Town of Woodland Board Minutes
Date: July 9, 2020
7:00 PM
Board/Staff Present:
Randy Beale – Mayor
David Cooper – Commissioner
Barbara Outland – Commissioner
Brian Christison – Commissioner attended via Zoom
Ricky Morris – Commissioner attended via Zoom
Donielle McDermott – Town Clerk
Eddie Hoggard – Police Chief
Blaine Humphrey – Engineer from Rivers and Associates
Call to Order: Mayor Beale called the meeting to order at 7pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by a moment of silent reflection.
Approval of Agenda: The first item of business was the approval or amendment of the agenda. Commissioner Cooper made a motion to approve the agenda as is. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: The next item on the agenda was the approval or amendment of the minutes of the Public Hearing dated June 4, 2020, the Regular Board Meeting dated June 4, 2020, and the CDBG Start Up Meeting dated June 10, 2020. Commissioner Cooper made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.
Public Comments: Steve Canning from Baltimore Marine Salvage put in a verbal offer to purchase the Armory. The offer was $70,000, paying a $10,000 interest deposit with the town of Woodland financing the remainder over the next 4 ½ to 5 years at a reasonable interest rate. There would be a small balloon payment in the end. Mr. Canning understands that something needs to be done with the building and he would like to bring a little industry to the town. Commissioner Christison said he would like to talk to our town attorney first about the financing. Commissioner Cooper wants to check into the zoning or the Armory. Commissioner Cooper asked if Mr. Canning could borrow the money from another source so the town could have our money at once. Mr. Canning said he couldn’t borrow the money from a bank due to the fact that the Armory would not pass the inspections and phases required by the bank. Commissioner Christison asked if Mr. Canning could put more money down up front and he said he could do that if needed. Mayor Beale told Mr. Canning that the board will get together to discuss this very soon since Mr. Canning was very eager to move quickly.
Clerk Report:
a. The Water Contract between the Town of Woodland and Northampton County Health Dept. Lab was approved. Commissioner Cooper made a motion to approve the contract, Commissioner Outland seconded, and the motion carried.
b. Blaine Humphrey joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss the Engineering Amendment #2 for the well contract. Mr. Humphrey told the board that based on the town’s final decision with A.C. Schultes, we need to do this amendment to be able to be reimbursed by the state for our loan. Mr. Humphrey said there is a chance we may not have to request the full amount. According to the letter sent to the town from Mr. Humphrey, “This amendment is to adjust the hourly estimated cost for Survey, Bids & Negotiations, Construction Administration, Construction Observation, Hydrogeologic Services, and Warranty Services.” Commissioner Cooper made a motion to approve the engineering amendment. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.
c. Commissioner Cooper made a motion to approve the Owner’s Certification of Completion for the Woodland Water Supply Well Contract II. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.
d. Donielle McDermott informed the board that the final payment to A.C. Schultes was made in the amount of $64,846.57. Schultes in turn gave us a reimbursement check in the amount of $39,452.90.
e. Mrs. McDermott reminded Mayor Beale and Commissioner Cooper of the upcoming compliance and environmental training for the CDBG.
f. Commissioner Christison made a motion to approve the Revised Grant Administration Contract with the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Government. The revision included Sam.gov as a miscellaneous item in paragraph #3 on page 3. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.
g. Commissioner Christison made a motion to approve the Omnibus Resolution for the CDBG-I for Municipal Sewer Collection System Improvements. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.
Mrs. McDermott let the board know that the family of Dr. Stanley called that day to see if the town is still interested in having Dr. Stanley’s office donated to the town for use as a library. The family is almost ready with the paperwork to do so. The board had several concerns such as who will run it, how much will the upkeep be for insurance and electricity, what kind of maintenance needs to be done first. Commissioner Cooper said he felt like the town may want to maintain the building due to the fact we have a camera on top of the building. It was decided to table this until the next board meeting in August.
Helen Page with the COG emailed the town to say that the State Water Infrastructure Authority awarded the town $2,000,000, the amount we applied for in the 2020 Clean Water State Revolving Fund. $500,000 is principal forgiveness while the remaining $1.5 million will be a loan. Mrs. McDermott told the board she has spoken with Blaine Humphrey with Rivers and Associates and Andrew DeIonno with the COG to inquire about this loan/grant. Mrs. McDermott relayed her concerns to Mr. Humphrey and Mr. DeIonno saying the town was not in the position to borrow $1,500,000, rather our hope was to receive majority of the $2,000,000 in a grant. Mr. DeIonno said the town would most likely be able to scale down the project to meet the cost we are willing to put in while still being able to receive the $500,000 principal forgiveness.
Mrs. McDermott asked Commissioner Christison to hand out the employee evaluations to the respected board members and employees. She stated the employees were hoping to receive a raise with the new fiscal year upon us.
Comments from the Mayor: Mayor Beale encouraged everyone to continue being safe.
Comments from the Commissioners: Commissioner Cooper said today is a day to celebrate. The well is finally finished! This well will serve our community for years to come.
Public Comments: Chief Eddie Hoggard told the board he would like to donate the Crown Victoria to the Woodland Fire Department to be used as a quick response vehicle instead of selling it. Commissioner Cooper made a motion to allow the Fire Department to have the 2008 Crown Victoria. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.
Adjourn: At 7:51 pm, Commissioner Outland made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Cooper seconded and the motion carried.