Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

good morning ladies and gentlemen welcome to the thursday june 25th 2026 open session for the board of carroll county commissioners as we always do we'll begin with a pledge of allegiance and a moment of silent reflection i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all Hope everybody is doing well today and enjoying the beautiful weather as much as you can. Commissioner Kyler, I believe you are up first today for priority. Carol.

Thank you. Busy week, busy times. I first want to mention Jim Rowe, a great friend. His viewing was last night. His service is today at 11, which I went last night because I Didn't think I should go today, but it's it's. You hate to see classmates and. Friends. Pass, but it's part of life. I want to mention the election. I want to thank the District 2 voters and Carroll County for the the. Awesome win. We ran like we were in third place. and to get results that I had two and a half times the votes of my nearest competitor. I had two competitors. So it was nice to have such a solid victory. I've put out to both of my competitors that I'd love to meet and talk to them about some of the issues. They ran good campaigns. They worked hard and more power to them. On a personal note, two things. Rhonda and I have been married 54 years today.

Congratulations. Happy anniversary.

She told me, don't worry about today. She knows I have meetings, but she has a list of anniversary gifts that we will discuss later. And we have a graduation party this weekend so uh she's decided tonight's set up night so i can't even take her to dinner and it's interesting we're blessed with family um my oldest grandson was born today so he's 18 today my birthday to him my next grandson it was it was boy girl boy girl but the next grandson was born yesterday. So a busy week for that. Um, I want to mention Manchester carnival, um, next week, um, fireworks parade. The parade is I think Tuesday night. And, uh, I, I think, uh, it, it, it's, it's unfortunate timing. I think the GOP dinner is Tuesday night. So a lot of the, uh, the delegation probably will be at the dinner, not at the parade. But we'll walk in the parade and have fun. Father's Day was great. I hope everybody had a good Father's Day. And also, last week, Manchester did a 250th celebration. Dutch Corner did a great dinner. I had conflicts and couldn't be at dinner. We got to-go box and great ribs, great shrimp, great food, but we didn't get to be there for it. But we did go to town hall to listen to Joe Getty talk about the history of Manchester, and primarily Manchester. He had some other history stuff, but primarily it was to talk about the town he was in. And, yeah, he's such a great historian. And the room was full. you love these jurisdictions we have in carroll county well they set up like they normally would for a meeting by five minutes before the meeting they used every desk chair in the building and uh every possible chair because people just kept coming in which is a good problem but and they handled it well but it's a it's it was just a great night and thank you

Thank you commissioner commissioner Gordon. Thank you good morning. First and foremost wanted to thank our fire EMS and law enforcement for their diligent significant involvement in the event last week that took place on one 40 and Sullivan there at the the sheets quite an exceptional turnout and great interaction between all the different agencies. I'm not going to name them all, but obviously Westminster PD, the Sheriff's Department, State Police, and our various fire and EMS, McDaniel College Campus Safety, as well as Carroll County Fire and Emergency Services, our volunteer services, as well as the Maryland Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Homeland Security. Very blessed and fortunate that it turned out not to be anything, but it also shows how well we work collaboratively when there are concerns and potential crises. So I want to first and foremost thank everybody for that. That could have been an exceptionally life-threatening and horrible situation. Secondly, just want to mention real briefly, it was a great turnout at the Westminster Beer and Barbecue Stroll this past weekend. A lot of great people turning out, music, food, a lot of typical familiar faces and a lot of new faces. So it was always just great to see, as we all do in all our communities, people getting together and enjoying social fellowship and just enjoying the entertainment. Obviously, this weekend was Father's Day. Big thank you to all the fathers, grandfathers, mentors, and father figures. All of us do what we can each day, and sometimes it's tricky, but truly want to thank everybody that looks out for not only their families, but also the little ones that will emulate us in the years to come. This Saturday, June 27th, will be the Corbett's Charge event, the commemorative event. That's the 163rd anniversary of that. That'll be starting at 11 o'clock at the Historical Society of Carroll County. There will be that location. Also, there'll be a memorial service that'll be held at the... the monument here by the old historic courthouse as well as a number of other events. If you're looking for information on that, I would look into either the Historical Society website and Facebook or also the Celebrating America page as well. And then last but certainly not least, I wanted to bring up something that I think some people might find of interest with the 250 coming up. On July 8th, there will be a public reading of the Declaration of Independence here in Westminster to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the public reading of that, which will be held on July 8th. The reason it's July 8th is historically that was when it was first read publicly on the courthouse steps. It'll follow the exact timeline of when it was read originally, which will be starting at 6 p.m. here at the front of the historic courthouse. I'd like to thank Judge Hecker for his involvement and and allowing that and and his assistance as well as westminster's for the uh support with the uh police department with the roads if you're looking to attend that i would definitely get there probably no later than about 5 30 the expectation is it'll be quite a turnout and that's all for me thank you thank you very much commissioner gordon commissioner garrett

Thank you. As was mentioned yesterday, it was election day. And thank everyone that turned out. It seemed like it was less than normal. I think maybe more people did absentee and early voting. But obviously, elections are important. And I know people get frustrated sometimes and don't know much about folks. But I thank all those people. It always does my heart good when I see people coming in wheelchairs in the rain or on their walkers because they are so dedicated to voting in person. And they've been doing it their whole lives. And it just reminds me how Many people really value their vote, realize why they're there, and I appreciate all the people that took the time to exercise that right to vote. Commissioner Collier, thank you for acknowledging your anniversary because that's good. That's a good thing. You get brownie points. Next year's a big one. We did have a meeting last night, and we had a great turnout. We had a public meeting on our retirement villages and homes. We've had a consultant here for a few months that has reviewed our code and done a very good job. It was very well received. It was an outreach meeting to people to find out what they're looking for. There's a survey that's been sent out electronically. If people want to fill that out electronically and send it back, what their preferences are. And it's all different things. Just so we get a gauge of what types of communities they're looking for, what kind of amenities, what type of, oh, we got pictures. Wow, good. I didn't even send those in. Thank you. And there's our consultant. And we had a lot of participation. And there's some people there that are in current facilities that were saying some challenges that they're having that hopefully we can not repeat. And that was very helpful. We're going to try to work with them. So I love community outreach. And when we do these things, we get so much feedback and so much appreciation of, often we say we want community participation. And we don't get any. This was very well attended. And a lot of people spoke on issues that we would have never even thought about. So thank everyone who showed up. And thank everyone who fills out the survey. And there's a comment section at the bottom. If there's things that aren't written down there, feel free to write whatever they want. But we want to hear from people from all over the county, because they never know where they want to go. We want to keep them here in the county. We don't want them moving somewhere else. So thank everyone who made that happen, our staff that made it happen. And it was a good evening. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Commissioner Krebs. I want to, as always, compliment all of my colleagues for their comments and for their active participation in our community. And I also want to echo the sentiments of my colleagues as well to everybody who turned out to vote or voted earlier by mail or by Dropbox, whatever the case might be, because it matters. It definitely matters. And so while our board might not be meeting next week in deference to the 250th anniversary of our nation, I thought it appropriate to briefly remark upon what a privilege it is to be an American and why that matters. I mean, I know that all too often we take a lot of criticism as a nation, both from within and abroad, that nothing less than perfection is acceptable. But just because we aren't perfect doesn't mean we aren't good. Yes, we've made our mistakes, but we can't forget about the things that we do get right. and that where we make our mistakes, we have the chance to make things right. And that requires freedom and liberty. Our nation, our republic, respects human freedom because it recognizes free will through the assertion of natural rights through the Declaration of Independence that these rights come from God and cannot be revoked by government or by law. And rather our laws, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, protect those natural rights. And our republic depends upon active participating citizens. That's why voting matters so much. Learning, understanding, grasping the privilege and community of American citizenship. It really is a symbiotic relationship of liberty between participation in the republic and protection through the republic. And protection of rights requires the recognition of obligation. And this kind of society is rare historically and throughout the world and ours is certainly unique. It isn't an accident that we're here 250 years on and that our Constitution and the American way have endured. We're here by the grace of God and the accumulation of choices made by our ancestors and by each preceding generation, each carrying along through time a dream and one that's shaped and tended and passed along to those who come after. And while we have a hold of it, we have the sacred responsibility to tend and grow that American dream because we're not the last generation that's ever going to matter. But what we do with our privilege as American citizens will matter, and it will reverberate for the next 250 years and more. And that kind of freedom as Americans is no accident. It's intentional. It's worth celebrating and revering. And it means we can be proud of the United States, and we can look forward with trust in God, in our way of life, and with ever-renewed and broadening optimism to the promise of America. Because that promise, as it befits being an American, is in our hands. So I want to wish everybody a happy 250th anniversary, and I want to pray that God blesses our country and our county for the next 250 years to come. And so up next, I believe, Commissioner Gordon, you have a proclamation for Youth of the Year.

I do. If anybody would like to come up to the table up front, by all means. morning morning morning. So I'm going to let you both start. Obviously would love to hear about New York since obviously I don't think my colleagues are as familiar as I might be with the New York trip. But if you could fill us in just in general.

So thank you, commissioners. Just a little background on Boys and Girls Club's Youth of the Year Award. So the Youth of the Year Award for Boys and Girls Clubs is the highest honor that a team member can achieve in our organization. And so Veimar has been with us since he was nine years old. He has been part of our leadership programs. He has been a peer mentor with our younger kids. And he's really just been absorbed in that culture that Boys and Girls Club has, where we're teaching leadership and we're helping kids develop. He won Youth of the Year this year at our local club here in Carroll County and then went on to win the state Maryland Youth of the Year. So he went to New York City to represent our county and our state on the whole northeast from Maine to Maryland. So I'll let Baymore take it from there.

Yeah, I mean, it was a great honor to be able to represent Carroll County because it's where I've lived just about my whole life, and it's very special to me because it's really close-knit. Walk down the street, you see classmates, teachers, parents, friends, family. Something that's very special to me, something that I wanted to emphasize around for the whole region, too, here in New York. It was a big opportunity. I was really happy to be there to represent not just Carroll County but also the state because we're all so different yet united by where we live, and it's very beautiful that I... Got a chance to represent us over there in the big stage.

And he got a World Cup shirt while we were there, too. That's awesome. That's awesome. We got to visit a really cool store where they had all the shirts and no tax.

Was it a specific team or just a World Cup?

Yeah, we got the green home Mexico kit.

They made it through the next round.

Oh, yeah. U.S. too. Yep. Very happy about that. Scotland's out, though. Scotland's out.

So the beer in the rest of the cities is safe. Anybody heard about that? They drank Boston Drugs. Yes, out of beer. So we're visiting.

And apparently Massachusetts isn't too keen on the English being up there now. Yeah.

So it was a great week in New York. We got to eat some really great Italian food at Carmine's and got to visit some really cool sites. And I think we had a great time. And I think what is really special for Weimar is that he got to bond with a lot of other youth of the years from the other states in the Northeast. And what's really cool about that is that they are all like-minded kids. They all have been absorbed in that Boys and Girls Club magic, that culture through their life. They all have a platform that they're taking forward and trying to advocate for. So it was really nice for him to spend four days kind of with those kids.

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I mean, I keep in contact with just about all of them now, and especially with the military winner from Europe, Patrick. We have been on and off about the World Cup, school, and what's coming next. It's been a lot of fun to meet people from all over.

And we're lucky to have Veymar with us this summer. He's working at our summer camp with our younger kids this summer.

Awesome. That's incredible. Well, I'm going to read the proclamations. We have a proclamation for Veymar Martinez Boys and Girls Clubs of Carroll County Youth of the Year, whereas the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carroll County named Veymar Martinez as its 2026 Youth of the Year. The Youth of the Year is the Boys and Girls Club of America's premier recognition program celebrating the achievement of club members and The Boys and Girls Clubs are located throughout Carroll County, providing youth development programs to more than 1,200 youths who aim to be tomorrow's leaders. And the Boys and Girls Club are the settings where great futures start, and they are the forefront of efforts to support academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character and leadership development. And the Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence, and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle, and the highest honor a team member can receive. Veymar Martinez is a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Carroll County who served as a leader and mentor, embodying the club's mission, engaging in activities, promoting leadership, and empowerment as an advocate for the importance of mentorship and mental health. Veymar is an exemplary model of youth throughout Carroll County. Veymar is also named the 2026 Maryland State Youth of the Year and serves as a role model, leader, and advocate for many youth served as the Boys and Girls Club locally and nationally. Now, therefore, we, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners, do wish to honor Veymar Martinez as the outstanding citizen and champion of the Carroll County youth and do hereby proclaim Thursday, June 25, 2026 as Veymar Martinez Day, adopted this 25th day of June 2026, signed the Board of Carroll County Commissioners.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

What are you going to do? You have your own day now. Does he get to make laws today?

I don't know.

I just wanted to make a comment. Boys and Girls Club is just a shining star in our county. And the fact that it's expanded all of our middle schools is phenomenal and i appreciate your leadership it's not no small part because of that and the enthusiasm but you mentioned the magic of the culture and one of my favorite things this year was interviewing the potential candidates for youth of the year at oklahoma road middle school and i loved hearing from these kids and they all talked about their love of boys and girls club and the culture and the leadership opportunities and i want to hopefully get invited to do it next year and i even will do more than one school but thank you for coming back during the summer camps because they look up to you and i just think it's a fun it's like what boy scouts and girl scouts are or used to be and we have it now in every school available and every middle school and i just think it's a shining star for our county to continue to recognize that and support it and i know it's supported philanthropically by many many people in our community and um it's the We thank you. If you had one thing to ask us or like us to do, anything particular? And what are you going to do next?

For me, next is the governor meeting the governor. We meet on Saturday with a bunch of our kids. And then after that, we have another visit, right? Another visit.

What about like next month, next year?

Next year for me is going to college seminary at St. Charles Bumaro in PA for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. So I'm very excited about that. And the club was also a very big impact on me choosing my future, introducing me to the life of service and helping me decide that's what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Wow, that's great.

That is absolutely awesome. Congratulations and thank you for representing us so well. And so I certainly do have to ask, who do you think is going to win the World Cup this year? Who do you want to win or who do you think is going to win?

Two different things. That's true. That's true. It should be the same.

Truly, I want a lot of our – I want just about all the North American countries to win, the U.S., Mexico, Canada. But I think realistically, I think we'll – I think realistically it will probably be France, much as I don't want to say it because I want the North Americans to win. But I think France might have it.

Well, we'll say some prayers and do some rooting.

Oh, yeah.

Thank you. There you go. I want to thank you. Congratulations to you for what you've done and how many years you've worked to do it. And the Boys and Girls Club is awesome. I missed your guys' awards night this year. I had a conflict. I've never seen – I think if somebody just stood up to –

do whatever they'd applaud and go crazy you know it's it's such a nice night so how many carroll county boys and girls club members is he representing um so in carroll county last year we served 1178 kids across the county so he's representing them as 1200 kids in carroll county but now as maryland youth of the year he's also representing all of the boys and girls club members across all of maryland so

Awesome. It's amazing. Congratulations. And I'm glad you love soccer.

Thank you.

And he's such a great role model. As we were walking out of the club this morning to come, I said to him, Veymar, what are we going to do without you? Because as we walked to the door, no fewer than three or four kids, hey, Veymar, hey, Veymar, hey, Veymar, what's up, Veymar? And it just really speaks to the connection that he's made with the kids and what a great role model he is for them.

That's awesome.

I know. I'm embarrassing him. But it's true.

Picture? Yep, I just got a picture.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

All right. So up next, I have a proclamation for the 250th anniversary of the country. And I think we have a couple of 250 guests who may want to come down to the front for this. Both of you, come on down. Come on. So I'll read the proclamation and then turn it over to you guys for a couple of comments or whatever you want to do. Update us on where we are with 250 and how everything's going and Union Mills.

Do you guys remember 250 years ago? Close.

So I did take the liberty. As president, you typically don't read the proclamations, but this one I thought I was going to take the liberty to do.

Oh, very funny.

Thank you, Commissioner. So I have a proclamation for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Whereas, in the year 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, asserting the right of the 13 American colonies to self-governance and freedom from British rule. This bold declaration laid the foundation for a new nation built on the principles of liberty, democracy, and justice. And whereas, over the past 250 years, the United States of America has grown from a fledgling republic to a global superpower, continually striving to uphold these foundational ideals. And whereas, on July 4th, 2026, the United States will commemorate its semi-quincentennial anniversary. This offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the nation's journey, celebrate liberty and sacrifice, and address injustices and envision its future. And whereas, this commemoration emphasizes that democracy is an ongoing effort recognizing the roles diverse people have played in achieving liberty and prosperity, And whereas nationwide celebrations and events will be organized to engage and inspire citizens from all walks of life, that these activities will include historical reenactments and exhibits, parades and festivals, public discussions and forums, and community service initiatives. And whereas the United States embarks on the next chapter of its history, this milestone celebration will stand as a testament to that strength, resilience, and determination of its people. Now, therefore, we, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners, do hereby recognize and celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's independence, and we do hereby reaffirm our commitment to liberty and democracy, honor the sacrifices made by countless individuals to protect these values, and ensure that future generations continue to enjoy the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. Adopted this 25th day of June, 2026, signed the entire Board of County Commissioners. So gentlemen, I know you've both been very much involved in the 250 community, and I'd like to open it up to the two of you for a couple of comments, and then I'll certainly open it up to my colleagues for any of their thoughts as well.

I think we'll be brief just to say it's been an honor to serve on the local committee with the endorsement of the Carroll County Commissioners, and it's been a It's been a multi-year effort, and we don't have quite some of the, I guess, keynote sort of, other than what we're doing at the Farm Museum, obviously, that we did. They're a little bit different than the Bicentennial. This has been a multi-year effort of programming and publications, and if you want to celebrate, if you want to learn, there's been a lot of good, good material, and it's continuing.

And I'm happy to say that our event this past weekend, as you mentioned, reenactments being one of the stated goals, we did have one at the Union Mills Homestead. We're happy to welcome many locals for that event. And some of those reenactors are from major museums, Yorktown, the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. And some of them are Carroll County natives coming back to the county to share that history, to bring their professionalism back to us. So glad to see the fruits of our efforts through events like that.

That's awesome. And thank you to both of you and everybody in that committee for all of the hard work that you've done over the last couple of years and continue to do. And so open it up to my friends up here for any thoughts or comments.

Well, just thank you for, for all you're doing. This is a, this is a great year and, uh, and you guys have been planning for it. It's going to be some nice events and, uh, history's fun.

And I'll just go ahead.

I'll just say this real briefly. I mean, obviously A good fair amount of the public knows that not only during this 250th, but each year, all the various organizations, the historical societies and so forth, work very hard and collaboratively, which I think shows how we as a community not only work together, but it also allows us to shine together and also collaborate, which is so needed not only when it comes to history, but the community as a whole. But I thank both of you and everybody else on the 250 Committee for all that you're doing.

Yeah, thanks again. I'm old enough to remember the Bicentennial.

Oh, I thought you were going to say the original.

Yeah, no. Growing up as a kid in D.C. and the excitement and the, just, it was, you know, you could feel it in the air. And so I'm extremely appreciative of people like yourself who are here for the 250, trying to recreate that, doing the best you can. Obviously, it's It's different times. It's not the bicentennial. But nevertheless, it's just as important. And people hopefully understand that and are coming out to celebrate next week. So again, thank you very much for, again, recreating that atmosphere that, for so many of us, was kind of indescribable back in 1976. But you could feel it, and you can feel it now. So thanks again.

Commissioner Frenz. Thank you. I'll straighten some things down. Thank you. There's been so much information to read, and I sit there and I have it all piled up. Sometimes I get behind, but it reminds us. I almost wish I could go back to school and learn it again, but you're giving this opportunity to read about it and appreciate it more as adults. So thank you for all you've done and what's coming up.

And we appreciate the opportunity, and thank you for your support. And one of the big themes we've interpreted has been that this is a continuing revolution. It continues to this day, and the celebrations continue. We're having an event in August to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Maryland's Constitutional Convention, where we decided as a state that we were going to enshrine basic liberties into our Constitution long before the U.S. Constitution was written. Awesome. Very awesome. Do a picture? Absolutely.

Thank you.

All right, so item number two for our agenda today, we have a briefing and possible decision on the Market Street Extended Project and request for public hearing. So how do we want to go about this?

If the three of you don't mind coming up, I appreciate it. And Brian can briefly discuss what Market Street Extended is. Is that okay? Yeah, yeah, perfect. And then the Chief and the Sheriff, if you don't mind.

Good morning, commissioners. Good morning. Marcus Street Extended is a planned major street that the county has had in their master plan for some time now. The goal of this road was to connect Maryland 140 to Old Westminster Pike. This street has been planned for at Stonehenge. Stone? Stonegate. Stonegate. Thank you. is a community that came some time ago and a traffic circle was built. If you're familiar with the area, we've always planned to connect that fourth leg of that traffic circle out to 140. So one of the challenges we've had to complete this project was not owning all of the land for the road. So when this developer approached us about a potential projects, we struck an agreement that they would give us the land that we would need, and in cooperation with doing some stormwater management and some other things, partnering together. So from a public work standpoint, we're following the master plan, we're getting this street completed, which I think would greatly benefit the area. And I will kind of stop there. I'll leave the effects of this potential closure for these gentlemen.

And just to be clear, so there are residents in the area who are interested in having a section of that road closed into the neighborhood in which they live, correct?

Yes, to be clear, there was a petition submitted from the residents. It was a pretty lengthy packet. I think they have a bunch of testimonial letters from the residents. What the ask was that, you know, they're not asking us to do anything with Market Street, but currently the plan would be for Old Baltimore to connect into to Market Street, you know, just so those residents would still be able to come off of 140 if they're going to the bank to continue through the tree streets as we refer to them back there. Thank you very much. Sheriff?

For us, there's an awful lot of speculation with that particular project, what needs to be done short-term, long-term, and then listening to the residents that have property or houses. So as you go down Old Westminster Pike from Malcolm, you're going Carol Indoors on the right, The old Coca-Cola factory is on the right. And then on the left is a development. I don't know how many houses there are. I'll say 100. And there are roads that fork off of those, Spruce, Maple, a number of roads like that, that come back to old Baltimore. And then you snake your way out to where the new Chick-fil-A is going across from the Wawa. That's Market Street extended. and it is a heavily traveled road and so um and what causes mike and i some anxiety is what what happens with um fire ems police response but what's best for the neighborhood as well and i have numbers of responses that take place there And so I've been, I've policed the county for 37 years. I'm intimately familiar with what goes on in the Old Pike and that particular section of the roadway. I guess for me, and probably for the residents, is what's the timeline of the Market Street extension being constructed? What is the timeline of the Chick-fil-A? The Chick-fil-A is owned by, the zoning would be Westminster's, but the road is the county's, and so it causes a little bit of a quagmire. Chick-fil-A does a wonderful job with traffic. congestion getting people in and out but there is no argument that that structure will cause traffic issues not along not only along 140 but coming from the neighborhoods that these folks are concerned about from stone gate from the old pike it's easier to make it over to that chick-fil-a by using the old pike and coming through their neighborhood and I think that's what they're trying to stop from taking place. I think all options have to be looked at when it comes to not only the long-term, whether it's the traffic circle and Market Street extended being constructed, because I think that will alleviate an awful lot of problems for those folks. But short-term, what happens if we don't get that done? What are the options that can take place? I've looked at that. I've traveled the route multiple times. the amount of calls for service that go in to just that section of development. Old Baltimore, Popular, Locust, Willits, Spruce, Maple, Sycamore, Oak, and Elm. Those are the streets that are affected by that primarily from the old pike. there's been a lot of calls for service over there from between police fire and ems but they're um for on my side there's no house fires that have taken place over there um it's mostly ems calls in fact it's probably all ems calls that have taken place there on my side um negligible calls nothing nothing serious that has taken place it's an older community um it's not not uh a lot of kids over there per se, but it's an older community. And I'm with them on looking at options to stop the flow of traffic coming through there. I believe that the board of commissioners and the sheriff and the chief of the fire department need to listen to the community and what their preference is and how does it affect us with our response to their community. Understand that we're more nimble, we're in police cars, so it's easier for us to get around and respond. Westminster, I believe, is first due for that particular area. So understand, most think it's Reese. I think they're second due for that. So Reese would have to come out on 140, go west, or they're coming up the old pike. Westminster is likely going out John and hitting 140 and coming east. And depending on where it's at, going down Malcolm or hitting Baltimore, the old Baltimore road. The response is negligible, really, when you look at if you closed off Old Baltimore. I think it would be more of an inconvenience factor for people trying to cut through there than it would be for us in law enforcement. I don't speak for Mike, but for us in law enforcement, it's a negligible response. The time for us to get to something like that and the costs that are there are not significant. What I fear is that there will be more calls for service. If we don't do something with that development when Chick is built or we start looking at it now, my fear is that there will be more calls for service, whether it's crashes, people getting hit, or people trying to get over to Chick-fil-A. It's God's chicken. I get it. and i love it too and i don't want to stop them from from building but it's a wealthy organization and they need to put some skin in the game as well on how do we solve the problem with that community and be a good community partner my end i'm with the community on this one i think we need to listen to what the community wants and come up with all the options put them all out on the table down to even temporarily putting up jersey walls at the end of locusts Willis Bruce maple sycamore so people can't go through there until the extended street is made so that we we block those areas off so they don't have the volume of traffic. But what are we looking at temporarily and what is long term? That is the long term solution that's that satisfies the community first, then then Chick-fil-A and the broader community that uses that. That's where we stand.

And I'll echo the sentiments of the sheriff. We did do an analysis of the incident responses into that area and Primarily they are EMS. Ironically, we did have a fire back off of Maple Shed Fire about two weeks ago. So our considerations are is the route of travel, Westminster being the first due fire station into there and Reese being second due. We are sensitive to the community input and the impact of that, and again, we would yield to allowing a process and listening to the community with the new construction and the continuance of Market Street, that's going to give us some additional options. And regardless of the outcome and the decision, there's nothing that's going to significantly deter our response or increase our ability to get to access to any of those areas back there. So we would echo the sentiment of both Public Works and the Sheriff and would be willing to listen to what the public comment was. And obviously with the increased traffic frequency, there's the vulnerability for additional motor vehicle crashes and other potential incidents associated with that increase in flow.

Thank you very much to all of you.

So before I just have one more thing to comment, just to clarify on construction timelines and things like that, that the sheriff mentioned, um, Through the traffic impact study, Carroll County government, DPW, City of Westminster, we all agree, and the developer knows that this road needs to be built before the Chick-fil-A comes. So that interim scenario may be during construction a little bit, but the Chick-fil-A will not be issued a UNO use and occupancy before the road is complete. So just to clarify that.

Thank you very much for that. So before I open it up to my colleagues for discussion, Roberta, do we have anybody here for a public comment?

I'm sorry, what? I guess we do. I'll fill it out afterwards.

Yeah, that's OK. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Michelle Jefferson. I live on Sycamore Avenue, the corner of Sycamore and Old Baltimore. And I am no stranger to this board on this particular issue. I appreciate what the sheriff and the chief and the public works gentleman, I don't know him, have had to say. But I would like to remind everybody that the traffic circle and the connection from Old Westminster Pike to 140 was supposed to be complete prior to one house being built at Stone Gate. So Color me a little yellow on the believing that some of these things might happen. I'd like to see that promise kept that the Chick-fil-A does not get operational until this is settled. The first meeting that we had when I first contacted Commissioner Gordon two and a half years ago about this secret project that we stumbled across, He didn't come to that meeting, but he sent a whole bunch of folks from development review. And one of the suggestions from, I think it was Mr. Brown, that if we were unsuccessful in stopping the Chick-fil-A, would we consider dead ending that end of old Baltimore? That was the suggestion that was given to us by a county employee. And that is why we are moving on this is because I had promised my neighbors that I would fight to stop the Chick-fil-A, but my mom got sick and I had to take care of her and I could not put the effort into beating the giant. So we lost that battle. Now we have to win the war. on keeping 3,000 cars who have never been to our neighborhood before from coming through now. The road closure will do that. The road closure will help steady our property values as well. I don't believe that Chick-fil-A is God's chicken. It makes me sick every time I eat it, and that was before all of this. But it's our neighborhood, and we are trying to protect it. Please listen to us. Let us have our time. Let us give you our suggestions. Help us like you're helping out with NPRP. please. And thank you.

Thank you very much. Roberta. Do we have anybody else for public comment? All right. I'll load up to my colleagues for any discussion or potential action.

Mr. Boki, um, you had mentioned that they've got to complete the road prior to the UNO. Yes. What, what is the timeframe for the, uh, the road to be, uh, completed in that whole process?

We were hoping to have construction started this summer, honestly. I have a meeting with the developer next week to see where they're at with things. We were still waiting on some final technical comments with the road plan. So they're at the finish line. But I can give you a better time. 90 days is probably a reasonable estimate.

So 90 days from point of beginning the process, you think? Yeah. And that would be 90 days, and then it would be open to the public to utilize that road?

No, the construction.

Construction and then? Yeah. So what do you think the total time frame would be?

Probably another year, maybe this time next year.

OK. I'm aware of concerns by various residents out there, not just regarding the Chick-fil-A potentially going in, but a number of them living out in that area questioning we having the circle that's incomplete. obviously i would assume which is dangerous to assume but i would believe that if you live out in that area in that that development you're probably either taking that road and then obviously cutting across which you would be cutting very logically through the tree streets to get out on the one 40 dependent upon where you're going versus driving all the way up and around which I would believe to add additional congestion and traffic through there and I've had one of the one of the neighbors out there asked about a sign to be put up as they were having challenges with some of that previously which we did take care of. So we're looking about a year total.

Just real quick, when is Chick-fil-A getting I know they won't have a use in occupancy permit, but when is the potential construction of the chick taking place? When is that supposed to start?

Their plans are complete. They're actually on hold waiting for their engineer to finish the road. Okay.

That's significant. And as a matter of full disclosure, Ms. Jefferson owns Carol Indoor, which is on the other side of Old Westminster Pike where the Coca-Cola company is at. And that is a – convenient pass-through for anybody on 140 that even gets over to businesses on the old Pike because Malcolm is very difficult as you're going south to make a left-hand turn onto old Westminster Pike. You can only stack one, maybe two cars in there to make that left-hand turn and people know that. So that market street extended to be that cut through would be significantly popular for people trying to get over to businesses on the old bike that don't want to make that left on Malcolm coming south. It's just a difficult location.

No, it is. And I think, you know, there's a variety of challenges with this. To Ms. Jefferson's question, are we 100% certain that they will not get a UNO until after the road's completed? Yes, I will put my name to that statement. I'm not trying to be smart about it. I just want to make sure that that's... 100%. I'll keep an eye on that myself.

And I believe it's been documented in development review letters. Once we've received the traffic impact study, we reviewed all the feedback, we reviewed all the intersections, and we said this road must be built before this comes in, or we will have failing intersections everywhere.

So as it stands, we're looking at roughly July, August, and next year for this road to be completed at this point. OK. And then Chick-fil-A would be at some point after that, assuming. Well, as somebody that grew up in the Westminster area personally, I know all those various streets quite well as a kid. So I understand where the neighbors are coming from. I also understand that having that new development across from them has to have been a huge challenge for congestion, and that being a factor. We've obviously heard various letters and emails, responses from some of the community members. Appreciate those. I know there was a petition about it as well. I'm going to move that the board conduct a public hearing on a possible closure for a portion of Old Baltimore Road. I think that's the most judicious way to approach this. I think, one, I'd like to hear from the community members and then also see what not only with them, but also what you all come up with, both you, fire EMS, and law enforcement come up with regarding particulars as to how do we navigate that.

I second.

All right, we have a motion, we have a second. Any discussion?

Yes.

I wonder if this isn't a little premature. I think the construction of Market Street will much help the traffic. I know I cut through from True West Bank to Malcolm. I've never been on any of the tree streets because I just cut through there. And it i haven't seen that much traffic but i'm the middle of the day and rush hour could be different but i just wonder if we can do a public hearing now show plans of market street and tell how it will help but it's really going to improve the situation there and and uh i think um and i understand the concern that that chick-fil-a can't open until it's done because of that But I'm just wondering if it's not premature to try to do something with closing it before Market Street's at least started. But I understand what you're saying. I think the public hearing, I think it's a good idea. I just don't know if the timing's right.

I think at a bare minimum, I'd like us all to hear from the public, get a little more of their perspective. I know we've all received emails and phone calls, but I think that would be ideal. But then also maybe to give Fire EMS and law enforcement more opportunity maybe to give us some thoughts as well. I know staff has their thoughts on some variety of options, but maybe there's something we're all missing that if we collaborate, we'll see a little differently.

Yes, I had a couple questions. I agree this should have been forwarded a while back. But that way we get to hear the issues, and you guys can plan accordingly. But it was mentioned, this is a bigger picture issue, but the traffic impact studies, they come back. And I hear people say, oh, the traffic impact study's done. The planning commission says, good. What does it say? What does it require? And that's been missing. So it was mentioned that Stonegate was supposed to have a traffic impact study, and this mitigation was supposed to occur. Why didn't it occur? Who is paying for the roundabout? And what happened there?

I don't know the full history. I apologize. We can absolutely come back with that. I do know at the time when Stonegate was developed, the request from that developer was to give us plans for the completed Market Street Road. So we did have plans in our office for Market Street Extended. We used those as baseline for this new design because at the time, you know, we didn't have the land. There was a house in the way. We didn't know what development was going to be at this intersection. So we did use those as a baseline, and that was part of the development agreement at the time. So they did as much as they can. They did the circle. They did a little stub off of it, and it was in our hands to finish the road.

Well, it sounds like a broken record. The same thing happened down my way. It's happening right now, and it never gets done. And the mitigation, anyway, we've got to fix that. It would be interesting just to look and see what was required, how it got approved. Because in our rules, in our law, in our ordinances, it says if a traffic Study comes back and shows intersection will be failing or is failing E or F. There must be a mitigation that is approved. It must be approved. The plans must be approved. And it must be within six months of completion, the mitigation, before a permit is issued. It's in our law. Unless it is waived by someone, which that needs to be cleaned up because no one knows who someone is. There needs to be accountability. And there needs to be, before that, that's a big issue because then it never happens. And that's happened many, many times. And we've got to clean that up because it just doesn't happen. You have the plans. It never happens. Who pays for it? Who's paying for the road, the traffic circle?

We have a shared agreement with the developers. So the county's paying 90%, and they're paying 10%.

And that's with Stonegate or with Chick-fil-A? Chick-fil-A. And I would also appreciate we need to revisit that as well. We're one of the few counties, and I've been asking every one of my peers, that pays for the mitigations for these things. The developer is part of their project. They pay for it everywhere else. Our taxpayers should not be paying for these mitigations. Now, if it's half his and half Stonegate's, they should have paid their half, even if it goes into a fund in lieu of. They have funds, they set the money aside, and they keep it there until the next group comes in and the money is there. The taxpayers should not be paying. for the growth of these things. It's included in part of their project, these road mitigations. And we're just not asking for it. They're not going to offer it. So I think that really rubs people wrong that we pay for these things as well. The other question, you mentioned the timing. um the way that that's that new circle is coming in i'm concerned about the people in the older homes right there where the chick-fil-a entrance comes out and how close that comes to their their front yards and i actually went and saw it last year and stood there and i was scared to stand there i thought i was gonna get hit just without the is there any way when that thing comes out that we can give people a little more space back that are all in these older homes that have been there for years and years And now they're going to have, I mean, right now the exit's right across from someone's home. It's taken, people are going to be coming around in a circle. Can we somehow make people a little better off when we plan that stuff to move it a little bit away from their yards, because they have small yards anyway, and it'd be nice if we could somehow maneuver that to look like there was a way.

Yeah, the plans are absolutely showing that currently, like, you know, it probably ranges from about five to 15 feet extending their driveways to come out to meet the road. So we are giving them a little more relief, I'll say from from the chick fil a and we are talking about additional landscaping and screening and say, you know, we're worried about people's lights, you know, kind of going through your living room as you're pulling out of the chick fil a. So those are all things where we're considering it in the design.

Good. And then this is a unique situation because the town of Westminster has annexed the Chick-fil-A, and then the county is responsible for the rest. So how does that work on the traffic impact studies and the mitigation when there's the town? Because I guess they approve the Chick-fil-A, but it's our, I guess.

It's all their process.

It's all their process.

It's their planning commission, their laws, their rules.

But if it affects the county road and other people, and there is a traffic impact study that's on the county part, how do we then? Because it's an odd situation.

I think for the most part, all the roads there are county owned. The tree streets are. Old Baltimore, Old Westminster, that's all county roads. And that's all under our control.

But if they require a traffic impact study, and maybe they don't, I'm not sure if they do, but if it's going to affect our county roads, how can we weigh in to make sure those mitigations happen? It sounds like in this case, that's being done. But like with the other development, was that in the county or in the city, Stonegate? I think it was Stonegate. In the county. And again, I'm just concerned that we, before your time, it's a long time ago, but it's years and years later, and that mitigation should have occurred then. And it should never.

Stonegate did build the traffic circle.

The one, but the second one that would come out. And I'm not sure if that was part of that mitigation or not. But just making sure that the impact, even with the county and the city, is taken into effect. And in the future, these agreements where they draw the plans and they pay 10%, it's their impact. Their impact with the 3,000 cars is forcing us to do these. And they should be paying more than that. And Chick-fil-A, I bet you if you looked around, they do it everywhere they go. Because that's part of their expectation in their building, especially at something of that size. So let's see if I have any more questions here.

Just real quick. I'm sure that for the chief and I would absolutely be behind a public hearing so that there's no ambiguity in what this project even looks like. I don't know that I've ever seen a overhead or some sort of rendering of what the entire project looks like, how it works, even the extended street, where it goes to, how it mitigates the development. And even if there's, and Brian and I and the chief would have to talk about this, signage that that says local traffic only on the tree streets, but you got to take market street and that sort of stuff. I don't think any of that is in existence or I haven't seen it. And I think for the community to be able to come out and look at it and then it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to close everything down. Sure. It just means we're going to have a, have a public view of everything so that we can get suggestions and, and move from there so that we're all held accountable for the decisions we're going to make.

That might be a good idea to either amend the motion or just agree that some of those options are provided that night. I think it's an excellent idea. It would save a lot of it. I think we all agree that there's a problem and it needs to be solved. Then if you maybe put some of those ideas out there that night, the community could agree that, yes, this is what we want to do and the timeline for it. And then you all mentioned EMS access and make sure the traffic circle is wide enough for the EMS to get around. I know the one circle.

And the road standards would address that.

and just make sure of that and make sure you sign off on that people these days just go right through the circle so yeah as a ramp it's just incredible some of the stuff with traffic well on the local traffic issue you all have to figure out and put forward how you could still access those streets and not have people driving through but i think it would be good and both of us agree that that that's adequate and that's how those are designed

No, the other night we had a meeting with State Highway about a whole other issue. It had to do with a bridge closing, and they came for the public meeting with all these options, and people weighed in on them, and it was fantastic because they all sort of agreed. We want to do X, Y, and Z, and so I think it would be good to have those options available and people weigh in, including you all, and make sure that that circle is wide enough. And, you know, you mentioned it's an older community with older people in it. Unfortunately, years ago, it was way a rural county. And we don't have sidewalks and walking paths. And those older communities turn over. And ours are starting to turn over. And they turn over to all young kids. And that's a danger. So for a while, they're old people. And then they move on. And we have all new families. The fact that we don't put sidewalks in, and we are now, into these communities, because we're not anticipating it, that's another. It changes. It can change a whole neighborhood, having cars driving through. So I appreciate that we're moving forward with this. I think there is a solution that will please everyone. Thank you. Thank you.

I want to thank the sheriff and the chief for being here. I don't know if it's it's a precedent to have you both here. It sends, I think, a clear message and a statement. The And I think the sheriff's point earlier was Chick-fil-A's were just wildly popular. And if you tell me there's going to be 3,000 vehicles in and out of there every day, I believe it. I don't think that's hyperbolic. The town of Mount Airy, Chick-fil-A went in in the town of Mount Airy several years ago, and the town is still trying to mitigate the traffic situation. They just added a very expensive circle. that they paid for um and to this day there is still changes going on signs traffic cones i mean you name it so again i think the concerns of the citizens about the impact of the chick-fil-a i don't think they're they're uh they're overstated so i'm glad we're going to do this i think there's a motion on the table to send this to a public hearing i'm certainly going to support it so i'm going to call for a vote

Can I ask one more question? Sure. I'd like to see the traffic study before then. Absolutely. And I'd like to see the history. I think it's easy to skip different things. But if we had the property Market Street would have been built before Chick-fil-A ever even thought about being here. You're correct. Yes. Yeah. So and they did get us the property. So I'd like to see the history of that.

All right. Well, we have a motion and we have a second. Is there any further discussion here? None. All those in favor. Aye. All those opposed. Motion carries unanimously. We have a timeline.

Do we have an expected timeline from the mover of the motion?

in regards to does it matter is it should it be sooner to come away for the public for the public hearing I mean we don't really have a timeline in place but it's not something we're going to put off clearly I think it needs you know sooner would be better but obviously we've got I think a number of other public meetings I mean ahead of us right now I also ask for it to be in the evening so that people can attend under the statute we're required to give 30 days notice and three consecutive weeks of advertising so it's a little longer than than the

The typical ordinance provisions, but we'll pick a date as soon as possible.

But I do agree. I would like to have this one in the evening. I think that would be fair to some of the folks in that community. Thank you, Tim. Thank you, Commissioner Gordon. Thank you.

All right. Thank you.

Thanks, Simon. Thank you.

No worries. No worries. Up next, item number three, grant approval to submit application and acceptance of award for the African American Heritage Preservation Program. Gentlemen, good to see you again so soon.

Good morning, commissioners. Again, Brian Boki, Director of Public Works. We're here to talk about the approval to submit and accept an award for the African-American Heritage Preservation Program. So really just wanted to get Everyone on the same page with the relationship that Public Works has with the homestead. We have a long history sitting in on board meetings. Our facilities division works on site cleanups, bigger projects, paving projects, things of that nature. Building construction gets involved in larger restorations of the homestead. And I can't forget to mention Dean Leister, now airport manager and... Homemade historian has been integral and a lot of projects at this site. So we've had a great relationship throughout the years You know, obviously being a nonprofit, you know, we're always trying to get as much money as we can to do some of these projects So this is just another opportunity. We that we saw that we could potentially go after to get some work done at the building and So a little bit on the grant itself, it's through the Maryland Historic Trust and Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, administered by the African American Heritage Preservation Program. Glad I only had to say that once. which provides grant funding to preserve buildings, sites, and communities with significant African American history and culture. The Union Mills Homestead Foundation proposes to apply for the funding to support preservation planning and stabilization activities of the historic Shriver Homestead at Union Mills. This project will address structural concerns, water infiltration that threaten the historic significant resources associated with the site's African American history. The Department of Public Works supports Union Mills Homestead Foundation to request approval to submit the grant for up to $250,000, the maximum grant award available for this program. No local match is required, and any additional costs would be the responsibility of the county. So although there is no match, we're going to do everything we can to work with the funding that's available. The team at Union Mills put together a great plan, a great scope of work that we're going to strategically tackle with the money we're provided. So with that, I'll hand it over to

Sam. Yeah, I guess just for I guess our large television viewing audience. My name is Sam Riley, the president of the board at the Union Mills Homestead Foundation. And Kyle Dalton is the foundation's executive director. And I guess we should preface anything with a large amount of gratitude. Thanks to this board, to the county for incredible support over the years and ongoing support I don't know if you've seen it but just recently we collaborated with facilities for new roadside signage along the road so if you go by the homestead the roadside presence is dramatically improved what was out there was dated very much so and well worn what's there now looks very professional and we've gotten just huge accolades on social media and from the visiting public now I know what this place is And that was a collaborative effort. As this project is, and I guess the only additional background is that this is not like something that's developed overnight. Going back to 1972 when a study was done, when the county first took ownership of the property, when the foundation donated the property to the county. A study was done. There have been studies done since then to basically document preservation needs. And unfortunately, just the nature of time and deterioration, things have gotten worse. Some of the things that were identified haven't been addressed yet. And now we're kind of at critical mass for some some needed interventions. So the project is again, it's it's intended to stabilize that foundation, the basement. The rubble walls in the foundation in the basement are deteriorated. The lime mortar is long gone, and it's at risk of failure. And although, again, there's been great interventions over the year with lally poles, temporary steel poles to provide support for the superstructure above, the house above, the foundations on the side, are at risk of failure. So that's what ultimately this is about is to get that stabilized and to do the planning necessary for a future phase of restoration is going to be required.

Kyle, any thoughts or anything to add? Well, I do also want to emphasize that this is a good opportunity to find outside funding. Our foundation, of course, is a small nonprofit with limited capacity. And these are necessary interventions. The cost is going to come due at some point. Relying on these state funds in a less competitive grant market because it is narratively defined makes it more likely that some amount likely a higher amount would be awarded. So I think this is a good opportunity for us to be financially careful about how we proceed.

And if I could, it might be helpful to make sure we narratively define this as to how it relates to this particular program. And Kyle probably is the best person to talk about the significance. You know, while we talk about structural elements here, the reality is these structural elements kind of cascade into problems up above and the most threatened sections of the home are the areas actually that we can't take the public to because of access right now but it's incredible the resources that are up there and Kyle could probably speak to that best yes through the preservation plan that was funded also largely through grant funding we weren't able to determine that in about 1850 the CD

attic was expanded into a garret into a slave dwelling place. This was already known to be a slave dwelling place, but we now have a definitive time at which it was installed, which we can match to primary sources showing the arrival of enslaved people. And remarkably, we have a letter written by one of those people, we have a photograph of one of them, and we have their original pencil graffiti on the plaster walls in there. And that graffiti is directly threatened by this foundational work. You are seeing cracking, you are seeing deterioration, It's remarkable that these have survived 150 years. We can date them to about the time of the American Civil War. We have figures drawn on there by the enslaved people and helpfully labeled with their names. This is a holy grail of interpretation. I've been in public history for over 20 years. The last museum I worked at, the museum before that, I was able to get a UNESCO designation for African American history. And I've never seen a site with this much information about people like this. And again, it is being directly threatened by the foundation. That being the top of the building where most is happening, you are seeing the cracking. It is threatening this graffiti and these spaces. So this is an intervention that is necessary to preserve something that cannot be replicated.

Thank you very much for that. And I think you're certainly right about that. Having letters and having that primary documentation of something is incredible. But to have something where somebody, you can go and see the wall where they wrote something or drew something. There's a kind of, for me anyways, also having a background in history, there's a difference between having a letter and knowing that this was sent and written by somebody, but seeing something personal that somebody did that really nobody else was ever going to see, or they didn't anticipate somebody else seeing a couple hundred years later. It really is kind of, you're stepping back in time in a way. that you don't get that with other sorts of primary documentation. So I hope my colleagues will grant me the liberty again because this is District 1. I would like to make a motion to approve the Union Mills Homestead Foundation submission of the African American Heritage Preservation Program grant application and accept these grant funds if awarded. Second. All right. We have a motion. We have a second. Any other comments or discussion?

Yeah. Um, the no match parts. Great. Um, and I assume you guys have done your due diligence. It's okay that this grant be on county property and, and all, you know, we're not giving up anything by applying for the grant and supporting it. Right.

Correct. Absolutely. And you know, it's worth pointing out that, um, as with historic designations, you're always concerned about it, that the reality is, You as a Board of Commissioners long ago have agreed to the most intrusive control of your property by the preservation, the easements that already exist, including underground easements. That was done to get funding long ago. So there's not, basically, By that, you basically signed up with a three-way marriage, not just with the foundation, but also with the Maryland Historic Trust. So you've already kind of got them in. And so at this point, you know, they're part of your relationship. Leverage that for all it's worth.

Yeah, this would not incur any additional responsibilities on top of what already exists.

And are you going to apply for the whole $250,000?

As much as we can. We're trying to leverage it as, you know, with as many planning activities that we can. I mean, the reality is the work that needs to be done is going to need some planning. And this addresses primarily planning.

The grant application is due on July 1. So we have a pretty quick turnaround on this. We have gotten some estimates already. We are waiting on others. It's only for planning. Well, there's the stabilization and planning. Those are hand in glove.

And what I'm going to suggest is You already have an in, I know, with Historic Trust. But your comments, Kyle and Commissioner Vigilante's comments, you should go back and write them into the grant. Because they're looking for differentiation. And when you just said what you said and you said what you said, you're a good writer. I'm serious. That makes it different. And those comments are excellent that would catch someone's attention over something else about stabilizing a foundation or whatever. Your comments were very enthusiastic and personalized. So that's how it raises above others when they get a ton of them.

Thankfully, they do require that as part of the application. Yeah, I do have the draft application and I do have a great story.

You did it very well. It wasn't dry. It was something that would catch someone's attention. That's what you had to sell it.

Hal is very passionate about the site. I love it.

I should add into your point about making this particular grant stand out. There are certainly... In Carroll County, and maybe in the region, I'd have to go back and comment, might know this. There are very few sites open to the public that are sites of enslavement. This is something that certainly would be unique to be publicly, you know, to have it. And the interpretation has expanded over the years to address this. But this is something that is unique. We have unique resources. And we would like to come back in front of you, hopefully sometime soon, to address another kind of a related issue. portion of this is that in this grant application, we are going to be referring to an application we'd like to make for the Network to Freedom. And it might be worth having Kyle speak to that briefly just to have you understand what that is and what that offers to Carroll County that doesn't exist anywhere in the region.

So the Network to Freedom is administered by the National Park Service and it is recognized sites related to the Underground Railroad. Recent research has proven that we have a very strong connection to that. We do know of a freedom seeker who got their freedom in 1827, and that the family, the Shriver family, was related to an Underground Railroad agent that he most likely knew. This very much makes us eligible for this program. It would get us national recognition through the National Park Service, and it opens us up for exclusive grants available only to Network to Freedom sites. This would be even more exclusive than this previous grant that we talked about. These grants are up to $100,000 capital and also non-matching. So this is another financial opportunity. It's a good marketing opportunity. If you look at the National Park website for the Network to Freedom, it shows all of the sites that are recognized by the National Park Service. And while Maryland and Pennsylvania are crowded with them, there is a crater surrounding Carroll County, not just Carroll County, but Southern Pennsylvania and in the regions immediately surrounding the county where there is no recognized site. Carroll County is in the middle of this crater. So this would allow us to be literally on the map for the National Park Service. This is time sensitive. As I said, the escape was in 1827. Next year is the 200th anniversary. If we can get this recognition by the National Park Service, that opens us up for really rolling out the red carpet and really underlining the importance of this narrative and hopefully getting more recognition because of that.

And I suggest including that in the grant application too, because it's a bigger picture. I mean, you get lots of applications, and you got in here for us. Support preserving planning and stabilization activities, blah, blah, blah. We'll address structural concerns and water infiltration issues. That's not exciting, and I know we have to put it in there. But the story about what could occur and the vision for it that you two just presented, I think will put you on top. Thank you. And it's good for tourism. Thank you.

Any other discussion? All right. We have a motion. We have a second. All those in favor? Aye.

All those opposed?

Motion carries unanimously. Thank you all very much.

Before we move on, I want to mention one thing to you because I know you'll find this of interest. The historic courthouse used to have a wall inside where all the different... Lawyers would sign their names unfortunately, I think years later that was painted over all that sense. We did lose that history, but not neat little fun fact for that is really awesome.

And again, it's it's letters are amazing and they're important to being able to reach out and touch something that somebody else touched wrote 200 years ago, whatever it was.

I mean, it's incredible.

All right, sorry for that slight digression there. So item number four, grant approval to submit application and acceptance of awards for buprenorphine initiative grant and access overdose prevention and response grant and the addition of one EMS position.

Good morning. Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

Good morning.

We're here asking for approval to submit and accept the buprenorphine initiative grant and the access overdose prevention and response grant and add one EMS position. So the Carroll County Health Department and the Department of Fire and EMS are working collaboratively to allow both EMS and peer recovery support staff to respond to overdose events in real time. Obviously, when we do get a call through the 911 Center for an overdose, that's an EMS emergency response, and our initial objective is obviously lifesaving. However, there is a whole chain of events that will occur post-overdose and if we're able to address those in a collaborative format using behavioral health resources along with this medication, which we're now allowed to administer in the pre-hospital realm, we can significantly reduce the long-term consequences from overdoses. So, the primary goal of this is two-fold, and Amy will talk a little bit more about that. peer perspective and the behavioral support and on our end we're looking at changing the traditional response model to bridge the long-term support and this will include first and foremost our normal real-time response But more importantly, follow-up services and the buprenorphine induction, which means a specific medication that has a physiological effect on the patients that have an affinity towards opioid dependence. The other issue is trust building with the behavioral community and then diversion efforts to keep this person out of the mainstream abuse area. So from our perspective, from the Department of Fire and EMS, we have a total grant of $180,168, and we're looking, you have the breakdown in front of you, one full-time equivalent salary, and this would be for a paramedic that would have additional training to not only administer this medication, but to work in concert with behavioral health personnel from our health department. There's also a cost for the medication itself and built in overtime. So we're still working on the specific logistics of this, but what we envision would occur is we would have a joint response of a mental health professional, peer support member, along with an EMS person, in addition to the initial emergency response. So we would provide stabilizing care, and then from there we would follow up. So the good news is, is this grant does not require a match from the county. And again, the total is $180,168. And I'll turn it over to Amy to talk a little bit about her perspective with this.

Thank you, Chief. I think you kind of gave a really great overview. The beauty of this is that the peer support professional is, as you all know, a person with lived experience. So they are in recovery from substance use and or mental health diagnoses. They're in long-term recovery. They have used tools to continue their recovery. They model what recovery looks like and often have been through many of the experiences that folks they're responding to are also going through so they can break down those walls and really work with people where sometimes traditional services fail. The sooner we address overdose in this way, the better the outcomes are. So by pairing up with EMS, who's already going out on these overdose calls, putting peer support in that vehicle with EMS and responding at least 40 hours a week to these overdose calls. And we are looking at the data to have our response on the most popular, for lack of a better word, you know, where the data is higher for overdoses, having that response, this partnership, this collaboration, respond to overdoses in real time. And then as the chief said, if an individual is in agreement starting the buprenorphine right then and there when they are able to and accepting of it and then doing follow-up so it's the pre-hospital induction of buprenorphine which diverts people from going to the emergency room it also starts that rapport building at a much sooner pace than it would if we waited for somebody to go to the hospital get out of the hospital learn about these overdoses either through overdose reports or maybe we don't hear about them at all so we were really pleased to be able to apply for this fund in a way to offer more extensive peer support and and and treatment services in the community much earlier on in the treatment of an opioid overdose so

Well, thank you very much. Anything you want to add for that matter?

No, I think they've covered it all.

All right. Any comments, questions, or discussion, or potential action from the board?

I move that the Board of Commissioners approve one additional full-time EMS position and approve the submission of the Buprenorphine Initiative Grant and the Access Overdose Prevention and Response Grant and accept the award. Second.

We have a motion. We have a second. Commissioner Collier, I believe you may have had a. Yeah.

If we're approving a position, what happens if you don't get the grant?

so we've already gotten the grant for FY27 how long is it who pays for this position next year it's a wonderful question and one we anticipated so we do have to reapply for the grant each year but we have no reason to believe that that we would not get it in the future so you're pretty optimistic we are optimistic I guarantee a hundred percent obviously not that's grants that's the grant world we live in but we do have to reapply each year for it okay question

All right, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you all very much.

Thank you so much.

All right, up next, item number five, grant approval to submit application and acceptance of award for the FY 2027 Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Grant for the Division of Aging and Disabilities and the Hiring of the Staff Position Associated.

Good morning. Good morning to you both. Good morning. I'm Gina Valentine, Division Manager for Aging and Disabilities. I'm here this morning on behalf of Celine Steckle, Director of Department Decision Services. She had a conflict this morning and could not be here. And joining me is Gail Gannon, our Program Manager for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. So we're here this morning to request approval to submit for and accept additional funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and with that funding, also add an additional position to the program. So the background, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a federally mandated program dedicated to protecting the rights, health, safety, and well-being of individuals residing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In Carroll County, we have 10 nursing homes and 27 assisted living facilities. Our two full-time ombudsman, Gail and her coworker, Courtney, they visit all of the facilities on a regular basis to educate residents about their rights, assist them with addressing complaints and concerns, providing education about residents' rights and elder abuse. In addition to those regular visits, they also conduct additional complaint visits to the facilities or follow up on complaints at the facilities. with the goal of obtaining resolution to the satisfaction of the resident and or the family member. They also attend resident and family council meetings within the facilities. excuse me, during the 26 2026 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly established in a permanent, permanent annual appropriation of $2 million for the state long term care ombudsman program. So what we propose to do is we'd like to obtain additional funding for the program to support an additional full-time position dedicated to providing education and training on elder abuse prevention, residence rights, and person-centered care. The position would also lead or will also lead efforts to establish something called culture change committees within nursing homes. And these committees are collaborative groups that are facilitated or supported by long-term care ombudsman programs to promote person-centered care, resident choice, resident rights, and quality of life improvements in nursing homes. Some examples of what the culture change committees will do is work on promoting resident choice and waking up and what time they go to bed and bathing and dining and activity schedules. supporting resident and family councils, improving communication between residents and families and the staff of the facilities, encouraging consistent staff assignments to promote building relationships, creating more home-like environments rather than institutional environments, increasing resident participation and decision-making, Developing person-centered approaches to dementia care and reviewing policies through a residence rights lens. So the initiatives directly do support resident rights by reducing rigid institutional schedules and allowing residents more control over their daily routines. We also envision providing education to fire and EMS and law enforcement staff. personnel and community partners in the general public. We anticipate that the ability to provide the increased education and implementing the the culture change committees will reduce complaints, incidents of abuse, and improve residents' quality of life. Excuse me. The current state ombudsman, Carrie Craig, here in Maryland, she comes from Minnesota and Michigan. Sorry. I knew it was an M. Michigan. And she led a culture change committee in five nursing homes in Michigan. And so each nursing home had at least one or more abuse citations. And she trained over 600 staff members. And after a year and a half, there were no abuse citations at any of those facilities. So this is just an example of what outcome can be achieved by implementing the culture change committees within our nursing homes. We also would like to request additional funding to support federal professional development opportunities for the Ombudsman Program staff, focusing also on expanding our World Elder Abuse Awareness Day activities every year, development of professional training materials, outreach and promotional materials, and then IT equipment for the new position. The projected salary and fringe for an additional position is $115,000. The additional program support funding, $10,000 for a total of $125,000. And there's no county cash match that's required. If our proposal is approved by you and Maryland Department of Aging and the state long-term care ombudsman program, the funding would be allocated to us ongoing. So that position would be supported ongoing, again, with no county dollars needed for the position. So we'd be happy to answer any questions that you have. I will say that we're really excited about this possible opportunity. While the, you know, the ombudsman staff, they do focus on training and education. This would provide us the opportunity to provide so much more training and education within the facilities. And we really anticipate by doing that, the complaints will reduce and the incidents of abuse will reduce as well.

Well, thank you very much. Any other questions or comments or direction from the board?

I just want to mention this issue was in my committee for years and years of elder abuse. And what went on in some of these nursing homes was horrible. And they started putting cameras in. You could actually see it. So the ombudsman program was around for a long time. And at first, it was complaint driven. So you were reacting to things happening. And we always anticipated to make it more local, make it more permanent. And to do exactly what you're talking about here is prevention and training. It's a difficult population. Nobody wants to be there. Nobody wants to be in a nursing home. Some people have dementia or Alzheimer's. But they need to be taken care of. Sometimes they're combative. So having the training for the prevention piece is so much more rewarding. than just complaint-driven responding to something and then penalizing someone. So I think we just don't realize how bad it could be, and we don't want it to be bad for anyone. We want it to be good. So advancing best practices beyond the traditional institutional models of care and just the culture change and thinking, and it's a sea change of where it used to be, and I'm glad we're moving in that direction. It sounds good.

Thank you. Thank you.

I move the Board of Commissioners approve the submission of the FY 2027 long-term care ombudsman grant application for the Division of Aging and Disabilities and accept the award and hiring of the staff position.

We have a motion. Do we have a second?

Second. Go ahead. Sorry.

We have a motion and a couple of seconds. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you both very much.

Thank you so much.

All right, so up next, item number six, we have four budget action items for Carroll County Public Schools. The FY26 operating budget adjustment 26-01, FY26 operating budget transfer 26-01, FY26 food services budget adjustment 26-01, and FY26 CIP budget transfer for Carroll County Public Schools.

Yep, I'm solo today.

Your friends.

Good to see you. Good morning, commissioners. Morning. As mentioned during the fiscal year planning for fiscal year 26, monitoring at the end of the year, the Board of Education did consider and adopt for budget actions at their most recent board meeting on June 10th. So we're here this morning for Board of Commissioner consideration of those budget actions. And so I'm at your disposal to either walk through them first or do them one at a time, whatever works for you.

I guess a very brief overview, very brief overview, and then we'll open it for discussion.

The operating budget adjustment is to recognize some additional revenues and increase the fiscal year 26 budget $6.8 million in additional revenues from interest earnings and prescription drug rebates were the big drivers there. And so we did a budget adjustment increasing the fiscal year 26 budget by $6.8 million for those needs. $1.4 million in interest earnings and $5.4 million in additional prescription drug rebates. That's a growing revenue source for us.

So did you want to go through them all, or did you want to take these one at a time?

Whenever it's your pleasure.

Might as well go through them all.

OK. The operating transfer is an annual action generally that we take for your consideration. So this year, a total transfer of about $9.1 million So recognizing some savings in some state budget categories and reallocating into some other categories of need for some year-end planning. Most of the savings were seen in wages, instructional and custodial wages, primarily driven by vacancy and turnover. And then a little bit on the utility side, a good experience this year. And so into a few of the categories that tend to be our needs, special ed and the fixed charges for employee health premium continues to be a challenge for us continuing to sort of chase that number up. And we'll be working with our administration and with our bargaining units to consider ways to try to get some cost containment in that area. That's been a challenge the last several years.

The guest lecturers, that's impressive. Custodial and teachers, are you at capacity now? It's nice that you save money because of missing people and retirees, but a lot of them are short already.

Right. Certainly in a better position than we were several, two or three years ago during a real shortage and a real inflationary period for wages and for compensation. So better position overall, some natural turnover, some is recognition of retirement and sort of the rehire salary reset that can happen. For us generally that we've seen the last couple years. So combination of those things but certainly not the Staffing challenge on either of those sides that we had several years ago. We're seeing better good better outcome now And do you mind explaining to me?

Prescription the prescription drug rebates and how that released the PBMs I've never quite understood how that works on from your side from the employer side. I

Yeah, I'm not sure I fully understand the sort of the why behind it, but we've seen, you know, we had it as a minor recognition, maybe $2 million three or four or five years ago has grown to, you know, With this recognition, about $14 million in the current year, and we've brought the budget up for fiscal year 27 to about 12 million. I wasn't quite ready to recognize all of that growth as ongoing, but so it's become a significant part of. But our actuaries, we work with Bolton on our medical reserve and medical planning, count that as additional revenue into the reserve to pay for it. So you get money back in the rebates, but then your costs go up. A lot more drugs, paying a lot more. It's driving our costs up, and we get some kind of return in the rebates.

So how does that, I guess what I'm saying, this whole PBM thing and rebates is something you gotta really look at because nobody really understands it, but what's the net of all of it? Because you're getting the rebates, but then how does it, it's something I'm just telling you, it's becoming increasingly, increasingly, not transparent in what we're paying for drug costs. And the pharmacy benefit managers, there's a push, I think, in Congress and even in the Maryland legislature to get rid of the rebates because it really convolutes what the really cost of prescription medicine is. So I'm just suggesting that you take a good look at it and say, what are we passing on? What are we getting back? Where is it going? And is it going into the right bucket? So you see the real cost of prescription drugs.

That's why I say we are doing a deep dive commencing soon here through the fall with our consultants, with our plan design, with our bargaining units. All have been made aware that we're going to need to look at cost containment here. The claims and prescription drug side have sort of been running away from us. So, yes, this revenue, you know, is nice to recognize to do some offset, but, you know, we know its net effect is more cost. We're chasing our total medical costs up.

Yes, and I think the county needs to do the same, because the rebates look fun. You don't want to give them up, because you're going through the PBM, the pharmacy .. But in the end, the end game is you're spending more money by doing it. So I'm interested to have the details of that. We spent a lot of time trying to get these costs down, and the PBM seemed to be that misunderstood or non-understood component that we really need to get fixed. Is it a benefit or not in the net? I don't care about the total net.

We'll be prepared to share that, and we'll hopefully be in a position to take some action with it as we come into budget season, you know, late in the fall.

You know, and it's very significant. Thank you.

The third action, the food service budget, is simply recognition of increase in sales and costs in that self-funded fund there. So $200,000 write-up of the budget there for an adjustment. And then lastly, the CIP budget transfer is an $850,000 transfer from our locally funded project for pavement into our infrastructure renewal. This got some conversation earlier in the year around the stadium light replacement, so the million dollar project for the second round in particular. of stadium lights that we needed to do put us into a negative in our infrastructure renewal appreciation to the board for support in recognition of that. Some some additional dollars in fiscal year 27 budget that that In essence, we'll cover this. But as a timing issue for fiscal year 26, we're overspent in that fund. So we looked for projects that didn't have a near-term issue with us doing a transfer. It'll get us through this year end. We'll be into the new year. We can, of course, recognize the new revenues from fiscal year 27 and then have further discussion sometime through the year or through our budget process for the plan for going forward. So it's not that the funds aren't needed in paving. We just didn't have any near-term projects. We tend to sort of accumulate the pavement money and do a larger pavement contract at one time. And so we didn't have any of those in the near term. So this was one of several options that we looked at potentially doing when we knew we were awarding the stadium lights that were going to be in excess of our budget in that category for fiscal year 26.

So you now have done lights at four schools, and are the other three in question?

All were surveyed and inspected. The lights at the four high schools that were identified as needing structural support replacement have been completed. And if you look at it, it's sort of the four older high schools and then sort of the three newer ones from the last 20 or so years. So it falls the way you'd expect, replacement of the older schools, and we'll continue to have a program to monitor the newer schools.

How much better are the lights? I know you guys work with Rec and Parks on finding... you know, to get rid of light pollution. And you've done that?

Yeah, well, I don't know if I can speak directly to that issue. But in general, the stories I've heard, I mean, the technology between what it was and what it is, the ability to, I mean, they were out. They'd have some kind of sensor out on the field at the exact spot they wanted it, and they could measure how efficiently it was right on that spot. So significantly fewer and smaller lights, significantly brighter and more targeted to exactly where you wanted it.

Do you have any videos of John O'Neill running around with his iPhone? I do not. I'd like to see that. Don't get me in trouble.

All right. Rob, thank you very much for that. So we'll go through these one at a time. Is there any action on the FY26 operating budget adjustment for CCPS?

Move the Board of Commissioners approve operating budget adjustment 26-01 for the Board of Education FY26 operating fund budget.

All right, we have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. We have a motion. We have a second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Up next, the FY26 operating budget transfer 26-01.

I move the Board of Commissioners approve operating budget transfer 26-01 for the Board of Education FY26 operating fund budget. Second.

We have a motion. We have a second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Up next, FY26 Food Services Budget Adjustment 26-01.

We have the Board of Commissioners approve the Food Services Budget Adjustment 26-01 for the Board of Education FY26 Food Services Fund Budget.

Second.

We have a motion. We have a second. Is there any further discussion?

Just one comment. She's still running. a positive, profitable food services, right?

Yes. Karen Sarr knows who you're referencing, our food service supervisor. Very experienced, been in place a long time, so good operation there, self-supporting, been able to maintain our food price for the families, not raise that per cost per meal for the student side in I don't know how long, many years, more than probably a decade. And healthy, that's very much a strong program. Thank you.

And have you started, you guys bought a building so you could have more bulk food storage. And is that already happening?

We're in the planning and design phase and purchasing pieces of what will be a storage component in the Kessler building, yes. So that'll be a long-term help.

Have they paid for the building? Did we get our money?

Check cleared.

We have a motion. We have a second. Is there any other discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries unanimously. And last but not least, the FY26 CIP budget transfer for CCPS.

Move the Board of Commissioners approve Carroll County Public Schools fiscal year 2026 CIP budget transfer 26-01 and corresponding resolution C-26.02 for the transfer of funds as requested by the Board of Education.

We have a motion. Do we have a second?

Second.

We have a motion. We have a second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries unanimously.

I have one final question, if you don't mind. No, please. How's the fund balance?

Fund balance is sort of maintaining steady. It's not going to grow, we don't think, significantly with year end. So we're on the low end of our policy, not distressing but not not growing. And so that was one of the things to consider, you know, toward our year end with, um, some, some maintenance and vehicle needs and then with replacement of this project. Uh, so I'd say maintaining that 1% or so balance.

Okay. So you're still on one line to do that.

Yes. We believe. Yes.

All right. Any other questions for Mr. Burr?

All right.

Well, thank you very much, Rob. Good seeing you.

Thank you very much.

Good seeing you, Ted, in the back. We saw you.

All right. Ted didn't even have to say anything. This was good.

Up next, we'll move into the public comment portion of our agenda. Roberta, do we have anybody here for public comment?

Not in person.

All right, Chris, do we have anybody on the line for public comment? I have no one in line, sir. All right, thank you very much, Chris. With no public comment, we will move into the administrative open session of our agenda. Does anybody have anything for admin open today? All right, hearing none, we will go into agenda review. For the first week, the week of Monday, June 29th, Wanda, how are you today?

Good, how are you?

I'm doing well, thank you. all right so up first monday june 29th shows nothing on the formal calendar tuesday june 30th shows nothing on the formal calendar wednesday july 1st can't believe it's july already wednesday july 1st ratcliffe applied technology and trade center construction launch at airport drive with commissioners gordon kyler and krebs thursday july 2nd shows nothing on the formal calendar we are not having open session that week obviously because of the july 4th holiday For Friday, July 3rd, county offices will be closed in observance of Independence Day. Saturday, July 4th, the 250th anniversary of our nation's independence. 4 o'clock p.m., the fireworks at the Carroll County Farm Museum here in Westminster. Commissioners Kyler and Vigliotti will be attending. Sunday, July 5th, Commissioner Kyler has the podcast. Are there any corrections or alterations to the first week of our agenda? Hearing none, we'll move into the second week of our agenda review for the week of Monday, July 6th. Monday, July 6th shows nothing on the formal calendar. Tuesday, July 7th shows nothing on the formal calendar. Wednesday, July 8th, Farm Museum Board meeting with myself and the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting with Michael Baker, Retirement Villages and Homes at the County Office Building with Commissioner Gordon.

I'll be there too.

And Commissioner Krebs. Thursday, July 9th, 8 o'clock AM admin, or I'm sorry, excuse me. Thursday, July 9th, 8 o'clock AM Board of County Commissioners closed admin, followed by 9 o'clock AM open session. Item number one, Priority Carol. Item number two, we will be entertaining a visit from the Maryland Association of Counties. They come everywhere every year to update us. and to talk about things looking ahead to the future year item number three amendments to chapter 150 forest conservation item number four approval to purchase annual maintenance support light and life cycle management for the public safety motor roller radio systems item number five approval to purchase maintenance support and upkeep for the central maryland area radio communications network item number six approval of use for not in carroll funding committed for opioid issues for fiscal year 2027 Item number seven, contract renewal for after-school program for Carroll County Middle Schools. Item number eight, discussion and review of space needs. That's little space needs for the county, Roberta?

Yes.

Okay. Just wanted to make sure, a little vague.

Nothing about astrological or astronomical, yeah.

And when it says space needs, is that county government or is that other agencies we work with?

Yes, both. Yes, both. Okay. All right.

Thank you, Roberta. Item number nine, term contract renewal for operation of Carroll Transit System. Item number 10, encumbrance on the energy management control services. Item number 11, contract award for county office building IT renovation. Item number 12, approval of additional costs for construction, testing, and inspection services for the state's attorney's office building. Item number 13, contract award for purchase of replacement grinders for the Piney Run Wastewater Pumping Station. Item number 14, contract award for the construction of the Liberty Water Tank Booster Pump Station. Item number 15, change order request for additional work associated with the replacement of water service laterals on White Cedar Court. Item number 16, change order request for additional work associated with the replacement of water service laterals on Pitch Pine Court. Item number 17, spending authority for solid waste facilities environmental monitoring services. Item number 18, contract renewal for solid waste engineering services through Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority. item number 19 contract renewal for recovered materials operations and transfer item number 20 contract renewal for northeast maryland waste disposal authority item number 21 contract renewal for processing and recycling of recovered materials through the northeast maryland waste disposal authority item number 22 spending authority for household hazardous waste event services item number 23 spending authority for services at the residential recycling drop-off area And item number 24, spending authority for the ongoing scrap tire recycling program, I guess.

And although it's a long day, we're also going to add the annexation that the Mount Airy annexation letter.

Okay, so that'll be item number 25 or somewhere in there.

Okay.

Item 20 something.

One of the numbers. Yeah.

Thank you very much, Roberta. And that, of course, will be followed, as always, by public comments, admin open, and agenda review. Friday, July 10th, 10 o'clock a.m., ribbon cutting for the tannery farm in Westminster. Also at 10 o'clock a.m., the ribbon cutting for recovery homes for moms and their children.

And I will be at the tannery.

Okay. Commissioner Kyler will be at the tannery.

And I think I will be, too. Okay.

And Commissioner Krebs?

And they're looking to know who wants to speak, if anyone.

I'd be happy to speak, since it's Westminster Rescue Mission, right? Yes. Yeah, I've worked with them for many, many years. OK. Thanks.

And Commissioner Gordon will be at the ribbon-cutting for the recovery home for moms and their children. Saturday, July 11th, is the Carroll County Car Fest at the Farm Museum with Commissioner Kyler serving as a very judicious judge. And then Sunday, July 12th, Commissioner Gordon has the podcast. Are there any changes, corrections, or alterations for the second week of our agenda?

I'd like to note that the Car Fest... Last year, they overturned every selection I had. They out, they vetoed me and they made different selections. So I got the vote, but just didn't count.

You kept picking dump trucks to win. Yeah, I know. So you can't do that, Commissioner. It wasn't anything I recognized.

When you have a dump truck, everything else looks like a dump truck.

Yeah.

Well, is there anything else for the good of the order?

I just want to mention on the tannery, are we going to do a citation for that? Because there's two parts. You have the tannery and then you have the recovery homes for moms and their children. I guess they're one and the same. One's the farm, one's the actual house. But will we do a citation for that? A proclamation or something? Proclamation.

Be nice.

Well, it's the ribbon cutting for the house part of it. But I guess they're having two, it looks, at the same time. Maybe they're together. One's the farm, I guess, and one's the house.

It's all the same. Yeah, just do one. Yeah, we could ask staff to put that together for you.

Sure. All right. Thank you, Commissioner. Anything else for the good of the order? Hearing nothing, I need a motion to adjourn. So moved. We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. We have a motion. We have a second. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Happy Fourth of July. We are adjourned.