Town Council Meetings

Town of Sykesville Dear 7547 Main Street, Sykesville, MD 21784 Town House p: 410.795.8959 f: 410.795.3818 Stacy Link, Mayor townofsykesville.org Joseph Cosentini, Town Manager Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer Kerry G. Kavaloski, Town Clerk OFFICIAL MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING NO. 23-15 The Council meeting of the Town of Sykesville was held on Monday, September 25, 2023. Mayor Link called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. in the Town House Council Chambers. Mayor Link led the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. PRESENT: Mayor Stacy Link, Council President Anna Carter, and Council Members Alan Grasley, Elizabeth Guroff, and Jeremiah Schofield. Council Member Mark Dyer attended via Zoom teleconference. ABSENT: Council Member Leo Keenan STAFF: Joseph Cosentini, Town Manager Police Chief Michael Spaulding Kerry Kavaloski, Town Clerk Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments. MINUTES: I. Minutes from September 11, 2023 MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to approve the minutes from September 11, 2023. Council President Carter seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS: II. Consider/Discuss/Act on Linear Trail Repaving between Oklahoma Avenue and Norris Avenue Contract Award This project is being funded through the Program Open Space grant and was identified on the Capital Improvements Plan. Joe Cosentini, Town Manager, announced that the Request for Proposals was advertised for several weeks, and three responses were received. White Pine Paving is the lowest bidder, and the Town has worked with White Pine Paving for  other trail projects and has been pleased with the work they have done. The not-to exceed amount is higher than the bid amount to cover areas that may need replacement instead of just repair. Council President Carter asked about a tree root system at the bottom of the trail that is causing the washout area. The trail will either be realigned to the other side of the tree, or the tree will have to be removed to prevent the damage from happening again. Either option is covered in this bid. MOTION: Council Member Schofield motioned to approve the Linear Trail repaving project to White Pine Paving in the amount not to exceed $35,000 and authorize the Mayor to sign all necessary documents to begin the projects. Council Member Grasley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Council Member Schofield asked if there was any update related to the Rails to Trails program. Mayor Link explained that the gentleman who is heading the project is interested in presenting to the Council, but a date for the presentation has not been secured yet. III. Consider/Discuss/Act on Michael Baker International Work Order No. 2: B.F. Shriver Cannery Reuse Master Plan and Construction Documents Mr. Cosentini explained that the Town had entered into a contract with the DeVos Institute for this reuse plan, however the contract could not be finalized, so Michael Baker International (MBI) is currently working with the Town for the zoning rewrite and was asked to create a work order for the reuse plan. MBI included construction documents in their proposal, which increased the price over what the DeVos Institute originally proposed. Mayor Link explained that she believes the MBI process will be more engaged than the DeVos Institute proposal was expected to be, and the public will be more engaged. The State did give the Town $2 million in grants to do work on the B.F. Shriver Cannery Building. There is a seven- year timeline on the grant money. The start date would depend on staff coordination, but it is intended to start before the holidays. The master plan process would take about six to eight months, and construction documents would take another 18 months. The plans will include civil design and utilities design to bring electric and water/sewer options to the building. The visioning exercises will guide the design and construction documents, and sustainability initiatives can be added in. MBI is known for their sustainable practices. Mr. Cosentini explained that familiarity with MBI gives more comfort to using them for this project. KCI would be a second option, but they are currently very busy with other projects for the Town.  There was a discussion regarding the maximum number of meetings, including with stakeholders, focus groups, and interviews, and if there should be a minimum number of meetings that they are required to hold. Council Member Schofield asked if a fence could be put up around the building or a sign that gives information on the process so people can be part of the process. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to approve Michael Baker International Work Order No. 2: B.F. Shriver Cannery Reuse Master Plan as presented and authorize the Mayor to sign all necessary documents to begin the project. Council President Carter seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS • The next meeting is Tuesday, October 10, 2023. • We have volunteer opportunities available on the Historic District Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Police Auxiliary. Email town@sykesville.net for more information about volunteering with the Town. • Staff Updates o Treasurer’s Report Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer, presented the Treasurer’s Report for August 2023. He announced that the audit is still ongoing, but he hopes to have it ready for presentation at the October 23 meeting. He explained that several categories may look like they are being used faster than the budget would allow for the year, however, these categories include mostly one-off items, such as annual subscriptions, purchasing new phones, and an error in coding that put one item in the August Treasurer’s Report instead of the October Treasurer’s Report. o Public Safety Report Chief Spaulding presented the Public Safety Report for the period of September 5 through September 17, 2023. There was a total of 334 reports, including eight assist other agencies, eight community policing events, 18 foot patrols, eight incident reports, 158 patrol checks, and 13 traffic enforcement initiatives. Chief Spaulding explained that incident 00213 was a “be on the lookout” call for a vehicle involved in theft from a local store. Officer Pichardo located and pursued the vehicle until it fled into Howard County and the pursuit was called off. The tags were stolen, and the people are facing multiple charges. Community policing call # 2023CFS8216 was a gentleman who walked into the Station representing the Modern Woodmen who wanted to offer a donation of $100 to a charity of the Police Department’s choice. Chief Spaulding explained that they chose the Special Olympics’ Polar Plunge as their charity.  Mayor Link asked if Officer Young visited the middle school on the first day of school due to a call. She went on her own to provide a police presence. The school resource officer is new this year, and they have an office in the school. They have three schools on their rotation and spend time in each one during the day. Chief Spaulding announced that the Jr. CSI camp was very successful with 30 students, a K9 demonstration, and the State Police helicopter. Chief Spaulding also announced that cadet Anthony Bond survived his first week at the academy. Cadet Bond is a recruit from the Auxiliary Police. o Town Manager Report Mr. Cosentini announced that there is still some work occurring on lining on the south end of Main Street. There are still a few more punch list items before the County is fully complete with their work. State Highway Administration will be doing some minor stormwater work on Main Street, which is expected to take 30 days. Paving will probably happen next spring. Springfield Avenue is in a similar state, but there is more stormwater repair work scheduled. Mr. Cosentini also announced that if anyone wanted to put up birdhouses or anything similar along the Linear Trail or anywhere else on Town property, please obtain permission from the Town prior to the placement. If someone sees something placed along the Trail or on Town property, please let the Town know and do not remove the items. Mr. Cosentini announced that the sidewalk at Jennifer Road and Kalorama Road that was torn up during cabling work from Verizon will be replaced as part of the Town’s sidewalk replacement this fall. • Council/Committee Reports o Council Member Grasley announced that the Historic District Commission has a meeting on Wednesday, September 27, at 7 P.M. o Council Member Guroff announced that the Parks and Recreation cleanup was rescheduled for September 30 at 9 A.M. at South Branch Park. Keep Sykesville Beautiful also has a cleanup at the same time at the Centennial Park Fountain. The skateboard event has been postponed and will be rescheduled for April. The October movie is the original Ghostbusters. o Mayor Link announced that October is Joe Cosentini’s fourth anniversary with the Town. ADJOURN: There being no further business to come before the Council, Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Schofield seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski