All into order the January 8th meeting for environmental matters committee meeting.

And starting the top, uh all the members are present.

And the I have a motion to approve the agenda as introduced.

So moved.

All is in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

And have uh business and miscellaneous for election of the chair.

Is there a motion?

I'll move for Alderman Savage to be elected as chair of the environmental matters standing committee.

Thank you.

Any discussion or other nominations?

Okay.

No discussion.

I second.

Okay.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Motioners, thank you.

Appreciate your support.

And the general discussion.

We all we have are.

Oh, I forgot I didn't need to modify the agenda, but need to remove the ID six.

It's a stormwater fee incentives rebate program.

Public works is gonna join us, I think next month.

But for this afternoon, we're gonna start with ID 426, which is Hawkins Cove.

And so the staff please join us at the table.

I'm excited about this.

It feels so good to be on the environmental committee.

This is great, guys.

Happy to be here.

Thank you for joining us.

I thought it would be a good idea for the new committee to get briefed on various programs.

So for our next for a meeting next month, I've already invited uh plan of zoning Brian Adams with the Urban Tree program because I thought that will also dovetail well with the watershed restoration fund.

Um so thank you.

Um you're here to discuss Hawkins Cove.

So yeah, what do you have for so hello?

I'm uh Mike Rossberg.

I'm the stormwater program manager in uh public works.

Um I've been involved with this project since probably the past four years or so.

Um, but since then I've passed it along to Ann and I've been working with Eric on this project.

Um so I've still been involved in in and will be with the project, but overseeing um Ann's work.

So hi Ann Rotor Stormwater Engineer Public Works and project manager for this project.

And uh do we have the PowerPoint or the PDF in play somewhere?

We don't have to open it yet.

I just want to make sure that if we don't, then we need to probably have it up here shortly.

Okay, great.

Okay, just check, just checking so that we can keep moving.

Uh I'm Eric Lashinski, Chief of Comprehensive Planning.

And I I've been working on this project for several years as well.

Like um, Mike, um, primarily from uh um in conjunction with the ESport CNI project, which is you know, our our ambitious revitalization of um Eastport Terrace and Public House um uh Harbor House, the largest public housing community in the city, um, which I know Alderman Um Conte has been very involved with.

Um and it also just dovetails with our efforts to make public water access more equitable um and just generally connect the city's parks um to the waterfront.

So Anne from Public Works has really taken over as a project primary project manager um as we kind of move the project forward.

Um we'll just get going there.

Yeah, you can get started while they work out the technical issue.

Okay.

Um so thanks for the opportunity to talk about this project.

Um I think yeah, so we have a list of a hundred CIPs, many, many, many projects in the works, but this one has risen towards the top of the priorities um for for this year, the upcoming years because it has been long um in the making, and um it has really a whole slew of different um components and benefits that it could provide um to the to the community.

So um the product you want to talk about the location.

Yeah, the first slide um in the presentation.

You have your packets that you could the map that shows trucks and park and um Eastport Terrace Harbor House communities.

I mean, this was really just meant to reinforce the strategic um importance of this site being a connection between um where people live and where they recreate and and reach the water.

Um and truck and park is our largest city park.

It's had an incredible amount of investment over the years, um all the different assets, the swim center, the skate park, the tennis courts, boat ramp, so nature trails throughout.

So this is already used.

Uh I mean the the trail connection that connects Hawkins Cove to Trucks and is already you, it's just not a formalized thing.

Um and uh the waterfront at Hawkins Cove is also um in disrepair and that's what we'll talk about primarily today, but um next slide.

So unfortunately, your packet is the the expanded version, and and we're talking about um focus slides, but if you go now to it's in there, but you can this gets you the opportunity to skim.

Um it's called design project project overview about eight to ten in what was the header design project overview.

Sorry, I'll talk about this.

It hasn't it has an aerial image that shows the Hawkins Cove um shoreline project with this trail.

Yeah, I'm I'm distracted by the Greenway slide.

Oh, okay.

All right.

Well, the the Yeah, there's a lot of good content in there, but it takes it's like an hour long presentation, so we didn't think that you needed all of that today.

So on the design project over you, we try to highlight the the main components of the project.

Um so the project is actually kind of spurned to a new project out of it.

Um that's maybe not the best word, but we'll go with it.

Um, which we're calling the Truxton Green Network Connector, which is a trail that exists informally today, but we're formalizing it and um making it an accessible um you know permanent trail um with a boardwalk um through that connects this Hawkins Cove site, not quite to Truxton Park to but to Primrose Circle, and then the next phase of it is intended to connect over to um the trail um the nature net trail network and truck.

Yeah, trail ahead by the skate park by the by the pool area by the skate park.

Um so that's that's a project that's sort of spun out of this project, and that's the green network connector, which will be a timber boardwalk with trail improvements and wayfinding and educational signage.

If you go there now, which I'm sure you you have been there, there's a sort of half broken sign that only really the only really the insiders understand that that's a connection, but it is really a valuable connection between ESport and and that the park and then further over to um the spa road area.

So it's you know it it could be critical in really connecting neighborhoods.

Um other components um in the Hawkins Cove Restoration Project include a shoreline restoration.

Oh, got it.

Um shoreline restoration.

Uh so there's significant um degradation at the shoreline, and so there will be a living shoreline installed um and bases removal and replanting and um really trying to improve the functioning and resilience of of that shoreline.

Um a peer extension, a replacement of the existing pier and um extension um out into uh navigable waters, although we need to do some dredging in order to bring that into a navigable navigable channel.

This yeah, they're going through the big slide we're on right here.

Okay, just a couple things that my colleagues think they may not be completely aware of, but the area where the proposed boardwalk goes through is actually conservation easement, part of its conservation easement that's owned by the city, I guess overseen by the conservancy board.

I guess overseen by the conservancy board.

And is that the whole strip that goes down actually the August Woods?

It includes the old railroad right of grade.

I think they used to come part of where they used to come through there.

So there are a lot of future potential, you know, trail connections.

Yeah, it's great verses several different proper properties, and yeah, it does it really is a connector.

I used to live right over here, and I had to carry my bike into the ravine over the concrete that was thrown in the stream.

So this is really gonna be yeah.

I mean, I see the mids do the run run that existing trail, but I think they're really the only ones that are party or dumb enough.

I'm not sure which to out every day.

Um it's it's it's pretty it can be depending on the time of year and the level of vegetation, it it can be a little rough.

Um so yeah, so the shoreline restoration is one key component, and we'll we'll look at some closer-up images of these of these different elements.

Um replacement of the existing pier with an accessible pier and floating dock, and again moving further out into the cove to get to navigable waters, although we have to do some dredging to bring that navigability in.

And then there's a stormwater management component and um accessibility and site improvements in in that park park-like setting.

Um, it's really sort of it's going to be a street end park essentially, like like the other ones that we we have throughout the city.

It's not going to suddenly be, you know, uh swing sets and a big recreational spot.

Um so we are in the bigger presentation, but I think next slide is fine.

Thank you.

Um so this is just a summary of really the the kind of trying to explain the major priorities of the project and how they interact.

It does have a lot of elements and and benefits um both from an ecological health side from restoration, um trying to provide some resilience for that shoreline and address the existing habitat, um, but mitigate the extent to which we're disturbing it.

Um, you know, there's sort of a delicate balance there because the existing habitat, while it it's different than it was maybe you know, 200 years ago is a valuable uh habitat at this point.

Um so the set there'll be sediment management and stormwater management from our stormwater management efforts, and then um hopefully um benefit to the aquatic habitat and the upland habitat.

Um and then there's the public act public water access and recreation access component of this project, which is both the the connection to the the large-scale park, but also this immediate connection for really the I think it's the most densely populated area in the city, correct?

I don't know about density, but but it is it is a it's the most important gap in water access uh in the city.

I I if you look at Eastport, it's hard to believe, you know, Eastport generally has quite a lot of access, but this is a very noticeable gap between Trucks and Park and Burnside Street.

Um so it's really it's a it's a pretty important project from that perspective.

Yeah, so we have you know a lot of water privileged residents, but we also have a lot of residents right there that uh don't don't have great water access, and I think this will fill that big gap.

They might not necessarily all run out and buy um you know kayaks and and sailboats, but they'll have that immediate uh blue space access.

Um, and then these those two benefits really kind of come together towards just generally improving community health through um creating that community corridor that's connecting neighborhoods, um, providing more opportunities for environmental education and stewardship, um, a non-vehicular transit um opportunity, better access to nature, social connection, water quality, and yeah, so it just all comes together.

So those are the three big priorities, and it's the the components of the project really work to find that best balance between them.

Next slide.

So, yeah, so this is the longer presentation.

So we're gonna go ahead and just skip one, but if you are curious, you can go back and read these.

Um, but basically what this slide is telling you is that this project has been through a full design process with lots of input.

Next slide, please.

Um so this is just a little more detail on on the specific components.

Um this is a closer up view of the of the living shoreline element.

Um this area has um been um the recipient of decades of um erosion, up upland erosion, um, and really needs needs some help um to build up is its resistance and health at this stage.

So the living shoreline will happen and then the existing bulkhead um which will be removed and um there'll it'll be replaced with a nature-based solution, which is a regenerative step pool stormwater conveyance system, which will be treating the water more slowly and um more naturally before it before it enters the cove.

Uh next slide.

Um I just talked about that uh the stormwater management.

So that's um really removing that that bulkhead and and installing the regenerative stormwater system.

For like the non-engineers, I think it is I um thinking about the stormwater approach is like the the land side and the water side, two different things, and this is more of the land side, you know.

Yeah, I had it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So this is the upland start.

This is this is what's treating the water before it gets to the cove, and then and the shoreline is is trying to keep things in place and protect them from future uh disturbance.

Okay, question on this.

So you're supposing to use core logs with a toe, a stone toe.

Yes.

Uh so with the stone toe out, presumably outside the edge of the stone toe, and then the four or five logs.

How far down are you proposing to take the stone toe?

I'm just I'm asking, I guess what I'm getting at is just it's a very low energy area.

So I'm just curious about the velocities that have I guess the wave action is pointed towards the need for the stone toe.

This is what happens when you elect an engineer.

Yeah, it just fine.

I I mean I understand it is.

I mean, it it is currently a low energy environment.

Um, I think we're trying to design something that can meet the test of time.

But Mike wants to say something, so he's going to be able to do that.

I agree.

I think that's I think it had brought up the what the tow looks like.

I think the idea is is that this over time we really do it's really for that initial period where these plants are getting established, we kind of designate this uh an area.

So nothing, although it is low wave, nothing will likely get washed away, but it's still a designated area that we can say that we want to make sure as far as an area that we're determining for living shoreline gets established properly, and then over time, I think the way um you won't even see the stone.

I think it's very, and I don't know exactly what type or how much or how far out, but it's really just kind of just to kind of set a pen marker to the living shoreline.

So once those plants and those low plants get established, I think it'll really be it won't you won't even see the stone.

It's not like big just a way to yeah, to kind of get the establishment going and provide a factory.

Yeah.

No, I'm just a little section.

I guess it's just encourage you to look at because we tend to shy away from hardened approach like that.

Yes, because there can be unintended consequences on wildlife as far as I know we don't have too many turtle species, I suppose, but we're gonna have some that may need to be able to access the marsh and stone.

There's a stone revetment like that.

I just think it might be a little overkill.

Um at the very least, I see there are at least two gaps, which is good.

Anyway, I just want Mike question for your own.

Well, and so we the living shoreline is you know is not continuous, it is it is a limited area.

Um, so there area over to the right in the in the drawing, you can see the the marshland area is is does not have the right the living shoreline or or the tow.

Um so it's really just for that pretty pretty small designated area where it's around the pier.

Okay.

Um so speaking of the pier, um, so we're changing orientations, which is slightly confusing.

I'm sorry for that.

Um, but um so the pier um is again, there's an existing pier there.

I don't know how long it's been there.

Looks like a really long time.

Um it's really falling apart and being eaten by the by the silt, basically.

Um so that will be removed and replaced with um a new longer accessible pier.

So part of the longer is to make it accessible, but a bigger part of that is to move the pier out into a spot where we can create a navigable channel.

Um there is a pretty there's pretty low uh water depth um to sometimes no water depth um in that first few, say 10 feet um of the cove.

Um, and so we're extending it out quite a bit to achieve all those different purposes.

Um so at the same time, we need to dredge back um to create that navigable channel.

And again, there's that sort of magic balance point between how far how far should the pier go out and how much should we dredge dredging um is considered um disruptive to the existing habitat, and so it's you know it's something that's permitted by the uh Maryland Department of Environment and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Um, and so we're working with them to find that that sweet spot between those two things.

Um it also is expensive.

Um, and so we try to find that balance as well, and it needs maintenance.

Um so we can't tell you exactly when it will need to be redredged.

It kind of depends on what's happening upland and and you know how our new regenerative stormwater system works and uh lots of different things, but we'll be monitoring that again, there will be an adaptive management plan for the project.

Um, but ultimately it will need to be redredged at some point.

So we want to keep that in mind again when we're when we're deciding what the point is.

Question from the body.

So uh what I'm curious about, and um I am not a stormwater engineer, but I deal sometimes with stormwater markets.

And um I'm just curious how this is helping us meet our MS4 requirements.

It's just like how are we measuring the benefit of these stormwater improvements?

Are we doing it in acres treated?

Are we looking at sediment?

What's what like how do we say this is such and such good out of it?

Yeah, so we're getting you want to answer it.

Go for it now.

Okay.

Um we are claiming restoration credits for the for the regenerative step pool stormwater combinants.

Um, and then there are also credits available for the living shoreline component.

Um I don't there's not we're not particularly treating impervious area because there isn't impervious area.

There is a parking area, and we are making some changes to that, but we're not we're not reducing.

So it's really those the I think those are the two main components for the restoration credits.

Yeah, and I think this this project is has lots, it's a restoration, it's got trails, it's got pier, it's got the living shoreline and stream restoration.

So I think you know, I think this is an opportunity for us to meet a check a lot of different boxes.

I think that's kind of what we're saying.

This is meeting a lot of different needs.

So for yeah, for the MS4 credit, we're we're just we're we're we're also constructing what makes sense.

You know, we're not this isn't we're trying to get the most out of this.

We're just trying to make uh uh perform this restoration living shoreline storm as as that makes sense for the area, and then whatever we get out of that with is part of our um portfolio of our restoration goals.

Um, and then once you know there's concept level estimates as far as acreage treated that you can get for the for the living shoreline and the stepple storm conveyance.

Um, but then once we get more, I think we might have them.

I just have them off the top of my head as far as exactly the number, but it's included in our restoration goals.

Gotcha.

Yeah.

Cool.

I think I'm hearing what you're saying, it is not the primary thing we're designing for.

No, but it is a huge, it is, I mean, it's it's definitely part of it.

And what's a bigger part of it is the actual benefits that the MS board is trying to create, like the natural the living resource response and the habitat.

Let me drill in on that because I think uh that's a great question there.

Like when you say the actual benefit to it, tell me how you define them.

So water, so water quality improvements, um, you know, dissolved oxygen and nutrient reduction, and then also habitat and resilience.

Um, all the all those different the living resource response is you know the big new push to understand that, not to just focus entirely on new on nitrogen and phosphorus and and sediment, but we definitely have nitrogen phosphorus and sediment, especially sediment uh to deal with on this site, and we will be working to manage that.

Cool.

Yeah, yeah.

Um some point, and I don't expect you to have the numbers right off the top of your head, but uh I would be interested to hear what we expect those nitrogen phosphorus sediment reduction.

We definitely have those calculations.

I'm sorry, I don't know them off the top of my head, but I couldn't look at it.

You're gonna at some point we're gonna come across this in the environmental committee that I'm a big believer in those those nitrogen phosphorus reductions, sure, like living resources guilty, but it nothing can live if you can't breathe.

So I'm a big believer in that.

But Lase doesn't have to be right now.

Thank you.

Um I think we have some details about the the pier and the and the floating pier, but I don't I don't know that we need to go into that right now.

So let's maybe go to the next slide.

Can we go to the oh yeah, oh yeah.

Well, this is it's interesting.

I'm looking at the have had some questions about the dredging, but this shows you the clear the blue line or the the extent of the proposed dredging operation.

Yeah.

And uh my recollection is that's that not covered by the grant money is or or is it?

So we we have applied for uh waterway improvement funds for that.

Okay.

Um we uh those are pending, and I I wouldn't say that they're a shoe in at this point.

Um we'll get to the budget in a little bit, but there are there are funds available.

Um we don't currently have funds for that component of the project.

What's the estimated?

Well, what's the total project cost and then the dredging separate from the dredging cost?

So um we'll we have we'll we'll get to that but the total project cost.

Um I'll just wait.

Yes.

Just later.

Oh wait, but going to the dredging question.

Has anybody done just curious because it's always uh fascinated me, but has anybody done a core sample of the sediment in that creek?

Just to take a look at how much legacy sediment there may be, where how far down the original bottom actually is.

We we definitely I believe during the early design phases we had we have geotech work for this area as far as far how far out in the creek related to the dredging.

I I believe, you know, I I think uh our consultant would know more.

I know that it's it it was tested to see if anything's suitable, and it's really not.

It it it's nothing is really, I guess, as far as the construction of this project is worth saving for this.

Um but I I I it's a good question.

I we could probably get back to you as far as the geotech work done for the dredging.

I just don't know.

Um I'm just interested from a standpoint of I'd like to get a uh under conceptual understanding of how much sedimentation we've experienced over the years.

Yeah.

And when we look at that core sample, how much of it is from runoff is is it from just sedimentation, how much of it is from leaf deposition, how rapidly has that occurred.

I mean, I know you know how many years you want to go back, but you know back when 1800s, this is cleared for agriculture, it had a lot of erosion, but um and then we had development after that.

I'm just yeah because I have anecdotes from neighbors who grew up on back read and tell me oh you back when they were kids, they had water that was five feet deep with crabs and SAVs and probably similar here, you know, now it's a mud flat, but not even 70 years ago.

Can we move two slides forward since we have since we have the bigger slide deck, we'll just use them.

Um so here's an image from 1957 and 1970 of images of the code from those two years.

Um so looking back a little, um, so uh there hasn't ever been this highly navigable channel, deep water, deep cold water channel there.

And I have a map from 1932 that shows one foot depths out to um 20 feet from the shoreline.

So it's it's some of that is lore, and some of that is true, but certainly the habitat has changed, and there has been an enormous amount of filtation in the roof.

Yeah, in fact, I believe I think Alderman Thorpe has grew up on the cove and like has kind of substantiated that too.

Um his recollection always pretty shallow.

Um but yeah, so we definitely we don't I don't know about the cores.

We could look into that as kind of a before my time, but um it's a good question.

Um, but it's definitely been a point of much discussion and consideration about what the right amount of dredging is.

And no, unfortunately, the the material that's there is not adequate, is not good for substantial for for beneficial reuse, so we'll have to ship ship it away, and we all we want to consider that too when we're thinking about how much we're removing.

Um I mean, I know the county has some disposal sites.

Can we use those?

Yes, yes.

Why is it not beneficial?

I mean, it's not like the Baltimore Harbor where it's full of chromium or something.

What's the it has to do with the composition of it?

It's not that it's yeah, it's not that it's completely um polluted, but it's just not got you.

It's not good quality.

Sure.

Um if you go to the next slide, please.

So uh the other land side components of the project are sort of more pragmatic.

Um some parking improvements, um, ADA parking and an ADA accessible route, um uh drop off and turnaround area, and um adding in some minor uh park like amenities, some seating, some waterside seating, and uh pagoded we call it a pagoda pavilion.

Pavilion, just picnic pavilion.

Uh and um, but all of that is done with a pretty light touch to to minimize the environmental impact.

Can I make a suggestion for the I love the I love these ideas uh and I love the idea of the kayak rack, but I'd almost say we should maybe double the kayak rack in the sense that like make I want to make sure that we have part of it kayak rack that is dedicated for the lower income, you know, underserved nearby residents, and um you know, and I think then think maybe we could have a separate one that's rented out or I don't know how someone proposed to use it, but I know we talked about adding here downtown, talked about adding a kayak rack that um was gonna be I think operated by was it probably direct parks, but any case, um good idea, might be worth more discussion with parks about would they be taking over this?

Yeah park.

Yeah, so this will become part of part of Breckin Parks um responsibility, and we have uh ongoing conversations with them, and we have a meeting with them on Monday, so we'll talk about that.

Um more you want to say about these?

No.

Yeah, okay.

All right.

And then we're gonna, yeah, next slide, please.

And then this is just a slightly closer up, although it's a broad geographic area, so it's hard to get really close up, but view of the of the trail connection.

Um, and um, you know, an image of the idea of it.

Um do you want to talk through that?

Sure.

The boardwalk um is the main idea is to make it accessible, you know, to all users.

Walk people walk, people are biking.

It's gonna be 10 feet wide.

So the image in the upper right looks like it may be more than 10 feet.

That's just a precedent um from somewhere else.

But essentially, this is gonna be wide enough for people to go in two directions, and there's a kink in the trail that you can see on the plan where it does kind of a dog leg sharp turn, and there's a way for cyclists to get off of the trail and sort of do a bypass to get back on the trail.

Um what do you mean?

Um there's a dog leg is just a it's still flat.

Yeah, well, it's actually it's the it's the boardwalk trail that has railings, and you can see it you um you'd have to do like almost a 90-degree turn, and so sort of to um as a benefit to people who might be on a bike, so they don't have to get off and walk it or and they can basically um go straight and uh meet up with the trail at a point where it's at grade, and so there wouldn't be any railing, and they can kind of come back to the trail.

And that that point about the trail being at grade, you know, at the grade level at some points points that'll be elevated on pilings.

Um that's important because um you know, we had some questions about whether this was gonna block wildlife and they will be able to go through where it's at grade.

uh meet up with the trail at a point where it's at grade and so there wouldn't be any railing and they can kind of come back to the trail and that that point about the trail being at grade you know at the grade level at some points points it'll be elevated on on pilings um that's important because um you know we had some questions about whether this was going to block wildlife and they will be able to go through where it's at grade um it won't be a obstruction to them um so the other thing I think it's interesting the um the design team found a route that uh you know if you go to that trail today it it goes has some steep terrain and definitely um is not ADA compliant today they found a route where they could maintain that um lower pitch um without really um having to take out any significant trees so that that's a really good thing yeah so the layout looks a little arbitrary but it's not it's very carefully uh navigating contour existing contours and you know some significant grade changes to maintain that accessibility and also working around the trees some of which are you know substantial trees and there's there's also some lines yeah okay next slide how we're gonna skip that one keep going um I could speak briefly about this this is um a separate initiative that I'm really excited about that we've been working on for the last year uh that is a citywide signage improved signage initiative focused on both water access and trail access and this is the one yeah no no this is it this is it um the this we're we're actually uh doing this signage redesign effort under the Access Annapolis brand and to really put emphasis on the importance of making our public spaces more accessible and inclusive and inviting and this is uh this was like low hanging fruit that came out of the public water access plan you know just um we found that so many sites have outdated signage are the standards that we had in place for signage typically require two posts um and they're kind of very large signs which with some of our street end parks mean it's challenging to even find a location to put that sign you're hitting some underground utilities in some cases if you don't thread the needle so these would be new signs on a single post more efficient with the amount of text and uh very consistent and um Hawkins Cove will be one of the first sites to get the new signage we're actually nearby we're laying out the signs for the Spa Creek Trail right now because that's an existing trail that doesn't have great sign it's out you know outdated signs today.

So you'll be seeing these show up pretty soon exciting.

And we'll also be working with Regant Parks to uh establish some educational signage along along the way at probably at the Cove and then somewhere somewhere on the trail.

Yeah this signage initiative has really been kind of a cross departmental initiative so um public works park wreck and parks transportation have all been involved in this okay we're gonna skip forward several slides and go to the project schedule what's that we're skipping over the plant pallet we did we did if you want to geek out about that later we can we can do that offline maybe um so this is our target schedule for these two projects now the the trucks and uh green network connector trail um has just been submitted for um for grading permit review and um we uh we are hoping to bid that out and um get that started for construction this summer um that project is largely grant funded and so we do have uh schedule expectations around that funding and um so that's that's a high priority for us um and hopefully should be achievable um the bigger lift is the Hawkins cove schedule um which has been uh the permits for um the joint permit application through MDE through map uh Maryland Department of the Environment and the US Army Corps has been submitted and in is in process it's not a short process um but we are hopefully reaching the tail end of that and um then we can uh finalize our bid documents and send that out to bid um it will have to go through certainly also the city approval process permitting processes um and we're aiming for construction start in fall of 2026 um that will be a longer construction project um and so target is spring 2027 for completion you look like you have a question no I'm good I'm wish you luck with the I hear those city grading permit reviewers can take a long time well I will review that so um next slide please and uh here's the other other uh hurdle for us is is the funding so um so the project is fully funded for

You look like you have a question.

I'm wish you luck with the I hear those city grading permit reviewers can take a long time.

Well, I will review that.

So next slide, please.

And here's the other hurdle for us is the funding.

So the project is fully funded for design.

Both projects were funded for design through an assemblage of grants and some city funding, but mostly grants.

So we were waiting to hear on those.

But neither of those are a guarantee.

The trust fund one in particular is a very, very hard grant to get.

Yeah.

Probably only harder this year because I don't think their funding is looking so hot.

Mike, uh can you just repeat what you just said about where the how much the gap is?

Did you say 150,000?

I just didn't agree.

950.

Not okay.

I thought you said 150 and I was confused because it didn't match here.

950.

Did that include the say that included the um funding for um dredging?

Yes.

Yeah, so the total cost is the 1.9 to 1 for design and construction for Hopkins School.

Um and we've we have 974,000 of that are allocated through various sources already.

So we're missing about about a million.

Got it.

Round numbers.

Yeah, so those are the different components.

Those kind of the breakout of the cost of the different components.

Yeah, thank you.

This is very it's written out very easily to understand.

Would you think that so other potential sources that we're looking at?

Um we are part of the Severn Whole Watershed Partnership, and we have prioritized this project for funding through that initiative for um this year.

I don't know if they're gonna do that, um, but we shall see.

Um, and then um there's the DGS consolidated bond loan potentially.

Um then there's city funding.

Those are those are our current options besides the two that we've already applied for, but we're also open to other suggestions.

Um we've applied for several things and not gotten it.

It's been it has been a difficult year for for grant funding.

Um, but we're still prioritizing the project.

So next slide.

Next slide.

So that's it.

Um as I mentioned, um, we're submitting for the the trail has been submitted for grading permit review, and we're hoping to start construction in in the summer, and Hawkins Cove has a few more permitting hurdles to get through as well as funding hurdles before we can proceed with construction.

Any other questions from the committee?

Um one of the things I'm gonna be paying attention to with our projects is the ratio between design and planning funding and construction funding.

Yes, right.

Like, and this is absolutely not a criticism of any individual person.

Um, but just in general, our projects we end up spending so much of it on design is that it's one of my my favorite metrics as well.

Well, so uh it also thank you.

So maybe you will know the answer to this.

Would you say this is like one to three from looking at the budget book?

Would you say that's pretty typical, or is this something that we're spending more on design, less than typical?

How's it just ballpark?

How does it compare to other projects that you work with?

Um, so I don't know the metrics of all the projects um because I'm relatively new, but it is something I might mention every time I get onto a new project.

I think that this one is pretty high.

I if we didn't go through the extensive history of this project, but it is it is extensive, and there has been a huge amount of outreach um and and um different design phases and and effort.

Um so I I think it it is on it is on the high side, but um I would say that it would be great to to do that analysis across all the capital projects and understand it and um and you know be able to have a thumbnail number that we can use, a rule of thumb number that we can use for project costs.

Um Alderman Huntley.

Um Jackie Guy, deputy city manager for resilience and sustainability.

Part of the reason there's some been some design extra costs is this project has gone through so many iterations and additional add-ons and ideas for additional funding that then we had the green connector and it all which makes sense and in the end is going to be a real asset to the community and to the city as a whole.

I mean, this started I think in one of the first things I hit um running when I became deputy city manager was I think it was January of 2022.

And originally started as a 130,000 dollar Chesapeake Bay Trust grant award.

So and then you see how large it's become and it's it was just for removal of the bulkhead and the living shoreline is for dock repairs at that time.

And you see how much larger and more extensive it is now.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, page four goes through the history and and um yeah, it's 2021, so it's even even more yeah.

Cool.

Thank you.

Yeah, like I said, I think it's just something we want to keep our eye on, not for any individual project because lots of good projects do require more design, but as a whole, how do we keep those costs down so we can spend more on getting stuff done?

Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that.

Um and on that topic, what's the total square footage acreage of disturbance roughly?

Uh don't know the answer to that trail.

I don't know.

Okay.

I'm asking just because you know this came up with you remember like the hilltop lane pulvert.

I think it was going to be a CIP project that was like 1.5 million or something like that.

But we ended up figuring out a way to lower that using I think I think you ended up getting a blanket permit from county for certain types of stormwater park.

And I'm glad Eric's here too, because I think I may mention you too, but I want to expand that approach for stormwater projects so that we don't have to always do it.

We could do an in-house design, we could do field engineering, right?

Similarly for transportation and cycling, I would really love to get a point to a point where we can just get in bike lanes, um, we get bike paths, even without having to go through an extensive design engineering phase because you know we have standard details for a reason.

Why not just use the standard details for a lot of this work?

You know, again, we've we've we're starting to do that more with the stormwater than my my day job, right?

I'd love to see that approach taken on some of the transportation angle because then you don't have to spend all this money and time on just over designing something.

I'm not saying this is overdesigned at all.

I'm just gonna do that.

Yeah, I will say that the the trail component of this was by far the most straightforward part of the design.

Um that said, all of this is within the critical area, and there are pretty extensive design.

This is for Harry, they're pretty extensive permitting that do require a lot of technical backup.

But that's our critical area implementation.

Right.

I mean, I know it's based on the state model and they have to agree to it, but we're the ones who uh well, no, I mean we have to get the state the MDE and the US Army Corps permit.

So those are for yeah, I guess for the disturbance to the wetland.

That's right.

But like as far as the critical area regs, those are based on our own iteration of the there's several different layers of permitting in this project.

But yeah, and then we didn't even talk about the harbor master permitting, which is again that's us, but it will be a lift.

Because I mean they they do have like forest conservation act, needs to be improved, but it has some built-in exemptions for restoration activities.

I don't I'd like to see again that that idea expanded to some of these other projects.

Just planting a seed.

So I'm interested in all right.

Thank you all for your time.

It's been super interesting.

This has been very interesting.

Thank you guys so much.

Thank you.

We have two presentations left.

Yeah, that's my um and you got her too.

Uh all right, so Mr.

Meekins, if you could join us.

If and um to you and us, I'm gonna try to keep this to half an hour because I know Ms.

God has a lot of information to get to.

Absolutely.

Nice uh to see you all, uh new members of the committee uh and alter people.

Uh my name is Mike Meekins.

I'm a senior planner in current planning, planning, and zoning.

Um I believe uh Alderman Savage asked what about a year ago for updates, periodic updates.

Yeah, yeah.

So a little context, and this is predates even me on the council, but um actually it may have been started by Mayor Littman when he was on this.

But any case, years ago, um the department started giving updates to the committee as far as development projects, because we often get a lot of questions for those, and it uh obviously directly ties to Forest Conservation Act Critical Area Laws that we are keenly involved in and care about.

So this is just an opportunity for us.

Typically gives an update on things that have changed, and that's what he has highlighted in red.

But if you have questions about any kind of development going on, now's a good time to ask.

But he may need another meeting or two to get a response.

Yeah, absolutely.

Um thank you for that opening.

Um, first question is I did email uh what's on the screen.

Uh I am old school, so I brought hard copies too.

I don't know if anyone would like hard copies.

Yes, you'd like yeah.

Oh, thank you.

I think we settled on you coming maybe every two months or so, but three three months.

I think we said quarterly, but it you know, it's uh it's at the committees or the chair's uh request.

I can be made available.

I mean, this document lives uh and is generally updated within a couple weeks of the invitation of uh to come speak before the committee.

So um, you know, it's it it's at your uh at your call, but uh I think we did originally say like quarterly every three months.

Thank you.

Um so briefly just to describe what you're looking at.

They are major, what we identify as major projects within the city generally.

Um are residential, but uh some of them are commercial, uh or the majority of them actually are commercial.

Anyway, um just to highlight what Alderman Savage said uh and give you an idea of what you're looking at, the color code.

There's a chart on the back of the uh, or there's a legend on the back, the last page.

But um what I've done in the past since I've come here maybe a half a dozen times, is just highlight what's changed uh from the last meeting.

And so everything in blue, there's really no change.

Um everything that's not highlighted in in white uh with the red text are items that have uh been updated since the last iteration um or the last meeting.

So entirely up to you if you want me to run through everything I can, or I can touch on uh the updates that I have, and then if you have any other specific questions for anything else, I'd be happy to try to answer.

And as Alderman Savage said, uh, I if I don't have uh sometimes if I don't have the answer now, I will have the answer for next time.

For the sake of time, I'd suggest just go through your updates and then if folks have questions, we can go back to some.

Sounds good.

All right, so top of page one uh is uh the auto zone project, which is 1942 West Street.

Um it's the demolition of two buildings, um, and a for the ultimate construction of an auto zone uh auto parts retail store.

Um that uh demolition, if you've driven down West Street, possibly you've might might have seen it, uh, is under is underway.

And just for context or history, uh this is where uh the Chris's charcoal pit uh restaurant was.

Uh there were several other uh uh store storefronts in this strip mall, and it was damaged by the tornado uh well completely just not completely destroyed, but damaged by the tornado some I don't know, five years ago.

So it's the redevelopment of the site.

It's a 7400 square foot building associated parking uh with uh underground structured stormwater management.

Uh it's gone through the planning commission, or it went through the planning commission uh and got approval.

Uh everything has been approved minus the grading permit.

Uh the building permit's been released.

The grading permit is actually just we'll say uh right around the corner to be approved.

They're just working on agreements and bonds and basically the tail end of the permit process paperwork.

Uh so that will uh like I said, demolition has already started.

Uh and that is the redevelopment of 1942 West Street.

And good and bad on this one, get on my soapbox, and it's not directed at this it didn't, it um it's not directed as staff, but um good and bad on this one.

The bad is just and Mr.

Meek has heard me go off on this before, but you know, this part of West Street, it's a very auto-centric.

We're replacing asphalt with more asphalt, it's unfortunate.

Um, but that's kind of the pattern of development that's on West Street until we break it, hopefully, some kind of transit um that's gonna enable better and smarter growth.

But um, so you know, it's just until we change that and open it up to pedestrians, it's gonna be dominated by cars.

Um, so I do cringe at this, but I get it's not staff's fault.

But I do think the good is that I think staff was able to with the planning commission get them to uh take an accederation and think build out or protect part of the uh we that goes the wheel trail, we trail that goes behind that.

Is that correct?

Yeah, correct.

There's a uh there's pedestrian and uh bicycle access point uh that the developers agreed upon uh along with the property owner to uh uh provide access to the the WEEE trail.

Um so that's a plus.

I don't know if you want to talk about, I can talk about, but uh to your point the vehicular uh mindset of cars on West Street, but the mitigation that was also um proposed, and uh the developer didn't have any pushback with it with basically trees uh uh in the uh buffering the rear of the property and then the landscaping and trees uh immediately adjacent to uh West Street.

So excuse me, that was uh you know, that was not exactly ideal, but it was definitely a plus, I would say.

You know, it's not a it's not a perfect world.

Yeah, and for my recall, they wanted a very large parking lot so that they could turn around their delivery truck.

Well, yeah, it actually stems from uh the delivery trucks and uh fire department.

So the fire department uh wanted uh well didn't want, but the design had to incorporate a ladder truck going into that property.

And if you're not familiar with the property, it's it's pretty much uh long and narrow.

So to make all that turning work, you kind of had to leave a lot of where you proposed a lot of uh asphalt.

Fire trucks have reverse.

But yeah, that I mean, yeah, I mean it speaks to there are a number of issues, I think with our code.

We need to try to it can be they can work against each other on but I'm gonna give the chief a hard time next time I see him.

All right, thank you.

Uh on that one.

You what uh what other updates you have for us?

Okay, so the bottom of that uh first page is parole place, um, which is located at the intersection of uh Forest Drive and Old Solomon's Island Road.

Is that uh a Lytle?

Yeah.

So it's the um it's the assembly of multiple parcels.

Uh ultimately it was it's a uh it's a planned unit development, uh special uh mixed plan unit development.

No, I'm sorry, it's a planning unit of development.

Um that includes uh a one main building that is uh uh multi multi-family uh above retail, uh a parking, a parking structure, uh, and then uh townhouses, uh 66 townhouses.

So again, it's the assembly of all this.

Um right now there is a strip mall.

Um there's fixed, but yeah, yeah, it is.

I'm I'm sorry, I uh I miss stated that is mixed because of the commercial element within that.

Um so anyway, uh the up MP zero MPDUs, if I'm not mistaken.

This is the one that uh predated the updated MPDUs.

There are some slated the predated.

Well, I lost one one vote and we got zero.

We would have got more MPDUs out of this in the past in one vote than we got in the past 20 years, but I digress.

How many still bucks got I have you know I have a lot?

Um so anyway, it uh as uh it has gone through all the approvals, uh planning commission.

Uh most recently the update here is that the subdivision plat has been reviewed by various agencies in the city, uh approved, fully executed, and uh signed and uh recorded.

So uh conceivably the next step would be for the developer to submit grading and building permits for this.

Okay.

Any questions?

Just one quick question on this.

The um residential or retail units are they intended as apartments or is kind of or potentially both.

Uh apartments.

Okay.

So yeah, so the residential element above the first floor um commercial or retail uh uh would all be like workforce housing, small units, um one to two occupants uh and apartments, so basically rental.

But uh the idea behind uh the applicant's concept is workforce housing for that.

Love it.

Thank you.

On this project, uh with a lot of opportunities on those roadways in that area for bike improvements, especially on Forest Drive, old Forest Drive coming up.

Would dovetail really nicely with this project.

You want to keep moving?

Yeah.

Yeah, what's the next one?

So the next one's on uh sheet two.

Um uh West Village, which is 161 West Street.

It's the basically uh right now it's a grass plot right next to uh lemongrass.

Um and metropolitan uh on that section of West Street.

Um it recently, so the update basically um the idea is mixed use again, uh first floor of restaurants, second and third floor uh residence.

Uh and it actually had been through the approval process um through uh the board of appeal the board of appeals.

I think it was planning.

It was planning commission, you're right.

Sorry.

Um planning commission, but that expired.

So they had to be heard again, and that recently took place uh maybe November or possibly December.

I think it was November.

Um so that's been approved.

The building permits been approved.

Uh and what's outstanding is a uh so the building permit, uh they revise utility connections and some minor elements.

So they need to revise their grading permit, and actually that had expired, so they're they're updating their grading plan, resubmitting it, uh, and then once that goes through the review process and approved, it'll be a approved mixed use uh structure that's gonna be on that uh that vacant plot right now.

Uh, and then once that goes through the review process and approved, it'll be a approved mixed use uh structure that's gonna be on that uh that vacant plot right now.

So the last update that I have is a new project that just uh recently came in uh before the end of the uh the year last year.

Um it's the Thomas Somerville site at 2349 Solomon's Island Road, yeah.

And uh that is across from Chick-fil-A, if you're familiar with that area, um kind of a unique situation where this this piece of property, there's a large warehouse and a small showroom within that warehouse.

Uh and uh the property itself, again, long and narrow that stretches from Route Three to Old Solomon's Island Road.

The property is bisected by the city-county uh boundary, and that boundary literally runs through the existing building that's there now.

So Thomas Somerville and uh the uh design team have come in.

The boundary runs through the building, yeah.

Yeah, it's it's kind of an oddity if you actually look at that uh that area of the city of Annapolis that borders uh Anorono County, uh the boundary runs through that shopping center where um what is it, the dispensary uh gold leaf, uh that parking lot, that shopping center, uh the boundary runs right through there.

So uh anyway, they have come in all what's that?

I think that might be further down the road, but not it it doesn't involve this project.

Um, but the idea is uh the Thomas Somerville company um will uh demo the existing large warehouse structure uh and redevelop that site, but all in almost entirely on the city uh of Annapolis side of that border.

Really?

What are they gonna do on the counties with the parking on the county side?

So they don't have a so they're gonna have to go through a permitting process with the county, and I'm not pro view to that just yet, but I'm sure we'll be communicating.

Um, but the idea is to relocate um everything onto the city side, uh, and then possibly uh there's there's no proposal for anything on the county side other than revegetating the existing uh portion of that property.

Um but down the road, could they do something that's entirely possible?

But their proposal right now, other than linking uh storm drains uh to the existing storm drain network that is in the county, the entire project, including the access points, um the new building, uh, which includes the warehouse, um parking associated improvements, and stormwater management, that entire the entirety of that is located and proposed on the city of Annapolis site.

So it would be the corner of Old Silom's Island Road and uh drawing a blank.

Is that Somerville Road?

Yeah, yeah.

Um, and like I said, it it really just came in.

It it will eventually um go to the planning commission.

Uh, but right now uh it's gone, it's in the first review um just to iron out major uh any major uh design changes.

And uh I have Eric Lashinski, my expert witness that would like to say something.

I I just wanted to say that from a um bike and walking mobility perspective.

This is a much more exciting project, frankly, than the um parole place because it has a uh tremendous amount of frontage, both on old Solomon's Island Road and Somerville, and in a study that was done about five years ago now that was looking at originally how to extend the Poplar Trail to meet the South Shore Trail at Route 2, essentially the the West East Express turning from West Street down Old Solomon's to then Somerville was seen as uh even a longer route to get to the town center, like a more feasible route because Old Solomon's has ample space today.

It's got shoulders on both sides and Sumerville also, and so that is gonna be something we're gonna put in the review for this project that I think would be a pretty straightforward aspect of it.

So it's it's gonna still gonna be 100% commercial, but yeah, you're gonna look it it has the potential to have a really nice you know 10 foot wide shared use path um separated from the street and it would still be a gap um between this property and West Street where the um the um shopping center is but we can fill in that later when that project happens.

You guys are gonna be on you know tested here because our side is gonna have to look better than the county's side of this property.

Yeah, no, as Eric said, I think it's it's a great opportunity to improve those those pedestrian and uh bicycle networks in this at this corner, and then you know, eventually down the road, I would think the the shopping center at the corner of West and uh Route Three uh would when it's redeveloped incorporate uh those those additional networks.

Yeah, and I mean I think that at some point that intersection is gonna need a traffic signal.

Um yeah, old Solomon's and West.

It's pretty dangerous.

I think that's gonna probably be coming out.

The MDOT's doing a I think I heard you say circle.

Oh, is that what you said?

I missed that circle.

We can certainly suggest that, damn time.

Actually, well, yeah, actually, well, that's a good point.

It might be good to factor that in the right of way in with this new proposal in case we decide to put something at Somerville.

I'm sorry, I'm stuck on stuck on something else.

You said you said the intersection of West Street and Route Three.

Oh, route two red.

Did I say three?

I meant route two.

That makes much more sense to me.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Apologies.

Thanks, Eric.

Thank you.

Um, anything else on that one?

No, that's that was uh that's actually the last one, and uh, you know, available for uh questions on anything else, but that would be uh that would be my typical presentation for the committee.

Thank you, Mr.

Meekins.

Any other questions for Mr.

Beegins on any of these other projects?

Yeah, uh I did a thank you.

Um I wanted to check in on this lawsuit Eastport Landing.

I know that's been a long time project.

Um but I was just confused uh where uh in the last two sentences here it says must be recorded and the building permit must be obtained within five years of October 16th, 2024.

So tells me it expires October 2029.

And then the next sentence is the site design plan will expire for building permit is not obtained by 1016 25.

So the site design plan is now expired, but the building permit is not.

Is that the situation?

Can you just help me square those two dates?

That's what I'm trying to get at.

Yeah, no, I I understand what you're trying to get at.

I believe that's a typo because this basically this project is basically it it has expired.

Uh they have not their their site design review.

Their site design review um would expire if a building permit is not obtained by 10 1625.

So that never happened.

So essentially, there that was one thing I was gonna bring up at the very beginning of this.

Some of these uh some of these projects on this list are gonna be deleted because they've either in this case expired or they've been completed.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Um, and then uh I think that answers my question.

Um, I was just gonna give you a heads up that I think very soon we'll see an application for the project where there's an abandoned gas station on West Street right now near Westgate Circle.

So hopefully by the next time you're back here, maybe that'll be on this list.

We actually to we actually had a pre-application meeting uh within the past month uh regarding that.

Um so nothing nothing formally has been submitted, but we did uh we did have a uh uh virtual pre-application meeting to talk about some of the issues and talk about some of the the track and the process uh that the applicant had questions on, which is something that we uh offer routinely.

Um so yeah, you you could be right, it could be uh month or two, but yeah, if we do this quarterly, you very well could see that on this list.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

None.

All right, thank you for your time, Mr.

Meegan.

All right, thank you.

Ready to present one of your updates from your office.

But first, we do have um public works here to provide an update on this SPA road um project to be funded through EPA, hopefully.

Um, so there was a public meeting um last night, and um they're here to provide some information about that project and the application.

So I'd like to bring them up first.

Um they have they provided me with a one-page bullet points on it, and it's very good as a way of summary and a reference.

So um Alison will send it to me and then I'll send it out to you.

Hi, good afternoon, Alison D'Amanio, Department of Public Works Engineer.

Hi, good afternoon, Ellis McDaniel, grant administrator, public works.

Um, so there was some questions regarding um a community meeting that was held last night.

So, yes, we held a meeting.

Sorry, the resilience authority held a meeting last night for the community.

It was at the Bush Library from 7, 6:30 to 7 30 p.m.

City staff was there for support.

Um we feel the meeting went very well.

We had uh good resident turnout and also representatives from other community groups like Play Annapolis and Sever River Association.

Currently, we have no additional information to present that council has not already heard uh during the ordinance zero 2025 presentation.

It was essentially the same presentation.

Um the notice for funding from EPA grant came out November 20th of 2025.

Um it was expected to come out in September, and we had a small government shutdown, so it was delayed.

So notification came out November 20th, 2025.

The grant application is due January 28th, 2025.

EPA condensed the application time from previous years.

Um this is a meeting.

This meeting's the EPA requirement for the Roundfield Cleanup grant.

And it was hosted by the applicant, the resilience authority.

Um the city's not the applicant, we're responsible party, so resilience authority has to be the applicant.

We are gonna have additional resilience authority, is going to have additional community meetings as we move through the process.

The site is part of EPA's voluntary cleanup program, and so we will be having additional community meetings for that volunteer cleanup program.

And once we obtain Brownfield funding, additional community meetings will be required to meet those funding requirements.

So Resilience Authority actually posted signs on December 22nd, 2025 on the site and throughout other areas of the city.

Um City of Annapolis did uh a share alert on our social media December 23rd, 2025.

Um Resilience Authority has also placed information about the meeting on their website.

And a website has been created specifically for this property.

It's Spa Road Property.com.

The website we posted the information on the website December 22nd of 2025 for the meeting.

You can also find multiple pieces of information on there.

So if you go to the the website again, it's spa road property.com.

The community meeting presentation is available.

There is a draft of the EPA Brownfield cleanup narrative.

Um please keep in mind that this is a draft and is still going around for technical providers for review.

Um the final draft will be posted after submission to EPA.

There's also the draft APCA, which is the analysis for Brownfield cleanup is on the site.

There's a contact form for any community members.

They can fill in their information.

That email comes to us.

Public works, we're also keeping track of each of those community members so we can have an email list to send out any future information to them in specific email alerts.

The phase two assessment is also available for download.

You can also navigate to the SPAR Road property site through the City of Annapolis site.

If you just search Spa Road, it'll take you to a landing page that'll navigate you there.

You can also navigate to the SPARO property site through the resilience authorities site.

If you go to the resilience authority site and search Spa Road, it'll send you to a landing page, which will direct you to the Spar Road property site.

Those are currently all the updates.

We are just going for EPA funding for Brownfield Clean.

Alison, two things.

Can you introduce yourself?

So especially our new um council member knows who you both of you are.

And then if you could provide just a quick overview of what this project is about so that um Alder Woman Conte can be up to date.

Okay, so again, Alison Domanio, Department of Public Works Engineer.

Um the SPAR Road site is a brownfield site that requires environmental cleanup.

It's been under assessment for quite some time.

Uh it was an oldest incinerator site and dump site.

That is why it's requiring the Brownfield cleanup.

A portion of the site also holds Wheenswell and Field.

Uh we want to remediate that portion for public use.

And currently we're trying to determine what the use is going to be along the front properties.

Is that do you have additional if you have specific questions?

Okay, great.

Oh, good, that's right.

I think that um not only will I pull push these bullet points out to the entire city council, but also highlight the spotreek.com link because it does have great information on it.

And anyone who's not familiar with the project can find everything they need there.

Yeah, and I know we haven't met in however many months of three, four months, but um I don't believe the council was notified of this these meetings.

So I guess moving forward, if the new council could be included in the loop by I uh just in this case, if you let the resilience authority know to make sure they add us.

Obviously, there's a lot of inherent interest on the body on this project, especially this committee.

That'd be good.

And so what are the next steps then?

This is a couple of other public hearings to meet the grant requirement.

Yes, exactly.

So it it's an EPA requirement for this grant program that the lead applicant has to host a community notice meeting um where they just let the community members know that they're applying for federal funding um for this project.

Okay, and Alder Roman Conti, I did want to say thank you so much for coming last night.

We appreciate your support.

All right, great.

Um, just to just a point, Alderman Savage.

Um, there the bullet points do identified that this notice about the meeting was provided to the city staff and alderman on January 5th.

I didn't see it.

I did a search.

I no, I I got it on January yesterday.

Yeah, maybe it wasn't.

This was Monday.

In any case, two-day notice is not sufficient in the future if they could just give.

I know it's a new council, so I understand, but we'll we'll make sure um we'll work with the resilience authority to make sure for any future uh meetings that you guys are notified when the public notice goes up as well.

I appreciate you taking the time to come out today.

You know, it was a plan.

Thank you.

I thought we have any no more questions on this, right?

Okay, we're good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jackie, you want to go into yours?

Yeah.

Have half an hour.

Yep.

All right.

So this um resilience and sustainability highlights for January 2026.

I I put these together for Alderman Woman Conte's benefit.

Um, in advance of these meetings, I usually get them out further in advance holidays, and uh staff illnesses sort of snuck up on us this time.

Um, so they can digest them.

It is a long document.

These are not all of the projects.

We either have um primary um responsibility for um and or are involved in other projects.

These aren't all of them, but I try to highlight the main ones.

Um, and the reason part of it is so long is not only do we have updates in here, but I always leave the project description here because I do not expect everyone on city council to be conversant as I am with these projects.

So when you see an update, you can refer back below it as the project summary so you know what I'm actually updating.

Um and this one's particularly wrong because Ashley Diaz, one of our environmental program managers attached a sample of our new newsletter.

We just started doing a resilience and sustainability newsletter.

Um it's bi-monthly in November.

So this she has the November newsletter here and the um January newsletter, which both can be found on our landing page on the city website.

Jackie, could you summarize your staffing?

Oh, so in our staffing, so I'm um in charge of resilience to sustainability, and I work across all departments, programs and activities of the city to make sure that we are putting an environmental resilience lens on in everything.

So I work with all the departments virtually in the city, mostly the operating departments, such as planning and zoning, public works, transportation, rec and parks, um, office of emergency management, but I also work very closely with the Office of Law and Police Department and Fire Department, of course.

Um, you know, they're electrifying as well now and becoming more energy efficient.

So they're they're part of the plan and and willing participants.

They um they've come around quite a bit in the last few years, I'd say.

Um, and then my staff is made up of two environmental program managers, Dylan Lakonach and Ashley Diaz.

And they're both one is here with me in City Hall, one is across the street because we're out of space here in City Hall right now.

Hopefully, we'll all be moving downstairs when that is in this building and when it is remodeled and finance moves out.

So I'll just hit some of the um highlights of the highlights.

And um, and of course, at any time, please call me, text me, you know, with ideas, concerns, questions, or Ashley or Dylan.

Um, I have them kind of split up between Dylan is mostly energy efficiency, solar, building energy efficiency, that sort of thing.

And Ashley is more on the habitat, stormwater, natural resources side, and she's also doing the bulk of our communications and engagement work.

She's even supporting other departments such as public works with their um outreach and education.

Um let's see.

So I've divided this highlights document into sections, and the first one is energy efficiency, clean energy.

And I have our projects underneath that.

Um, I want to move to the second um item on here, which is incorporating resilience into building energy performance standards or BEPS.

Um, when you add resilience, you call them BERPS.

Um, the city had, well, the resilience authority on behalf of the city had applied for a department U.S.

Department of Energy, a federal grant for the city to work with um other jurisdictions and technical support partners to develop a model code um building code that built resilience into it, focusing on buildings under 30,000 square feet, mostly residential.

Maryland's state law already requires resilience um requirements into buildings that are 30,000 square feet and above, and they mostly are commercial buildings and public buildings.

So this project was focusing on your smaller buildings, mostly residential.

Um, however, we got caught up in the new administration's grant termination frenzy, and they terminated our grant, although we had already started work on it.

The technical consultants were already working and incurring fees and sending us invoices.

Um we were able to get invoices reimbursed through September 30th, and we now have invoices that go through October 9th, which was the official day the resilience authority was notified of termination.

So we're trying to get those reimbursed now as well.

When we anticipated that the termination was forthcoming, our technical partners worked as fast as they could to give us as much product as possible.

Some language around model code with resilience built in, what it might look like from insurance and technical issues, and the resilience authorities gathering that information to provide to us.

There is an appeals process associated with this.

Um it's an informal appeals process.

Um the resilience authority has already sent the initial letter for appeal in.

There is no designated time for the federal government to respond to us.

Um, so we're working on what do you do next?

Because we we sent in the letter timely in November, and it hasn't been that long yet.

So we are discussing already, you know, next steps.

What do we do next with as far as appeal goes?

So I will update you further on that.

What was going to be produced from this project was a model building code that we would not be obligated to implement, but which could serve as a starting point for planning and zoning to tailor a building.

And it was going to be tailored to Annapolis from the beginning.

So very easy for us to decide if we want to turn this into code.

So we could take what we have right now and still work with that or see if we can get this termination overturn.

Next up are LED street lights.

We have a number of funding avenues that we have obtained for LED streetlight replacement.

We're already working on some of them, have already been replaced.

We've identified other street lights to replace under the various funding mechanisms we have.

And one that we looked at is D under on page two, LED street lights at the bottom, there's D ownership of city street lights.

And the 20 FY26 budget, um, resilience to sustainability was funded to do a study of our street lights and if it made sense for the city to own all of them and maintain all of them and replace all of them with LED.

Um that was that project was completed by Tanco Lighting, which is a company that does the sort of analysis and then works with jurisdictions on implementing their plans.

Um it came up it their results of that study showed that the city um could save a significant amount of money into the millions over a long period of time, 20 years, and the next step would be for um the city to actually do a more comprehensive analysis and then start to negotiate with BGE on obtaining the rights to the street lights.

So the city owns some of the street lights and maintains them.

BGE owns some of the city street lights and maintains them.

And then the city owns some, but they're not maintained by the city.

So there's like three categories of them.

In the third category, BGE maintains them or somebody else?

A third party.

Okay.

So most of the street lights are still owned by BG ⁇ E and maintained by GBGE.

A small portion of them are actually owned and maintained by the city.

So their analysis showed how much we would save over time.

I was asked not to divulge the results of the state this study by the acting city manager yet to council.

I need to speak to her more about that because the study was is finished.

It was funded by city council as part of FY26, and we have that report in hand.

And as soon as I'm allowed to, I will share it with city council, and you can actually see how much we would save over time and what the calculation is for the city to buy and maintain our lights ourselves, buy them back from BGE, that is our street lights.

So comparing to how much we pay BG now.

Excuse me.

Compared to how much we're it is significant the savings.

I mean, we're talking in double digits millions over a 20-year period.

Um of the lights are more expensive than others because they're in the historic district.

And then the Cobra lights, the ones that are kind of curved that you see outside of the historic district, um, are much easier and cheaper to replace.

But we've looked at option different options for the historic street lights that either have the acorn on them or the tobacco leaf.

Um, and that's rig in historic preservation is very particular about the design and keeping that design.

You had a question.

Well, I'm curious.

Well, I think it's the person my two sense is that I think if we actually got to a point where we could own the lights, it opens up some other avenues for us to explore as far as I was just listening to the New York Times podcast about they were talking about Pittsburgh, who implemented a light pollution study and and uh associated improvements, which ended up saving them significant amount of money.

Remember, they even said they gave they gave the mayor or council, I think had the power to dim the lights during the street lights during certain you can dim them and you can bring them up to full capacity.

So if you wanted to light up the street, if there was an emergency and you wanted to do an evacuation, for example, you could really bring the light up.

If if residents are complaining that the lights are not the right, you know, they're too bright, they're coming in my window, they're keeping me awake.

You can make them softer, not only the you can not only make them brighter or dimmer, but you can make them softer and you can change the color.

So it's not as much, it's um easier on your eye.

So there's all sorts of things they can do, and they do that remotely.

So it would just be a call from the city at any time of the day to the manager who you know that they're available apparently 24 hours a day, and you can they can do it remotely.

Um say something else about the study.

Oh, Maryland, I believe last year the General Assembly passed a law that gives local jurisdictions the right to buy the property and buy back their lights.

So it BGE could not say no to us.

We would just have to negotiate on the terms and the price of that.

All right.

So we have a number of LED um projects going on that are all grant funded.

Um on the third page at the top, we have the greenhouse gas emissions inventory and climate action plan.

The greenhouse gas inventory was completed last fall, actually at the end of last summer.

Um, I've been tweaking it a little bit and asking our um consultant Carameda to make several changes for clarity and to um provide information about how they arrived at their emissions data.

So as soon as we get those revisions done, that will be made public.

We'll put it on our website and we'll share it with council.

Meanwhile, our um consultant Caramita continued to work with the stakeholder groups it had established around different types of emission sources, and this involves staff time as well as environmental organizations and other stakeholders identified through the process.

They have completed the stakeholder interviews and are now running everything through their formulas to come up with and they which included part of the stakeholder process was to include recommendations, like how we could achieve reductions through transportation or energy efficiency and building or with multiple uh multimobility kinds of approaches.

And we have different pathways through for that.

We're comparing this against the 2006 baseline to achieve 60% reductions against that baseline by 2031 and net zero by 245, which is in a line with the Maryland priorities and goals.

So we're we're staying consistent with that.

Um, so we we plan to have the climate action plan draft available, probably within the next month and a half, get that up on the website, invite public comment, further public comment on that, and um then have the climate action plan done for April, Earth Month, Earth Day to roll it out during April.

And this will allow us the city to prioritize um projects against the climate action plan once we finalize it, including budgeting what projects we might want to put in there and budget against going forward.

Yeah, and an interesting tidbit from some of the presentations I've seen is that for those who don't know.

I guess I did the city's climate footprint back 20 years ago originally back then they're the highest uh user of energy, you know, essentially emitter of carbon dioxide was the built environment of buildings that we have in the city.

But now uh according to the preliminary data, it's actually the transportation sector that is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas.

It's still the built environment, but transportation is very high up there.

I thought it showed when that was.

I thought it did too, but I looked at it again, and we'll see.

I did make some changes to it, so we'll see where it comes out eventually.

Um in the final one.

Um, because I I thought it would be transportation as well.

Um, but that we transportation did not come down as much, even with some of the improvements that we've made um over time with micromobility and different routes, and we've added some electric vehicles, but we do it's the problem is we we just started doing that, and we just got the two electric buses, we have two more on order, so there hasn't been enough time and data generated to show any impacts from that right now, plus the fleet has grown.

So we've added a lot of vehicles, and most of the vehicles that have been added in the last 10 years are hybrid, they're not all electric.

We only have a handful of all electric vehicles in the fleet, the immediate fleet that are ones that we use for enforcement patrols and that sort of thing.

Um, the police vehicles were all hybrids, the patrol cars.

We don't have any all electric there yet.

Um, and transportation and the fire department chose not to pursue a grant last year that's something we we hope to work on more.

Um, Chief Romali is open to that, um, to working towards um electrifying the fire department, and Chief Jackson is also open to more electric vehicles in his fleet.

In fact, one of the main sites that we're using with grant funds um from various different funders is to electrify the police force, provide them the EV charging infrastructure first.

Um, so we're gonna we will be putting in um fast chargers, at least one fast charger there and some slow chargers um at the police department.

It made sense after we did an evaluation of all our government facilities to do it at the police department.

And you know, there's been a lot of arguments between apartments.

Do we get the vehicles or do we get the chargers first?

I'm gonna make sure we have the chargers in place so that everyone feels confident about ordering electric vehicles.

Um so we're doing that, we'll be uh working on that this spring.

There's also we we had done a couple of years ago, we had a consultant that was funded through our budget, I think FY24 to do an inventory of all our electric vehicles and possibilities for electrification, and that was completed um about a year and a half ago.

It's on our website, it was provided to council.

There is an opportunity, but we have never done an in-depth analysis of an actual fleet assessment.

And this is something that many consulting firms offer where they if they get into the metrics and how what vehicles should be replaced first in your fleet and what they can be replaced with, what savings you will um realize and what maintenance costs you will incur.

And it provide that is the kind of information they use to show what you should be doing each year, which would make it a lot easier for central services to present that in their budget.

And could show council if we really want to electrify our fleet and reduce emissions from our fleet.

This is what we need to purchase this year moving forward.

I think that's something the city really needs to do.

Um, I've never had the funding to do it, but there is a program through a company that is working with VG ⁇ E where they will provide us with what is basically worth $25,000 in assessment for $2,500.

You can also get reimbursed from that once you finish your project.

No guarantee, but most likely, I mean they have the funds until they run out.

I think this is something that's very worthwhile pursuing.

Um, Ashley Diaz, our environmental programs, one of our environmental programs manager is has the lead with that.

She's working with Central Services on that.

I think that if transportation doesn't have it in their budget, I think that the city manager's office does, but I think it's very worthwhile spending money on.

So we can get a really in-depth fleet assessment that we can work with, council can work with and see exactly how much this would cost.

So 10 minute check.

Yep.

Um I wanna leave a little bit of time in case they have questions.

Yeah, I just wanted to hit some of the things where we have either an issue or an opportunity.

I mean, I will, of course, any time as I said, call me about anything on here.

Um I'm gonna move over to page four to the electric vehicles charging infrastructure street cars trolley.

Um the resilience authority has taken the lead for the city, county, the visitor center, and the Danker Foundation to put together an RFP for an electric trolley feasibility study.

This um study, I'm not sure if you're very familiar with this at all, Alderman Woman Conte Guy did provide information about it in your um onboarding documents.

But this is a trolley we envisioned that would start at City Dock, you would come off our electric ferry, you can get on our electric trolley, travel up Main Street, down West Street, hook you into parole eventually, you know, and to hotels and things that are down there.

Um, this would be a trolley that could accommodate perhaps bicycles on the outside, but um, it could be used as an economic um development tool, a business development tool, and a low to moderate income development tool.

So I believe that it is ready for final sign-off.

I checked in with the resilience authority today, but I didn't get a response.

Um, we were we were passing it around over the holidays.

Yeah, I think they're I think their target was the 15th to get that out.

Yeah.

Um, just again, keep in mind I think we have 100,000 of the one-time use money that I don't think is gonna get used on the I was hoping to get it rolling for Forest Drive, but I don't think that's not and we have um 100,000 allocated from the city and $50,000 from the county and the Denker Foundation has said that they will pitch in additional funds to do this feasibility study.

We're hoping to kick this off, get the feasibility the RFP out by mid-January and get this rolling in the spring so that we can have a report by summer.

Okay.

On the next page, um, on the city ferry pilot project, um, we have funding from FTA, Federal Transit Administration for funding for the ferry.

Um last year, literally the day before I was about to award uh the project to a ferry design build firm.

I received notice that our grant had been terminated.

We'll put on pause.

It was pause because we were not in line with Trump administration priorities.

Um we were given the option in August to amend our grant application.

The directions were not so subtle.

They were very clear that something that was diesel electric or others hybrid was much more acceptable.

Otherwise, we would lose our funding, which is three million dollars for two ferries, and landing improvements and infrastructure equipment.

We decide the city decided to go ahead and amend to a hybrid ferry, not fully electric.

However, we believe because the distances are so short, they'd be traveled by our ferry, we would be on electric power pretty much all of the time.

It does provide going diesel, adding the diesel element does provide us some more flexibility and design, perhaps a more robust hull, which would be better for traversing the Severn River when it's a little rougher because we go out to the bay pretty quickly.

And we would like to be able to take this ferry over to Cars Beach and Hawkins Cove, which requires us to go out into the Severn.

So there are some positives in going hybrid.

The county has a similar grant.

They always were going to do hybrid because they are going to traverse longer distances across the Severn.

And then I checked in with the visitor center of Annapolis, Nan Rundle County, and they're getting ready to put an RFP for design build on the Chesapeake Bay Ferry, which would go to all the way down to Virginia and all the way up to Hover to Grace and various points on the eastern shore.

Annapolis is designated as three stops on that ferry.

So we could have a very busy harbor with boat traffic and which is a good economic stimulus as well.

Let me see what else we have here.

We'll be talking more about stormwater restoration projects and fees at our February meeting.

We took that off the agenda for this meeting.

So I will leave that alone.

And I'm moving to page seven to the Severn Whole Watershed Partnership where it says update.

The Severn Whole Watershed Partnership is a five-year project funded by the Department of Natural Resources as a state grant, so it cannot be terminated or paused.

This year we received $2,250,000.

I mean, for last year it started.

This was a very competitive grant process where only five jurisdictions were selected or regional areas.

So the resilience authority put in the application because it could apply on behalf of the city and the county.

And we brought in probably 40 other partners on this and 10 major partners.

So these are restoration projects and community outreach and education throughout the entire Severn River watershed.

Where we have money in hand for this year.

We're currently working on identifying projects for next year and the following few years.

We hope to at least get the same amount of money, if not more.

The city came out really well in the first year.

Most of the projects are within city limits.

At first it didn't look like that, but it worked out well for us in the end.

And let's see what else.

Oh, I would be remiss if I did not hit page nine in our electric leaf blower financial assistance program because I know Alderman Savage very much supports that, and Alderman Huntley has his doubts to say the least.

So the electric leaf lower ban went into effect last year.

So as part of financial assistance to ease the pain with this new requirement, the city initiated aid electrically flower financial assistance program administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, which takes a 10% fee.

They wanted a 20% fee, but I worked with them and got that down to 10% and said, let's see how it goes.

But I was tenacious with it.

I got to use my lawyering skills, which was fun.

So the program we had after administration fees and some consulting that was done by the resilience authority to help develop the program.

We were left with about 85,500 for actual rebates.

We provide a 100 rebate on electric leaf blower to residents and a 2500, sorry, a $1,500 rebate to commercial businesses like landscapers and people that are doing um gardening, that sort of thing.

And lawn care.

So there has not been initially, there was a big rush for rebates, which we predicted it was we were going into fall, and then it eased off tremendously.

So far, we have had my glasses out for this, but it's here in the report.

Um, the Chesapeake Bay Trust has processed 163 rebates.

Um about 5,900 rebate information mailers were sent to residents and commercial businesses.

And this is a one-year agreement we have with the Chesapeake Bay Trust administering report upon the rebate program.

It's renewable if we choose to renew it and fund it again.

So we still have approximately 53,443 in this um.

I am expecting that spring will bring another onslaught of applications for rebates.

Um we'll push out the information again in the spring, and um we'll see how much um we have left at the end of the year.

Um we've talked about requesting, and we're still discussing how much to request for rebates for next year because we're waiting to see how much money actually gets spent.

But we will have to put some type of request in the FY27 budget.

So you've gone through roughly half.

Yes.

Yes.

Little.

So we'll see.

Yeah, it's a little less.

We'll see if spring really does bring an influx of more applications.

So I think there, you know, to me, this is telling me there were a lot of people upset about having to use, especially the commercial businesses to use electric um leaf blowers.

Um, but in reality, it doesn't seem to have caused them that much pain because we're not getting as many um rebate applications as you might think from the commercial businesses.

So how many from this you can apply like as a resident.

Yeah, as well, right?

What number I don't have here that I need to get from the trust is how many of the applications have been from residents and how many have been from commercial businesses.

We'll see who is feeling more pain than the other or more interested.

I'll have to work out.

I'll have to work out for next year's budget with uh probably here your fiscal law.

So let me go on to some enforcement.

So we get a lot of complaints for violations from people.

We put out we've put out three waves of information about the new law and flyers to the rebate program to almost 6,000 businesses and residents.

Um, so everyone knows about they can't say they don't know about this.

We've put out press releases, it's social media and it's on the city's website.

I don't get complaints that I didn't know, just that there's flagrant violations.

And what are you doing about it?

We have planning and zoning, and between planning and zoning and public works, there are three additional inspectors, whether they're electrical inspectors or housing inspectors or other inspectors that are available.

There's six total, six to seven of total available to do inspections while they are out and about.

If they see a violation, they can issue a citation or a warning.

Then we have planning and zoning also made available overtime to those inspectors who choose to do enforcement or sign up to do enforcement after hours or on the weekends.

This has been come very popular with these inspectors, and they've been jumping on that opportunity for the overtime.

And so I need to get, I did have a number from planning and zoning.

This one wasn't updated.

How many citations have actually been issued?

So I'm making a note right now about that.

Glad they're doing it.

Um, yeah, I mean, I've been I've been happy to see actually like large apartment complexes near me and condos who they have their commercial landscape that they hired are gone electric.

Yes, and I and I was told by a couple of landscape businesses when the law was enacted that they saw the writing on the wall, and some of them were already trying to invest in electric.

Um, they knew it was coming and they were preparing for it.

Um, but the the electric, the commercial um equipment is expensive, but their regular equipment is fairly expensive as well.

Um the former city manager um Malinoff, he had approved a position um for to hire a person dedicated to enforcement of the leaf blower ban.

Um I had made a job description, it has gone through HR and planning and zoning.

Um it has not moved recently beyond HR, so I will follow up on that and see where that is.

We were going to have that start in the summer leading into fall, but it will be good to have that position for spring.

So we can do additional enforcement.

We had money in the city manager's budget to fund that position for this year.

All right.

Well, we are out of time.

Any rapid fire questions?

Burning questions from the committee.

Yeah, I'm just confused on where that money's coming from for the inspector.

It was in the base budget for planning and zoning.

No, we're taking out the city manager's budget.

We have several positions that are not been filled.

We had a administrative assistant for the last two years that wasn't filled.

Um actually we we gave that position over to planning um to central services so they could, and we've been share continuing to share an administrative assistant with the mayor's office.

That cannot continue forever.

If the city manager's office is really put downstairs where finance is right now, we're gonna need our own assistant.

It's not going to work.

Um but there is but unused funds for a while for that position.

So we had money from that, and then um we had money where we now obviously since the city manager is Mike Mellanoff is not with us, and we have an acting city manager who was already being paid for her position.

Um so we have some excess fund in the city manager's budget, so that we're pulling money from that.

Okay.

I don't remember that coming through the finance committee.

I could have, I could just be misremembering, but would you mind checking on that?

I'll check with that if there is an FT sending it to me.

Yes, thank you.

Acting city manager um Buckland probably has information on that.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, it's going to ask all the things.

I mean, in there.

All right.

We are ready for reverse.

That concludes the meeting.

Uh, anything else for the good of the order?

Yeah, all right.

Thank you all for uh we held to our time.

Appreciate your feedback.

All right, is there a motion to adjourn?

So moved.

Is there a second?

All this way, please say hi.

Hi.

Meeting adjourned.