Council Meeting Notes: Shuttle-UM, Stinger's Rugby and More

Couldn't make it to the Mayor and Council meeting Tuesday night?

Here are some notes to get you caught up. Patch will follow up with more in-depth stories from the meeting throughout the coming week weeks. This is intended to provide you with the basics of what you missed.

• College Park Day

Councilman Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1) encouraged everyone to come out to College Park Day, 1 to 5 p.m. at the College Park Community Center in Lakeland. There are even going to be some food vendor trucks, like Curbside Cupcakes and a gourmet hot dog truck. An Argentinian tango group, and a cappella group from the University of Maryland will be among the entertainment. Wojahn said there will be fun and games for the kids, and representatives from various organizations.

• Experience and Enjoy College Park

Councilwoman Christine Nagle (Dist. 1) announced the Experience and Enjoy College Park Tour event from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at . District 1 Commander of the Prince George’s County Police Department will be the guest speaker.

• Community Volunteerism

read a proclamation in appreciation of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity of the University of Maryland, which is sponsoring a volunteer event to remove Japanese Honeysuckle from Cherry Hill Park on Oct. 8.

• Columbus Day

reminds residents that the government is open on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 10. Trash will be collected.

• Resident Guide

The new resident guide is completed and being delivered. “We’ve had several calls and comments on it so far that are very positive,” Nagro said.

• Fund Balance Policy

The resolution to adopt a fund balance policy to comply with the guidelines of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) was moved to the consent agenda. It was passed unanimously.

• Resident Use of Shuttle-UM

The council voted 4-2 to approve the payment of $6,000 to the University of Maryland so that residents can continue to use the university’s shuttle service.  The motion was put forward by (Dist. 4), who noted the fee is $4,000 lower than what the city originally budgeted for the program. Several councilmembers said they would like to see the ridership participation of residents go up. (Dist. 3) said that the university should be using a reliable system to track the number of residents who ride the bus. Other councilmembers agreed. Cook and (Dist. 2) were opposed.

Transportation Funding Requests

Wojahn put forth the motion to send a letter to Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley of the state’s Department of Transportation, regarding the six-year budget plan for Maryland capital transportation projects. The letter expresses gratitude for the allotment of in College Park, and support for overarching goals of the plan. However, council also requests support to make College Park more bike and pedestrian friendly; to make the College Park-University of Maryland Metro Station a transit-oriented development; and support for the Purple Line and MARC Train expansion. The motion to send the letter passed unanimously.

Boards and Committees

Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich (Dist. 3) moved to reappoint James Sauer to the . The motion passed unanimously. 

Stringers Rugby and Duvall Field

Stullich motioned to approve the use of by the Maryland Stingers women’s rugby team at no cost, following the recommendation of the city’s . The motion passed 4-2 with Nagle and Cook opposing. Although he voted to pass the motion, Wojahn said the issue should be discussed in a work session. He said city policy only allows for the Boys & Girls Club to use the field for free, and so the policy should be adjusted accordingly.