City Council OKs First Friday, War of 1812 Events

When the Havre de Grace City Council met on March 18, Patch was live blogging. The following is a recap of the meeting, which was approximately an hour and three minutes.
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8:33 p.m.: The meeting adjourns.

8:32 p.m.: Dougherty chimed in on the issue regarding the property near Concord Point.

"The city will not maintain that home on there. The home will be sold," Dougherty said. "Any proceeds to the purchase of that home would be applied to the amount of purchase. I do know that there was another rumor going around that the city was going to move the house for whoever bought it. That was the furthest thing from the truth."

8:30 p.m.: Resident Maddie Charlton raised an issue with the proposed purchase of a residential property neighboring the Concord Point Lighthouse.

"I have a problem in understanding the value proposed to be paid for this property as it relates to the benefits to be received by the citizens of the City of Havre de Grace," she said.

She requested the results of the appraisals of the property be disclosed to city residents.

Havre de Grace has proposed to purchase the property for a price of $1,299,000.

City Attorney Paul Ishak said the property was appraised at $1,300,000. Ishak said the appraisals available online for the property may only represent one of the parcels that makes up the property, which includes three parcels.

Craig said City Council could have taken alternative manners to purchase the property, but opted to put the decision to a vote. It will appear on the May 7 ballot.

8:23 p.m.: Public comment period begins.

Resident and former Councilman Joe Kochenderfer said the Ellsworth Shank lecture series continues Thursday, with a presentation from Christine Tolbert on the segregation and desegregation of Harford County Public Schools.

8:20 p.m.: Craig said he may have missed his first Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps banquet. He noted the banquets often fall around his wife's birthday.

“This year she did not want me to take her there for her birthday present,” Craig said.

Craig said the budget hearing slated for March 25 could be altered, but he opted not to change the date Monday.

8:15 p.m.: Councilman Bill Martin joked that Enerson must have hacked into Councilman Glenn's email with the address she gave this evening.

He also asked Enerson how she earned a 4.2 GPA. He added: "Let’s just say you could subtract my GPA from yours and you could still get into college."

Martin added that an event, the American Salute to the Music of Our Nation, will be held at 7 p.m. on May 18 at Havre de Grace High School. It will feature patriotic tunes, including some from the War of 1812.

8:08 p.m.: Councilman David Glenn said the city has seven pools that will be impacted by Connor's Law, which requires AED aparatus at all public swimming pools. Glenn said he is hoping to champion further legislation to provide support for the cause in Havre de Grace.

"Your speech tonight really hit the nail on the head," Glenn said, addressing Enerson. "You have my committment to continue the fight for a new high school."

Glenn also gave a shoutout to absent Councilman John Correri, who was honored last week at the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps banquet. Glenn said the banquet featured a video, which included Correri, who he called a "dancing machine."

8 p.m.: Councilwoman Barbara Wagner said a fundraiser for the Skipjack Martha Lewis will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at MacGregor’s. Raffle tickets will be available at downtown locations, including the Tourism Office, Bahouka's and Flicker Scents.

Wagner said the community garden has plots available—particularly at the Seneca property and at the community center. Anyone interested in obtaining a plot may email hdggreenteam@gmail.com for information.

7:55 p.m.: Councilman Joe Smith said the filing deadline for the election is Tuesday and he's happy to see there will be a race for the various seats. Smith also voiced his support for the repeal of the death penalty in Maryland.

7:50 p.m.: Enerson, a senior at Havre de Grace High School, outlined her biggest concern about the community—the high school building itself.

Stay Patch for a video post to outline her concerns.

7:45 p.m.: Police Chief Teresa Walter opened her address by stating, "Wednesday is spring. Yay!"

Walter added that a drug takeback day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 27. Walter said there will be three drop-off points: the Havre de Grace Police Department, the County Administration Building at 220 South Main St. in Bel Air, and the Maryland State Police Barrack in Bel Air.

"Instead of having that old medicine just hanging around there, go ahead and do some spring cleaning with your medicine cabinets," Walter said.

7:42 p.m.: Director of the Department of Public Works Larry Parks said the city will be doing its spring flushing of the water system between April 14 and June 14.

“You may experience reduced water pressure, and occasionally water that is discolored. It is safe to drink," Parks said. "If you notice you have discolored water, once you have returned to normal water pressure, run your faucet until it runs clear.”

7:40 p.m.: Director of Planning Neal Mills outlined key points of the city's sign ordinance, which can be found in Chapter 151 in the City Code.

"If you have any questions at all, please give us a call before you post your signs," Mills said. "Just give the planning department a call."

City Hall can be reached at 410-939-1800.

7:36 p.m.: Deputy Director of Administration Jim Newby said the city has filed for $72,000 in reimbursements from FEMA. He also noted that the city was presented an award from the Injured Workers Insurance Fund for the second straight year.

"This will amount to a significant amount of reduction in insurance premiums for worker’s comp," Newby said. "It’s well worth it, in the tens of thousands of dollars every year."

7:33 p.m.: Council unanimously approves the event application for First Fridays in 2013. The monthly event is managed by Havre de Grace Main Street. 

Patch will detail the weekend events in a future post.

7:30 p.m.: Council unanimously approved the event to commemorate the War of 1812 event set for May 2013. The event is projected to cost the city $9,928.50 total, according to the event application. 

City risk manager Patrick Sypolt, who presented the details of the event, said a grant of $87,500 will cover a great deal of the event's cost.

Patch will provide a rundown of the events scheduled for the weekend in a future post—to include proposed road closures and schedule of events.

7:15 p.m.: Rocco Di Giovanni is unanimously approved as a member of the Marina Commission.

Gerald Horn is unanimously approved as a member of the Street Traffic and Safety Advisory Board.

“He brings a great resume and I think he’s a perfect fit,” Councilman David Glenn said.

Horn's term runs through March 18, 2016. Di Giovanni's term runs through Feb. 6, 2015.

7:10 p.m.: Dougherty introduces Enerson, who moved to Havre de Grace six months ago, as the Mayor for the Day.

7:08 p.m.: The public hearing closes, and the meeting begins. Pastor Ellen Witko of Webster Congregational Christian Church delivered the opening prayer.

7:03 p.m.: The proposed refunding bond series 2013.

Former Councilman Jim Miller asks that the referendum wording should be in "layman's terms," rather than the challenging 28-page document that outlines the ordinance.

Miller then asks a series of questions regarding the ordinance, pointing out some areas where he'd like to see more information. Miller left the series of questions for the city's finance department to consider.

7:01 p.m.: The public hearing regarding an ordinance concerning utility tax

7 p.m.: The public hearing is underway with all elected officials present, save for City Councilman John Correri, who is absent.

Present is “Mayor for the Day” Morgan Enerson, seated between Mayor Wayne Dougherty and Councilman Bill Martin. 

6:55 p.m.: The council chambers are buzzing tonight, with one day remaining for candidates to file to run in the May 7 election.

A number of people in the audience are also hoping the meeting ends at 8 p.m.—in time to go home to see the season premiere of Dancing With The Stars, which features Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones.

6:45 p.m.: Patch will begin live-blogging at 7 p.m. from City Council chambers at City Hall.

See the agenda for tonight's meeting.