December 20, 2010 Board Minutes

Todd Harrison, Board Chair, called a regularly scheduled meeting of the River Hill Village Board to order at 7:10 p.m., on December 20, 2010, at Claret Hall, 6020 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029. Members present were Trevor Greene, Tony Miceli, and Frank Saletel. Michael Cornell, Council Representative, and Susan Smith, Village Manager, were present. Asmi Panigrahi was absent.

Approval of the Agenda (Agenda 2):
Mr. Greene made a motion to add the December 13, 2010 minutes to #8. Administrative Items. Mr. Saletel seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).

Resident Speak Out (Agenda 3): None.

New Business (Agenda 4):
A. Bike Lanes on Great Star Drive – The Board discussed plans to pursue the installation of bike lanes on Great Star Drive with representatives from Bicycling Advocates of Howard County. The following topics were discussed: new bike lanes on Steven’s Forest Road; the interrelationship between traffic calming devices and bike lanes; the need for bike racks and potentially bike changing rooms; plans by SHA to widen MD 32 between MD 108 and RT 70 and the allowance of bikes on this section of the highway; the physical separateness of the Village of River Hill from the rest of Columbia; the need for continuous paths/bike friendly routes e.g., to Ft. Meade, Columbia’s down town, the potential for a pathway and bridge through the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area especially with the Robinson Nature Center opening in the spring, the need for directional signage to indicate bike-friendly routes, difficulty of biking on pathways that are designed more for pedestrian use; the need for a county-wide bike and pedestrian master plan; the need to improve the existing network with a focus on transition points; difficulty of biking along Cedar Lane and the lack of sidewalks on both sides north of MD 32 to the Hickory Ridge Village Center. The representatives from Bicycling Advocates of Howard County indicated that their organization would be happy to work with the community on bike rodeos and training and willing to help evaluate routes in the village to identify problem areas. Mr. Greene agreed to develop an outline identifying the communities concerns and clarifying the areas that the Association would like to focus on initially.
B. FY11 2nd Quarter Financial Reports & Variance Analysis – Ms. Smith reviewed the documents. Mr. Saletel made a motion to approve the FY11 2nd Quarter Financial Reports and Variance Analysis. Mr. Miceli seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0-0.

Old Business (Agenda 5):
A. River Hill Garden Center – Mr. Saletel reported on the Planning Board hearing.

Executive Session (Agenda 6): Todd Harrison made a motion to move into Executive Session at 8:15 p.m. for the purpose of personnel matters and potential litigation. Trevor Greene seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0). Todd Harrison made a motion to close the Executive Session at 8:30 p.m. Frank Saletel seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Reports (Agenda 8):
A. Village Manager – Ms. Smith provided an overview of her meeting with Pat Marlatt, Chief, 5th District VFD and gave an update on staffing issues.
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B. Board Chair – None.

C. Council Representative – Mr. Cornell reported that that CA is examining the signage guidelines for down town Columbia. Mr. Greene encouraged Mr. Cornell to advocate for more flexibility for business signage as the current requirements are too restrictive.

D. Liaison Areas – Mr. Miceli reported on his Master Plan Committee interviews with the owners of Vintage Cellars and Subway.

Administrative Items (Agenda 8):
The minutes for the December 6, 2010 meeting were approved with amendments.
The minutes for the December 13, 2010 meeting were approved.

Board Speak Out (Agenda 9):
Mr. Saletel informed the Board that he had received his Columbia Gym rate notice and it was correct. He also noted issues with parking at the Central Library. A brief discussion regarding the Howard Hughes Corporation’s preference for the library to be relocated to Symphony Woods. Mr. Cornell commented on the creation of a Cultural Master Plan.

Adjournment (Agenda 10):
Mr. Greene made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:07 p.m. Mr. Saletel seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Minutes submitted by: Susan M. Smith, Village Manager

Minutes Approved: January 24, 2011

Action Items
Village Board Meeting
December 20, 2010

Board Members
• Trevor – draft bike outline/position paper

Village Manager

Covenant Advisor

Facilities Coordinator

Special Events/Newsletter Coordinator

Administrative Assistant