Clarksburg Citizens and Business Advisory Group Monthly Meeting

Montgomery County Correctional Facility  | Telephone: (240) 773-9700


MEETING DATE: November 19,  2002

ATTENDANCE
Bina Allgood, Joe Anastasi, Jenny Barber, Leon Grant, Rob Green, Steve Howie, Cathy Jewell, Yael Klejman, Paul Majewski, Loretta McClintock, Mack McCune, Phil McLaughlin, Bill Novak, Terry Reister, Brian Roynestad, Guy Ruffner, Susan Singer-Bart, Art Wallenstein, John Williams 

CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
Bill Novak reported that construction is basically complete. The punch lists items are very close to being completed. There is one sand filter on the exterior of the building to be completed which relies on continued dry weather. The last of the site planting is in process. Rob Green reported that the fence between the Kingsley Wilderness school and the jail will be installed after the construction traffic ends.

The final step is the complete cleaning of the building before turning it over to Corrections. With a 306,000 square foot building it will take three weeks of double shifts to clean thoroughly.

The punch list for the commissioning of the electronic system was completed and burn-in has begun (November 20). This is a thirty day period when the facility can function with the security system fully operational. All aspects of the security system are tested in the operating mode without fail.

Bill estimated that the building would be turned over to Corrections for full occupancy by mid December. Facilities will remain on site to closeout contracts and be of assistance to DOCR in transitioning into the building.

OPENING PLAN
Training will begin after the first of the year (January and February). Following this training period, other agencies (i.e. Fire Department, MCPD, and Sheriff's Dept.) will do their training in and around the building. The special events will be scheduled after completion of all training. Finally, a detailed plan for inmate movement will take place on a date unknown to the public. 

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION
The community alert refrigerator magnets were handed out and everyone was encouraged to pass them out to other community members. The first number, 240-773-9804 will give you a staff person (not active until we move into the building). The second number, 240-773-9999 is a recorded message and updated immediately if there is an event (allows for 40 incoming calls at a time).

The siren is fully installed and had a successful test on November 6. Guy Ruffner had an audio demonstration of the different tones which the group could choose from. The three tones to assign are an alert tone, an all clear tone, and a test tone. The siren tones will reach to a range of 1.5 miles and for a minute duration. The group decided that the alert tone will be "Constant High Alert Tone", and the test tone will be the "Air Horn Tone." The proposed all clear tone raised questions as to whether it was actually needed. If the incident was not clear in a few hours it would not mean anything when sounded days later. After discussion the group agreed to keep the all clear tone as an open issue but continue with and programming of the alert tone and the test tone only.

There will be one more test for programming the siren in January. The schools and community will be notified by calls and flyers of this scheduled date. The test tone will sound once a month (the first Monday of the month at 1 PM) beginning in January.

There was one other element that the Community Notification Committee discussed, the Reverse 911 or Dialogic System (a reverse system that actually dials your residence if your number is entered or a certain zip code area to notify you of an emergency). Rob Green reported that the County is in the process of updating their software for this system. He will continue to update the group in reference to this system.
 
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Phil McLaughlin passed out the proposed local bus route (#75) to serve MCCF. Service will begin January 6, 2003 with fifteen trips a day. Bus stop signage will be posted in late December. The schedule will accommodate the MCCF Visiting Days (no visiting on Wednesday) Monday through Friday, with no weekend service at this time. Transit will begin to advertise this route soon. Starting in February DOCR will distribute flyers in the Rockville and Clarksburg areas to advertise the added bus route to MCCF.

 The next meeting will be December 17, 2002 at MCCF, in the Warden's Conference Room (second floor)