The first course of business at the Bel Air Town Commissioners meeting Monday night was for the town board to honor Emergency Manager Rick Ayers for National Emergency Preparedness Month and great work following the recent earthquake and hurricane.
"I wanted to take an opportunity to recognize Rick and his staff," Commissioner Ed Hopkins said.
Hopkins handed Ayers a proclamation and said he appreciates the efficiency and hard work of Ayers and the staff as well as the Emergency Operations Center.
Hopkins said tornadoes early in the summer, intense heat and the recent "hurriquake" tested the town and county's preparedness and Ayers and those at the EOC handled the emergencies well.
"If this thing gets worse you're going to hear Rick's voice on a Connect Cty message," Hopkins said. "We just appreciate everything that you do."
Ayers was appreciative and returned the compliment.
"I just would like to thank the Town of Bel Air and how professional your employees are," Ayers said. "I just can't thank you enough. I think the county has a lot of dedicated people and I can't thank you enough."
During commissioner's comments several commissioners revisited the topic.
At that point, Hopkins added thanks to Bel Air Police officers and the town's volunteer fire company, of which he has been a longtime member.
"The storm presented a lot of difficult challenges," Hopkins said. "It was really nice to see our emergency plan in action."
Commissioner Terence Hanley complimented the police department for their handling of inoperative traffic lights.
"The police did a good job of using those cones to funnel people in and make those roads safer," Hanley said.
Public Works Director Randy Robertson also thanked Ayers and the EOC for making the county a safe place to live.
"I am continually impressed," Robertson said of the collaboration between the EOC and the town.
The town board also approved the lone bid for a new dump truck.
Robertson explained the town needs to replace a dump truck that is getting up there in years and was scheduled to be replaced. In the budget, an amount of $67,200 was set aside for the truck, Robertson said.
The town advertised and asked for bids, but only received one.
Plaza Ford's bid of $67,597 was the only bid the town received and Robertson said closely aligns with what the City of Aberdeen paid for a similar truck one year ago.
"It's virtually the same price and the same truck as was purchased last year," Robertson explained.
The commissioners unanimously approved the bid.
The commissioners also unanimously approved a resolution to support the Red Devils, a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore that works toward improving quality of life for Town of Bel Air residents who are fighting breast cancer.
The organization applied to the state department of housing and community development for approval of the project and tax credits for those who contributed to the project.
In other news from Monday's meeting:
The commissioners announced a remembrance and hope commemoration of 9/11 that will take place Saturday at 2 p.m. in Shamrock Park. The event is free.
The commissioners announced lunch-time open air concerts at noon on Office Street during the month of September.
The commissioners announced the Bel Air Festival of the Arts scheduled to take place Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.