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 NOVEMBER 12, 2024 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING NO. 24-18 The Council meeting of the Town of Sykesville was held on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. 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, Mark Dyer, Leo Keenan, and Jeremiah Schofield. STAFF: Joseph Cosentini, Town Manager Shawn Kilgore, Police Lieutenant Kerry Kavaloski, Town Clerk Elissa Levan, Town Attorney PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA: I. Minutes from October 28, 2024 II. Reappointment of Judy Walters to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a three-year term, expiring August 2027 Council Member Dyer sent a minor minutes correction to Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski. MOTION: Council Member Dyer motioned to approve the items on the Consent Agenda. Council Member Grasley seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously with Council President Carter abstaining. NEW BUSINESS: III. Presentation of Maryland 250 – Adrienne Smith, Gate House Curator Adrienne Smith, Gate House Museum Curator, presented information about Maryland 250, the state’s initiative to celebrate the 250 th anniversary of the formation of the country. She explained that there is a state level committee and a county level committee for the program. She is looking into ideas for the Town to participate in the celebrations. IV. Consider/Discuss/Act on approval of an Agreement for the Use of Alley  There was no discussion on this item. It will be brought back to the Council at a later date. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS • The next meeting is Monday, November 25, 2024. • We have volunteer opportunities available on the Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, Crossing Guard, and Police Auxiliary. Email town@sykesville.net for more information about volunteering with the Town. • Mayor Link announced that members of the public can sign up for alerts and announcements on the Town’s website, townofsykesville.org, by clicking on the “Notify Me” button on the home page. They will be able to enter their email address and sign up for different categories of alerts and announcements from there. • Staff Updates o Joe Cosentini, Town Manager, announced the following: ▪ Springfield Avenue is close to completion. Once the work is done on Springfield Avenue, work will begin on Central Avenue. There was discussion regarding the sidewalks that were installed on Springfield Avenue. ▪ The request for proposals for the Southern End of Main Street project has been released. Bid documents will return to Council in December. ▪ There is a reuse meeting for the B.F. Shriver Cannery building on Friday, November 15. ▪ Interviews for the new Treasurer will be held next week, with a decision set to come to Council at their November 25 meeting. o Mr. Cosentini thanked members from St. Paul’s United Methodist Church for cleaning up along Obrecht Road. o Council Member Schofield thanked Public Works for moving the speed sign on Oklahoma Avenue. o Treasurer’s Report Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer, presented the Treasurer’s Report for October 2024. He explained that revenues are just about equal with expenses, and the real estate and property taxes are tracking as expected. Income tax should be received soon. The audit is finished and will be presented at the December meeting. o Public Safety Report Lieutenant Kilgore presented the Public Safety Report for the period of October 25 through November 3. There was a total of 345 reports, including four assist other agencies, six community policing events, 17 foot patrols, seven incident reports, 196 patrol checks, and 28 traffic enforcement initiatives. He explained that there was a large police presence on Halloween, at the Beer Fest, and at Sykesville Middle School for Election Day. On November 1, Administrative Assistant Barbara Prawdzik and Officer Andrew Jacobs were able to assist a youth, with whom they are known, who had fallen while hiking and hit their head. They called the Police  Department and were able to describe what happened and where they were located. Officer Jacobs hiked about a mile to find the youth, who was helicoptered to Shock Trauma. Lt. Kilgore announced that Corporal Barrett has been Critical Incident Team trained. There are now four Sykesville officers who are trained responders. • Council/Committee Reports o Council Member Schofield announced that the Planning Commission met on November 4 to approve a residential addition and the Parkside stormwater plan. He asked about the new striping on Oklahoma Avenue. It was done to deter people from parking in the driving lanes. The next step is to put up “No Parking” signs. o Council Member Guroff announced that the Visit with Santa is on December 7 from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. There is a coat drive during the event. The line to meet Santa will be closed at 5:30 P.M. to allow for the tree lighting at 6 P.M. o Council Member Grasley announced that the Historic District Commission will meet on November 20, 2024. o Council Member Keenan announced that the Downtown Sykesville Connection (DSC) held a Diwali celebration with St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Progress on the DSC building continues. The Beer Fest was well attended. And the Happy-Thon fundraiser is ongoing with a link to donate available on the DSC website. o Mayor Link announced that 290 pumpkins were collected by Hatton Animal Rescue during their pumpkin collection. o Thanks was given to the Gate House Museum for coordinating and planning the Remembrance Day Celebration. The Council took a five-minute recess at 7:59 P.M. CLOSED SESSION: The meeting is proposed to be closed pursuant to the General Provisions of the Annotated Code of Maryland, Section 3-305(b): (8) To consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Schofield seconded to go into closed session at 8:04 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Those in attendance were: Mayor Link, Council President Carter, Council Members Dyer, Grasley, Guroff, Keenan, and Schofield, Town Manager Joseph Cosentini, Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski, and Town Attorney Elissa Levan.  Items discussed were: • Pending Litigation – Warfield Lawsuits – no action MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Dyer seconded to go back into open session at 8:15 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. ADJOURN: There being no further business to come before the Council, Council Member Keenan motioned and Council President Carter seconded to adjourn meeting at 8:16 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski