Westminster council meeting report for the July 13 2009 meeting

Westminster Eagle Town Hall Ticker, by Kevin Dayhoff Wednesday, July 15, 2009 – July 27, 2009

Westminster council meeting details city improvements and comprehensive plan

The agenda for the July 27, 2009 Westminster mayor and common council meting may be found here: http://www.westgov.com/citygov/agendas/mcc_agenda072709.pdf

The last Westminster mayor and common council meeting on Monday, July 13, 2009, ran a little longer than usual as Westminster officials found themselves with a full agenda and lots of ground to cover.

The meeting began with a mayoral proclamation for “Recreation and Parks Month” which Westminster mayor Kevin Utz presented to Ron Schroers, the Westminster director of recreation and parks.

Then it was Schroers turn to take center stage as he stood to receive, not one, but two, citizen recreation organization checks that were presented for the community’s recreation facilities.

With the economy continuing to lag and the city coffers running low, city officials seemed more than eager to accept checks from the Westminster Stingrays swim team and the United States Tennis Association.

Schroers displayed a broad smile on his face as he accepted a check in the amount of $4,800.00 for refurbishments to the municipal pool. The Stingrays “are more than just a competitive swim team… but provide a great service to the community,” said a beaming Schroers.

The Mid Atlantic Maryland U.S. Tennis Association turned over to Schroers a check for $2,888.00 for improvements to the tennis courts on the municipal playground.

Schroers did not have the donations for long as Utz quickly extended his hand to get the check.

Then it was down to business. The bulk of the meeting was taken-up with another in a continuing series of presentations, by Westminster city planner Melissa Hynes, on efforts to update the city’s comprehensive plan.

With the county’s “Pathways to Carroll’s Future Landscape” comprehensive plan so much in the news these days; councilmembers peppered Hynes with questions as she presented the transportation, community facilities and public services, and community design elements components of the city’s vision for the next twenty-years of planning for the community.

Hynes displayed large maps and had plenty of briefing papers for the city’s elected officials to review. She concluded with an overall summary of the work that lies ahead.

Westminster city attorney, John Walsh, remarked at one point, “We’re at the start of the process.”

Hynes further explained that it is hoped that a 60-day public-input and review process will begin in weeks. This part of the process includes the city’s planning and zoning commission also taking a long hard look at the document.

The comprehensive plan will be available to the public on the city’s web site, the city offices in hardcopy document form, CD, or at the county library. Officials stressed the need for public input.

Westminster’s comprehensive plan was last prepared in 2004. The plan, which is to be updated, according to Maryland law, every six years, is not legally scheduled to be completed until June 2010; although Hynes expressed an interest in hopefully having a finished document in front of common council, for their approval, by the end of September.

However, an hour later, as councilmembers continued to ask questions, Hynes said that she was allowing the timeline plenty of flexibility if it’s needed.

Meanwhile city officials allowed themselves to show signs of relief and quickly moved-on to other business.

Schroers presented bids for the council’s approval to replace a city shed on the municipal playground. He referred to the current building and an accompanying trailer, also slated to be replaced by the new building, as the “eyesores in the back of the Armory” – (the city’s Longwell recreational building.)

As discussions continued over anticipation for the building’s replacement, one member of the audience was overheard to say that the city won’t have to tear the old building down “because it’ll fall down soon.”

The new building, which was earlier anticipated to cost as much as $250,000.00, was bid on by 11 different contractors. Schroers explained that he city value-engineered the winning bid by CRC contractors from $199,600 to the final bid of $176,322.00.

The council voted to go ahead with the playground improvement. The building, which is being paid for by grants and private donations, will also be used by the Fallfest committee and the Optimist Club, which will team-up with the city and pay the operating expenses for 40-foot by 24-foot two-story structure.

Elected officials nodded with approval as it was explained that Westminster general fund tax dollars will not be used for its construction.

Next it was Jeff Glass, the city’s director of public works’ turn as he presented a request for approval for two trucks and the street overlay program. This year’s street-surface improvements will concentrate on resurfacing Bond Street from West Green Street to the city line and Doyle Avenue – Old New Windsor Road - from around the intersection with West Green Street to the city limits.

Glass explained that this year’s budget has allocated $200,000.00 for the road improvements.

Glass also explained and then asked for approval of the city’s latest water conservation measure; a water-conserving toilet replacement rebate program.

There was no new business or old business on the agenda and the meeting moved right along into the department head reports, which included a detailed report of calls for service from Westminster fire department president Bill Brehm, and incident reports by Jeff Spaulding, the Westminster police chief.

Spaulding also gave-out more details on the recent three-alarm apartment fire in The Greens area of town. He explained that an individual was arrested after the fire and charged with arson.

The balance of the department report portion of the meeting saw city administrator Marge Wolf focus on the city’s new web site and plans for employees, to be trained shortly, to use four video cameras to help promote Westminster.

The meeting seemed to flow seamlessly at that point to a report by Schroers on a recent Maryland Municipal League statewide award for municipal excellence for the private-public partnership utilized to refurbish the city’s seven-year-old skateboard park.

Also discussed by Schroers were plans by the Lion’s Club to replace the play equipment in a corner of the playground behind the baseball diamond backstop, dubbed the “cat litter box,” and efforts to bring back an historic holiday tradition, called “Santa’s Treat.”

This led into a report by the Christmas parade chair, Lori Graham, on preparations for the annual Christmas parade.

With that, council president Damian Halstad gaveled the meeting to a close and folks quickly paraded out the door.

One audience member was overheard to say, as they bolted for the door, that in the future, if the meeting is to last “this long, Ron (Schroers) and Melissa (Hynes) ought to lay-in food and supplies…”

Kevin Dayhoff may reached at kevindayhoff AT gmail.com or visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/

20090713 d1 WE Westminster council meeting report sdosm 20090727

20090713 photo captions

The July 13, 2009 meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council began with a mayoral proclamation for “Recreation and Parks Month” which Westminster mayor Kevin Utz presented to Ron Schroers, the Westminster director of recreation and parks.

Westminster officials at the July 13, 2009 meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council. From right to left: Westminster mayor Kevin Utz, Westminster council president Damian Halstad, and Westminster councilmember Tony Chiavacci.

At the July 13, 2009 meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council Ron Schroers, the Westminster director of recreation and parks daydreamed for a moment as he pondered all the things he could get done with a check in the amount of $4,800.00 for refurbishments to the municipal pool from the Stingrays. They “are more than just a competitive swim team… but provide a great service to the community,” said a beaming Schroers.

At the July 13, 2009 meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council the Mid Atlantic Maryland U.S. Tennis Association turned over to Ron Schroers, the Westminster director of recreation and parks, a check for $2,888.00 for improvements to the tennis courts on the municipal playground. Schroers did not have the donations for long as Westminster mayor Utz quickly extended his hand to get the check, as Westminster city administrator Marge Wolf (right) looks on with a broad smile…

From left to right, Westminster town planner, Melissa Hynes and Westminster public works director, the Rev. Jeff Glass, look on as Ron Schroers, the Westminster director of recreation and parks makes a point at the July 13, 2009 meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council.

As the July 13, 2009 meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council wore-on late into the evening, Ron Schroers, the Westminster director of recreation and parks slipped into warp drive and another time zone. The Westminster town planner, Melissa Hynes and Westminster public works director, the Rev. Jeff Glass, were amazed.

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Newly elected councilmember tackles hit and run driver and sits on him until police arrive

Law and order Councilmember Chiavacci

Newly elected councilmember tackles hit and run driver and sits on him until police arrive.

By Kevin Dayhoff Sunday, May 31, 2009

Westminster councilmember Tony Chiavacci (submitted photo)

[Note: This is an update of an earlier story from Sunday, May 31, 2009 4:00 pm: Law and order councilmember Tony Chiavacci Westminster Maryland - Newly elected councilmember tackles alleged hit and run driver and detains him until police arrive, by Kevin Dayhoff. A shorter – edited version of this story appears in the Westminster Eagle, “Dayhoff: New councilmember tackles alleged hit and run drive” Published June 1, 2009 by Westminster Eagle]

Westminster Maryland - If you aspire to be an alleged hit-and-run driver in Westminster, you may not want to do it in front of newly elected Westminster Councilmember Tony Chiavacci’s house on Willis Street, just a couple houses down from Westminster City Hall and the Westminster police station.

Reports of the councilmen’s heroic law-and-order behavior travelled quickly through town last Sunday morning.

Usually the most activity on Willis Street on any given Sunday are the squirrels frenetically frittering about doing, well, whatever it is the bushy tailed critters frantically do, birds singing and a few bunny rabbits nibbling on some grass.

However, last Sunday the bucolic story-book calm of the historic tree-lined street noted for its large stately homes and well manicured lawns was shattered abruptly by the sounds of a roaring engine, squealing wheels and a car crash.

When it was all over, even the squirrels, birds, and bunnies stopped in their tracks and the only frantic critter on the street was a reckless hit-and-run driver flailing about with the grass flying and a councilmember sitting his back.

Witnesses revealed that a hapless eastbound driver on Willis Street, had apparently rounded the corner and traveled at a high rate of speed from the direction of Westminster City Hall towards Center Street when he hit several parked automobiles.

Soon after the parked cars were hit, the offending auto stopped in the street like a wounded beast and the driver attempted to flee. That’s when councilman Chiavacci sprang into action by eventually running-down and tackling the individual.

As a crowd of older citizens, assorted family dogs, birds, bunnies, squirrels, and children gathered around, the alleged offender was reported to have been heard screaming, “Get off of me.” A request that Chiavacci, the son of a career retired Maryland State Police officer did not seem to be in the mood to oblige.

Later that evening in a telephone interview, Councilman Chiavacci, a former Army military police officer who is known for his good-natured smile and easygoing personality - but who is also about the size of a small Sherman Tank – calmly recalled the morning’s events.

“Today is my birthday and my kids made me a birthday breakfast,” said the father of five children proudly in a soft, measured voice. “I was sitting in the living room reading the Sunday paper, when all the sudden I heard a car engine roaring, tires squealing – and then a loud crash.”

Now, no longer worried that an idiot was on the loose on Willis Street, Chiavacci’s annoyance turned into concern. “I was worried that someone may have gotten hurt, so I hustled out of the house and down the driveway to see a damaged mini-van sitting in the middle of the street.”

“Then this guy gets out and starts beating the feet on down the street towards Center Street…” Chiavacci’s police training immediately kicked in as he noticed the vehicle did not have tags on it, “and I wondered why this guy was taking off?”

Chiavacci went on to say that “I asked the guy to stop and get back to his car.”

At which time the driver of the wounded mini-van said, “I’ve gotta get to work man.”

Quickly getting a grip on the situation and transitioning from big-breakfast-eating, newspaper-reading slumbering-Sunday Dad to concerned citizen; Chiavacci said he realized that “something wasn’t adding-up, so I asked him again to ‘stop right there,’ more colorfully,” shared Chiavacci in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, as if he were talking about the weather.

Meanwhile the offender is picking up the pace, not running, but moving even more quickly. “I caught up to him and asked him again to stop.” At that the gentleman pushed back against Chiavacci.

Other accounts suggest that the offender struck Chiavacci, however according to Chiavacci, “ah, he just pushed me and said something like ‘leave me alone.’”

Three strikes and a shove and you’re out. Besides, the bad guy interrupted Chiavacci’s Sunday morning with his kids.

Chiavacci reports that he “was nice enough to ask him to stop one more time,” as the offender continued to try and take off. “So, I just leveled him in the yard,” at the northeast corner of North and Willow Streets.

“My MP training just took over. I was worried for all the kids that were out … and my elderly neighbors… and fortunately I knew how to stop him without hurting him.”

“He kept fighting me, but I had the better of him and I just waited for the police to come…”

Fortunately for the alleged hit-and-run driver, Westminster city police arrived quickly and took control of the situation.

Afterwards, the children in the neighborhood resumed playing; the squirrels went back to – whatever it is that they do and Chiavacci, well, “after the police took the guy away, I went back to being a birthday Dad and reading the paper.”

All in a day’s work.

-30-

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kevindayhoff AT gmail.com.

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20090601 SDOSM Law and order Councilmember Chiavacci

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