**************************************************

NAC 3

Neighborhood Advisory Council Meeting

June 12, 2006 — Minutes

Minutes presented by Kathy Griffee and Beth Mende Conny

**************************************************

NAC 3’s June meeting was held in the Monocacy Elementary School cafeteria and called to order at 7:05 p.m.

The focus of this month’s meeting was future road/bridge closings and traffic patterns on Hayward Rd., Thomas Johnson Dr., Rt. 15, and the Motter Ave. bridge (which goes across Rt. 15). The topic was announced in NAC 3’s monthly flyer and drew a very large turnout.

Connie Pryor opened the meeting with introductions of attendees and guests.

**************************************************

June Guest Speakers

**************************************************

* Stephanie Davis — City of Frederick NAC liaison and assistant to Frederick Mayor Jeff Holtzinger.

* Jerome Lyons — NAC 3 board member and representative to the City-wide NAC meetings

* Tim Davis — City of Frederick Planning Dept.

* Donna Ramsburg — City of Frederick Alderman

* Sgt. Earl Rocca — City of Frederick Police Dept.

* Chris Smarigia — Civil engineer and representative of building developer Harris & Smarigia

**************************************************

Stephanie Davis

**************************************************

Stephanie introduced to attendees the purpose of the City of Frederick’s NAC program. Its underlying premise is that individuals within their respective neighborhoods are best suited to address the problems and concerns in their immediate or surrounding communities. Stephanie attends NAC meetings and reports on them to the Mayor and Alderman.

There are 13 NACs in the City, each representing a different neighborhood (or group of neighborhoods). Twelve are active; the 13^th is Fort Detrick, which is its own community. Each NAC meets monthly.

NAC 3 meets the 2nd Monday of each month (except for July and August). The next meeting will be Sept. 11, 2006, at Monocacy Elementary School at 7 pm.

Connie Pryor and Beth Conny presented Stephanie with a Certificate of Appreciation for her invaluable assistance. She was commended for always being accessible, incredibly knowledgeable, efficient and patient (even when asked a seemingly endless list of questions!).

**************************************************

Jerome Lyons

**************************************************

Jerome Lyons, NAC 3 representative to the recently formed City-wide NAC, reported on the group’s objectives for the June 26, 2006, meeting. The group’s goal is to identify common concerns and goals, and to speak with one voice when working with the City on pressing neighborhood issues.

Jerome encouraged attendees to jot down their concerns on the "topic sheets" placed on each table, so that he could bring them to the next Citywide meeting.

**************************************************

Sgt. Earl Rocca

**************************************************

Sgt. Earl Rocca is the Midnight Supervisor for the NAC 3 neighborhood. His direct phone line is 301-624-1223, and he can usually be reached from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Sgt. Rocca shared the NAC 3 "Calls for Service" statistics for the previous month. There were only 202 calls, some of which were false alarms, minor incidents, etc. There were six arrests in the area, including two driver-related incidents and one for each of the following: trespassing on Hillmeade Sq., drug arrest on Thomas Johnson Dr., drug arrest on Carriage Way and drug arrest on Heather Lane.

Sgt. Rocca reminded everyone that the Police Department only has an average of seven officers on patrol from 3 a.m.-7 a.m. across the entire city. These officers have to answer all calls that come in. (There is some overlap of shifts during “busy hours,” thereby increasing the number of on-duty officers.) The Mayor and Board of Alderman just approved six new officer positions in the next budget.

By law, the police have to respond to all calls, which, when received, are put into priority order. People who call the police to report an incident are entitled to a call back from an officer. They don’t have to leave their name, but they should leave a telephone number. (Police do not have caller I.D., except for 911 calls. Accordingly, if you want an officer to you back regarding the status of an incident, you will have to leave a phone number; the Police have no way of getting in touch with you, if you do not. The Police will keep your identity private upon your request.)

**************************************************

Tim Davis

**************************************************

Note: Additional information was added to this section of the Minutes to provide a more complete explanation of the items below.

Tim Davis is a planner who works on transportation issues for the City of Frederick’s Planning Dept. The City now has a transportation engineer, Dr. Anis Tannir, who will oversee transportation needs as they relate to future growth.

Tim brought with him to the meeting handouts outlining the major transportation projects that will impact NAC 3. Although these have been on the books for quite some time, some may take as long as 20 years to complete.

The projects are described below.

*********Monocacy Blvd./Christopher’s Crossing loop*********

According to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, Monocacy Blvd. will connect with Christopher’s Crossing, completing the final segment of the loop that is to circle the City, allowing residents to drive around the City, rather than through it. The Monocacy-Christopher’s Crossing section will loop all the way to Rt. 40. However, because there are parcels of land the City has not yet obtained, it’s impossible to predict when the loop will be completed. Too, the loop is tied in with other changes to roads and intersections. The next section discusses these.

*********Interchange at Rt. 15 and Monocacy Blvd./Christopher’s Crossing/Northgate Shopping Center *********

A new shopping center (the Northgate Shopping Center) is to be built at the intersection of Christopher’s Crossing and Rt. 15. Once it is completed, a new interchange with Rt. 15 will be built and the Hayward Rd./Rt. 15 interchange closed. Thomas Johnson Dr. will be extended to Christopher’s Crossing.

Important note: The Northgate Shopping Center won't be built or tenants recruited until the roads and interchange discussed just above and below are completed; there would be no access to the shopping center without them.

The City is now at the beginning stages of the Interchange project, which, depending on various scenarios, could take any number of years. Whatever the start date, the project itself would take 3-5 years for planning and 2-3 years for actual construction.

The City would have to get Federal approval to “break out” the Christopher’s Crossing/Hayward Rd./Rt. 15 project from the I-270/ US 15 Multimodal Study. That Federal study, or long-term (30-year) plan, is to widen the I-270/Rt. 15 corridor from Shady Grove Rd. to Biggs Ford Rd. Ultimately, the corridor is to be six lanes wide, with three northbound and three southbound lanes. There are no plans to extend the MARC or Metro rail systems this far north; however, there are plans for dedicated BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lines to be built.

In addition to working with the Federal government, which is responsible for I-270, the City would also have to work with the State, County and developers on the intersections, as these entities each own parcels of the land involved. (Because Rt. 15 is a State road, the State has more authority on this project.)

Scoping of the project has begun, but a formal scoping meeting has not been set. The scoping meetings bring together all interested parties, including NACs, to address traffic, environmental, water/sewer issues, etc. Depending on the outcome of these meetings, the project could take, in a best-case scenario, 7-10 years.

The Interchange project is tied in with the Monocacy/Christopher’s Crossing loop and other traffic projects. These projects include:

* Building a new bridge over Tuscarora Creek. (Should doing so pose environmental concerns, the project could be delayed considerably.)

* Closing the Willow Rd. access.

* Building a service road from Willow Rd. to the Northgate Shopping Center.

* Realigning Monocacy Blvd. from Worman’s Mill.

* Closing Hayward Rd.

*********Northbound ramp from Rt. 26 to Rt. 15/Southbound merge lane from Hayward Rd. onto Rt. 15*********

This project began in 1998 and should be completed this fall. It has three phases:

#1 -- building the northbound ramp from Rt. 26 onto Rt. 15.

#2 -- closing access to Worman’s Mill Rd. (the route by which northbound traffic from Rt. 26 and Rt. 355 now enters Rt. 15).

#3 – building an acceleration lane from Hayward Rd. onto Rt. 15 (which will be completed this Fall).

*********Closing of Motter Ave. Bridge over Rt. 15 *********

The Motter Ave. Bridge is owned by the State, which has classified it as a “Priority One” bridge. That Priority requires that the 50-year-old bridge be replaced. This will happen in the next 2-3 years.

According to plan, the bridge will be widened from four to six lanes, and 5’-wide sidewalks will be installed. The new design will accommodate a center left-turn lane for vehicles exiting off Rt. 15 North, to ensure that there is no traffic backup at peak times.

There are three options for repairing the bridge:

#1 -- Close the bridge completely for 7-9 months. This is not a great option because it would create considerable problems for schools, neighborhoods and businesses; emergency vehicles would be particularly hampered by traffic delays.

#2 -- Use two temporary bridges while the new bridge is being built. The military often uses these kinds of bridges, but they are very expensive.

#3 -- Close two of the bridge’s four lanes, leaving one lane open for each direction until the new bridge is completed (20-22 months). (This was what was done on the Rt. 26 bridge over the Monocacy River to Walkersville.)

**************************************************

Citizen comments to traffic issues

**************************************************

NAC 3-area residents had numerous questions and made numerous comments regarding the upcoming projects and present traffic problems, particularly at the intersections of Rt. 15 and Hayward Road, and Thomas Johnson Dr. and Hayward Rd. Residents consider both intersections unsafe, even deadly.

The southbound Rt. 15 intersection is dangerous because it has no acceleration lane; vehicles must merge from a complete stop into traffic going 55-plus miles per hour. (As noted above, an acceleration lane is being built and should be completed this Fall.)

In turn, the Hayward Rd./Thomas Johnson Dr. intersection is dangerous because of heavy traffic entering and exiting Rt. 15, making it difficult for cars to cross or turn onto Hayward Rd. Given how long it takes to cross or turn onto Hayward Rd., traffic on Thomas Johnson Dr. backs up. The backup stretches nearly one-third of the way down toward Opossumtown Pike. The worst backup begins at about 4 p.m. and doesn’t fully ease up until about 6 p.m. (A similar backup occurs on the other end of Thomas Johnson.)

Compounding the problem are the utility boxes at the Southeast corner of Thomas Johnson Dr. and Hayward Rd. (The boxes are on the same side of the street as Rentals Unlimited.) The boxes totally block the view of traffic exiting Rt. 15 onto Hayward Rd.

Accordingly, to turn left from this corner, cars have to inch out into the intersection and into the path of oncoming traffic. Cars trying to turn left also have to deal with traffic heading down Hayward Rd. toward Rt. 15. This traffic is easier to see, but not completely because of a blind spot.

Residents also noted that speeding is a pressing issue all along Hayward Rd. Occasional speed traps have been set up, but they have not stemmed the problem.

**************************************************

Chris Smarigia

**************************************************

Chris Smarigia is a civil engineer and representative of building developer Harris & Smarigia. The firm is now involved in an 11-phase project between Walter Martz Rd. and Opossumtown Pike. The project will take 8-9 years to complete and

will include 800 housing units, a 32-acre city park, bike paths and a dog park. The company is now in Phase 2 of the project.

Several residents expressed concern about traffic congestion and school overcrowding. Briefly addressing the latter issue was Ray Barnes, executive director of facilities services for Frederick County Public Schools. He said the Board has made tentative plans for several new schools, but nothing has been decided.

**************************************************

Alderman Donna Ramsburg

**************************************************

Donna brought to the meeting maps of annexations to the City in 1960, 1980 and 2005. These illustrated just how quickly the City has grown in recent decades.

Donna was asked if the Cloverhill developments would ever be annexed by the City. She said it was unlikely because two-thirds of Cloverhill residents would have to approve of the change. Too, there is little incentive for residents to do so as they are benefiting from City roads and other services without paying taxes to support them.

Donna spoke about the need for a City APFO (Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance), which restricts development projects that do not adequately address “infrastructure” issues like roads, sewer, water, parks, police and other city services. Frederick County has an APFO; the City of Frederick does not.

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen will begin discussing this issue in July.

Workshops for the Mayor and Aldermen are held in City Hall, at 2 p.m., on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. The meetings are broadcast live on Channel 99; they are not taped.

Individuals or groups unable to attend should send the Mayor and the Aldermen emails to see if a workshop can be scheduled for the evening.

Donna encouraged citizens to stay informed and involved. She said NACs are a great way for the Mayor and Alderman to hear about what citizens want.

**************************************************

Final business

**************************************************

Connie had Donna Ramsburg draw the names of our monthly raffle prizes. Andy Radcliff won the large Red Cross first-aid kit; Robert Hershberger won the small first-aid kit.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

**************************************************

Upcoming meetings

**************************************************

Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, 7 p.m.

“Is traffic driving you crazy?” — traffic and growth issues in our neighbhorhoods

Monday, Oct. 9, 2006, 7 p.m.

“Meet the Mayor” -– a town meeting with Jeff Holtzinger

**************************************************

NAC contacts

**************************************************

Have questions? Want to learn more about NAC 3? Contact:

* Connie Pryor, cwpryor@adelphia.net

* Beth Conny, jbconny@adelphia.net

* Stephanie Davis, stephanie@Cityoffrederick.com

Or visit these sites:

http://www.Cityoffrederick.com/index.htm

http://www.Cityoffrederick.com/PublicInfo/OtherInfo/NAC.htm