Mayor Kevin Utz and the members of the Common Council met Monday night to discuss city business. The regularly scheduled meeting was open to the public.

BGE to Upgrade Gas Lines in Westminster
Representatives from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) gave a presentation on its upcoming project to replace gas lines in parts of Westminster. The presenters explained that in the past, their approach to dealing with gas line issues was "semi-reactive" in that they would deal with problems as they arose and maybe fix a couple hundred feet at a time. Now, they say, they are working to be more proactive by identifying neighborhoods and upgrading miles of pipeline at a time. 

Phase I will be completed in 2011 and will take place along the E. Green Street corridor between Colonial Avenue and St. John's Cemetery. BGE will host an open house at the John Street Quarters on April 28 from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. in order to show residents what will happen during the upgrades and answer any questions. 

City Approves the Purchase of Two Vehicles
The City of Westminster will be purchasing two new cars in the coming months. The first will be to replace a Department of Public Works utility vehicle that "burned to the ground" as a result of an electrical fire, according to the Director of Public Works Jeffrey Glass.  He was happy to report that not only were there no injuries, but the employee driving the vehicle was able to salvage the meter reading equipment in the vehicle. 

The Council also voted to purchase a new police vehicle. Police Chief Jeffrey Spaulding thanked the Council for its support as he explained the vehicle being replaced is a 1999 Ford Taurus with more than 125,000 miles and in need of expensive repair work. 

Sewer Capacity Management Plan
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is requiring the city of Westminster to create a Sewer Capacity Management Plan because the flows at the treatment plant are regularly running at 80 percent capacity or greater. The plan will be created by an engineering firm (the same one in the process of planning for the treatment plant upgrades) and will cost approximately $41,000.

"This is just a planning tool required by the MDE once the flows at the treatment plant reach a certain capacity. They want us to show that we have a plan to deal with the 'what's next'," Glass said. 

The next Common Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.