Work begins to fix brick-like pavers in downtown Rockville

City officials say the gravel surface beneath the pavers failed to hold up under the weight of vehicles and rainy weather.

The City Council subsequently budgeted $1.5 million to cover the repairs.

For months, Rockville’s legal council and planners have been meeting to determine who is responsible for the failure. No report fixing financial responsibility has been released by the city to date.

The council held an executive session on the subject on Monday. Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann emerged from it expressing confidence that the situation would be resolved without the city having to absorb the cost overruns. Officials declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting.

The plaza repair work is expected to be completed before the end of April, David Levy, chief of long-range planning and redevelopment, said.

In order to improve wheelchair access, smooth pavers will replace the original beveled ones in key access areas around the plaza.

The city waited until the winter to repair the plaza, which is used for outdoor events and dinning during warmer months. The surface was less warped than on the roadways. Trucks must access the plaza area for special events and, on occasion, to clean a stormwater retention pond situated beneath the surface.

Levy said repair costs still fall within the $1.5 million budget.

Key nomination coming

The nomination of Tracy Pakulniewicz-Chidiac, a political ally of Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann, to the influential Planning Commission has been delayed until the upcoming Monday City Council meeting.

Pakulniewicz-Chidiac was to be nominated by Hoffmann on Jan. 22, but the meeting was canceled.

If a majority of the council supports the nomination, Pakulniewicz-Chidiac will fill the seat vacated by John B. Britton after he was elected to the City Council in November.

Hoffmann has confirmed she intends to nominate her former campaign volunteer, but has refused to comment on accusations of cronyism. The open position was not advertised, as is the standard practice for other boards and commissions in the city.

Hoffmann had urged voters to support Pakulniewicz-Chidiac’s bid to become a city councilwoman in November, but the relative newcomer to local politics fell short.

Pakulniewicz-Chidiac is a public relations consultant.

Stormwater management information session

City staff will discuss the proposed stormwater management utility fee and changes to municipal law from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

Single-family detached homes can expect to pay $55.80 this year if the fee is approved by the City Council.

The council gave the go-ahead in December for staff to prepare changes to the city code creating the new fee designed to bolster the declining finances of the stormwater management fund and pay for repairs to five miles of aging pipes. It would also allow the city to hire 14 new full-time staff members to provide more inspections and make needed repairs.

The stormwater fund has been self-supporting since it was created in 1978, but is expected to run out of money within five years without additional revenue. Its sources of income, which include developer contributions and permit fees, grants and interest income from the fund balance, would continue under the fee plan.

Other properties, including commercial and governmental, would be harder hit by the fee.

Single-family properties make up 28 percent of the city’s impervious surfaces. Under the proposed fee, those owners would pay an equivalent amount, leaving the rest to fall to multi-family units, commercial properties and nonprofit entities.

If approved, the fee will go into effect in July. Property owners would see it as an add-on fee to their 2008 tax bill, separate from property taxes.

The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the matter at 7 p.m. Monday, also at City Hall.

For more information, call Lise Soukup at 240-314-8515 or visit www.rockvillemd.gov.

Henn new headof Hungerford

Two-time City Council candidate Carl Henn is the new president of the Hungerford Civic Association.

‘‘So I finally won an election,” Henn, a conservationist who narrowly lost the council election in November, said.

The joke came during the Citizens Forum portion of the Monday City Council meeting.

‘‘Carl was elected unanimously, despite talking about peak oil three times,” Art Stigile, the association’s new vice president, quipped.

Against the advice of supporters, Henn repeatedly discussed the declining oil supply during the recent city election.

The two plan to reinvigorate the group. They started Monday by calling for the proposed new District Courthouse to be moved from the site of the old library.

Mayor’s advisory group meeting

The Rockville Citizens Mayoral Transition Advisory Group is scheduled to hold its third meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The 26-member group, comprised of representatives from the city and other jurisdictions, is tasked with identifying and prioritizing issues facing the city during the next two years. The group first met on Jan. 8 and is expected to present a report to the City Council after its last scheduled meeting in March.

The brainstorming and visioning meetings are held in Suite 115 of the Center for Professional and Organizational Development at Montgomery College, located at 40 West Gude Drive in Rockville.

The meetings, including two more scheduled for Feb. 19 and March 4, are open to the public.