MINUTES
MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 2, 1999

Mayor Margo G. Bailey called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. In attendance were Councilmembers Harrison C. Bristoll, Jr., Thomas A. Gross, Sr., Mabel Mumford-Pautz and J. Brian Kirby, Police Chief Wayne Bradley, W. S. Ingersoll, Town Manager, Joan Merryman, Stenographer, and guests.

Mayor Bailey asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of the meetings of July 6 and 19, 1999 and executive sessions of July 6, 12 and 19, 1999. Mr. Bristoll moved that the minutes be accepted as presented, was seconded by Mrs. Mumford-Pautz and carried unanimously.

Mayor Bailey stated that an executive session was held on Monday, July 19, 1999 at 8:40 p.m. pursuant to Sec. 10-508 of the Annotated Code of Maryland to discuss a personnel matter. The Mayor and three Councilmembers were present. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. and minutes were taken and are part of the record.

Mayor Bailey called on Chief Bradley for the police report. Chief Bradley gave the report for the month of July. Mayor Bailey stated that on Fridays the street crew goes through Town and picks up all debris and trash. She said we have found that right after this is cleaned up, people put trash and debris out on the curb and let it sit all day Saturday and Sunday. She said we have asked the Chief and the Police Department that on their patrols through Town, they write in information for citations under the Trash and Garbage Ordinance. They will report the addresses to the Town Office and the citations will be completed and sent out to owners. She said we have gone over and over the process and we will not tolerate trash sitting out all weekend. She said the fine for the first offense is $100 and any repeated offenses are $200. She said we have tried sending letters to landlords and letters of warning about trash and they have been ignored so we will enforce the ordinance with fines. The Council agreed with this process. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she would also include empty trash cans that are left out on the curb and not placed by the side of rear of houses between trash pickup days.

Mayor Bailey said that a citizen discussed with her a problem with traffic at the mail box island on Park Row. She said people make a U-turn around the mail box island and it presents a danger to parked cars, other traffic and pedestrians. She said there are no signs to indicate that a U-turn is not allowed. Chief Bradley said there was a problem in that area in general with people who stop at the post office, turning right and left coming up Park Row toward the Post Office. He said there have been several accidents in front of the Post Office. He said that a no U-turn there and also a no left turn might help. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she always feels we should not direct traffic away from downtown and she thought a No U-turn sign at the island would help. Mr. Bristoll said we could start with that see if it improves the situation. Mayor Bailey said we will try that. The Council agreed.

Mayor Bailey said she had a letter from a resident on Maple Avenue discussing the speed of the traffic on Maple Avenue to Cross Street. Chief Bradley said he has a device which is placed on top of a car (runs off the car battery) and will show the speed of a vehicle. He said he watched a more sophisticated device one day in Harrington, Delaware and every car that went through and saw their speed, slowed down. He said he got a less expensive piece of equipment with grant funds that works with radar equipment which shows the speed at which a vehicle is traveling. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz asked that it be used on Kent Street as well. Mr. Gross asked if it was necessary to have the speed limit at 30 mph. or could it be lower. Chief Bradley said he thought that limit was fine as long as people obey the limit. Mayor Bailey said we will try to alleviate some of the problems with this equipment on Maple Avenue and Kent Street.

Mayor Bailey asked if there were any questions of the Chief. There being none, she asked the Town Manager for his report. Mr. Ingersoll said the fountain restoration was going well. He apologized to anyone who was inconvenienced during Krazy Daze and for the concert on Saturday, but the restoration was being done so it can be finished before the 100th anniversary of the fountain this month. He said Ship & Shore are meticulously removing the old paint and they built a good enclosure around it while the work is being done. He said on August 14, 1999 the Town will rededicate the fountain at 6 p.m. prior to the concert.

Mr. Ingersoll said in response to Mrs. Haske's comments on handicapped access in Town, we have completed the ramps in Washington Square, eliminated the problem across from the Post Office and behind the Chestertown Bank on Cannon Street. He said we cannot make the same progress we made in the month of July every month, but we will continue on this work.

Mr. Ingersoll said the Cannon Street grant has been closed out by HUD and the State and letters of approval are coming directly. He reported that the Kent County Chamber of Commerce put an application in to the Maryland Office of Neighborhood Business Development for $150,000 in funds for the Visitor's Center. He said that was the grant he had discussed with the Council and is key for the project. He said if they do not receive this grant, the Town may not have enough funds from room rental tax income to proceed with the project. He read Resolution #3-99 which was a resolution of support from the Town for the Chamber's grant application asked that the Council adopt it and authorize the Mayor to sign it. He said one requirement of the grant application was to have a letter of support from whatever jurisdiction the application is in. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz moved that the Resolution be adopted and that the Mayor be authorized to sign, was seconded by Mr. Bristoll and carried by a vote of 3 in favor, Mr. Gross and Mr. Kirby opposed.

Mr. Ingersoll stated that the dedication of the waterfront promenade will be held on Saturday, August 28, 1999 at 6 p.m. He said invitations had been distributed to the Council, sent to donors and people instrumental in the financing of the project, and the public is invited. He said there will be a reception at the Custom House following the dedication.

Mr. Ingersoll said the grant application for the public park property for $300,000 has been submitted. Mayor Bailey said we also submitted a grant application for half of the funds for the fountain restoration. Mr. Kirby asked about the status of the Gilman project. Mr. Ingersoll said Phase II, the 60 units of senior housing, has been started. He said six months was the time period for finishing them. He said we are working out the 911 addresses for the project and they have named some interior roads. He said he hoped the Council would like to name the main road into the project which will be turned over to the Town. The developer has been calling it "Chestertown Landing Road" temporarily and it was fine with them that the Town names the road. He said he did not like to see "Chestertown" repeated in a road name. He said something like Brickyard Street or something that would tell people what it used to be or had some significance. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz suggested it be named for the Schauber family. The Council will think about this and do some research and discuss it at the next meeting.

Mayor Bailey said at the last meeting we had a letter from the Frank M. Jarman Post about renaming one block of Park Row to Memorial Plaza. She said people have suggested Monument Place or Memorial Place. She asked the Council if they had information on that. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she is doing some research on that because she did not believe it was originally called Park Row. Mayor Bailey said they will discuss this at the next meeting.

Mayor Bailey read a letter from Dr. Oscar Morgan of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stating that there will be no changes in the Upper Shore Mental Health Facility services.

Mayor Bailey read an invitation to the opening of an exhibit by Sally Clark and Ben Dize from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 5, 1999.

Mayor Bailey said that Pauline McNally, the President of the Old Chestertown Neighborhood Association, is moving from Chestertown. She thanked Pauline for all of her hard work and stated that this was a real loss for the OCNA and the Town.

Mayor Bailey said Bethel Church had a celebration for Maryland Unity Day and they presented the Mayor and Council a certificate of recognition for the Garnett Open Recreation Summer Program. She read the certificate and thanked Bethel Church. She also thanked Orgirinia Graves, Daryl Deaton and Dawn Wright for their work in this program.

Mayor Bailey asked if there were any questions or comments. Mr. Gross asked that the pier on Cannon Street be put on the next agenda for discussion.

Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she wanted to stress the need for the Visitor's Center which would house the Tourism Office and the Chamber of Commerce. She said one morning in the Tourism Office they served at least 25 people and the first thing any visitor asks for is a public bathroom and then information on lunch and brochures. She said now they have one small personal bathroom in the building they are in and one small room to work out of. She asked that other Councilmembers stop in and see the volume of people that come through our Town and are spending their money here.

Bruce Neal, Fire Chief, asked if the Town was doing anything about water restrictions. Mayor Bailey said right now restrictions are voluntary. She said the Governor was going to make a decision on Thursday and the Town would abide by what is decided for the State. The recommendations were that be no watering of lawns and flowers, and no car washing. She asked how the Fire Company was doing. Mr. Neal said there was no problem. He also asked about access to the foot of High Street. He said with the metal posts they cannot get access to the river to draft water in the event of a major downtown fire. Mr. Ingersoll said we did not mean to take away a water source, but we had discussed making a dry hydrant for the fire company to access the water further up. He said the posts were not to restrict the fire company but because of problems with trucks, etc. driving on the dock. Mr. Ingersoll said he would meet with Chief Neal and go to the site and see about the 8" hydrant they had requested.

Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she wanted to discuss the tractor trailers in Town using High Street and Spring Avenue. She said many of these trucks could use the bypass rather than drive downtown. She said she would give some names of local industries to the Town Office and urge that these businesses not use the downtown streets. She asked about large trucks parked on Mt. Vernon Avenue, Kent Street and Calvert Street and repairs going on and washing of the trucks in the residential areas. Mr. Ingersoll said there is a restriction in the Zoning Ordinance about commercial trucks over 4000 lbs. in residential areas and he will check on this.

Mayor Bailey asked the Council to approve the bills. Mr. Kirby moved that the bills be paid as presented, was seconded by Mr. Bristoll and carried unanimously.

Mr. Bristoll moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:05 p.m., was seconded by Mrs. Mumford-Pautz and carried unanimously.

Submitted by:
Joan Merryman
Stenographer

Approved by:
Margo G. Bailey
Mayor