Jimmy's Ward Report - Sunday, February 8, 2009

Council Approves Use of Red-light Camera: The Council approved the use of a mobile red-light camera system to be used throughout the City. The initial location will be at the traffic signal on Rhode Island Avenue immediately north of the traffic circle. The system is located in a mobile truck and can be moved to other locations where it is widely known that people go through lights and don’t stop at stop signs. The system is operated by the company Optotraffic and the company will get a fee per violation. The system cannot be used for speeding violations. There still has to be legislation passed by the MD State Legislature before cameras can be used against speeders. Victor Ramirez has introduced legislation to legalize cameras to aid enforcement against speeders.

City Hires Historian for Centennial Celebration: The Mayor appointed William Haskett, the father of a Mt. Rainier resident, to help update the history of Mt. Rainier in time for our centennial celebration in 2010. Mr. Haskett will do this work on a voluntary basis. If you have any old pictures of Mt. Rainier please let me know and I will pass them along to him. He is especially interested in developments in our City over the last 25 years in order to update the last history of Mt. Rainier that was done in 1985. If you’re interested in reaching him, his e-mail address is williamhaskett78@yahoo.com.


Yard Waste Pick-Up: Starting in March there will be yard waste pick-up every Monday. Before March, it will only be done by appointment.

Bass Building Status: The City is waiting for certification that the utilities in the Bass property have been disconnected. At that time the building will be razed. There will have to be some environmental studies done before the property can be paved into a parking lot.

Potholes: Public Works plans to start fixing the streets as soon as the weather warms up. If you know of a pothole that needs to be patched, please send me an e-mail or call Public Works at 301-985-6383.

Upholstered Furniture on Your Porch? Councilman Knedler has proposed an ordinance to prohibit “upholstered furniture manufactured exclusively for indoor use” to be placed outside of a building (i.e. on a porch or deck). The building that burned down on 34th St. (and is still an eyesore in our community) was the result of a lit cigarette that was dropped in an upholstered couch. There are no fire alarms on the outside of houses so these kinds of fires are hard to detect. What do you think: A good idea or too much regulation? Let us know. We plan to have a public hearing on the proposed ordinance.

Park and Planning Is Looking for Community Input: The County Park and Planning office is asking area residents to complete a survey on the facilities in our area. You can do it on-line by going to www.2010beyond.com. This is an opportunity to react to issues of trails, recreational facilities, green space, accessibility, etc.


City Web site Has Been Updated: Check out the new City web site at www.mountrainermd.org. It is much improved. The new web-master is Assistant City Manager Michael Jackson. If you have any comments or suggestions about the web site, please e-mail him at mjackson@mountrainiermd.org.

No Surprise – Sales Price of Homes Purchased In Mount Rainier Are Down 20% - The Washington Post reported that the median purchase of a house in Mount Rainier was $275,000 for the first 9 months of 2008, down from $337,688 in the same period in 2007. Only 19 houses were sold in the 9 months of 2008, down from 42 houses in 2007. The median price in 2008 was the same as the first nine months of 2005 but 84 houses were sold in the 2005 period.

City Opposes Transfer of Liquor License at K-Mart Food store on Rhode Island Ave. – The former owner of K-Mart Food (on the 3200 block of Rhode Island Ave.) is attempting to transfer its liquor license to another owner. The Council does not want another liquor store in the downtown area and will be opposing the license transfer at the Liquor Control Commission.

City Begins Budget Deliberations: The Council set its schedule for discussing next year’s budget. The key dates are Monday March 9 – Presentation of Budget by City Manager; Tuesday March 31 – Work Session to Go Over Budget; Tuesday April 21 – Public Hearing, Comment and First Reading on Budget; Tuesday May 5 – Final Vote on Budget. I will be discussing this more as it becomes a little clearer what the income projections are for next year.

Upcoming City Elections: Mount Rainier will be holding its municipal elections on Monday May 4th. There will be an election for Mayor and one Council member from Ward 1 and Ward 2. (My term and that of Councilman Bryan Knedler are not up until 2011.) Any registered voter who has lives in Mount Rainier can run for city office. You need to submit twenty names of registered voters on a nominating petition that can be obtained from City Hall. The petition must be handed in Monday evening April 6th