2020 February Senior Staff Meeting Notes

MARYLAND PARK SERVICE

SENIOR STAFF MEETING NOTES

February 12, 2020

NRP Broadneck Office, Annapolis, MD

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

REGIONAL REPORTS

Southeast – Patrick Bright

·         State Park Fee Rounding Adjustments – Discussion about making minimal (five cents or less) adjustments to existing fees to reduce the need to provide change. With the pending implementation of the new State bank, change procedures are expected to be more costly and difficult.

·         Rosaryville Conservancy – Discussion about adjusting the Rosaryville Conservancy grant terms in response to operational changes associated with the Mt. Airy Mansion.

·         Bill Burton Fishing Pier – Dana Paterra is working with Talbot and Dorchester county partners on the potential development of enhanced operations at the pier.

·         Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad – Visitation last fall was much higher than expected, likely due to publicity associated with the film Harriet and the Harriet Tubman mural in Cambridge. A new Cooperative Management Agreement with the National Park Service is under development.

·         Chesapeake Natives – Efforts are underway to develop a Use Agreement and Affiliated Foundation Agreement with Chesapeake Natives for operations at Rosaryville State Park.

·         St. Clements Island – Discussions still underway with the Archdiocese for a potential fall event.

Central – Steve McCoy

      

·         Bohemia River – The entrance project must be rebid due to a procurement documentation oversight.

·         Elk Neck – The Nature Center will require mold remediation and cannot be utilized in the interim.

·         Gunpowder Falls – The Gittings-Baldwin long-term lease is nearing finalization.

·         North Point – The Foulke lease has been finalized and will be sent to Mr. Foulke for signature.

·         Patapsco Valley – The Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park has expressed potential interest in using the Sorenson Property.

·         Seneca Creek – 1. A possible tornado destroyed a pole barn, other structures, and two vehicles on land leased to the Warrior Canine Connection. 2. The area of the park previously used for trap and skeet shooting will undergo lead remediation, and we are exploring the possibility of a stream restoration project. Signs will be posted at the site to alert visitors to the presence of lead shot and make them aware of the remediation project.

·         Patuxent River – Wayne Suydam developed a list of items necessary to utilize the Patuxent Lodge for a meeting space, as well as an overnight facility.

Western – Christy Bright

·         Greenbrier – Discussion about the possible purchase of the Dogpatch Tavern property located across Route 40 from the park entrance.

·         Cunningham Falls – Discussion about sewer infiltration continuing to prompt exceedingly high quarterly sewer bills. Mary Owens will work with E&C to encourage MES to implement cost-saving solutions.

·         Wood Biomass Stoves at State Parks – Regional Managers will work with Park Managers to determine whether biomass heating units, fueled by surplus wood from the park, would be useful at any park sites. The Forest Service is promoting this new technology, which has very low emissions.

·         Empower Maryland – State Parks should be taking advantage of the Empower Maryland program. One way to do this is to replace, not repair, HVAC systems with high efficiency units. Park staff should modify project justifications to reflect this strategy. See the following website for additional information: https://energy.maryland.gov/Pages/Facts/empower.aspx

·         Woodmont – The Izaak Walton League is interested in a lease extension. Discussion about revisiting various terms of the lease.

The attendance reporting and customer satisfaction survey results were discussed and reviewed. Several parks have revisited the multipliers used to calculate visitation. Park Managers should periodically evaluate the multipliers used to calculate visitation, and after any significant change in use patterns (e.g. new trails, new activities in an area), and work with their Regional Managers to implement potential adjustments.

PLANNING AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS – Mary Owens

·         House Inspections – Place special emphasis on ensuring that smoke detectors are present and functioning at all sites. Park staff are reminded that any construction of interior rooms, especially in basements, must go through MPS internal review, and must have emergency egress.

·         Wildlife and Heritage Service – WHS will be initiating a Breeding Bird Survey throughout Maryland, including sites in State Parks, with the help of volunteers. Details are being worked out with the WHS, e.g. registering volunteers with the MPS, waiving entrance fees.

·         Resource Assessment Service – Discussion of various proposed projects associated with the new State Lakes Protection Fund, and the need for coordination with the RAS.

·         Conservation Corps Programs – An agreement is under development with the Student Conservation Association to manage most functions associated with the CJC program this summer, including hiring the Crew Leaders.

·         Strategic Management Plans – Discussion about the status of various SMPs and Regional Managers editing plans prior to submission to the Deputy Superintendent / Superintendent.

DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE – Chris Bushman

·         Deputy Superintendent Bushman asked for any policy suggestions and encouraged the solicitation of ideas from field staff.

·         Pet Policy – Revisions to the policy were finalized and the updated 2020 policy will be released soon.

·         MPS Hunting Program / DNR Hunting Guide – Regional Managers should work with Park Managers to identify any adjustments to their hunting programs and update information for the 2020-2021 Hunting Guide.

·         Discussion of the role of the SDO, PDO and LINE notifications made by park staff. The chain of command is the primary line of communication/notification. SDOs / PDOs are back-ups when managers / supervisors are not available or during non-work hours.

ADMINISTRATION – Amanda Mock

·         Personnel – Discussion about the status of several recruitments and pursuit of additional recruitment information.

·         2020 Ranger School – Discussion of leadership for the next Ranger School in Western Maryland on October 19 - November 13, 2020.

·         Budget – FY 2020 park and program budgets are posted in the projection spreadsheets saved in the Google Drive. The Governor’s proposed FY 2021 budget was released on Wednesday, January 15. The FY 2021 budget includes deficiency funding for FY 2020.

·         Transition to Wells Fargo and BB&T – Thank you to all staff who are helping with the transition and providing feedback to the MPS fiscal team.

·         Coding Expenditures and Revenues - MPS fiscal staff will send park administrative staff the latest lists of State expenditure and revenue funding codes. Staff are encouraged to contact Dana St. Clair if they have any questions about the appropriate codes to use.

·         2020 Town Hall Meetings – The Town Hall meetings have been scheduled - 3/2 at Tawes, 3/9 at Greenbrier State Park, 3/16 at North Point State Park, 3/30 at Fort Frederick State Park, and 4/7at Ruthsburg Community Hall (Queen Anne) - and Subject Matter Experts have been invited to attend the afternoon sessions.

·         Rocks State Park – Planning is underway to implement online day passes this summer via NIC’s YourPassNow software for the Kilgore Falls / Falling Branch Area.

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE – Nita Settina

·         Reviewed January 2020 Senior Staff Notes and discussed several related follow-up items.

·         2020 Spring Managers Meeting – Discussion about issues and speakers for the May 13 meeting. Park Managers are encouraged to suggest possible topics and bring Year of the Woman programming ideas to the meeting.

·         2020 Earth Day – Planning underway for a large Earth Day event at Sandy Point State Park on April 22. Parks are encouraged to implement tree planting projects to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of Earth Day.