Members Present: Lina Vlavianos, Chair 1/1
Sally Hornor, Vice Chair 1/1
Kurt Riegel 1/1
Mike Robinson 1/1
Joe Rubino 1/1
Jeff Schomig (via conference call) 1/1
Bob Whitcomb 1/1
Guests and Staff: Chris Phipps, AACo. DPW
Brent Ross, AACo. DPW
Joe Zorica, AACo. DPW
Brenda Weeks, AACo. DPW/WERS Members Absent: John Grasso, County Council (Ex officio) 0/1
Scott Hymes, MD DNR (Ex officio) 0/1 CALL TO ORDER Chair Vlavianos called the regular monthly meeting of the Severn River Commission (SRC) to order at 4:05 p.m. in the Severn Room, 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD. A quorum was declared present. PUBLIC INPUT / AGENDA ITEMS – There was no public input. GUEST SPEAKERS Chris Phipps, Brent Ross and Joe Zorica from Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works were present to brief and respond to questions relating to the Shipley’s Choice Dam removal and stream restoration project. The old earthen dam on Bear Branch, which drains directly into the Severn River between Ben Oaks and Point Field Landing and receives Shipley’s Choice stormwater, has eroded badly over the years. The objective of the County Capital project is to remove the dam and restore the site. This requires the replacement of an existing culvert under West Benfield Road with a box culvert and the rehabilitation of approximately 3,500 feet along Bear Branch. The new culvert will provide fish passage and reduce sediment flow to the Severn River. During the briefing Mr. Phipps, Mr. Ross and Mr. Zorica explained the purpose and need for the project, the design parameters, timing/schedule, impacts to the community, and answered numerous questions. Commission members thanked DPW for their informative presentation. MINUTES The Minutes for the December 1, 2011, regular monthly meeting were presented for approval. The minutes were approved as written. MOTION: A MOTION, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE DECEMBER 1, 2011, REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE SRC AS WRITTEN, WAS MADE BY WHITCOMB AND SECONDED BY RIEGEL. THE MOTION WAS PASSED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE AND THE MINUTES WERE APPROVED. ANNOUNCEMENTS / CORRESPONDENCE (1) Grasso notified the Chair he would not be in attendance.
(2) Riegel will move from being a County appointee to a City appointee filling the vacancy left by Dunn. Amy Clements will fill the City Council seat vacated by Judd Legum. Sheila Finlayson on the Annapolis City Council will fill the ex-officio seat left by Paone. The County is considering a number of people to fill the vacancy left by Riegel’s move to a City appointee.
OLD BUSINESS Stormwater Utility Bill 79-11 The bill has been withdrawn for the present awaiting the State’s response to the bill during the General Assembly session. The County will then reevaluate how to approach the issue. Licensing Rubino agreed to take the lead in reviewing the documents provided by the State Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to SRC since he is familiar with the training required for professional engineers. He will find out whether landscape architects and land surveyors existed as licensed professionals at the time when the
Severn River was singled out to be the only river in Maryland accepting ONLY licensed professional engineers’ signatures to certify sediment and erosion control plans. If architects and surveyors were not required to be certified at that time, that might explain why only licensed engineers were qualified to sign the plans and the law was written the way it was. If that is the case, SRC needs to reevaluate the situation if the bill appears in the General Assembly again this year. Jabez/SHA Vlavianos will contact Sonal Sanghavi, State Highway Administration (SHA), regarding SRC’s concerns about the Jabez Branch excess property and walking the areas on the Jabez where there are drainage problems. Comprehensive Rezoning Robinson will address this issue at the next SRC meeting. Critical Area Schomig will draft a letter to Robert Hubbard, AACo. Inspections & Permits (I&P), to continue the dialog between I&P and SRC regarding the permitted buffer clearing and to question I&P’s interpretation of unwarranted hardship. Annapolis – There was nothing new to report. Oyster Restoration Activities – There was nothing new to report. Slag – There was nothing new to report. Septics Quarterly statistical reports for the Severn River Watershed for the Bay Restoration program for the past two quarters have not yet been received from the Health Department.
No Discharge Zone Riegel will draft a letter to the Mayor, City of Annapolis, regarding the No Discharge Zone. This issue will be discussed at the February meeting. Website An update on the website was not available. NEW BUSINESS CBT Award Whitcomb announced he had received a small grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to put environmental signage at Jonas Green Park. The signs will be located at the living shoreline, the stormwater pond, the rain garden and the nitrogen-reducing septic tank. SRA Activity Whitcomb reported that the Severn River Association (SRA) has launched a new activity and Richard Kline has volunteered to audit stormwater management systems throughout the Severn River watershed. He noted that stormwater systems’ permits require the system be maintained. Education is one of the first steps. PUBLIC INPUT/NEW ITEMS – There was no public input. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m. The next SRC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 2, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. in the Severn Room (4th Floor), 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD. | 
