited.
Financial: no new updates. The draft FY ’16-’17 budget will be ready to upload to the Town’s website on Thursday, May 12.

Town Operations:
Election: The Town Election is tomorrow from 3pm-7pm. The voter register has been received from MoCo.
Election Supervisor Marti Andress is ready for the election.

Communication: Maggie Kay, a Market St Resident, has offered to help the Town with social media (Facebook, Twitters, etc.). It was suggested we ask her to make a bid about what her implementation plan for a multi prong communication strategy for the Town would include. Jordan Chacon, a Water St Resident, has offered to help with social media before and will be approached to collaborate on a social media plan.
There was a discussion about if the Town should be using social media as a mean to communicate to Residents.
The social media plan and refreshing the Town’s website will be separate bids.

ByPass and SHA:
Sidewalk: SHA is holding an informational meeting at Longwood on May 12 from 6p-8p. The proposed sidewalk will be from Gold Mine Rd to 1 High St. There is talk of the sidewalk to continue down the hill to the Valley House as part of the ByPass – this is not confirmed.

ByPass Update: the latest design plan from SHA will have Brookeville Rd remain open. SHA will give an update at next week’s meeting.
The Mandatory Referral Meeting is scheduled for June 16th M-NCPPC offices in Silver Spring. The time for the meeting has not been confirmed.
All 3 Commissioners and a BPC representative will attend the May 18th SHA meeting in Baltimore.

Traffic Count: the traffic flowing through Town is less when compared to last June – approx. 500-600 less cars on average. This may be due to the ICC. The count performed by the State is fairly accurate.

Town Property
Academy Update: The Academy will be used for an art camp for 4 weeks this summer: the last week of June, 2nd & 3rd weeks of June, and the 1st week of August. The Commissioners welcomed this information.

Fire Alarm: the panel has been replaced. The Fire Marshall requested 3 more strobe light alerts, which were installed today. So far, the panel has been replaced, pull stations replaced, and new smoke detectors installed.
The phone line is currently down so unable to test the alarm. The Fire Marshall will come back for the final inspection after the phone line is fixed.
The Town has 2 more years with the Protection One monitoring contract. After the contract expires, will switch to Bogan for monitoring. Protection One is $81 per month; Bogan would be $45 per month.

Tree Removal: funds for the Ash tree removal will come out of the FY ’15-’16 budget. Academy Manager received a letter from Pogo today needed for the HAWP. Commissioner Bartley signed the HAWP. Academy Manager will explore with Pogo about removal / disposition of the tree.
$3025 contract for tree removal was unanimously approved.

A.I.R. Lawn Care: contract will be prepaid for a discount = $725.61 total. Contract was unanimously approved; Commissioner Bartley signed the contract.

Road Repair: Contract from Maxxon LLC was reviewed. $2600 = repair potholes on North and Water Streets and repair bricks in front of 209 Market St. Contract was unanimously approved; Commissioner Bartley signed the contract.
There is a separate contract for pothole repair for eastern Market St. Commissioner Bartley needs to discuss the contract with Maxxon before it is approved.

Academy Metal Roof: Academy Manager has requested a quote from Michael Brown but has not received it due to poor weather conditions. Leska and Hines have sent quotes. The Commissioners are trying to pay the deposit with FY ’15-’16 funds. Academy Manager does not think this will be possible – will need to get HAWP and then pay deposit after receiving approval to change the roof from cedar to metal.
Commissioner Farquhar suggested that Miche Booz can help craft the HAWP.
Will need to get MHT approval to change the roof from cedar to metal; then get HAWP
The estimated cost for the metal roof is $50K – $60K. The current cedar roof is 20 years old. The Academy Manager will check when the next MHT meeting will be and if the meeting is open. Commissioner Farquhar and/or Miche Booz would attend this MHT meeting if it is open. Academy Manager will start the process with MHT; if MHT approves the change of roof materials, she will get the spec to the roofers to bid. The Commissioners would like 4 bids for the roof replacement: Lakeview Construction, Leska, Hines, and Brown.

Academy Grounds: Jonathan Castellano, Regenerative Earth Design, LLC, sent a letter the Commissioners about their services. This opened a discussion about the landscape design for the Academy lawn: Do we have a scope of what work we want done? It was determined the Commissioners just need a landscape plan for the Academy lawn. The letter from Castellano will be kept on file for future reference.
The Town will solicit bids and design plans from Josh Bryant, cph Corp., and Dick Benoit.
After the plans are received, BPC will review the plans.
There was a discussion about the vision for the Academy lawn: do we have a plan? Do we need a schematic or verbal plan? The Town needs to ask each bidder using uniform guidelines. The Academy Manager will draft a written proposal / RFP for the scope of work for a Master Plan. Commissioner Farquhar will talk with BPC Chair tomorrow for his input and will finalize the RFP.
ADA Door: the power for the automatic door open can be pulled from the exit light. – Estimate from Bogan Electric is $350. Academy Manager is working on getting the specs for the door. Lead time for the work on the door is 2 weeks. Work will be done in FY ’15-’16.

Interior Design: Commissioner Farquhar will solicit ideas and referrals from MHT and Preservation Maryland for the Academy interior. Commissioner Farquhar and Academy Manager along with other interested town Residents will visit local historical buildings for ideas.

Dessert Wall: Commissioner Farquhar proposed displaying the history of Brookeville and the numerous awards the Town has received along the “dessert wall” inside the Academy. Karen Montgomery has offered to help design the wall. There was a discussion about waiting until we have an interior designer consultation; a wall of photos might not be appropriate for a rental hall. It was decided to have Karen Montgomery give her ideas and concept for the wall. The vision for the dessert wall would be upscale and communicate “what is Brookeville”.

Academy Marketing:
Olney Days: Do we want to set up a tent and market there: no
Strawberry Festival: no option this year to set up a table
Photos: waiting for the weather to improve before having the photographer, Luca Casareto, take pictures.

Schoolhouse: The Commissioners will invite Sandy Heiler to the June Commissioners Meeting to present her plan for the Schoolhouse. The proposal will be loaded onto the Town’s website for Town Residents to review.
Comments from the BPC regarding the proposal: 1 – set up a specific time limit (1-2years); 2- have a more specific plan about how the site will be used; 3 – placement of the porta potty; 4 – details about which entity will pay for what.
The Commissioners want to know what Town Residents want for the schoolhouse use, especially North St Residents.
No new work has been performed on the Schoolhouse.
Miche Booz has agreed to help with the grading design for the schoolhouse. The Commissioners will have him talked to CPH, who provided the recent hydrolytic survey. The siding on the north side of the Schoolhouse will need to be replaced.
Academy Manager will arrange to have MoldStoppers come back out to the Schoolhouse. There will be no new cosmetic work to the Schoolhouse until the mold issue has been resolved.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
CPH Report: what to do now that the report has been received? Nothing this FY – only road work will be pot hole repairs. The Town will get design plans for North and Water Streets using tar & chip.
Phase 1 is not complete yet. The next report will be regarding drainage.
Commissioners Bartley and Farquhar will talk with vendors at the upcoming MML convention regarding chip & tar paving.
Rough estimate for North Street would be $35K for a 12ft strip of tar & chip and 2 feet each side of gravel.

Market St: Commissioner Bartley will discuss with Maxxon for pothole repair on eastern Market St. This will be a short term fix until Market St can be repaved.

Street Sign: The Town received an approved HAWP for the “Slow: Children at Play” sign for lower North Street. The BPC would like to see a Town of Brookeville permit application.

Brookeville Time
Material for the upcoming edition of the Brookeville Times was discussed.
• Annual Town Meeting: Monday May 16 7-9 PM
• Next SHA Partnering Meeting: Wednesday May 18; All Commissioners will attend on behalf of Town.
• Next BPC Meeting: Tuesday June 7th. 7:30 PM
• Next Commissioners Meeting: Mon. June 13th 7:00 PM; (Elect, swear in the President of the Commission)

Other Business:
• The Commissioners reviewed the Town’s insurance renewal packet from LGIT. Authorization was given for the Town Clerk to renew the policy.
• Commissioner Farquhar wants to show the 13 minute video about the ByPass from 1988 that Bill Wagner produced. The Commissioners agrees to air the video at the end of the Annual Meeting.
• Sunday, September 11 will be the Town Picnic from 3p – 7p

The meeting adjourned at 9:05p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – April 11, 2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
April 11, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon, Treasurer Susan Johnson, and Town Clerk Cate McDonald.
Town Residents: Barbara Ray
Others: Miles Vandre, Peter Vandre (BSA Troop 914)

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:10 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:
Minutes: The March Commissioners Meeting Minutes were approved as edited.
Financial: Need to be conscious of spending levels for FY 2015-2016. Budget will be discussed later in meeting when Treasurer arrives. Trying to expend allocated funds to their appropriate purpose before the end of FY on June 30.

Academy Update: Academy report was emailed to Commissioners prior to meeting.
48 bookings in FY 2015-2016, which was average for a non-bicentennial year. Rentals are picking up so far this Spring. There is an inquiry for a summer rental for an arts camps run by 2 teachers. Target would be 20 students per week. Academy Manager will follow up on this inquiry.

Town Operations:
• Waste / Recycle collection: The Town awarded B&B Refuse the contract. Town Clerk is working with Waste Management for termination details. Projected start date for B&B is the first week of May.
• Town Election: Voter list will be emailed to Town on April 20 from MoCo.
Ballot will be printed with a line for write-ins.
As of today, no other nominations have been received

Budget Update: As much as possible, all budgeted items in FY 2015-2016 budget must should be spent before July 1, 2016. Need to spend down the budget for what we committed to in FY2015-2016.
Question regarding $124K from the State – what is the status? Treasurer emailed the State the other day about this the other day; we are $27K over what we budgeted. We do not need to start repaying the State for $$ due from “reallocation” (Local Income Tax overpayments) until 2019. The Town usually received a large disbursement from the State the May or June. The Town is already $32K over budget from the projected amount that the State pays the Town. This is Line 6025 – Local Income Tax
The Treasurer emailed the State today about this but does not have an answer and suggests we do not spend the money.
There was a discussion of Reallocation of Local Income Tax that Municipalities received from the State and the $274,029 that State says the Town was overpaid.
Action on Line 6025 – Treasurer will contact Jim Pascal from the State about the payments the Town has received.
Line 6045 – Property Tax: Treasurer said the Town should expect $20K more the end of May / early June.
Treasurer will inquire with Jim Pascal from the State about the funds the Town has and will be receiving from the State and work on a project amount Lines 6024 & 6045 for FY 2016 -2017 budget.

• Line 6007 Grants received: $2,228 is for new Town entrance sign
• Line 6105 Audit: $6K money was spent
• Line 6102 Accounting Fees: $1K budgeted; assume this will be spent for quarterly payroll & 1099 forms
• Line 6117 Banking Fees: $50 budgeted, $91 actual. $5 per month from bank and fee for letter for audit.
• Line 6110 Brookeville Angle: $250 budgeted, send check for this amount to Our House for removal of base
• Line 6122 Advertising: $1500 budgeted, $573.75 spent
This for Academy – use for rack cards?
GoNews bills for whenever the ads goes in. We have 13 ads for 2016. $125 or $145 per ads for April, May June – about $400. Spent the rest of the money on professional rack cards for Academy and professional photos One of the upcoming rentals is for a professional photographer (we will inquire with Luca Casareto, Olney photographer) Academy Manager had a conversation about having professional photos done and it was estimated to be between $400 – $800.
It was decided that Academy Manager will ask the photographer for a written bid. To have professional photos the building needs to be staged, which will cost money. This is projected to cost several hundred dollars for flowers, table clothes, rental tables & chairs. Portions or entirety of both rooms would need to be staged.
There are no upcoming events to ask the renters to take pictures.
Need a committee to support the Academy Manager for this project. Commissioner Farquhar suggested Sandy Heiler to help with Committee. This suggestion was not supported. Commissioners agree to spend $500 – $800 for staging of the Academy: downstairs for a party, upstairs for a lecture.
Academy Manager suggested having picture taken of the Charrette on May 21 since the projector and screens will be out. This was unanimous agreed to by the Commissioners and to have a professional photographer take photos. Academy Manager will ask photographer his opinion about the best way to stage the Academy.

Question regarding State Tax issue: anymore discussion with Dan Pratts from Laytonsville about legal action? No, not yet.
Commissioner Bartley: 2014 we collected $101K and the State says we were overpaid $99K for that year; the numbers do not make sense.
Dan Pratts taking the regional leadership on this issue. The Commissioners will ask for a lunch with Dan Pratts to discuss this issue.
Action item to Treasurer: need the amounts we have received from the State since 2010 and gave that information to Commissioner Bartley in the next week.

• Line 6185 Professional Services: $40K budgeted, $6742.50 spent
CPH contract not complete but some will be bill this fiscal year.
There was a discussion about the landscape architecture. The landscape architect that came out is not sure she is able to come up with a design that fit within our historic area. There was a discussion about the historic easement that MHT holds and what needs a HAWP. The Town needs a Master Plan for the Academy yard – where trees should be planted, location of lighting elements, etc.
Ash, Pine tree, flag pole, mulberry tree, and dogwood all can be moved. The concept is historically appropriate with simple, clean lines. A place an outdoor wedding could occur.

There was a discussion about where to move the Schoolhouse and how to move it. Moving the Schoolhouse onto the Academy grounds would need MHT approval. This is a discussion for the upcoming Charrette.
The defunct BTBTF developed a plan for the Schoolhouse’s use as part of an interpretive program with Woodlawn and Oakley Cabin. Sandy Heiler presented the plan to the BPC, which approves of this use for the Schoolhouse. Commissioners Bartley and Daley attended that meeting of the BPC. The Commissioners will ask the BPC Chair to formally send the recommendation to the Commissioners for the Commissioners to discuss at an upcoming meeting.

There was a discussion about the “Slow: Children at Play” and over signage in Town. Commissioner Farquhar will contact BPC Chair regarding the sign.

There was a discussion about improving communication between the Commissioners and BPC.

Barbara Ray opened a discussion regarding her perspective that someone from the Town needs to be at meetings that Sandy Heiler attends. Her opinion is Sandy Heiler is presenting herself as a representative of the Town at meetings. It is a communication problem and a serious problem. The Commissioners stated she attended the March 22 SHA stakeholders meeting with Anne Bruder– this was a closed, invitation only meting – at the Academy. Ms. Ray said the Sandy Heiler speaks for the Town and the Town does not know what she says. Ms. Ray feels this needs to be addressed. There was a discussion of MHT opinion regarding the Brookeville ByPass. The MHT supports the original design that leaves Brookeville Road open. The Commissioners noted Ms. Ray’s concerns. At the March 22 Consulting Parties meeting, there were 5 representatives from the Town (Commissioners and BPC members) who spoke counter to the recommendation by SHA that Brookeville Road entry to Brookeville be closed. Sandy Heiler is an historic expert and a consulting party to SHA via MHT, which recommended that the entryway be kept open to reflect the history of the Town as a market resource. The Commissioners spoke for their understanding of what many residents are seeking, based on public meetings in January and February 2016.

Review of current state of 2016 budget and expenditures:
• Line 6195 Planning Commission Expenses: $1000K; use for charrette supplies, any professionals needed would come under Line 6185
• Line 6227 Public Area Maintenance: $1500 budgeted; $1895.45 used. Overspent $395.35 for maintenance of public entrance signs
• Line 6231 Road Maintenance $16K budgeted
• Line 6235 snow removal $2500 budgeted; $1,775 used
• Line 6225 leaf removal $2500 budgeted; $3000 used

There was a discussion of Dennis Bogan’s contract for replacement of Town lights. Mr. Bogan will get back to Commissioner Bartley about reducing his proposal by 10%. If so, the contract will be awarded to Bogan. All 3 Commissioners agreed
• Line 6256 Tech Equipment: $1500 budgeted, $1026.26 spent for new laptop for the Town Office.
• Line 6260 Web Site: $2000 budgeted, $41.91 spent. Use the remaining money for the Academy photographer. Will put funds in FY 2016-2017 for a new web design.

Wynne Case: the monthly payments for the Town will be $192.33. The total amount the Town owes is $1,731

Pepco reimbursement for to owners of 308 Market for the Town light that is wired through their electric panel: The treasurer said the average cost per street lights per year is $100 per year. The Commissioners unanimously approved a $100 check to be issued to 308 Market every July. A check for $200 will be sent for back reimbursement.

East Coast Lawn Care: cost about $40-$50 per application. The Town Clerk will use this amount to determine how much pesticide free lawn care will cost

Town Property
Academy Grounds: Academy Manager presented summary of tree works.
3 companies: Pogo, Arbor Care, Care of Trees

3 tree items that need attention:
Mulberry tree need pruning
Ailanthus: one is dead and needs removal
Norway maple: prune branches hanging over Academy

Ash tree: all 3 companies had different opinions
Pogo – remove. Tree is a danger and not worth saving
Arbor Care – not sure it needs to go or stay
Care of Trees – tree should stay

Commissioner Daley would like the Ash pruned and not in favor of removal
Commissioner Bartley: prune the Ash and worry about the other stuff (insecticide for Ash bore) after pruning.
The insecticide quote is for the ash bore. It would need to be applied every year for the next 6 years.
All 3 Commissioners agreed to have insecticide applied and pruned to reduce liability. They would like to keep the tree until we have a landscape plan: maybe 1-2 years. Have Pogo prune and apply insecticide. If Pogo won’t prune, have someone else prune the Ash tree. If Pogo agrees, have him trim the rest of the trees at the same time.
If the Ash tree is to be removed, the wood would not be able to be hauled away. It will need to remain on site to reduce the risk of spreading the ash bore.

Fire Alarm and elevator were inspected this month. The Fire Marshall will also perform his inspection this month. All 3 went well.

Fire Alarm panel: The old panel most likely causing the error message to the alarm company. Bogan will install a new panel. Academy Manager is waiting for Bogan to confirm price and permit. The Academy Manager is activity working on this issue.

• Critter assessment of Academy was performed when he came to remove bat. No obvious areas for critters to access the building
• ATHENA award: The Town Commissioners were invited but cannot attend
• Olney Chamber Scholarship fund: ok to donate the same amount as last year.
• Donation to Sandy Spring Museum Strawberry Festival: no donation this year but the Town will buy a membership.
• The Treasurer will pay Mark Ennes by work order for lawn mowing the Academy’s ground.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
CPH: Commissioner Bartley will have an update at the May Commissioners meeting

Other Business:
Next SHA meeting is April 13 – all 3 Commissioners will attend
Next BPC meeting – Tuesday May 3
Next Commissioners Meeting – May 9
Town Election – May 10
Annual Town Meeting – May 16

Schoolhouse: A discussion that the Town needs to spend previously budgeted funds on the Schoolhouse. Academy Manager is waiting for approval / no approve decision about Sandy Heiler’s plan before significant work is done.
Question on if the schoolhouse can / should be rented.
There needs to be more discussion about Sandy’s proposal to BPC.
There was a discussion about the Town’s entrance signs and if the BPC signed the sign permits and where the permit is in the HAWP process.
Commissioner Bartley wants to get quotes for what is wrong with the schoolhouse. If there is a mold issue, we need to fix the mold issue. Commissioner agree that the building needs to be repaired sufficiently to prevent further deterioration. Need to address the rot in the north side of the building.
Academy Manager will ask Miche Booz and Jorge Chacon to take a look and get their opinion of what needs to be done with the ceiling to stop the mold.

Permit: fence permit for 2 High was reviewed and signed.

Valley House: there was flooding at the Valley House in early April. The homeowner contacted MoCo about keeping the culvert cleaned to help mitigate flooding and MoCo responded by clearing the culvert. The Valley House is in a 100 year flood plain.

Capital One is government account and is changing to Mellon Bank. They will be sending a form that needs to be signed by the Commissioners.

The Commissioners and Treasurer need to determine a meeting date to prepare the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

The meeting adjourned at 9:40p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – March 7, 2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
March 7, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioners:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon, Treasurer Susan Johnson, and Town Clerk Cate McDonald.
Town Residents: Barbara Ray, Michael Acierno
Others: none

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:08 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:
Minutes: The February Commissioners Meeting Minutes were approved as edited.
Financial: The budget was emailed to the Commissioner prior to the meeting.
Treasurer Susan Johnson gave a budget update: Academy revenue is down and is lower than expected.
Question to Andrea Scanlon regarding Line item 6147 Maintenance – other: Do you think we will spend the funds in this FY? Probably – will be spending 15K on the fire alarm, 3K for automatic door, 1k for trees maintenance, maybe a new microwave for kitchen.
Question regarding Line item 6231 Road Maintenance – 16K has been budgeted. Road maintenance has not happened yet but will be happening late Spring / early Summer.
Question regarding Line item 6185 Professional Services – 40K. Money will be spent for lawyers, landscape architect, etc.
Commissioner Bartley would like to see the profit and loss report on the Town’s website every month so Town Residents can see where the money is being spent. After a discussion, it was agreed that a quarterly update will loaded onto the website. The Treasurer will prepare a quarterly report for the Town Clerk to upload onto the website.
Treasurer Susan Johnson advised the Commissioners that the Town needs to be starting on the FY 2016-17 budget now to preview in May at the Annual Town Meeting.
The date for the Annual Town Meeting was set for May 16th at 7:00pm. The Town Commissioners will hold their May meeting May 9th as scheduled.
There was a discussion of the Wynne Case and the financial impact to the Town. The Town should get a letter this month with the money the Town will owe. The amount could be $4200.00 total per the Town Auditor. Collection will start in November 2016 and will be in 9 incremental payments.

There was a lengthy discussion regarding “Net Transfer of Returns & Revenues from Subdivision Allocations”
The Town Commissioners are working with the Town’s attorney (Jody Kline of Miller Miller Canby), MML (Jim Peck), and other local municipalities (especially Dan Prats of Laytonsville). They are considering a joint lawsuit with other Towns. According to the State Comptroller, the Town was overpaid $274,029 between 2010 and 2014. The Town will need to repay the State. Collections are to start in February 2019, after all Wynne payments have been made. Within MoCo, 8 municipalities were overpaid and 14 were underpaid. The State will not release the data about how the over / under payments were calculated (i.e. what the street addresses are that may or may not have been included in the Town of Brookeville count of individual taxpayers) due to IRS confidentiality rules related to tax returns. The State expects the Town to have faith they made the right calculations about the amount the Town owes.
Michael Acierno presented his thoughts about this topic and its impact on the Town: the Town is being held responsible for a State Mistake. Paying back to the State will potentially cause Residents to pay increased taxes, reduction / elimination of services, and delays in infrastructure repairs. When put into perspective of the $40.4B State budget, a 15% cut would be $6B.???
Commissioner Bartley said we need to find the right lawyer to fight this.
Commissioner Farquhar said she is in contact with MML and other municipalities and there has been suggestion of a class action suit against the State.
The numbers do not make sense. The Treasurer will go back and pull the budget and tax payment information and find the variation. It will show the historical record of payment to the Town.
The Constant Yield Tax rate was discussed.
The Town’s tax rate is due to MoCo by May 4th. The Commissioners set the Town’s tax rate to 0.20 for 2 years starting last fiscal year. They will revisit the rate in 2017. Treasurer Susan Johnson will forward the confirmation that the BV tax rate is 0.20/$100 of assessed value.

Academy Update: 4-5 new rentals this month. There is a decrease in non-Resident rentals. Last year, there was 31 rentals; so far this year – 20.
There was a discussion about how to market the Academy for rentals and upgrading the interior, with no decisions.
The Academy Manager shared her proposal for rental rate increase.
Base Rental rate (5 hours event)
CURRENT PROPOSED
Friday – Saturday: Dining Room $300 $325
Lecture Hall $300 $325
Both Rooms $550 $600

Sunday – Holidays: Dining Room $250 $275
Lecture Hall $250 $275
Both Rooms $450 $500

Monday – Thursday: Dining Room $175 $200
Lecture Hall $175 $200
Both Rooms $300 $350

Any Day Town Residents $150 $150
The Commissioners unanimously approved the rate increase.

Town Operations:
Stationary: New stationary and envelopes have been received. Still waiting on the new digital logos to order business cards and name tags.

Trash & Recycle: The Town Clerk received 2 proposals for trash & recycle collection:
B&B Refuse and AA Refuse. The Commissioners reviewed the proposals and requested modifications to the quote from B&B (one weekly trash pick-up vs. twice weekly). The Town Clerk will request a revised quote and email to the Commissioners for a decision.

Town Election: The Commissioners would like to include a note from the Election Supervisor in the upcoming newsletter regarding the election. The Election Commission will be Marti Andress, Carmen Harding, and Jeff Johnson (special appointment by Commissioners for this election cycle). The hours for the election are 3-7 PM per the Town Charter.

BYPASS & BEYOND:
Members of Beyond the Bypass Taskforce (BTBTF) will attend tomorrows BPC to give an outline of what the BTBTF has been working on. After that, the BTBTF will be decommissioned.
The Town will be hosting an SHA invitation only meeting for interested stakeholders to review the newly revealed Bypass design. The main focus of the meeting will be the impact on historical concerns of the Alternative 8 design. Commissioner Farquhar will invite the BPC Chair to attend.
There was a discussion if Town Residents should be surveyed about which design they support.

Town Property
Academy Grounds Academy Manager had 2 companies come out to give estimate regarding the trimming of tress at the Academy: Care of Trees and Pogo. The 2 companies had vastly different ideas about the trees and what needs to be done so she will get a third company to come out for an estimate.
Care of Trees quote: $2,395
Pogo: will send quote

ADA door for the Academy: 2 options for the door opener
1 – The existing push bar to be “dogged” down to exit bar
2- Electric Strike (access controlled device for doors) for an extra $425 which will electronically enable the operator to turned the automatic door opener on /off via a switch.
The Academy Manager said it would be easier for renters to use the switch so it would be worth the extra money.
2 out of 3 Commissioners voted to approve the electric striker.

Spring Clean-up: The Town will not host a Spring Clean Up as it has in the past due to lack of interest.
The Town Clerk suggested awarding SSL (Student Service Hours) and will take the class through MoCo to be able to sign off on SSL hours for the Town
Bulk Trash: the Town will consider this option again this year. Once service is established with new trash collector, the Town Clerk will get rates.
The hill in front of the Madison House was discussed. Last year, Susan Johnson had someone weed the hill for about $500 per month. She will ask the same person to give a quote for the hill again this year. She will also set up an appointment for this person to take a look at the Academy grounds and gave an estimate / design proposal

Academy Interior: the Town needs to restart the process to find someone to look at the interior and give a quote for an updated interior. Commissioner Farquhar will talk with Heritage Montgomery and other historic sites like us for recommendations.
The Town Clerk will contact A.I.R to take a look at the lawn. A.I.R. was recommended by Barbara Ray for organic, natural lawn care.

Schoolhouse: No further repairs have been performed
At tomorrow’s BPC meeting, Sandy Heiler will outline her proposed use for the Schoolhouse, which was endorsed by the BTBTF. If the BPC approves, they will send their recommendations to the Commissioners.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
• CPH – no update; Commissioner Bartley will have an update at the next Commissioners Meeting.
• Town street lights: Commissioner Bartley will go to Electrician Dennis Bogan with the lower quote and Bogan to match the rate.
• 308 Market / Pepco issue: The Treasurer will do more research for a fair rate to reimburse the Resident.
• “Slow Children at Play” sign for lower North Street: in the permit process

Other Business:
Heritage Days is June 25 &26. Sandy Heiler had requested to open the Schoolhouse to preview her proposed interpretive program. Since the Schoolhouse’s mold issue is not fully resolved yet, the Commissioners are opting not to have the Town participate in Heritage Days this year.

The meeting adjourned at 9:26p.m.
Cate McDonald, Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes – February 8, 2016

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
February 8, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon and Town Clerk Cate McDonald.
Town Residents: Debbie Wagner, Barbara Ray, Fred Teal, Teresa Meeks, Ruth Chacon, Jorge Chacon
Others: none

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar

Open Discussion:
None

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:
Minutes: The December and January Commissioners Meeting Minutes were approved as edited.
Financial: The budget was emailed to the Commissioner prior to the meeting.
Commissioner Bartley had a question about the Pepco street light bills. The street lights are unmetered and Pepco has summer and winter rates. Pepco uses averages to bill for the street lights and the winter rate is higher than the summer rate. Would the Town get a discount for switching the Town maintained lights to LED? There might be some savings from Pepco. Bogin Electric quoted $517 to replace the HSP bulbs with LED. Commissioner Bartley contacted another electrician for a quote and will follow up with the electrician to compare pricing. The Town will contact Pepco for a meeting regarding a lower cost for LED bulbs and other issues that need to be discussed with Pepco.
There was a discussion about the LED being too bright and might want to switch to a more yellow color LED bulb. The Town Residents will be asked for their opinion about the LED lights and check with BPC about switching to LED lights.

Academy Update: Dollars per rental are lower than in the past (average dollars per events). There have been a lot of inquiries this year but not a lot bookings. There have been many non-profit rentals.
Academy Manager ask the Commissioners to consider a minor increase in rental rates
Resident rental rate: $150; Week day rental rate: $175
Last rate increase was 2013 but not for all rates. Academy Manager will put together a proposal for new rates assuming that minor upkeep needed to the Academy is performed for the March Commissioners Meeting
Bill Kirwan’s firm will be visiting the Academy to give advice about updating the Academy.
Questions re: tree trimming: Academy Manager will get rates for tree trimming.

Town Operations:
Stationery: has been ordered but has not been delivered yet.

Snow Removal Review: in light of 3ft plus of snow, the January blizzard was not as bad as expected. Pepco kept the power on and snow removal was prompt. One issue: Academy snow removal. Mark Ennis shoveled the sidewalks; Todd Greenstone did the snow removal between the sidewalk and Market Street but ended up recovering the sidewalk with snow. Commissioner Bartley will talk with Mark Ennis and advise the Town will have Todd Greenstone take care of snow removal at the Academy.

Waste Management: There have been many issues with Waste Management that are not resolved. The Town Clerk will solicit bids for trash and recycle collection for discussion at the March Commissioners Meeting.

Upcoming Town Election:
Requirement of vote reporting was raised to the Commissioners. Specifically, what the Town is required to report vs. what is reported to the Town. The concern was that Brookeville has elections every year and the Board of Elections run the election and reports the result but not the vote count. They report to the Town Clerk who won / lost. Per the Commissioners, that it is not a sufficient record for recount – you need to have a tally for a recount. Votes need to retain for 6 months per the Town Charter and the vote count need to be retained in case of recount.

Teresa Meeks: would like to see this issue put on ballot for the Town to decide. Several people are uncomfortable about recent decisions that have been made, like the tax increase.

The Commissioners have a proposal to clarified Section 26 (vote count) of the Town of Brookeville Charter:
The Board of Supervisors of Elections will certify the results of the election providing the following information to the Town Clerk immediately after the closing of the polls.

• Number of Votes cast for each candidate on the ballot
• Provisional ballots, if any
• Names of write in candidates, with the numbers of votes cast for each
• The names of candidates elected to open positions

The names of elected candidates will be emailed to Town Residents that evening, and published in the subsequent issue of the Brookeville Times.

The Town Clerk will respond to requests for detailed information about the election results and will provide election information to any government agency, or MML, requesting it.

Detailed will not be published. All votes that are cast will be retained for 6 months per the Town Charter and then they can be destroyed. The information will be archived.

Ruth Chacon: are the results included in the Meeting Minuets, which are published online? No – results are not included in Commissioner Meeting Minuets.
She is thinking ahead about issues for when voting by paper is obsolete. Technology is changing and technology is central to transparency. Commissioner should think about this issue not about right now but in the future when the technology may change. Most people do not think about the election process until after the election process. She does not have an issue with this clarification. When we vote electronic, how do you keep the information safe? Lots of questions about the use of technology in the Town. Engage the Town in the process on an ongoing basis.

Commissioner Farquhar Step 1: physical ballots in the Town Office for 6 months and then destroyed; vote results will be retained but not publicized and archived.

This clarification to the Town Charter is unanimously approved.

Board of Supervisors Membership: Debbie Wagner was ad hoc Election Supervisor for the 2014 election and 2015 election was asked to take a 1 year term as Election Supervisor. The Commissioner did not have a January meeting and will be talking with Debbie Wagner about her appointment soon.
April 11 deadline for self-nomination
May 10 election for one Commissioner
Election time will be 3:00pm – 7:00pm

BYPASS & BEYOND:
.Don Moore has resigned; the BTBTF last meeting minuets are attached for the Commissioners to review.
Is having the Beyond the ByPass Taskforce (BTBTF) redundant? Does it overlap with BPC? The BPC needs to update the Comprehensive Plan by October 2016; will include the vision for the Town post ByPass era.
Barbara Ray: BTBTF is an open meeting with anyone welcome – more policy making not big on details. The BPC is much better at details. BTBTF can give policy advice to BPC. Most issue are getting resolved without the BTBTF. The communication between BPC and BTBTF has been very poor. BTBTF gets contentious because it is a small group. It should be a bigger group of people. The GoogleGroup for Residents to be part of but the listserv is not working as envisioned. BTBTF not keeping it simple.
Ruth Chacon: BTBTF and BPC are redundant. Keep process going with ad hoc committees, specific focus groups.
Commissioner Bartley and Commissioner Farquhar explain the difference roles of BPC and BTBTF.
BPC is working on the updating the Master Plan – which is why they have 7 members now.
Items such as resurfacing the Town streets are restricted by what is in the Master Plan.
Commissioner Farquhar makes a motion to disband the BTBTF and have one final BTBTF meeting with the BPC. She will consult BPC Chair about this.
BTBTF minuets state that the BTBTF should still convene with new leadership and interact with BPC to make recommendations for the Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Farquhar wants BTBTF members to help to form a taskforce or subcommittee to help the BPC revise the Comprehensive Plan
Debbie Wagner: BPC has divided into subcommittees to update the Comprehensive Plan. BPC spends a lot of time thinking about big picture stuff; permits and plans is not the only thing we do. BPC do not really know the boundaries of the Town.
There was a discussion about annexing 19500 Georgia Ave; the Town is waiting to hear back from that property owner about his wished before consulting the Town’s attorney.
Motion: Commissioner Farquhar will talk to BPC Chair and convene a joint BPC / BTBTF meeting at the next BPC meeting and have a discussion about what the BTBTF has been working. Then will ask the BPC to weave BTBTF members into BPC to help with the update of the Comprehensive Plan. The goal would be the decommission of the BTBTF with Thanks. Commissioner Daley seconded. Passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bartley brought up that the BTBTF has funds for 3 entrance signs via grants but wants 4.
Commissioner Bartley motioned to buy 3 signs; unanimously approved purchasing 3 signs.

Next SHA meeting is February 17 in Baltimore
SHA Public ByPass meeting is February 25 at Longwood 6pm -8pm

Town Property
• Landscape Architect: Commissioner Bartley consulted cph Corp. for a bid. Will need to get one more company for a quote / design proposal.
• Academy Interior: work with Bill Kirwin’s company and will seek more companies.
• Brookeville Angle: no action taken
• Academy gutters: have been cleaned and do not need to be replaced
• Academy lawn maintenance: East Coast uses 2,4D but not Glyphosate. It was decided to cancel the East Coast contract after exploring natural options. Will ask the Landscape Architect to design the lawn to minimize the need for chemicals. Mark Ennes will be given a work order for mowing this year.

Schoolhouse
Roof did well with the recent snow fall. Ridge cap is on, gutters have been rehung, and new snow guards. The schoolhouse has not been retested for mold. The ceiling is insulated above and covered with plywood over it keeping moisture in. Need to figure out how to handle the insulation to let the roof breathe.
Dehumidifier in crawl space on auto pilot. The portable one will work in the summer. Right now there is low humidity in the air so they have not been running.
Sandy Heiler has a proposal for the BPC regarding the schoolhouse cleanup and usage. Commissioner Farquhar suggested we invite Sandy Heiler to the next meeting or review jointly the proposal jointly with BPC.
Commissioner are responsible for schoolhouse and Commissioner Farquhar will check with Sandy Heiler and BPC Chair and see if a review of the proposal can do at next meeting.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
CPH update: No update on cph project. They are working on the survey and should start on test boring on the streets.

“Children at Play sign” – sign has been ordered but HAWP still needs to be filed.

Other Business:
• Spring clean-up will be on agenda for March.
• Flood Ordinance: Commissioner Bartley passed out 2 ordinance options. The ordinance will need to be signed at the March Meeting. BPC has discussed the Flood Ordinance at their February meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 9:16p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

January (Semi-Annual Town Meeting)

Town of Brookeville
Semi-Annual Town Meeting Minutes
January 11, 2016
7:00pm

Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon, Treasurer Susan Johnson, and Town Clerk Cate McDonald.

Town Residents: David Yinger, Janet, Don Moore, Bill Gaskill, Bob & Dee Heritage, Sandy & Duane Heiler, Micole Haris, Harry & Karen Montgomery, Teresa Meeks, Fred Teal, Marti Andress, Dan & Kim Heyman, Michael Acierno, Miche Booz, Bruce Evans, Barbara Ray, Stefan Syski, William Kiniry, Garrett Anderson, Mark Davis, Debbie Wagner, Mike Oestreich, Chris Scanlon, Andy & MaryKay Spagnolo

Others: Leszek Syszki
SHA: Barbara Solberg, Cornelius Barmer, and Aimee Zhang
Kiewit: Donnie Arant
CPH: Josh Bryant

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar.
Katherine gave a brief overview of the agenda:
SHA ByPass Briefing for 1 ½ hours
Josh Bryant – update on Town Roads
Updates from BPC and BBTF
Q&A Session
Meeting will end promptly at 9:00pm
Introduction of Town Staff, BPC, and Beyond the Bypass Taskforce.
Town Residents and Guests gave self-introductions.

Barbara Solberg, Division Chief, gave a brief overview of the ByPass.
Commissioner Bartley gave praise for the SHA team and said they are a hardworking group of individuals.
Aimee Zhang, Project Manager, gave a presentation regarding the ByPass: .72 miles, 2 lane road with a bike path, 2 roundabouts, 2 bridges over streams, a noise barrier, and storm water management.
Recently, the SHA has been talking with key stakeholders in the project to remove a section of Brookeville Road to reduce the storm water impact. The idea would be to remove one artery and to possibly replace the traffic circle at the northern end of the ByPass with a T intersection. This would take out the option to exit onto Market Street.
So far, there has been very positive feedback from the stakeholders.
SHA would like the Town Residents’ input and will be scheduling a public meeting sometime in the spring to reveal the alternative plan.
SHA has selected a contractor: Kiewit Infrastructure Co., who is represented here tonight by Don Arant, the construction manager.
DBB = Design, Bid, Build
Kiewit is contracted during the design phase to provide Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR)

Cornelius Barmer advised the ByPass is fully funded. The design phase is 65% complete. Just recently soil boring started. The preliminary noise wall alignment has been set. The permitting process is underway. The estimated start date is summer 2016.

Questions:
Has EMS been consulted about the design change? Cornelius Barmer responded that yes, SHA has talked with the Board of Education, Fire, and Police. Currently, Laytonsville FD has a 10 minute response time to Brookeville. If they respond with the new design, the response time is estimated to be 11 ½ minutes. There was a discussion regarding the 2 big fires the Town has had, and the design change would not materially affect the timing or coverage in the FD response.

Is one of stakeholders contacted MHT? No yet but they will consult with Maryland Historic Trust (MHT) since Brookeville is a Historic District.
Sandy Heiler stated that changing the design of the ByPass and closing the end of Brookeville Road will affect the historic character of the Town.
Chris Scanlon wants to know about pedestrian access to Oakley Cabin: SHA is considering a proposal to put a pedestrian bridge across Meadow Branch.
Debbie Wagner feels that doing away with the spur is a good idea because of the cross traffic and flooding that will be corrected at the intersection of Market St. and Brookeville Rd.
The BPC will support the new design change as it will force traffic to take Bordly Drive.
Karen Montgomery: Road funds come from MoCo and the State – will they decrease if we close off the Brookeville Road spur? There was a discussion about who may or may not be trying to persuade stakeholders to scrap the ByPass.
SHA will still own the ROW until they transfer the ROW to another entity and as of right now they do not have another entity.
Karen expressed a concern: High and Market Street would be used by local people – any way to enforce that is it only to be used by locals?
Commissioner Bartley shared that 2000 cars come from Brookeville Road thru the Town daily.
Garrett Anderson expressed support for the new, proposed design
Sandy Heiler: closing of Brookeville Road will change the historic character. The Brookeville Road was designed between 2 Post Roads. If closed, the west end of Town is a dead end, losing that character and the character of Brookeville Road is significant.
Don Moore: The Town is no longer a commercial center so it is a moot point. Bordley Drive carries a lot of traffic. Did the SHA do a pro / con list of closing the spur?
SHA – there is not a formal pro / con list. The pros (less environmental impact, cost savings, etc..) are significant. They are now hearing some cons.
SHA has a historian on staff, currently on vacation, that they will consult and they will consult MHT.
The pros outweigh the cons.
SHA will hold another public meeting regarding the design change.
William Kiniry: lives in the Valley House and see the pro would be mitigating the flooding from the drainage issue at the culvert.
Fred Teal: regarding the historic character – Brookeville was once a walkable place. Historic Brookeville had no cars. Traffic has destroyed Brookeville.
Bruce Evans: in favor of elimination of the spur. Would SHA remove the existing pavement? Any risk the design change would require another study, delaying construction?
SHA: No new study would be needed; just a new public meeting with the new design. The elimination of the spur would make permitting easier
SHA would need to decide what to do with the road if the spur is eliminated. SHA would need to work with MHT. If they remove the pavement, they would re-stabilize the area in consultation with Park & Planning.
Stefan Syski: Sound barrier question – is SHA only having the sound barrier on the other side? His back yard is adjacent to the ByPass. SHA plans for one sound barrier. Will SHA create a berm or have tree plantings? Yes – but there are no final planting plans.
Karen Montgomery: is there a design for eastern Market Street to have a median strip with trees planted down the middle? Was this taken under consideration? She has seen a picture with a median to the bottom of the hill
Harry Montgomery: there are rules to follow when making a topographical map. How much does this lower the level of water? Will this increase flooding anywhere?
SHA: trying not to change the hydrological impact; water will be managed
When will the project start? Projected to be August 2016
What would prevent this from being the start date? Many environmental aspects; lots of permits: 4-5 months for permits, if there are no delays. All stakeholders are present at the SHA meetings to mitigate delays.
There have been great strides forward. There are a lot of resources at these meetings. Having a T intersection will lessen the environmental impact of the project.
Dave Yinger: over the years, there has been more water coming into the valley.

8:00pm – end of SHA segment. Break.

8:05pm: Meeting called back to order
Commissioner Bartley introduced Josh Bryant, the Town’s contractor for topological survey.
Josh Bryant: his company, CPH Corp., is conducting a survey of eastern Market, North, South, and Water Streets. What they hope to determine is an acceptable surface for the Town maintained roads and how to mitigate the water drainage issues.
The scope of the project:
Analyze current drainage issues
Identify problem areas and what needs to be done to correct the problem
Topographical survey is taking place now
Pavement options: soil borings will tell what type of foundation we have.
Next step: take all the information, analyze, and advise the Town.
The Town is having eastern Market surveyed for future design
Soil boring: samples are taken from soil to 5 feet down.
Sandy Heiler: what is the goal? To recommend what the surface should be used or what should go underneath.
Since a rural location, probably not have curbs, gutters, or storm drains on Town streets.
Fred Teal: will you removal layers of gravel? The topographic survey will show what needs to be done.
Harry Montgomery: at the end of the survey, will you use a cut & fill strategy? Will you show the Town your findings? Josh Bryant said his company is not a construction contractor – they will come up with a construction plan the Town can use to solicit bids. He would be happy to come back, if invited, to discussion the finding with the Town Residents.
Karen Montgomery: can the State and MoCo help with funds? Commissioner Bartley said there might be some grants; Commissioner Farquhar said they will research funding
Teresa Meeks: do not raise taxes without allowing Town Residents to vote
Timeline: Survey should be complete in 2 weeks; after data collected, should take 6 weeks to analyze so report should be ready sometime in the spring.
Project is being done in 3 phases.
Barbara Ray: will you come back to the Town with the findings? Yes, he would come back with the findings.
Michael Acierno: topological threshold and current weather patterns have changed. How will you deal with that? The shape of the land will be the factor. Gravity will take care of water no matter how hard it rains.
Dan Heyman: What are the option materials for road surface? That will be determined by the Town and the HPC will narrow the options.
Josh Bryant will report to the Town Commissioners at a Commissioners Meeting and Residents will be updated via the newsletter.

8:30pm
Chris Scanlon, BPC Chair, gave a brief update on what the BPC has accomplished during 2015: very few permits issued (Pollock garage, Valley House addition, ground source heat pump, hardscaping)
The challenge the BPC faces this year will be the update of the Comprehensive Plan, which is due to the State in October 2016. The update to Comprehensive Plan is important because of the ByPass. The Comprehensive Plan will set the vision for the Town. The BPC and BBTF will work together to carve that vision but they will need more people to be involved.

Don Moore, BBTF Chair, gave an overview of his taskforce. The BBTF will solicit input from the Town to assist the BPC. Survey Monkey results were reviewed.
• The BBTF communicate via Google Groups.
• Entrance signs: Sandy Heiler has obtained grant money to update the Town’s entrance signs.
• Schoolhouse: repairs are being made, working with Heritage Montgomery to clean up the property and determine a use. BBTF will gave the options to the Commissioners to take under advisement.
• Walkability
• Sustainability

Leszek Syszki wrote a report on walkability and gave a brief presentation. The BBTF wants the BPC to incorporate the walkability report into the Comprehensive Plan.
4 areas of concern:
1 – walk from one end of Town to the other. There was a discussion of Back St that is overgrown.
2 – loop walks
3 – Longwood to Oakley Cabin
4 – networks of other paths
He is still researching and is asking for input from Residents.
There was a discussion about the Walking Map for Town of Brookeville from 1994.

Open Discussion
Debbie Wagner: the Mill Race needs to be cleaned up especially around the WSSC pumping station where there remains debris from the transformer explosion/treefall in summer 2015.
There was a discussion about Power’s Wood and the sign Mr. Powers erected in dedication to his wife. She feels we need to talk as a town about what to do. Is maintaining the sign the responsibility of Park and Planning or the Pollock’s? Park and Planning needs to clean up the Mill Race.
Bruce Evans: he is working on a date to have SSFS students do a cleanup on the eastern portion of Market Street.
Andrea Scanlon: reminder the Family Movie night is January 30 – all are invited.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk

Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 14, 2015

Town of Brookeville
Commissioners Meeting Minutes
December 14, 2015

7:00pm
Commissioner:
Present: Katherine Farquhar, Buck Bartley, and Sue Daley
Absent: none
Quorum present? Yes

Present during all or portions of the meeting:
Academy Manager Andrea Scanlon and Town Clerk Cate McDonald.
Town Residents: Sandy Heiler
Others: none

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:10 p.m. by Commissioner President Farquhar

Open Discussion:
None

ROUTINE TOWN BUSINESS:
Minutes: The November Commissioners Meeting Minutes were approved as edited.
Financial: the budget was emailed prior to the meeting. Commissioners will ask the Treasurer to report any anomalies in the budget if she will not be attending the meeting.
The Commissioners will follow up with the Treasurer regarding the following line items:
• 6171 – Credit card – the amount needs to be broken down into categories
• 6180 – Insurance Other
• 6185 – Professional Services – the amount needs to be broken down into categories (ie –legal)
• 6225 – Leaf removal – there should be $3000 in the budget category

Also, has the Town paid Mark Ennes for lawn mowing and if so, how much? Did the Town pay SUMC for parking?

There was a discussion about road work. Commissioner Bartley will be meeting with WSSC about damage that occurred along the eastern portion of Market St. He will ask WSSC about the status of repaving and the speed bump.

There was a discussion about the Town’s Holiday Party. It was estimated that 60 plus Town Residents attended the event. It was a successful event.

Academy Update:
Donna Wills has contacted the Academy Manager about hosting field trips to the Academy starting in April. Her contract is ending with Woodlawn Manor. The Commissioners have no issue with this request but would like the Academy Manager to approve all advertisement for such functions and to ensure the Town and/or Academy receives proper credit as the venue.
Semi-Annual Town Meeting: The meeting is scheduled Jan. 11, 2016 from 7:00pm – 9:00pm with a short Commissioners Meeting starting at 6:00pm. There was a discussion about who the Town Residents would want an update from and was determined roads. The Town will have Josh Bryant from CPH attend to answer questions and will invite a SHA representative to answer questions regarding the ByPass.
The auditor, Debbie Free, will be invited to another meeting in late Spring.
There was a discussion about having people like Debbie Free and Scott Whipple from MHT talk at various meetings.

Commissioner Farquhar has a conflict with the March 14, 2016 and requested the meeting be moved to March 7, 2016. There will be a notice in the Brookeville Times regarding the date change.

The BPC Chair has been invited to speak at the Jan. 11th meeting to discuss permits and the updating of the Comprehensive Plan. BBT Don Moore will also speak about the Taskforce.

There was a discussion regarding notice to Town Residents when a HAWP is applied for. Commissioner Farquhar would like all Residents notified when a permits is submitted – only for major projects. Commissioner Daley was opposed. The HPC listed all HAWP online prior to each of their meetings – if Residents want to find out what permits have been applied for they will need to look online when the HPC agenda are posted. All Town HAWP’s will be advertised in the Brookeville Times. A message to Residents will be added to the Brookeville Times that HAWP’s are listed online.

Town Operations:
Sandy Heiler has worked with the Quinters and had 3 letterhead samples and 2 envelope samples. The Commissioners reviewed the samples and selected a designs.
Cost: $160 for 500 sheets, 70lb
$225 for 500 envelopes
The paper needs to be white as the design has a beige background. The Town will pay for the design and retain rights to the template.
Mrs. Heiler will work with the Quinters for business cards and name badges.
Commissioner Farquhar asked if the Quinters can make a generic banner with room for a message that can change. The sign would be semi-permanent with wooden poles. Mrs. Heiler will ask the Quinters what the cost would be.

BYPASS & BEYOND:
No new updates. All 3 Commissioners and the BPC Chair will attend tomorrow’s SHA meeting.

Town Property

Academy: The Academy Manager has asked GONews about the rates for 2016 and purchasing 13 ads (one a month) & 1/16 of a page
Commissioner Farquhar suggested purchasing the 13 ad package and flexibility to make one ad 1/8 of the page and 12 ads 1/16 of a page.
Academy Manager said she will try to barter use of the Academy in lieu of paying for advertising. GONews used the Academy the first week in December for a Holiday gathering.

Academy Grounds: Academy Manager will arrange to have the tree trimming company come and trim the trees on the grounds.
The Commissioners will need to discuss what the priorities for the Academy Grounds before meeting with a Landscape architect.
Commissioner Bartley will ask CPH about their landscape design services. Beyond the ByPass will give input for design and concepts of uses.

Priorities: 1) deep clean-up; 2) walk around for 2-hours with a landscape architect to get ideas.

Lawn Maintenance: The Town will need to seek options for non-herbicide lawn services for the Academy grounds.

Schoolhouse: HAWP for snow guards, gutter repair, and ridge cap. Once approved, Michael Brown will perform the work.
MoldStoppers has not sent any updates.

Heritage Montgomery has suggested that the Schoolhouse site could be the site of an archeological dig looking for the ruins of the Methodist Protestant Church.

Public Works (sidewalks, streets, lights)
No updates. The CPH will start surveying soon.

Commissioner Daley reported that the Johnson’s requested the curb be repaired by their house. Commissioner Bartley will ask CPH about this but the repair will have to wait until repaving of Market Street is approved.

Town Government
Brookeville Directory: need input from BPC and Commissioners.

BPC: BPC requested to stay 7 members while the Comprehensive Plan is being revised. The Commissioners agree to 7 members with defined term limits. The Commissioners will ask for monthly updates regarding the progress of the Comprehensive Plan.

Flags – Commissioner Bartley will work on taking the flags down after Christmas.

“Slow – Children at Play” sign: quote for sign and installation is $396. The Town Clerk will apply for a HAWP.

Town Operations:
Next SHA meeting is Dec. 15 with all 3 Commissioners attending plus BPC Chair
Next Beyond the ByPass meeting is Dec. 17
Next BPC meeting is Jan. 5
Next Commissioners meeting is Jan. 11 at 6pm before Semi-Annual Town Meeting

The meeting adjourned at 9:08p.m.
Cate McDonald
Town Clerk