Competing energy park companies may unite

The two top choices to build a miniature green power plant may be joining forces, possibly nullifying the city's original decision to award only one of them a contract.

Alderman Ross Arnett, D-Ward 8, said at a City Council meeting last night that the heads of Seven Seas Energy and Aerotropolis Renewable Energy Group are in the process of merging and creating a new company to build a power plant outside the city limits off Defense Highway.

The announcement comes after the city selected Aerotropolis for the project and began writing a lease, even as Seven Seas officials said they were improperly turned down for the project.

The city had rated Seven Seas' design plan as the best and most innovative of those presented by the applicants, but decided that plan wasn't as financially viable and instead selected Aerotropolis.

City Administrator Bob Agee said Seven Seas' plan did not have adequate financial support and it didn't appear its project would produce as much energy as initially anticipated.

After their bid was rejected, Seven Seas officials met with council members and state legislators and expressed their concerns. In an interview, Tereas Pantazes, one of Seven Seas' founders, said his company had solid financial backing.

"From everyone I've spoken to, it seems like there's some rough edges," Arnett said.

Pantazes said Seven Seas is in discussions with Aerotropolis to see what, if anything, can be done to resolve the controversy.

In the balance is a novel and environmentally friendly power plant. The city wants to turn its closed 500-acre landfill in Parole into a renewable energy park that uses things such as sunlight and yard clippings to create power equal to the amount used by every home, business and tourist within city limits.

The plant would have to be cost-effective and also serve as an international showcase for renewable-energy systems, city officials said.

No charter bill

The council last night was expected to hear testimony on a charter amendment to be introduced by Alderman David Cordle, R-Ward 5, that would create a city manager form of government. But the legislation was not on the night's agenda.

Cordle said its absence from the agenda, which is written by Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, was a matter of politics and not surprising.

"Its lack of appearance on the agenda speaks for itself," he said.

Cordle's amendment would create a city manager who is responsible for the city's day-to-day operations and would be hired and fired by a majority of the council only at the recommendation of the mayor.

During the Oct. 12 council meeting, Cordle tried to add the legislation to the agenda from the floor. But he was met with resistance from Moyer, who said she wanted to wait two weeks - until last night's meeting - for the amendment to be introduced.

Cordle was eventually able to have the legislation put on the Oct. 12 agenda after a majority vote from the council.

Last night Moyer said Cordle's legislation wasn't on the agenda because she didn't receive it soon enough.

"He didn't ask me about it," Moyer said. "There was no bill. It was not done on time. … It was a timing thing, that's basically all."

Halloween stays

Alderman Fred Paone, R-Ward 2, last night withdrew a resolution that would have required the city to support Halloween a day early in West Annapolis.

He was concerned that, given traffic from a Navy football game on Oct. 31, there would be a safety risk for young ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating Saturday night. Navy is scheduled to play Temple University at 3:30 p.m.

But after meeting with groups from his ward, he said he found there was "benign indifference" to moving the holiday up a day. So he withdrew his resolution.