On Wednesday, September 4, the Greenbelt City Council held a worksession with several members of Greenbelt Homes Inc. (GHI) Board of Directors, including President Stefan Brodd, Vice President Debbie McKinley, Treasurer Chuck Hess, Nancy Boyd, Philip Larkin and General Manager James Claggett Jr. GHI is a cooperative of about 1,600 units. Brodd said the three things that GHI members value most about it are the sense of community, the amount of green space and its walkability.
Pipe Replacement
An area of concern for GHI is the disagreement with WSSC Water regarding ownership of the underground pipes leading to GHI masonry units and their replacement. Under an agreement made in 1958 WSSC committed to maintaining the pipes. However, with new water meters installed some distance from the buildings WSSC is only interested in pipe maintenance up to the water meters. This would leave GHI responsible for the pipes between the water meters and the buildings. However, GHI does not wish to assume this responsibility, plus there is a concern that with the aging pipes there will be a cascade of failures that would be very expensive to repair.
Mayor Emmett Jordan said the city stands by GHI’s position but that it is up to GHI to move the discussion with WSSC forward. Councilmember Rodney Roberts pointed out the city is an equal party in the 1958 agreement and has just as much of a responsibility in this matter as GHI.
Brodd said that at one time WSSC came for a visit and they began to see what the issues were and came close to a solution. A change in WSSC leadership then derailed any potential agreement but he plans to renew talks with WSSC.
Stormwater Drains
In the stormwater system underlying the city, the city owns the main pipes and GHI is responsible for the lateral pipes. There have been failures in this system and GHI wanted to know the status of the conveyance of the storm drain easements to the county. In addition, GHI wanted to know the status of the memorandum of understanding with the city on what to do when both a main and lateral pipe fail and who would be responsible for repairs.
Jordan said that the city did convey some drain easements to the county but some were not accepted and most of those are in historic Greenbelt. As a pilot project, the city has asked Charles P. Johnson & Associates (CPJ) an engineering firm, to draft an easement agreement for an area near Woodland Way but that has been delayed due to pipe location, mapping and other issues. City staff plan to meet with CPJ to get this project back online.
City Manager Josué Salmerón said that it was regrettable that there was an agreement but the proper paperwork was not filed so the county did not take possession of the drain system and easements. Now the stormwater drains do not meet the design standards set by the county because they are too small.
Councilmember Kristen Weaver asked about federal funding opportunities. Salmerón replied that there is funding available for storm drainage systems and the replacement of lead pipes. He also added that most of these opportunities require a match.
McKinley mentioned that there is a technical assistance grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that does not require a match.
Pathway Lights
The GHI board wanted to know if funds had been allocated to install lights along the pathway between Courts 11 and 13 of Ridge Road. Residents of the courts are in favor of the lights and the estimated cost is about $35K, however, Jordan said there are no funds for the project in this year’s budget.
Former councilmember Judith Davis felt that this issue has been discussed for a long time and urged the council to hold a worksession on the project. Councilmember Silke Pope expressed the same sentiment and reiterated that it is a safety issue. She also believed that perhaps American Rescue Plan Act funds could be used to cover the costs and supported scheduling a worksession. Jordan concurred and asked staff to schedule a meeting.
Cellphone Service
There are sections of Greenbelt that are cellphone dead spots to the extent that for some residents making a 911 call via a cellphone is impossible. The GHI Board wanted to know what it could do to assist the city in trying to resolve this issue.
Salmerón suggested that improving service may come from users complaining to their provider and from the city changing its own cellphone provider because coverage is poor with the current company.
Davis provided some historical context by reminding the council that in the past when new cellphone towers were proposed for construction too many residents objected. Small cell is an option but there is a time set by state law for installation of towers. Weaver suggested that the city be proactive by having a plan in place so that when a company proposes building a tower the city can act quickly on the application.
Historical Records
There are historically important records kept by GHI that need to be organized, stored correctly to ensure preservation and made available to the public. GHI believes that some of these documents are unique but it does not have archiving expertise so it would like to have these materials transferred to the Greenbelt Museum.
Megan Searing Young, Greenbelt Museum director, said the museum could take some of the GHI material and that grants are available for archiving projects. In addition, more room may be available after the planned construction project is completed.
Museum Parking Concerns
The Greenbelt Museum is planning renovation of an addition to its building. Nearby neighbors are concerned that afterwards, with an increase in visitors to the museum, parking would become more limited along Westway. Jordan asked when this project might begin. Young replied that they hope to get GHI approval and then county approval but she was hesitant to give a date for the start of construction. They are also raising funds for the project.
The council discussed various solutions perhaps by encouraging visitors to park behind the library and walk to the museum or limiting parking along Westway to residents. Although it was not resolved during this meeting the council appeared committed to finding a solution.
Better Bus Plan
The GHI Board expressed concerns regarding the Better Bus Plan of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Discussion mentioned that changing bus routes to go along Westway would negatively affect seniors’ and disabled persons’ access to the bus and that buses running along Westway, which lacks a sidewalk, present liability, create noise pollution and reduce quality of life for Westway residents.
Jordan assured the GHI board that these concerns have been noted and would be put forth to WMATA as opportunities arise.
Fire and EMS Services
The GHI Board is very concerned about the Fire and EMS services in Greenbelt and wanted to learn more. Jordan said they are working with Berwyn Heights and others to find a resolution and to understand the reasoning behind the decision to reduce services.
He added that the best way for GHI to assist would be to have its members attend the public meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 12 at the Greenbelt Fire Department (125 Crescent Road).