1 Minutes of the County Commissioners of Worcester County ...

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oth nuisances. Pursuant to the recommendation of Mr. Tudor and upon a motion by Commissioner Purnell, the Commissioners unanimously approved bid specifications for the demolition of a commercial structure located at 5313 Snow Hill Road, Snow Hill, Maryland and identified on Tax Map 63 as Parcel 9 (the old Pusey‟s Store) and which is the subject of Nuisance Abatement Order No. 12-1. Mr. Tudor explained that this structure is unable to be burned due to the proximity of an adjacent building less than two feet from the rear of the structure. In response to a question by Commissioner Lockfaw, the Commissioners agreed to consult with DPW Director John Tustin as to whether DPW staff could complete the abatement prior to distributing the approved bid documents. The Commissioners conducted a public hearing to receive comments on six applications to sell easements to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) in FY13/14 as follows: a 133-acre property owned by Benjamin and Elizabeth Aydelotte and located at 3098 Brantley Road and more specifically identified on Tax Map 92 as Parcel 63; a 129.99-acre property owned by Doris Virginia East and located at 1429 Holly Swamp Road and more specifically identified on Tax Map 93 as Parcel 2; a 234.6-acre property owned by Glad Mar Land Company and located on the east side of Fleming Mill Road and more specifically identified on Tax Map 69 as Parcel 40; a 160.8-acre property owned by Franklin Holland and located on the east side of MD Rt. 12 north of Girdletree and more specifically identified on Tax Map 79 as Parcel 280; a 65-acre property owned by John R. Justice and located on Cedar Hall Road and more specifically identified on Tax Map 91 as Parcel 73; and a 118.27-acre property owned by Willis Redden and located on the north and south sides of Stockton Road and more specifically identified on Tax Map 85 as Parcel 54. Mr. Tudor stated that the six easement applications have been reviewed by both the Worcester County Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board and the Worcester County Planning Commission; and, except for the Doris V. East property which is not currently in agricultural production and nearly completely enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), all have been given favorable recommendations. In response to a question by Commissioner Bunting, Mr. Tudor advised the Commissioners that the list before them is not ranked in order of priority, but rather alphabetically. He explained that the ranking was determined by specific criteria and could not be amended by the County Commissioners. However, the Commissioners could choose the overall number of properties to be forwarded to the State for consideration. For example, they could choose to send the top three or four properties only, if they preferred. He further stated that each property submitted will incur an appraisal fee of roughly $4,000, while in reality MALPF funding is likely available to purchase only two easements. Submitting fewer than six applications would therefore be prudent. Commissioner Shockley stated that the rankings are based on several factors, and the Commissioners cannot arbitrarily select applications to be submitted. Commissioner Church opened the floor to receive public comment. Virginia East opposed the County Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board‟s recommendation to exclude her property from the list of applications to the MALPF for consideration. She stated that the primary reason given for excluding her property from 2 Open Session - August 21, 2012
consideration was that it was already included in the CREP program. However, she advised that her CREP agreement ends in early 2013. Therefore, she asked the Commissioners to forward her application to MALPF for their consideration. There being no further public comment, Commissioner Church closed the public hearing. Following some discussion and upon a motion by Commissioner Shockley, the Commissioners voted 6-1, with Commissioner Bunting voting in opposition, to forward all six applications to the MALPF for consideration. The Commissioners met with the new Worcester County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jerry Wilson, and Board of Education Vice President Jonathan Cook to discuss their request for a categorical transfer of funds of $270,055 from “Textbooks & Classroom Supplies” ($200,000) and “Maintenance of Plant” ($70,055) within the FY13 Board of Education (BOE) budget to fund after school programs serving more than 900 students at the following schools through January 2013: Buckingham Elementary School, Berlin Intermediate School, Pocomoke Middle School, Snow Hill Middle School and Stephen Decatur Middle School. Mr. Cook spoke about the benefits associated with the after school programs, particularly with respect to the extended learning and homework time as well as the nutritional and supervisory components that are critical for a high number of children from impoverished homes. Dr. Wilson explained that the two grants totalling $637,000 that previously funded these programs was not renewed. Therefore, the BOE has implemented program reductions of over $63,000 and proposed the budget transfers to fund these programs for the first half of the school year. Dr. Wilson concluded that he is committed to a strong partnership with the County Commissioners and the Chief Administrative Officer to assure that Worcester County public schools continue to be among the community‟s strongest assets. In response to a question by Commissioner Gulyas, Dr. Wilson stated that the BOE is working to identify grants or other independent sources of funding to continue the programs after January, but that if none is secured he would work with the County to develop a reasonable proposal to continue funding the program after that time. He stated that schools are a community asset, and he had come from a highly successful school system and was pleased to join Worcester County, which is among the top academically performing school systems in the State. He advised that the after school academies play a major role in the formula that goes into making Worcester County public schools the very best, and to remain on top it is critical to maintain these highly successful programs. Commissioner Lockfaw expressed concern that it appears the school system is “robbing Peter to pay Paul” by taking funds needed to purchase text books for each child and using it to provide funding in other areas. Dr. Wilson advised that setting priorities sometimes calls for making difficult choices. He advised that the learning materials are made available to every child through paper copies and other sources, so students never go without the resources they need to learn. Commissioner Shockley stated that the after school programs at the elementary and middle school levels are critical, and he hopes school officials will do their best to identify grants and other forms of funding to continue the programs, so the Commissioners can direct needed funds toward the Snow Hill High School renovation and addition project. Following much discussion 3 Open Session - August 21, 2012
Page 1: Minutes of the County Commissioners
Page 5 and 6: The Commissioners reviewed the seve

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