Town Council

Sykesville's Town Council approved an ordinance Monday creating a seven-member commission.The commission will work closely with the business community and will offer its recommendations on the downtown revitalization project and the renovation of the Warfield Complex at Springfield Hospital Center.Councilman Bill Hall is expected to serve as the commission chair. Mayor Jonathan S. Herman will announce within a month other appointments, all of whom must be confirmed by the council.Pub Date: 3/11/98

WEATHER Today's forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature near 71 degrees. It is expected to be mostly cloudy tonight with a low temperature around 57 degrees. TRAFFIC Check our traffic updates for this morning's issues as you plan your commute. FROM LAST NIGHT... House panel would raise taxes -- but less than Senate : The House plan, backed by Speaker Michael E. Busch, would spare taxpayers who make less than $100,000 from any increase.

Retired architect and former planning commission chairman William H. Stroh will fill the unexpired Mount Airy Town Council term of the late Norman C. Hammond.The council appointed Stroh at its February meeting Monday night. Hammond, who was appointed to fill a council vacancy in 1994 and won a four-year term in 1996, died Jan. 3 at Frederick Memorial Hospital after a heart attack.Stroh, 78, said he had no desire for political office, but council members persuaded him to accept. "I just couldn't find a good reason to say no," he said.

In the quaint town of New Windsor, officials have sold the municipal ball fields to a cement company, purchased a dilapidated inn with taxpayer money for development that hasn't happened and stuck residents with the bill for a nearly $5 million wastewater treatment plant. While the town council is up for election next year, angry residents aren't waiting to express their displeasure. They're pushing a measure to allow the recall of local officials. Petitioners say they aren't targeting the entire council or any one official: They want their petition campaign to send a message to all. "We are not Occupy New Windsor," said Rebecca Merson, who moved to Atlee Ridge, one of the town's new developments, in 2004.

In an attempt to ease the burden on its overcrowded schools, the Hampstead Town Council will ask the town's Planning and Zoning Commission to delay both preliminary and final approval on all subdivisions for 90 days."

The Mount Airy Town Council postponed voting on the annexation of the Kraft property last night.Town attorney Charles Fisher asked for more time to review the annexation agreement before the council votes on it."Everything looks good for the approval of the annexation," said Town Council President Delaine Hobbs.The council scheduled a final vote at the next council meeting, Oct. 3.Magna Holdings Inc. of Baltimore has asked the town to annex 137 acres of farmland north of Buffalo Road. The company has a contract to purchase the land, owned by Leo and Elizabeth Kraft.

Edmund L. Bradley, the newest member of the Sykesville Police Department, is a 16-year resident of the town who recently retired from the Baltimore County force.The Town Council approved the appointment Monday. Mayor Jonathan S. Herman will swear Bradley in next month."He is certified in most skills and meets all the requirements for the job," said Chief Wallace Mitchell.Bradley replaces Robert Letmate, who joined the county Sheriff's Department this week.FireGamber: Firefighters from Sykesville assisted Gamber at 11: 29 a.m. Monday, responding to a fire alarm in the 3800 block of Sykesville Road.

Hampstead's wall of fame honoring past mayors since 1892 will be dedicated at the Town Council meeting at 7:30 p.m.tomorrow.Town officials have been working on the project, gathering photos or portraits of Hampstead's 14 leaders, since last fall. The renditions were copied and restored by Westminster photographer Bob Porterfield.Each 8-by-10 photo has been matted, framed and identified with years of service.Hampstead's Town Council is also scheduled to hear public comments about rezoning Roberts Field Business Center from a general business to a local business zone.

E. Michael Kasnia will fill the Sykesville Town Council seat vacated last month by Walter White.By a 6-0 vote last night, Mr. Kasnia, 47, a town resident for 16 years, replaced Mr. White, who resigned May 9 to devote himself to his new business.Immediately after Mayor Kenneth W. Clark swore him in, Mr. Kasnia went to work on town business. "I deal in all levels of government in my work and was interested in becoming involved locally," said Mr. Kasnia, a food safety consultant who represents airlines and caterers.

The Hampstead Town Council has approved transferring $24,000 budgeted for street repairs to pay for legal costs that have soared since July 1.Mayor Christopher M. Nevin told the council Tuesday night that the town's $12,000 budget for legal fees has been spent.Mr. Nevin said extra legal costs can be traced to the high number of ordinances recently introduced, the town's review of the final approval for the North Carroll Farms IV development, and a continuing correspondence with developers over the calculation of open space in four subdivisions.

Make a reservation today and you could be horseback riding on Ocean City's beachfront by the weekend. The city's town council late Monday passed a proposal to allow horseback riding in the off-season, from Nov. 1 to March 30. Visitors will need to secure a permit at a cost of $50 for each horse, limited to two riders.  Additional riders could be added for $25.  At Monday's meeting, council members said they will also offer a $20...

Ocean City town council member Brent Ashley just can't let go of the pump. Ashley, a staunch supporter for the idea of giving away $100,000 in free gas to Ocean City visitors, now says he will give part of his town council salary to fund the effort. He has also created a Facebook page to drum up support. Working with other members of the OC business community, Ashley said he is spearheading a grass roots effort to make good on at least some of what he feels was pledged to guests of the resort town.

Vito "Doc" Tinelli Jr., a longtime Chestertown pharmacist, died May 23 of an acute coronary embolism at the Chester River Hospital Center in Chestertown. He was 77. The son of a Bethlehem Steel Corp. steelworker and a homemaker, Mr. Tinelli was born in Baltimore and raised in Dundalk, where he graduated in 1952 from Dundalk High School. He attended Kansas State University and earned his pharmacy degree in 1960 from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. After graduating from Maryland, Mr. Tinelli moved to Chestertown, where he joined his brother-in-law, Alphonse Poklis, also a druggist, at the Chestertown Pharmacy.

In bucolic Sykesville, the No. 1 complaint received by Police Chief John Williams is motorists speeding on quiet streets. But with a force of only seven officers, he said, there is no way to enforce traffic laws with radar guns alone. Encouraged by the experience of other Maryland towns, Williams recommended a new approach: speed cameras. Earlier this year, the Town Council agreed to take advantage of a 2009 state law giving municipalities the option to install the electronic devices near schools and in road-construction zones.

Carroll County should have its first speed cameras installed this year after the Sykesville Town Council's vote this week. At its meeting at the Town House and after a second public hearing, the council voted 5-1 in favor of speed cameras. "I'm ecstatic," Police Chief John Williams Jr. told The Carroll Eagle. "Time and time again, the No. 1 issue in our town is speeding, speeding, speeding." The ordinance will take effect in 21 days, Town Manager Matt Candland said.

In 24 years as the police chief of tiny Kilmarnock, Va., Michael Bedell had never had to investigate a rape. So when two were reported within a span of four days recently, it sent shock waves through the community. The town of about 1,200 raised $10,000 for a reward fund, and neighboring jurisdictions supplemented the town's patrol force of five officers to provide around-the-clock coverage. "When the sun went down, our town lit up, from porch lights, streetlights, everything," said Bedell.

Usually, when a vacancy occurs on Sykesville Historic District Commission, the town scrambles for a replacement.But three people applied for a recent vacancy -- created when Bob McCloud resigned.The Town Council appointed Duane Doxzen last week.Doxzen, 31, has worked as an assistant curator for the Gatehouse, the town museum, where he is completing research on the building and procuring grant money for projects. A Woodbine resident, he works part time for the Historical Society of Carroll County and plans to earn his master's degree in historical studies.

The Hampstead Town Council last night found itself caught between conflicting petitions.At the council meeting, chaired by Councilman Arthur Moler because Mayor Clint Becker was out of town for a funeral, Wallace Boston presented a petition asking the council to reverse its October decision to create a four-way stop at the intersection of Fairmount Road, McAllister Lane and Popes Creek Drive.Mr. Boston, who lives on St. Paul Street, said the petition contained 160 signatures.About half were from town residents, he said, and half were from other people who use Fairmount Road daily.

Habitat for Humanity opens new office in Halethorpe Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. joined officials from Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the nonprofit housing agency's new offices in Halethorpe. The organization, which helps provide new or refurbished homes for eligible needy families, recently combined its Anne Arundel and Baltimore County facilities and staff. Leasing the 38,000-square-foot office on Commerce Drive triples the space for 38 full-time employees, two VISTA members and 11 AmeriCorps members.