OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Annapolis Economic Matters Committee Meeting - April 1, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, April 1, 2026
BodyAnnapolis, Maryland
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, April 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 38:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Meeting.

0:01

Um before we begin, we have currently present myself, Alderman Savage and Alderwoman Alsib Johnson.

0:08

Uh, before we make a motion to approve the agenda, I am going to remove ID 4026 um special exception process finding recommendation discussion.

0:17

Uh Director Kubiak could not join us today.

0:21

Do I have a motion to approve the agenda as amended?

0:25

So moved.

0:27

Have a second.

0:28

Second.

0:29

All in favor?

0:30

Aye.

0:31

Aye.

0:32

Up next is approval of our minutes from March 4th.

0:35

Can I get a motion to approve?

0:38

So moved.

0:40

Second.

0:41

All in favor?

0:43

Aye.

0:43

Aye.

0:44

All right.

0:45

Very excited.

0:46

ID 7126 Maritime Apprenticeship Program Updates.

0:51

We have here today Miss Stewart and the fine folks from the Marine Trades Association of Maryland.

0:58

Welcome to our committee and thank you for joining us today.

1:04

Thank you, everybody.

1:05

First, I um yeah, I wanted to introduce our friends at the Marine Trades Association.

1:10

We're very, very excited about this apprenticeship program.

1:13

We launched it in the fall.

1:14

So, you know, they'll give us an update.

1:16

We're still, you know, trying to figure out what works best for our businesses.

1:20

But as you know, this is a city-funded program that helps place apprentices in our some of our maritime businesses.

1:29

It was introduced by Alderman Chandelmeyer, and we hope we'll be able to keep this going.

1:34

So I'm gonna turn it over to our friends at Marine Trades and look forward to hearing from them.

1:43

Hi everyone, thanks for having us.

1:45

Uh my name's John Stefanchek.

1:47

I'm the director of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland.

1:51

And this is the fabulous Emily Decker, workforce development specialist, and our our coordinator.

2:00

We've also got um with us uh James Jordan, who's the um uh assistant uh general manager at Safe Harbor Annapolis, and Richard Crowak, who's the service manager at Safe Harbor Annapolis.

2:14

We thought we'd have them speak um uh about uh having apprentice as well.

2:19

Um but um I I want to thank you all for having us here tonight.

2:25

Thanks uh to Hope and to Alderman Channelmeyer.

2:28

Um so I'm pleased to report that we now have uh, like Hope said, our Marine Apprenticeship Program up and running here at Annapolis at Port Annapolis Marina, which is now Safe Harbor, Port Annapolis Marina.

2:42

Um, the very first apprentice is actively working in the program and giving us a real world foundation to build from.

2:50

And um uh uh Richard and James are gonna say a few words about that.

2:57

Okay, this is Richard.

2:59

Can you all hear me?

3:00

Yes.

3:01

Okay.

3:02

Uh so Safe Harbor Port Annapolis is about a 300 slip marina where we do full service uh repairs uh and maintenance to uh all our customers' boats and various boats in the area.

3:18

Uh got a workforce of about 50 people between landscaper and administration and techs, and we are always working on and looking for good technicians to help us work on the boats.

3:34

That is why we are so excited about this program because we've been doing this uh on our own, as it were, for uh since I've been here for at least 10 years, and uh having Marine Trades in the City of Annapolis help us with the Prince program uh helps us big time.

3:52

Uh the the gentleman that we who is in the program with us at this point, Mr.

3:57

Andrew Costello, uh he graduated from Broadneck High School uh almost a year ago, and uh uh he's just been an incredible find for us.

4:08

Uh I was telling John and and um Emily uh uh at another time that he's almost a unicorn because uh of his work ethic and his personality.

4:21

Uh he's just a great kid, and the fact that we were able to get him to this program, at least from my point of view, uh, is is a is a huge fine for us, but also for the program, because we will be able to uh I see another big success and uh helping Andrew uh attain his goal of working on boats, which uh obviously uh I need him to be like that.

5:00

Um the other nice thing about the apprentice program for us is uh it helps us with the education of Andrew in that uh we have uh funds available to us to pay for additional schooling on his behalf to help pay for tooling and uh uh uh and mentoring that uh again that we have not been able to provide in the past uh due to budget constraints that that that we had to deal as a private entity.

5:21

And I guess last point I'd like to say is I'm very appreciative to both Emily and John to include us in this program.

5:33

Thanks, Richard.

5:34

Did you want to add anything, James?

5:39

I don't know if James has been able to I'd like to just reinforce what Rich has said.

5:44

Uh I think we've been extremely lucky with Andrew.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Workforce Development█████████████████████████████████████████████77%
Economic Development███████████19%
Procedural██4%
Summary of Proceedings

Annapolis Economic Matters Committee Meeting Summary – April 1, 2026

The Economic Matters Committee of the Annapolis City Council met virtually on April 1, 2026, at 6:02 PM under Chair Alderman Schandelmeier. The committee considered updates on the Maritime Apprenticeship Program, economic development initiatives, and the City Dock revitalization project. The meeting adjourned at 6:39 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: Alderman Savidge moved to adopt the agenda as amended to remove Item ID-40-26 (Special Exception Process Findings & Recommendation Discussion) because Director of Planning & Zoning Jakubiak was unavailable. The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the March 4, 2026, regular meeting were approved on a voice motion by Alderman Savidge, seconded and carried.

Discussion Items

Maritime Apprenticeship Program Update (ID-71-26)

Economic Development Specialist Stewart and representatives from the Marine Trades Association of Maryland (MTAM) presented an update. MTAM Director John Stofancik, Workforce Development Specialist Emily Decker, Safe Harbor Annapolis Service Manager Richard Krolak, and Assistant General Manager James Jordan participated.

  • Program Status: Launched in fall 2025 with $50,000 in city funding, the program currently has one active apprentice—Andrew Costello—working at Safe Harbor Port Annapolis Marina (a 300-slip full-service marina on Back Creek). Three additional businesses (North Point Yacht Sales & Services, Annapolis Gel Coat, Chesapeake Dockside Services) have signed up and are in the queue pending program refinement.
  • Program Structure: A group apprenticeship model with 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and 144 hours of related instruction. MTAM serves as the program sponsor. The program required coordination with the Maryland Department of Labor, Anne Arundel County Workforce Development Corporation, and the Maryland Apprenticeship Training Council (MATSY).
  • Challenges & Refinement: The current work-process structure works well for full-service marinas but needs more flexibility to accommodate smaller specialized marine businesses (e.g., canvas shops, sail makers). The team is refining the work processes to broaden applicability and will present changes to the MATSY council at its next meeting in May 2026.
  • Growth Goals: MTAM expects 5–10 apprentices by the end of the second year. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of work ethic as a predictor of retention, noting a 99% career placement rate for those who complete apprenticeships.
  • Funding Priority: Alderman Schandelmeier stated that continuing the program at $50,000 is a top budget priority. He urged Ms. Stewart to alert the committee if the amount does not appear in the proposed budget so an amendment can be introduced.
  • Workforce Pipeline: Alderman Schandelmeier reported ongoing discussions with Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the Seafarers International Union to connect graduating seniors and others with the program. A tour of the Seafarers training school in St. Mary’s County is being arranged.

Economic Development Update (ID-8-26)

Economic Development Specialist Stewart provided updates:

  • Small Business Awards: Fountain Flourish, an Annapolis business, was named Emerging Business of the Year at the Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards (date to be confirmed; originally stated as March 25 but later corrected).
  • Workforce Summit: The Maryland Department of Commerce is hosting a workforce summit on April 9, 2026, at Anne Arundel Community College. The theme is “Workforce as a Competitive Advantage,” with Deputy Secretary Stephen Rice as keynote speaker.
  • Dock Street Business Mitigation: To draw visitors during City Dock construction, the city is partnering with arts organizations for free events. Maryland Federation of Art will host a plein air workshop on May 1 in advance of Paint Annapolis. ArtFarm and the Annapolis Symphony are planning an outdoor interactive exhibit using construction fencing. A pickup/drop-off zone was established in front of Biddy and Bowes to assist employees with disabilities, thanks to coordination with Premium Parking. Dock Street businesses are also exploring a potential street closure event to show appreciation for local shops.

City Dock Project Update (ID-72-26)

Director of Public Works Vogel reported:

  • Timeline: Ribbon cutting is anticipated around April 2027, unchanged from the January update to the full council.
  • Funding: The city received a FEMA grant, providing full funding and easing previous incremental financial constraints.
  • Boat Show: The 2026 boat show will proceed with a smaller footprint. It will not use Susan Campbell Park but will have one or two large tents on the current construction site (near the former Harbor Master building) and will utilize Dock Street and a portion of Randall Street. BGE power installation is expected within two weeks.
  • Economic Impact: Chair Schandelmeier emphasized that the completed City Dock will be a major economic boost for Annapolis.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Agenda: Removed ID-40-26 (Special Exception Process) due to the director’s absence.
  • Approval of Minutes: March 4, 2026 meeting minutes approved.
  • Continued Support for Apprenticeship: Committee members expressed strong support for the Maritime Apprenticeship Program. Alderman Schandelmeier made continued $50,000 funding a personal budget priority. The committee endorsed efforts to refine work processes and expand the program.
  • Future Tour: A tour of the Seafarers International Union training school in St. Mary’s County will be scheduled in April or May 2026 for committee members and staff.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 6:39 PM on a motion by Alderman Savidge, seconded by Alderwoman Allsup-Johnson.

Meeting Transcript

Meeting. Um before we begin, we have currently present myself, Alderman Savage and Alderwoman Alsib Johnson. Uh, before we make a motion to approve the agenda, I am going to remove ID 4026 um special exception process finding recommendation discussion. Uh Director Kubiak could not join us today. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda as amended? So moved. Have a second. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Up next is approval of our minutes from March 4th. Can I get a motion to approve? So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All right. Very excited. ID 7126 Maritime Apprenticeship Program Updates. We have here today Miss Stewart and the fine folks from the Marine Trades Association of Maryland. Welcome to our committee and thank you for joining us today. Thank you, everybody. First, I um yeah, I wanted to introduce our friends at the Marine Trades Association. We're very, very excited about this apprenticeship program. We launched it in the fall. So, you know, they'll give us an update. We're still, you know, trying to figure out what works best for our businesses. But as you know, this is a city-funded program that helps place apprentices in our some of our maritime businesses. It was introduced by Alderman Chandelmeyer, and we hope we'll be able to keep this going. So I'm gonna turn it over to our friends at Marine Trades and look forward to hearing from them. Hi everyone, thanks for having us. Uh my name's John Stefanchek. I'm the director of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland. And this is the fabulous Emily Decker, workforce development specialist, and our our coordinator. We've also got um with us uh James Jordan, who's the um uh assistant uh general manager at Safe Harbor Annapolis, and Richard Crowak, who's the service manager at Safe Harbor Annapolis. We thought we'd have them speak um uh about uh having apprentice as well. Um but um I I want to thank you all for having us here tonight. Thanks uh to Hope and to Alderman Channelmeyer. Um so I'm pleased to report that we now have uh, like Hope said, our Marine Apprenticeship Program up and running here at Annapolis at Port Annapolis Marina, which is now Safe Harbor, Port Annapolis Marina. Um, the very first apprentice is actively working in the program and giving us a real world foundation to build from. And um uh uh Richard and James are gonna say a few words about that. Okay, this is Richard. Can you all hear me? Yes. Okay. Uh so Safe Harbor Port Annapolis is about a 300 slip marina where we do full service uh repairs uh and maintenance to uh all our customers' boats and various boats in the area. Uh got a workforce of about 50 people between landscaper and administration and techs, and we are always working on and looking for good technicians to help us work on the boats. That is why we are so excited about this program because we've been doing this uh on our own, as it were, for uh since I've been here for at least 10 years, and uh having Marine Trades in the City of Annapolis help us with the Prince program uh helps us big time.

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