Calvert - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

COUNTYNEWSBy Sarah MillerStaff WriterDrivers going up and down Route4 may have noticed signs up announcingbridgework to start March 18. The workis expected to last through the year, andincludes cleaning and repainting the steel,working on the concrete under the deckand rehabilitating other areas.State Highway Administration(SHA) spokesperson David Buck said thefirst project, costing $3.2 million, will beginnext week with containment being setup to keep contaminants out of the beachand the river. He said containment is “themost crucial part of any cleaning andpainting job.”Once containment is set up, workerswill be cleaning and painting steel on theends of the bridge, where the span is overland. Buck said it will be “methodicalFree InItIal ConsultatIonThe law offices of P.a. 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MARY’S • PG • CALVERTThe Calvert GazetteBridge Getting a Faceliftwork” that could take until Spring 2013,though the contractor will be trying to finishby the end of the year.In addition to the cleaning and painting,work will be done to the concrete anddrainage system.“This is proactive maintenance thatwe do on all our bridge structures,” Bucksaid.The work means one lane of thebridge will be closed Sunday throughThursday from 9 p.m. through 5 a.m. Nowork is done Friday and Saturday nightsbecause of safety concerns due to the increasedtraffic on the bridge, in additionto the higher possibility of drivers underthe influence.The second project, costing $2.3million, will begin in a month, and willmostly take place out of view from drivers.Workers will be repairing concreteunder the deck of the bridge, as well as(301) 932-7700 (301) 870-7111Do You Feel Crabby When You Get YourInsurance Bill in the Mail? Give Us A Call.You’ll Be Glad You Did.the columns in the water. Buck said thepreventative maintenance will preventpotholes from forming, which would be abad sign on a bridge. The second projectshould be completed in the fall, Buck said,though it is largely dependent on weather.The concrete can only be worked on if thetemperature is above 50 degrees and humiditylevels less than 75 percent.Buck said 90 percent of SHA’s workis done at night to decrease the impact tomotorists, and in a project like the one onthe bridge, the two contractors have tocoordinate so only one lane is shut downat any given time. Buck said at no pointwill the bridge be completely closed tothrough traffic. Workers will also beworking around local events, like PRADand the Tiki Bar opening weekend, tolessen the impact.sarahmiller@countytimes.netThursday, March 15, 2012 4By Sarah MillerStaff WriterIn an effort to make a complex process simpler,the Department of Planning and Zoning is workingto streamline the course from submittal of a projectto the final signing off on the site plan.Planning Commission Administrator and ZoningOfficer Yolanda Hipski said the departmentworked on the project in two parts – primary submittalto planning commission, and planning commissionto final site plan approval.After some final fine-tuning, Hipski said thenew processes will be adopted fully in April.Hipski said the streamlining will be “for everybody– consultants, owners and us [the planningand zoning department].” She said the process wassparked when different groups, such as consultantsand developers, identified the process as being anarea to be worked on. The department agreed, Hipskisaid.“Looking at the process, I felt the same,” she said.Currently, Hipski said she is working to make minor changes to take comments intoaccount.A major change is in the submittal of the final site plan. The Final Mylar, a masterplanning document that has to be physically signed by different groups involved in theapproval process in order to gain final site plan approval, was submitted in the past whenthe planning commission indicated they were willing to sign off on it. Now, owners andconsultants must get everyone to the point where they are willing to sign off on the projectand indicate their willingness to the department of planning and zoning.Different departments are connected through a computer system where they can indicatea “ready for signature” status, and owners and consultants are responsible for makingsure agencies make the change in the computer status.Hipski said the new process will keep Mylar copies from getting lost as they go fromagency from agency for signature because all the signatures will be done at once.With the streamlining split into two parts – the first document dealing with the processfrom submittal to the planning commission was sent out Dec. 30 for comment. Thesecond, dealing with the planning commission to the final site plan approval, was submittedfor comment Jan. 23.sarahmiller@countytimes.netPermittingProcess toBecome SimplerRev. Hahn WinsCompassionateMarylander AwardGary Simpson, Matt Laidley, Katie Facchina7480 Crain Highway • La Plata, MD 20646301-934-8437An Independent Agent Representing:ERIE INSURANCE GROUPStanding: Dan Burris, Jake Kuntz,Seated: Lisa Squires,Susan Ennis, Donna BurrisApril HancockPO Box 407Bryans Road,MD 20616301-743-9000Burris’ Olde Towne InsuranceAuto - Home - Business - LifeLeonardtown, MD • Bus: (301) 475-3151 www.danburris.comThe efforts of thousands of locals who voted online paid off this weekas End Hunger Chairman Rev. Robert Hahn, pastor of ChesapeakeChurch, was recognized as a Compassionate Marylander winner onMonday. Hahn was presented with a Governors Citation and $5000check from CareFirst to End Hunger In Calvert County.