Live Blog: Sept. 6 City Council Meeting

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8:58 p.m.: Meeting adjourns.

8:55 p.m.: Resident Tom Phelan opens the public comment by asking some questions of Ishak, pertaining to the details of license agreements between the city and Lori Maslin and Charles Maslin.

Phelan, addressing the Snowball Experience, said: "It seems like when you sign a contract with Mrs. Maslin, you get the interaction with Mr. Maslin and the history that goes with that. I don’t think that’s such a good thing. I’d ask that you keep that in mind for future events. The things that might be good for tourism may not be the right thing to do."

There are no further comments.

8:50 p.m.: City Attorney Paul Ishak addressed the issue with the Snowball Experience license agreement, saying, "Mrs. Maslin made the decision to void the agreement. The current status of that license agreement is that it has been rescinded."

As for the delay in a response from the city on the issue, Ishak said, "Generally speaking, if you weren’t able to get answeres from various council members, that falls on me."

8:35 p.m.: Council member Jim Miller chimed in on the on Franklin Street last week. Miller was one of hte first to the scene, and said: "Disaster was averted. We could have had a tragedy, and found two people the next morning when the landlord showed up the next morning to check on the generator in the basement to run the sump pump."

8:32 p.m.: Council member Barbara Wagner said two area parks should be visited for their upgrades. She said the new athletic fields along Chapel Road have been a nice addition to the community, and the upgrades to David Craig Park provide a nice waterfront location for public use.

8:30 p.m.: Mayor Dougherty pointed out a number of events in town, including two this weekend. The Maritime Museum hosts a crab feast Saturday, and the Antique Crawl will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. along the 400 block of Franklin Street.

The Mayor also noted the 7th Annual Forton-Lee Softball Games will be held Sept. 17. The City Hall staff will play against the Havre de Grace Police at 10 a.m.

The Mayor jokes with Police Chief Teresa Walter, who is on vacation that week, that, "Their leader is running."

Chief Walter quips back, "Yeah, around the bases."

8:18 p.m.: Mayor Dougherty thanked city staff and volunteer organizations for their efforts during Hurricane Irene.

"Things were being dealt with immediately, and I'm sure it gave great comfort for our citizens," Dougherty said.

8:16 p.m.: Police Chief Teresa Walter said she has put in for reimbursement for any overtime or costs incurred from Hurricane Irene.

She also said the Harford County Emergency Operations Center has informed her of a potential tidal surge of 2-to-3 feet due to a tidal anomoly. The tidal warning is from Wednesday evening through Friday morning.

8:07 p.m.: Director of Public Works Larry Parks said the city will be employing goats from a Whiteford farm to help with growth along fence lines in the city.

Parks said 11 goats will be used for seven hours a day for 20 days to take care of 2,000 feet of fence line.

Mayor Dougherty, on the use of the goats: "I was quite amazed by the amount of man hours of those employed versus what the goats can do."

Also, on Sept. 12, a 53-day project for the Lewis Lane waterline extention will begin across Route 40. Some road closures will take place, and Parks said advance notice will be given whenever possible.

Mayor Dougherty and Parks will attend a State Highway Administration meeting at 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the HEAT Center in Aberdeen. It is open to the public.

The community dumpsters for yard waste, downed trees or other items from Hurricane Irene can be transported to the city's community center on Lagaret Lane on Sept. 24.

8:06 p.m.: Director of Administration Carol Mathis urges residents and business members to check the city website regularly for request for proposals for projects being run by the city.

8:04 p.m.: Council votes unanimously to approve one special event: Graw Days, scheduled for Oct. 8, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

8:03 p.m.: Council votes unanimously to approve the extention of a license agreement for restaurant to continue the use of City right-of-way for temporary signage.

8:00 p.m.: Council votes unanimously to both introdce and adopt a resolution, numbered 2011-16. It reads:

A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND APPROVING OF THE HIGHLAND SCHOOL'S PROJECT IN HARFORD COUNTY

7:59 p.m.: Comment period for citizens to address agenda items passes without comment.

7:57 p.m.: Officer Sam Richie is sworn in as a new member of the Havre de Grace Police Department.

Police Chief Teresa Walter said Richie, a Cecil County resident and football coach, comes from the Prince George's County police.

7:53 p.m.: Officer Renee Saul is sworn in as a new member of the Havre de Grace Police Department.

Police Chief Teresa Walter says of Saul, "I’m really fortunate to have Renee with us. She is retired from Baltimore City police, though she looks so young that you wouldn't believe it."

7:52 p.m.: Candice Bossoli is sworn in as an alternate member of the Board of Appeals, to begin today and run through Sept. 6, 2014.

7:45 p.m.: Mayor Dougherty and Council President Martin and Havre de Grace Director of Administration Carol Mathis present the Guldenzopf family with a recognition.

Councilmember Brenda Guldenzopf died in July 2010 after a battle with cancer.

Mayor Dougherty said oftentimes, the work of those who have passed is often forgotten, before adding, "I don’t want it to be forgotten. I want people to remember Brenda."

After Mayor Dougherty read the recognition to the Guldenzopf Family, Mathis presented the family with a photo of the late councilwoman. Mathis noted that a grant for the project was awarded to Havre de Grace thanks to Guldenzopf's efforts.

7:41 p.m.: Ruth Carter, Betty Myers and Beth Keithey of the National Society Daughters of American Revolution-Havre de Grace Chapter present a flag to the Mayor and Council President Bill Martin.

Mayor Dougherty said that the flag will be flown at City Hall, beginning during a ceremony on Sept. 11 at 8:46 a.m., and will remain flying through Sept. 30.

7:40 p.m.: The meeting is back in session.

7:29 p.m.: A five-minute recess has been granted.

Patch isn't alone in technical difficulties as deafening feedback from the sound system at City Hall has required a recess to address audio/video issues. A Harford Cable Network technician is working quickly to address the issue.

7:20 p.m.: Havre de Grace Middle School Principal Tony Best on the AVID program: "This is a great program. Those guys at AVID really know what they’re doing. This is a tremendous program. I think its going to take Havre de Grace Middle School to another level."

Best reiterrated what Miller told Patch, that the program should expand in 2012-2013.

7:08 p.m.: Helen Miller of Harford County Public Schools begins a presentation on the .

7:05 p.m.: Tiffany Robinson of the Harford County Department of Community Services presents the CAPER Report to the city. The report can be found online. Patch will provide that report at a later time.

7:02 p.m.: Item 6-A on the agenda—a recognition of The Guldenzopf Family—has been pushed back in the evening's schedule to accommodate family members commuting to the meeting.

7:00 p.m.: Meeting opens.

A memorial banner for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 is hung from the dais in front of Mayor Wayne Dougherty. It reads:

ALWAYS REMEMBERING THOSE WHO PERISHED
ALWAYS HONORING OUR HEROES
WORLD TRADE CENTER   PENTAGON   SHANKSVILLE, PA
9/11/01

All elected officials are present.

6:45 p.m.: Welcome to our City Council live blog, where we will be updating the news coming from City Hall at it happens.

Check back regularly. We will be adding nuggets of news immediately. Feel free to email sean.welsh@patch.com with any questions. Check out our council meeting preview, which includes a PDF file of the agenda.