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2020 ACHIEVEMENTS BY THE BCC
2020 ACHIEVEMENTS BY THE BROADNECK COUNCIL OF COMMUNITIES, INC.
Consider joining us as an individual or asking your community to join us. You can find the form here: BCC Membership Form
The Broadneck Council of Communities-(BCC) is a Community Advocacy Organization, whose stated objectives are the promotion of short and long term managed growth principles, environmental preservation and effective planning in the following areas:
• Storm Water Management
• Clean Water and Pollution Controls
• Small Area Plans; Transportation
• Utilities; Public Safety
• Emergency Management
• Critical Areas.
• Monitor compliance with the AA County Code.
The BCC includes over eight thousand residents represented by Community Leaders who serve on our Board of Directors as well as individual members. The BCC Board includes: Officers: President-Pat Lynch, (Amberley CA); VP-Beau Breeden, (Cape St.Claire IA); Secretary-Barbara Hitchings, (Log Inn); Treasurer-Peter Bradley, (Homewood Landing CA); Directors- Phil Ferrara, (Stonington HOA); Britt Griswold, (Amberley CA); John Joynes, (Burley Creek CA); George McNeal, (Podickory Pt CA); Steve Miller, (Deep Creek Village HOA); Bill Nevel, (Amberley CA).
Our focus is the Broadneck Peninsula but as members of the County wide organization, -Growth Action Network-GAN, we participate in advocacy activities with several of our local community groups to include the Arnold Preservation Council-APC, Greater Severna Park Council-GSPC, Severn and Magothy River Associations. In association with the GAN, the BCC as a member, is represented in quarterly telecons with our AAC County Exec and the Director of Planning and Zoning. The opinions and positions of our many BCC organizations are well represented.
In order to present our members with an overview of the Board’s activities over the past year, we have compiled a summary of key events. The following 2020 Report represents achievements of the BCC in the areas for which we maintain community focus, planned objectives and constant coverage. They are as follows:
PLAN2040 / GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
AA County Execs, S. Schuh (2017) and S. Pittman (2018), appointed Pat Lynch, to the County Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Plan2040/GDP. This three year assignment has resulted in the production of a two volume ‘Planning’ document that will be the “Guideline” for land use decisions for the next twenty years. The Plan is currently under review by the PAB after which it will be sent to the County Council for final review and editing. The County Exec will then sign the document at the end of 1Q21. Regional Planning Area teams will be assigned to affirm and add more detailed content in preparation for Comprehensive Rezoning. The final Land Use-‘Plan2040/GDP’ will be the framework for the next Comprehensive Rezoning document.
During the production of this Plan2040/GDP document, the BCC provided a coordinated response to the options presented for Land Use Applications. (LUCA) to support environmental protections and enhance our way of life on the Broadneck Peninsula.
TRANSPORTATION
The safe passage of vehicles through the Broadneck Peninsula, is an ongoing and major concern. In 2016, action was taken by the BCC Board, to request both the State and AA County Police (AACP) to assign officers during summer months, to manage Sandy Point State Park (SPSP) traffic on our service roads, in particular, E. College Parkway.
The State Police turned us down but the AACP took full responsibility for this service to support the Broadneck. This AA County operation has been successful as the County Police monitor and control all traffic waiting on our roadways and direct vehicles back onto W/B Rte #50/301, when the SPSP parking lot is full. Vehicles no longer wait on E. College Parkway for open parking spaces in the Park. Additional AACP units are assigned to monitor adjacent communities to force the exit of cars parked in nearby neighborhoods, who are waiting to park in Sandy Point. This service, provided by the AA County Police, is a State responsibility but the Broadneck has not been a focus by the State DNR, who owns SPSP. The State Police, who have responsibility for highway traffic controls on Rte #50/301, the adjacent service roads and the entrance to SPSP, are assigned no additional funds to support SPSP nor Rte #50/301 traffic controls. Our AACP have dedicated significant funds from their limited overtime budget to cover the cost of this operation. THANKS to the AACP!!!
BAY BRIDGE CONTRA FLOW TRAFFIC
In 2020, the BCC had two members of our Board, Barbara Hitchings and Pat Lynch, appointed by the Governor to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Reconstruction Advisory Group (CBBRAG). Barbara Hitchings, BCC Board member, is confirmed as the Vice Chair of the CBBRAG. Our goal is to reinstate the 3rd lane of the North Bridge for use by E/B traffic during prime time on summer weekends. The Eastern Shore Commissioners lobbied the MDOT Secretary, and the MDTA Exec Director, to reassign the 3 lane of the Bay Bridge to W/B traffic during prime hours of Fri/Sat/Sunday beach weekends. The 3rd lane is not needed for W/B traffic, until Sundays to support travelers returning from the beaches.
The Broadneck Peninsula is constantly inundated with miles of backed up E/B beach traffic from 10:30am to 4:30pm on Fri/Sat’s of summer weekends due to MDTA’s favoring Kent Island (K.I.) for control of the 3rd lane. KI has lobbied MDOT to protect their 2.5 mile long highway, their Rte #18 Shopping Center, to keep W/B Rte #50/301, protected from increased summer traffic. In addition, BCC Director Phil Ferrara performed a detailed analysis of Kent Island medical facilities to determine that residents were not deficient –(one of their claims), in medical support (as reported by Commissioner Steve Wilson. There is a Medical Building located a few miles from KI as well as several clinics operating on the Island. Helicopter service is also used to transport patients to Baltimore and Washington Hospitals and Medical Centers.
Senator Ed Reilly (D-33) and Pat Lynch, have met w/the Secretaries of Transportation, both Pete Rahn in 2019 and Greg Slater in 2020, to voice objections to the blocking of contraflow traffic to summer travelers when the Broadneck needs E/B traffic expedited off our Western Shore. Senator Reilly has taken this matter directly to Governor Hogan. The MDOT and MDTA continue to favor Kent Island and reject the BCC petitions for the well justified use of the 3rd lane to clear weekend beach traffic. On summer weekends, several BCC BOD members,— Bill Nevel, Phil Ferrara, Barbara Hitchings and Pat Lynch, have viewed both E/B vs W/B traffic, on the Bay Bridge Traffic Cameras, to record the concentration of traffic and the assignment of Contra flow operations. Reports have been sent to Governor Larry Hogan, Senator Ed Reilly, AAC Exec Steuart Pittman and the Secretary of MDOT and Executive Director of the MDTA. We are still fighting this problem and until the MDTA reverses their position, Kent Island –unfairly–will rule!
BROADNECK BIKE/PEDESTRIAN TRAIL
Phil Ferrara closely followed progress on the completion of Phases 11,111, 1a and 1V of the Broadneck Trail. Completion is slow due to funding delays.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Bill 67-20, which provides a two-year warranty to Homeowners Associations (HOAs) for private stormwater best management practices (BMPs) built in new residential developments was passed by the County Council in 2020 largely due to the initiative of the BCC. In 2017, Pat Lynch gained (former) County Executive Steve Schuh’s support to bring together key County officials to discuss serious stormwater management issues that HOAs faced in the permitting, regulation, maintenance, repair, funding and contractual obligations of private stormwater systems. In 2018, the CE assigned Dan Kane, Dir of I&P, to assemble an ad hoc group of community leaders, developers and AAC officials to identify and make recommendations on our key concerns. In March 2019, a list of thirteen recommendations was approved by the new AAC-CE, Steuart Pittman and his Administration. Various County Departments participated in the Stormwater Workgroup, and were tasked to take action on the recommendations. Pat and BCC Board Director- Steve Miller, will continue their efforts in 2021 as members of the AAC Stormwater Work Group to ensure outcomes of the remaining recommendations are as successful as Bill 67-20.
PLEASANT PLAINS ROAD
Under the leadership of BCC BOD Director John Joynes, a report of unsafe road conditions and safety problems on Pleasant Plains Rd was presented to the AAC DPW Management and the following action was taken: Plans to initiate a safety study were approved by CE Steuart Pittman, to include the installation of a traffic light at the dangerous intersection of St. Margaret’s /Old Mill Bottom near Pleasant Plains Roads. Due to lack of funds, this is delayed until a final plan and budget are finalized. The Kingsberry Drainage Project, to drain PP Road and the St. Margaret’s Farm valley from polluting Mill Creek, is almost complete.
Duvall Farm Restoration caused damage to the Burley Creek critical area. Due to their zoning designation as a farm (but not being farmed), AAC inspectors have not taken any action. Plan2040/GDP Staff incorrectly changed the zoning of properties in the Beechwood and Burley Communities from R2 to RA. The BCC and Pleasant Plains leadership have all objected and AAC has agreed to restore R2 zoning.
UTILITIES
The BCC hosted Matt Johnston, AAC Dir of Environmental Policy at our 1Q20 General Meeting where Matt presented the County’s plan to extend public sewers to communities on the Broadneck. Options were presented to encourage property owners to more affordably convert their old septic systems to public sewers. Amberley is a community of interest due to the large number of septic systems still in use and its proximity to both Whitehall and Ridout Creeks/Chesapeake Bay. The BCC will monitor the facilities further.
EDUCATION
BCC Director, Dr. George McNeal, and other BOD members, met with Michelle Corkadell, President of the Board of Education (BOE), on issues affecting our County Schools. Of particular interest is the approval of mixed use and workforce housing in locations where County schools may be closed but exceptions are given for Work Force Housing developments. These approvals require the BOE to enroll children from families resident in these WFH developments, into their ‘closed’ schools without any warning, notice or consultation w/the Board. As stated, “the schools must accept children into closed schools even if a teacher’s desk must be carved in half to accommodate them”—according to current law.” Due to the concentration of population in some densely developed areas and the lack of population in others, there are thousands of empty desks in classroom while other schools are over capacity and overcrowded requiring the addition of trailers to house the overage.
The BCC met with our D-5 BOE member, Dana Schallheim, and will reschedule a General Meeting (live-per Covid-19 regulations) to include the AAC BOE President, the President of the Teachers’ Ass’n and AACP Superintendent as guest speakers….hopefully in late 2021.
The following represents additional organizations that the BCC BOD is working to support:
INSPECTIONS AND PERMITS SW WORK GROUP: Steve Miller and Pat Lynch are members who work with the AAC I&P Staff to improve legislation and enforcement of SW regulations.
EASTERN DISTRICT POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL: Beau Breeden, BCC VP, VP of the Cape St. Claire (CSCIA) Board of Governors, is President of the EDPCRC/Council.
WATERSHED STEWARDS’ ACADEMY: Steve Miller, BCC Director, and President of the Deep Creek Villages HOA, completes the requirement for the Master Watershed Stewards’ Certification Course.
GROWTH ACTION NETWORK: Pat Lynch serves as Acting Chair of GAN and also Director of their Committees for Transportation and Strategic Planning.
HOMEWOOD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: BCC Treasurer Peter Bradley, served as President of the HCA Community Association from 2014-2020.
In summary, the Broadneck Council represents the positions and opinions of our Broadneck Council members through testimony at meetings with AACC, the State Government General Assembly, other Community Advocacy Organizations and publications such as the Capital News. We also schedule ongoing meetings with our State and County Elected Officials.
We wish to commend our Councilwoman, Amanda Fiedler and our State Senator, Ed Reilly, for representing us in our many key endeavors. Also thanks to Sid Saab, Mike Malone and Heather Bagnall, our State Delegates for D-33, who have also attended meetings and spoken in our behalf. We continue working in support of our Broadneck Peninsula residents.
HERE’S TO SUCCESS AND GOOD HEALTH IN 2021!
