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Frederick County Agency Updates – March 31, 2020

Frederick County - News Flash

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Division of Animal Control:

While Animal Control Offices are closed to the public and adoptions have been suspended, they are still taking donations of unopened food and cat litter. There is an outdoor donation bin at the rear of the building with the smaller bin designated for food items. Donations can be dropped off anytime and staff check it throughout the day.

Animal Control is still accepting cash donations through our website
https://www.velocitypayment.com/client/frederickcountymd/donations/index.html or by mailing a check to 1832 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD 21702.

Office of Economic Development:

Businesses across the community are suffering enormous impacts related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). If you represent a business or non-profit organization in Frederick County, please complete the following survey, so that we may better understand your needs during this time. www.surveymonkey.com/r/FrederickCountyEconomicImpactSurvey

The Office of Economic Development wants to keep your business updated on the latest information and resources. For more information visit http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/covid-19.

For a list of open restaurants, bars, farms, wineries, breweries, and distilleries visit www.discoverfrederickmd.com/restaurants.

Division of Parks and Recreation:

Currently, County parks are open with modified hours of sunrise to sunset. Some facilities and/or amenities inside those parks may have limited or no access to the public. Currently, all water fountains have been shut off and all functioning restrooms in parks are closed. Porta-Johns have been added where needed to provide options for walkers in the park. All county park playgrounds will be closed until further notice. For answers to more Frequently Asked Questions visit https://www.recreater.com/771/FAQs-related-to-COVID-19.

Department of Permits and Inspections:

In response to the communicable nature of the Covid-19 Virus, and with regard to the health and safety of our citizens, employees, customers and contractors, the Frederick County Department of Permits and Inspections has updated a modified plan of services until further notice, as follows:

Permit Application Submittal and Processing

The office of the Department of Permits and Inspections will remain closed to the public. All permitting and licensing services will only be handled by our eServices platforms (electronically). This includes all building, plumbing, electrical, fire and grading applications and permits. Processing and administrative staff will only be working remotely and will not be working at our offices at 30 North Market Street. Paper applications and plans will not be accepted, including any resubmittals or revisions to permits or applications previously submitted outside of our eServices platforms. All applications for permits and licenses will only be accepted via our Infor online permitting software by using the public portal https://planningandpermitting.frederickcountymd.gov, accommodations will be made for applicants to electronically file resubmissions and revisions via email or electronically through the portal. Major Grading and Storm
Water Management applications requiring the submission of original documentation such as letters of credit, performance bonds and check processing, and the submission of SWM as-builts and related documentation may schedule arrangements for submission by contacting Emily Pearl at EmPearl@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

Payment of all fees can be made via the online portal. Processing and administrative staff will be working and will be communicating by phone and email on a daily basis during normal business hours of Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.

Plan Review Services

Plan reviews will only be done through our eServices platforms, Infor and Avolve (ProjectDox), and correspondence of plan review letters and comments will continue to be sent out by email directly to our applicants and professionals and/or can also be downloaded via the designated electronic platform. Our plans review staff will be working remotely and will not be working at our offices at 30 North Market Street. Plan review staff will be communicating by email on a daily basis during normal business hours of Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.

Inspection Services

On site face to face inspections will be limited to only those that cannot be completed by one of the following methods and will be at the discretion of the inspection staff. The listed alternatives are in order of what is acceptable and will be at the discretion of the inspection staff who will make the determination of acceptability of each method and may be
on a case by case basis.

  • Photo or real time video conferencing with inspection staff (for example facetime, etc.) by the permit holder or the licensed contractor for proof of completeness of required inspections. Photos and video conferencing will be coordinated with following inspection staff:
    • Building: Steve Blickenstaff at sblickenstaff@frederickcountymd.gov or at 240-674-2396
    • Plumbing: Steve Oden at soden@frederickcountymd.gov or at 240-674-2683
    • Electrical: Mike Scheller at csheller@frederickcountymd.gov or at 240-397-3002
    • Fire: Kimberly Connor at kconnor@frederickcountymd.gov or at 240-674-6190
    • Grading/SWM: Eric Dodson at edodson@frederickcountymd.gov or at 301-748-7263.
    • Photos and video must be clear and must provide accurate depictions of the scope of work under review. Measurements for clearances or proper distances, elevations, etc. must be depicted with a legible measurement implement (ie: a tape measure) shown in the image. Images will need to include identifiable landmarks or indicators that provide reference to the subject property or project and the precise inspection location. Larger sections or portions of the project being inspected may require a video submission to verify the completeness of the scope of work.
  • Self certification of residential work permitted and completed by a licensed contractor only when approved by the above inspection staff. This option is limited to residential plumbing, electric and fire (sprinkler) work and must follow a form approved by the County.
  • Third party certification of non-residential work permitted and completed by a licensed contractor. This option is limited to non-residential building, plumbing, electrical and fire and must be submitted by a registered professional or as approved by the County.

In the cases where it is determined that one of the above methods cannot be completed, then a face to face inspection by a County inspector will need to be coordinated. This inspection will need to be conducted with limited personnel on the site and appropriate precautions in place with all hand washing, hand sanitizing, social distancing and public interaction protocol adherence. Hand sanitation and any other required PPE for the inspector must be available at the work site prior to commencement of the inspection.

The County will attempt to continue “following day” inspections (request by noon and inspection will be completed the following day) however it cannot be guaranteed. Inspection requests will be handled in the order they are received and it is will likely that some inspections will take several days to complete as many will require review of documentation by the County. Inspections can continue to be requested through the portal at https://planningandpermitting.frederickcountymd.gov or by emailing Permits@FrederickCountyMD.gov. The permit holder can only proceed with further work associated with the permit after the pass/failure response has been provided. County inspection staff will continue to enter inspection results as they have been into Infor eServices mobile platform and applicants will continue to receive notification of the Pass/Fail result automatically by email as the current process allows.

These inspection procedures are only allowed on a temporary basis and they are not meant as a substitution for required inspections under normal circumstances. Any inspections conducted during this time will be recorded as being completed under these terms. As in all cases, the Contractor and the property owner shall be responsible for code compliance. If a subsequent inspection reveals noncompliance of a prior issue, then corrections may be needed at the direction of the County. Failure to identify a noncompliance issue shall not constitute a waiver of the County’s ability to enforce the County Code or the scope of issued permits and approvals. If any portion of the permitted scope of work inspected in this manner comes under future scrutiny or produces any sort of questionable construction or is found defective, the County assumes no additional liability beyond what is defined in the currently adopted Building Code and the Contractor carries all normally assumed and assigned liability as defined by Code, Profession and Licensing.

We greatly appreciate your time in complying with this notification, and also your patience during this modification in services. We hope you understand that we are looking out for the best interest of the health and safety of everyone while also doing our best to continue services.

Department of Solid Waste Management:

In response to Governor Hogan’s Executive Order #20-03-30-01 requiring all persons to stay at home, the Department of Solid Waste Management announced today that all non-essential transactions are prohibited at its 9031 Reichs Ford Road facilities until further notice. This closure allows only certain categories of essential transactions to continue, in order to allow waste to be collected and processed in the interest of maintaining public health.

Essential transactions are limited solely to the following three categories:

  1. Processing of waste and recycling collected by commercial haulers.
  2. Waste coming from businesses allowed to continue operations during the State of Emergency (as defined in Maryland Executive Order #20-03-23-01).
  3. Disposal of household trash that does not contain extraneous items from spring cleanings or other nonessential activities from residences that do not have at-home collection of waste and have made advanced
    disposal arrangements with the department.

At this time, access to the DSWM facility for any other waste and recycling services is prohibited. Essential businesses currently utilizing the facility through cash transactions will now need to pay for their transactions by credit card. The “Recycle Road” facility entrance, recycling drop-off center and Citizens’ Convenience Center for waste disposal will be closed until further notice. Tires, mattresses, yard waste, electronics, scrap metal and other non-perishable materials should be held until the State of Emergency has been lifted and normal disposal and recycling procedures resume.

Residents who have historically relied upon self-hauling their household’s perishable materials to the DSWM facility as their sole means of waste disposal will be permitted to access the facility for disposal of perishable/putrescible materials (such as kitchen waste, diapers, and pet waste). In order to do so, these residents will first need to obtain a
temporary Residential Essential Waste permit, by calling 301-600-1035. Residents without an established residential municipal solid waste transaction history AND a temporary permit will not be able to enter the facility. Until further notice, no resident should bring non-essential materials to the facility.

As a reminder, the DSWM has previously identified examples of non-essential materials. Non-essential waste and recycling transactions include, but are not limited to: materials from basement/garage/spring cleanouts, general
recycling materials drop off, yard waste drop off, mattress and furniture disposal, debris from home renovation projects (unless by businesses covered under EO #20-03-23-01), etc.

The DSWM restrictions are being implemented to align facility use with state law. The public’s understanding and compliance with these measures is necessary to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in our community.
Additionally, these service curtailments help the DSWM make adjustments to its workforce and ensure the continuity of the necessary waste disposal services needed to protect public health during this emergency.

For announcements and additional information on Frederick County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/coronavirus.

State’s Attorney’s Office:

The State’s Attorney’s Office reminds the public that Maryland courthouses will remain closed and judiciary operations restricted until May 1. Under the order by Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, courthouses are closed to the public and operating with essential staff only to handle emergency matters.

All non-emergency matters scheduled for a court hearing or proceeding, including jury trials, scheduled to begin March 17 through May 1 will be postponed, unless otherwise noted. Scheduling orders issued in civil and family law matters will be addressed by motion on a case-by-case basis.

Visit Frederick:

Visit Frederick is maintaining a list of park closures/changes as they are made aware. The list can be found at www.visitfrederick.org/things-to-do/parks-and-outdoor-recreation/. Visit Frederick is also maintaining a general list of COVID updates including delivery and curbside pickups options, cancelled events, and general information at www.visitfrederick.org/travel-advisory/.

For more information:

Frederick County residents can call 866-411-6803 to reach our local 211 center with general questions about coronavirus or COVID19. Accurate COVID-19 information is critical to the community. For the most current and
accurate information about this situation, please refer to the following:

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