By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer
(Oct. 29, 2020) The following took place during the Berlin Mayor and Council meeting on Monday:
Holiday schedule
The mayor and council approved the holiday schedule for 2021, which includes the following dates:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Jan. 18, 2021
Presidents Day – Feb. 15, 2021
Good Friday – April 2, 2021
Memorial Day – May 31, 2021
Independence Day – July 5, 2021
Labor Day – Sept. 6, 2021
Columbus Day – Oct. 11, 2021
Veterans Day – Nov. 11, 2021
Thanksgiving – Nov. 25-26, 2021
Christmas – Dec. 23, 2021 (half day), Dec. 24, 2021
New Year Holiday -Dec. 30, 2021 (half day), Dec. 31, 2021
Halloween 2020
Mayor Zackery Tyndall is not endorsing any Halloween activities for Saturday.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic, so I am strongly discouraging anyone from trick or treating in Berlin,” he said.
Typically, candy x-raying takes place at Town Hall on William Street on Halloween, but it has been canceled.
In addition, the downtown streets will not be closed for pedestrian traffic.
“The town administrator has met with residents on Washington Street and Burbage Funeral Home. The consensus is they will not be handing out candy and having a huge holiday event like normal,” Tyndall said.
Jeff Fleetwood
Water tower
The water tower on Route 346 is currently being repainted, said Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood. It will be put back on line in a few weeks after the paint cures.
Bulk waste collection
Fleetwood announced that the fall bulk waste collection for Tuesday and Wednesday customers will occur on Nov. 4. The collection for Thursday customers will take place on Nov. 18.
Residents must contact the town no later than noon on Monday, Nov. 2, or Monday, Nov. 16, depending on their collection date above.
A form is available online at berlinmd.gov under “Departments/Public Works” or call 410-641-2770, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A maximum of four items will be collected. All fabric items must be bagged or wrapped in plastic and sealed; bags for large items such as mattresses are available at local retailers and a limited supply is available at Town Hall.
Additional regulations may apply; details are available online or may be emailed or picked up at Town Hall prior to collection day.
According to a recent press release, there are also several holidays in November that will impact regular trash or recycling collection:
Town offices will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Trash collection will be postponed to Thursday, Nov. 12, along with regularly scheduled Thursday collection.
Town offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26 and 27, in observance of Thanksgiving.
For Thursday and Friday trash collection customers, trash will be collected on Wednesday, Nov. 25, along with regular Wednesday collection.
There will be no recycling collection on Friday, Nov. 27.
Fall yard waste collections will be scheduled for December. For more information about special collections, visit the town website at berlinmd.gov and go to the Public Works page under Departments.
Ditch
The Berlin Public Works Department has finished cutting the ditch that runs parallel to West Street. Parts of the ditch are owned by homeowners, the town and the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company.
“We have reached an agreement with Maryland-Delaware Railroad. We have a written maintenance plan for that ditch,” Fleetwood said. “The railroad is going to maintain that entire stretch of ditch from approximately Washington [Street] all the way down to the county line on Evans Road.”
In that maintenance plan, the railroad company will expand its vegetation growth plan and will inspect all culverts quarterly for blockages or necessary repairs.
Prayer
Vice President and District 4 Councilmember Dean Burrell questioned why the regular session did not begin with the Lord’s Prayer.
“[Fleetwood and I] were running through the flow and the topic came up of the Lord’s Prayer, and I’ve always grown up saying the Lord’s Prayer in most establishments that I’ve been a part of, but I also recognized during my time as a councilmember that not everybody saw things the way I see things,” Tyndall replied. “We’re representatives of the entire town of Berlin, not just specific people within the town of Berlin. So, the town administrator and I had a discussion, and despite our personal beliefs, we felt that it was the time to become more inclusive. Many more people call Berlin home now than they ever have in the past.”
Burrell said he has never heard any complaints about the prayer at the beginning of meetings.
“I would have thought that change in operation or decision would have been presented to this group before it was changed and possibly for public comment,” he added.
Resilience element
At-Large Councilmember Jay Knerr asked Fleetwood what hurdles are in the process of adopting the resilience element.
“The hurdles that we encountered were no different than what happened at Worcester County with their resilience element,” Fleetwood replied.
He added that it was just not accepted by the Berlin Planning Commission on Oct. 14.
“Whatever recommendation the planning commission comes up with is subject to a public hearing,” said Planning Director Dave Engelhart. “It will get advertised twice, legally advertised. Once they make that recommendation at a public hearing, then I have to advertise it twice again for your consideration in a public hearing. So, there will be a recommendation coming from them about it, and then that will come to you for a motion at a public hearing to adopt it or add it to the comprehensive plan.”
Although the resilience element is a guideline, Fleetwood said there has been a lot of concern about it being too much regulation.
“It’s what we should aspire to do with our eye on the future,” Engelhart said. “How do we make sure that when these emergencies come up – and they will in the future – we’re ready or we budgeted for it even?”