Commissioners pass Indian Head conservation easement
Funding for new stadium signs also discussed
In a 3-2 decision, the Charles County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve the placement of 208 acres of land near the Maryland Airport into a conservation easement under the stewardship of the Conservancy for Charles County.
The vote came at the end of a brief work session during which two minor changes to the wording of the agreement, proposed by Commissioners’ President Peter F. Murphy (D), were
reviewed and approved by the majority.
Prior to the vote, Commissioner Debra Davis (D) argued that she believed there was “an ethical conflict with at least one of the commissioners,” a reference to claims made by opponents of the easement that Murphy had received
donations from the Conservancy for Charles County, which Murphy has publicly denied.
“I have to go on record and say that I am not satisfied with the process,” Davis said. “I think the law states that ... it could be unethical even if there’s an appearance of impropriety, and I think that [the issue] has not been resolved and it needs to be investigated further and at the very least one of the
commissioners should recuse himself from further discussion and from voting on this.”
Davis added that she was also concerned by what she described as an insufficient answer from county staff as to why the conservancy was selected as the steward for the easement rather than another organization.
According to the deed, the conservancy will maintain the 208 acres for agricultural and forestry uses. The plan envisions the construction of an environmental education center on the property.
Supporters of the easement had argued that the easement would benefit the county’s environmental education programs and help protect the Mattawoman Creek watershed
and the county’s air quality. Opponents argued that it would stifle economic development in western Charles County and deter investors from buying the nearby Maryland Airport.
New stadium signage discussed
The commissioners also discussed a request from the operators of Regency Furniture Stadium for a new electronic screen and billboard to replace the existing 11-year-old screen, which no longer works.
Davis, Commissioner Bobby Rucci (D) and Commissioner Ken Robinson (D) expressed concern about the requested expenditure of $259,160 for a new billboard, as well
as an additional $38,587 for a new marquee at the corner of Billingsley Road and Piney Church Road, toward which the stadium operators would pay $20,000 of its own.
“I’m not happy it’s before us, but it is a county amenity and we’re doing other maintenance,” Robinson said. “We can’t let the place fall apart. There’s nothing worse than deferring maintenance.”
Commissioner Amanda Stewart (D) suggested that it would be “appropriate” for the county to use money from its $15 million fund balance to pay for the repairs, noting that the signs are county property.
Robinson noted that a new sign would likely feature newer technologies than weren’t available when the original sign was installed.
Davis and Rucci both recommended that county staff look into the pricing of replacement signs rather than rely on the bids obtained by the stadium operators. County Administrator Michael Mallinoff said that county staff had worked “hand in glove” with the operators on securing the bids, but agreed to look into the bidding process and report back to the commissioners at the open session on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
Wells Fargo Bank buys county bonds
In other business discussed Tuesday, county fiscal and administrative services director Jenifer Ellin informed the commissioners on Tuesday that Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, made the winning bid to purchase $60 million in general obligation bonds issued by the county to fund a variety of public improvement projects. Wells Fargo’s bid was one of eight received.
The commissioners also scheduled a public hearing on proposed amendments to Docket 90, which governs the process for submitting and approving designs for villages and neighborhoods to be constructed in St. Charles.
The county has agreed to provide 300 school allocations to St. Charles. In turn, Lennar will pay the county a “school mitigation fee” of approximately $4,200 per dwelling.
Lennar has also agreed to reduce the number of units to be built in the remaining two villages to be developed, Wooded Glen and Piney Reach, by nearly 3,000 units, from 10,076 to 7,484.
The public hearing will be held Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. in the Charles County Government building in La Plata.
During a public hearing Tuesday evening, two people testified in favor of selecting a county-owned, 42-acre property in White Plains as the home of the county’s new VanGO transit and operations center.
The property, on Piney Church Road near Regency Furniture Stadium, is currently used as a vegetative recycling center. The facility would share the property with the county’s proposed animal shelter.
The commissioners voted to keep the public record on the proposed location open until close of business on Tuesday, Nov. 20, to allow the public to submit comments.