Traffic Alert (08/26/2024)

A portion of Maple Street, between Railroad Ave and Casher Wells Road, will be closed for several hours today due to paving activity. Please take this closure into account when planning your commute.

Exciting news! Our very own Town Commission President Sean McHugh has been recognized by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore as a recipient of their “40 Under 40 in Philanthropy” Award! Congratulations Sean!

To learn more about this award and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, click here.

• On the agenda tonight is a resolution to recognize Robyn Carozza for her dedicated hard work on the Strawberry Festival, 2 budget amending ordinances, one for FY24 and one for FY 25 due to up-to-date financial numbers.
• Also, the Town Administration is recommending that Dale Littleton presently a member of the PEDC, be reappointed to the PEDC for a term of 5 years.
• We have received the $3,619.50 from DNR for reimbursement for Phase II of the Capital Park Improvement Project, but still waiting for the $268,131.38. I contacted DNR, but our program manager is not due back in the office until 21 Aug.
• The reimbursement from DHCD for the Town Manager/Circuit rider program for $11,635.36 has been received and all final paperwork has been completed to finish out FY 24. As I mentioned last month the FY 25 TMCR grant was approved for another year at $52,000 a 4% increase.
• We have a meeting scheduled with TALKIE COMMUNICATIONS on Friday, 23 Aug at 2 pm to discuss their request to come down Friendship Road.
• We contacted Wicomico County regarding the trash racks installed in the ditches near Willards for a resolution to the problem.
• The GOOD NEWS the Town was approved for a $800,000 CDBG grant to fund the WTP UPGRADE/Phase IV, but BAD NEWS, the Town was not approved for the Rural Maryland Council Grant request of $250,000. However, on Friday 23 Aug, we will be talking with MDE about their funding by loan at 1% the remaining $400,000 in local funds we must come up with. The Town has reduced the cost of this project with 85% of the costs funded by grants, and the remaining 15% by a loan at a 1% interest rate.
• Pittsville Ford has provided preliminary plans to build a 36,000 sq ft building on the land that was annexed back in 2019. The proposed structure will service commercial large vehicles for repair and maintenance and the project is in the final stages of review.
• The proposed solar panel farm will not be happening since it would have required a major change in our zoning code.
• Dale Withers subdivision is continuing-the public works agreement is being finalized between myself, the Town Attorney and Town Engineer before signatures are obtained. Chase Dykes subdivision in final review by the County’s storm water management review specialists.
• All 4 single family home building permits for the Bailey subdivision have been submitted and approved.
• No word regarding new proposal from Tim Ramey on the proposed 7 lot “Addition to Sandyfield” He has until November 7 to receive final Planning/Zoning Commission approval or it becomes null and void.
• The Planning/Zoning Commission met on 14 Aug 2024
• PEDC will be meeting on Wednesday, August 28 2024 at 5:30 pm in Town Hall
• Work on replacing the damaged valves in the WTP approved at last month’s meeting has been completed and water and sewer flows are returning to normal totals.
• FY 24 building permits totaled $13,550.01 and this year since 1 Jul 24, the total amount for building permits is $7,941.00.
• I will be working with Paul on revising and amending the Rental Residential Housing Licensing ordinance in order to permit First State Inspection Agency to handle our rental housing inspections under the Code Enforcement Officer and moving this responsibility from the police department to the code enforcement department.
• Questionnaires from the Town Auditor given to all members must be completed and returned to the Town Treasurer as soon as possible.
• Monday, September 2, 2024, is LABOR DAY, a federal holiday so Town Offices will be closed

ALL BUSINESS ITEMS MUST BE SCHEDULED ON THE AGENDA THE WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO THE TOWN MEETING IN ORDER TO BE HEARD.

TOWN MEETING AGENDA
August 19, 2024 – 7:00 PM

1. Call to order
   1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Minutes of Meeting on June 24, 2024 & July 15, 2024
3. Treasurer’s Report of Balances of General and Utility Accounts
4. Public Safety Report
   1. Fire/EMS Report
   2. Police Report
   3. Code Enforcement Report
5. Town Manager/Circuit Rider
6. Town Engineer Report – Robert Duma
7. Old Business:
   1. None
8. New Business
   1. Resolution # 2024-02 “A Resolution to Recognize the Efforts of Robyn Carozza in Overseeing the 2024 PITTSVILLE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL” /ADOPTION
   2. Ordinance # 2024-04 “An Ordinance to Amend the Town’s FY 24 Municpal Operating Budget/INTRODUCTION
   3. Ordinance #2024-05 “An Ordinance to Amend the Town’s FY 25 Municipal Operating Budget & Fee Schedule/INTRODUCTION
   4. Consideration of Re-Appointment of Dale Littleton to the PEDC for a 5 year term
9. Town Commission/Committee Reports and Commissioner/Public Comments
10. Adjournment of Meeting.

Next meeting date- September 16, 2024

[View the meeting packet]

Don’t forget! Pittsville Night Out is tonight, Aug 15 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Pittsville Park! Come join us for this fun, free community event. Spend some quality time with your neighbors and the members of the Pittsville Police Department and the Pittsville Volunteer Fire Department. Check out MSP’s life-saving helicopter, Trooper 4, while enjoying free food and drinks, music, and giveaways for the kids. Stick around for the Second Annual Pittsville Night Out Fireworks show presented by the Town of Pittsville – starting around 9:00pm. Last year’s show was pretty incredible, so let’s see if we can top it this year! You definitely won’t want to miss it. We’ll see you there!

The Town Commissioners of Pittsville are very pleased and excited to announce that the Town of Pittsville has been awarded and approved for a Community Development Block Grant/CDBG for $800,000 to assist in the funding for the major Water Treatment Plant/WTP Upgrade/Phase IV capital improvement project.

This is a very HUGE accomplishment by the Town since the WTP Upgrade/Phase IV project costs are $2,719,016. The Town has already been approved for $1,500,000 from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) in grant funding and loan forgiveness. The awarded CDBG grant now reduces the Town’s local share to $419,016 or about 15% of the total project. The Town Manager has also submitted a grant application to the Rural Maryland Council for an additional $250,000 in grant funds which is pending.

The Town Commissioners would like to thank our engineering consulting firm, Davis Bowen & Friedel and especially our Town Engineer Rob Duma and staff for all their work on assisting the Town Manager and Town Staff in the preparation and submittal of the CDBG grant application.

The Town Commissioners also would like to thank the Maryland Department of Community Development’s (DHCD) “Community Development Block Grant/CDBG’s” approval of our application and their partnership in our WTP Upgrade/Phase IV project.

• First, I would like to announce that the DHCD has approved our Town Manager/Circuit Rider grant application at our requested amount of $52,000 which is a 4% increase, the first increase in 5 years! This puts me here for another year UNLESS someone has “other” ideas!
• DNR has notified me that our grant reimbursement request for the $3,619.50 for Phase II Park Capital Improvement Project will be here in 2 weeks, and our recent grant reimbursement request for $268,131.38 for Phase III will be forthcoming in about one month! Once the funds are received, Ana will ship them up to MLGIP. We still have around $20,000 in this grant to use for the park, but must do so within reason. So, people we need ideas soon! My deadline is 1 Aug to receive comments. After that “we are moving on” with completing the project. Next grant application is due late August. We are planning to draft and submit another grant application to the DNR Community Parks/Playground Program to continue our park capital improvement park project/Phase IV.
• We are planning on scheduling a pre-construction meeting with TALKIE COMMUNICATIONS before granting the ROW permit for work on Friendship Road.
• Our Town Engineer will be contacting Wicomico County regarding the trash racks installed that we believe have hindered the storm water from departing the Town of Pittsville. I will keep you up to date on this matter.
• I have completed and submitted a grant application for $250,000 to the RURAL MARYLAND COUNCIL to help defray the local share costs for the WTP UPGRADE/Phase IV. However, I have just been notified today (July 15) that the Governor is proposing to cut the RURAL MARYLAND COUNCIL’s budget by 25%! This proposal from the Governor goes to the Maryland Board of Public Works on July 17 and guess who the Chairman of that Board is!
• Pittsville Ford has provided preliminary plans to build a 36,000 sq ft building on the land that was annexed back in 2019. The proposed structure will service commercial large vehicles for repair and maintenance.
• The Town has been approached by UGEI a solar power installation company to construct a major solar panel project on the remaining Sandyfield subdivision which is zoned Central Residential/CR and at present does not permit solar panel projects (aside from individual units) They would need a change to the zoning code with a special exception use permitted.
• Dale Withers subdivision is continuing-just need the public works agreement signed (being reviewed now by his buyer/developer) and sewer impact fees need to be paid.
• Chase Dykes subdivision in final review by the Public Facilities Advisory Committee.
• Kevin Bailey subdivision of 4 lots on Main Street approved years ago and all impact fees paid will be sold to a developer who plans to construct 4 single family homes.
• No word regarding new proposal from Tim Ramey on the proposed 7 lot “Addition to Sandyfield” He has until November 7 to receive final Planning/Zoning Commission approval or it becomes null and void.
• There was no Planning/Zoning Commission meeting held this month.
• PEDC will be meeting on Wednesday, July 24 at 5:30 pm in Town Hall.
• Pursuant to a request from Town Commissioner Miller, a monthly schedule of municipal events will be posted on the Town’s web site and face book. The Town Clerk has been assigned the difficult task of reminding the Town Manager!
• I will be attending the MARYLAND PLANNING COMMISSIONERS ASSOCIATION regional workshop in Crisfield on July 25 and I did attend the Lower Shore’s Regional Meeting held in Salisbury on July 12 to hear comments from the Secretary of Planning and MDOP staff and also to share all that we in PITTSVILLE were doing.

Since our Town Engineer could not attend tonight’s meeting, I will give his report.

Click to view Agenda

Please note that effective July 1, 2024, water and sewer utility rates are increasing by 3%. Water front footage rate will remain at $.68 per front foot with sewer front footage rate increasing to $.50 per front foot. These new rates will be reflected in the October 1, 2024 billing.