2018 August Senior Staff Notes

MARYLAND PARK SERVICE

SENIOR STAFF MEETING NOTES

August 8, 2018

Broadneck Office, Annapolis, MD

Attendees: Nita Settina, Chris Bushman, Amanda Mock, Mary Owens, Christy Bright, Steve McCoy, Patrick Bright, Alison Woodfield, Dawn Letts (next meeting’s manager-of-the-month – Western)

Welcome to Patrick Bright – new Southeast Regional Manager

REGIONAL REPORTS

Southeast – P. Bright

·        Debris clean-up at Sandy Point cost the MPS $12K in out-of-pocket expenses (does not include labor). P. Bright and Melton will be following up with MDE on the Anne Arundel County Health Department “½ inch of rain / 48 hours” water contact advisory “rule.” Our understanding is that the county does not conduct water quality testing unless it has been at least 48 hours since the last rainfall of ½ inch or more.

·        Assateague State Park worked out some issues with timely issuance of CAD numbers by DNR, to ensure that CAD data was accurately recorded for the date of incidents.

·        Patuxent Aeromodelers – ongoing requests from the group regarding rent reduction / clearing of natural vegetation. Settina is following up with OAG on lease terms.

·        Chapel Point State Park – Scheduling event to kick off partnership with Charles County and a tour for Treasurer Kopp.

·        Cypress Branch – Lead abatement / painting of main house planned. Further efforts to provide public access on hold.

·        Mt. Airy Mansion (Rosaryville SP) – Study commissioned by M-NCPPC to assess the condition of the mansion.

Central - McCoy

·        Annual Lifeguard Competition held at Hart-Miller Island. Kudos to Ranger Brooke Bartko and the Gunpowder Falls staff for coordinating the event. The Assateague guards went home with the trophy once again.

·        Bohemia River State Park – Discussion about agricultural lease, including increasing buffers.

o   Led to discussion about phasing out corn / soybean-type ag leases. Regional managers will share policy direction to consider this phase-out when renewing leases.

o   Hunting program – Intention is to implement all-season / all-weapons deer hunting on the property to manage the deer population. Will work with WHS to set up reservation / permit process to start hunting as soon as possible this season (may not be able to have it in place for the beginning or archery season).

·        Bloede Dam – McCoy provided an update on the removal of the dam itself (Phase 2), which is currently planned for the end of August. Phase 1 (sewer line removal) is almost complete. Limited blasting will be used to breach the dam (will be directed upstream and covered with mats to limit debris field). Once the dam is breached, water and sediment will begin to move downstream. Crews will mechanically remove dam debris and concrete. Park staff and the NRP will staff an exclusion zone during periods of blasting. All notifications will be made by the contractor as required by law. Monday conference calls are scheduled.

West – C. Bright

·        Deep Creek Lake Policy Review Board – Request to trap and euthanize geese while molting. C. Bright has conferred with Owens about other methods provided in depredation permit. Bright to follow up and advise Settina if this is an official request from the PRB. Wildlife will have to weigh in on the status of the current geese population on lake.

·        Fort Frederick – The curator at the historic Widmyer House in Big Pool has advised that he has purchased a house and property out of state. Peter Morrill is following up.

·        Western Fire Duty Protocols – There were some missteps in notification with the last crew, e.g. lack of notification to SDO C. Bright. She will be following up with Luke Mongrain to consider a revision of the protocol reminder message in an attempt to make it more clear.

·        Wolf Den Run – ORV invitational events. C. Bright is asking for a planning meeting.

ADMINISTRATION (Amanda Mock)

·        Regional budget meetings have been scheduled for mid-September to discuss status of FY19 budget and upcoming FY20 budget. FY20 – Mock is soliciting input on priorities for requested classified PINs. She will also be speaking with the Regional Managers about current / requested LTCs.

·        Personnel – Continuing to process LTC conversions and making Ranger offers.

·        Probation Reports / Automatic Probation Extensions – Supervisors of new employees are responsible for documenting and tracking employee performance during probationary period. B. Knisely will send a calendar appointment to a new employee’s Manager / Regional Manager to remind them that the six-month report / automatic extension needs to be done.

·        Whenever an employee is out for 5 days or more for accident, sick leave, etc., the supervisor is to notify Amanda Mock, to discuss the potential need to complete paperwork, proper coding in Workday, FMLA, etc.

·        CJIS fingerprint background checks – Unexpected change in billing policy. Amanda / Cindy Hawkins are following up.

·        Concession surveys – Sent out by Tim Hamilton. Still waiting for feedback from some parks. Senior staff hopes to use the data to improve concessions and perhaps create a Concessions Team.

·        Tiny Houses – CAMIS has received a few requests from visitors who want to bring their tiny homes into campgrounds as camping units. They are allowed if, at the manager’s discretion, they qualify as camping units, conform to size limitations, etc.

·        Annual State Park and Trail Passport – Mock shared ideas for revisions to the upcoming Passport. Pass will not be sold via MVA offices this coming year due to some unanticipated costs associated with the sale. Term of pass will be changed to the end of the month one year from date (month) of purchase. New pass will be wallet / credit card size, and not a hang tag.

·        Mock has been discussing, with NIC, the potential for park day-use passes. The hope is that using the passes will alleviate some congestion at busy day-use parks. More to come.

·        Ranger Pocket Guides – Staff looking into electronic / phone version.

PLANNING AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS (Mary Owens)

·        To-date, 223 projects have been submitted for project review in 2018.

·        Signs – sign plan is out. The following parks will be implementing a new trail wayfinding / park sign plan - Wye Island, Cedarville, Rocky Gap, Fort Frederick, Elk Neck, Susquehanna.

·        Park Inspection forms have been completed and inspections are being scheduled.

·        Owens and others met with State Fire Marshal – State Fire Marshal is the only agency that has jurisdiction; local fire marshals do not have jurisdiction on State property and cannot dictate what happens in our parks regarding fire regulations, e.g. cabin renovations. Owens was able to get clarification on State Fire Marshal regulations. This information will help MPS and E&C with planning for upcoming renovations and new construction.

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE (Nita Settina)

·        Settina and Mock reviewed “Use of State Vehicles” policy.

·        Fall Managers Meeting – draft agenda was distributed and reviewed by senior staff.

·        Employee Field Day – Senior Staff discussed program for event on September 26 at Pickall.

·        Reviewed July Senior Staff Notes

o   Electric car charging stations – ongoing discussion.

o   Additional vehicle request – Wayne Suydam is compiling list (to be based on LTC hires, etc.)

o   Invasive species removal equipment – Senior Staff approved the purchase of some equipment, but not all

o   Smoking in State Parks – Consensus of Managers is in favor of the policy to prohibit smoking on beaches and other congested areas. Will require a new regulation and associated public process. Will likely be similar to alcohol regulation / policy, i.e. smoking not permitted in designated areas, under the authority of the Superintendent.

Upcoming Events:

·        September 14 – Point Lookout – NPS grant for paddle in sites / ribbon cutting. Also installing two new sites at Newtowne Neck.

·        September 15 – Harriet Tubman – unveiling of memorial plaque.

·        October 13 – ribbon cutting at Deep Creek Lake for 15 miles of new trails (during Autumn Glory Days).

·        October 30 – tour and lease signing at Chapel Point.

·        November 10 – Renewal of Greeting of Geese program at Merkle.

DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE (Chris Bushman)

·        Policy Issues – none brought forward.

·        Hunting Programs – Regional Managers are working with their managers on updating the MPS Hunting in State Parks chart and the Hunting Heritage Act Report.

·        Wildlife and Heritage Service has recently implemented a new program to permit individuals to use lethal means to remove overabundant deer on agricultural property. The Agriculture Deer Cooperator Permit is separate from the Deer Management Permit. This new permit is only for the permittee (no agents), allows them to use rifles in all areas, and to shoot at night. There is a $100 permit fee (the DMP is free), the permittee is required to provide maps, shooting locations, etc., and to notify the NRP when they utilize the permit.

·        Bushman has been communicating with DNR Communications Center commanders on providing more, and more useful, information to civilian managers, e.g. the narrative portion of incidents included in the current shift reports. He is also exploring the possibility of setting up automated reports that will include only the park location codes needed by each individual receiving the report, i.e. each Park Manager would only receive entries for their park(s) and the Regional Managers only the entries for the parks in their region.