Middletown Town Council agrees on company for office building renovation – The Winchester Star

MIDDLETOWN Town Council unanimously agreed Tuesday night to hire Danny Taylor, owner of Middletown-based DSM Construction, to serve as the general contractor for the renovation of its old Town Office Building at 7875 Church St.

The council moved into its current building at 7735 Main St. after mold was found growing in the town office and police station on Church Street.

Remediation company Madison Taylor discovered that the cause of the mold was groundwater seeping under the town office and a leak in the buildings roof. In order to keep mold from becoming a recurring issue, there will need to be some repairs and renovations to its foundation and roof.

The council wants to eventually move back into its original building, but to do so the mold will need to be removed.

As general contractor, Taylor will coordinate and oversee the entire renovation project though it has yet to be determined whether his company will be in charge of the roof and structural repairs. He would also select a remediation company to get rid of the mold and clear the HVAC system.

Councilor George Smith will work with Taylor to determine the entire scope of the project and the extent of repairs to be done to make the old town office usable again. It is unclear how much the renovations will cost. Based on estimates, it will cost $20,000 to $27,000 just to remove the mold.

In February the council amended its current budget to allow up to $250,000 to be used to pay for the repairs and renovation of the town office at 7875 Church St. In the next fiscal year, the council could spend another $250,000 on the renovations to the Church Street building.

Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV said the towns budget is looking overwhelmingly good for the upcoming fiscal year, and that there is expected to be a $300,000 surplus.

Also at the meeting, Frederick County Sheriff Lenny Millholland gave an update on the search for a new police chief, following the departure of former interim chief, Warren M. Houde.

According to Harbaugh, Houde resigned on March 6 after the Frederick County Sheriffs Office made the council aware of a major issue. Harbaugh did not elaborate on what the issue was.

Following Houdes departure, Millholland was named Middletowns interim police chief. He said at Tuesdays meeting there have so far been seven applications for the police chief position, and that the application deadline is March 27.

Millholland told the council that after all applications are received, an investigative committee will review the applicants and narrow them down. The process will involve interviews, polygraph tests and background checks. How long the process will take to select a candidate is not certain, but Millholland said he hopes it will be before July.

In my perfect little world, Im looking to 30 to 45 days, Millholland said. But well just see. Im hoping that the [applicants] that we have are quality people and you will have a chief of police that will be someone that you can bank on.

In regards to the towns security, Carolyn Aliff said that due to the assistance of the Frederick County Sheriffs Office she has seen more police in Middletown during the past month than she has the entire time since she had moved there. Council member Scott Fink thanked Millholland for stepping in as police chief and doing this town a great justice.

Council member Jeff Pennington, on behalf of the towns Planning Commission, said he strongly suggests the council begin to look at and refer to its Comprehensive Plan that is supposed to guide the future growth of the town.

Theres some value in it in how we go about making long-range decisions, Pennington said.

The plan, last updated in 2013, currently plans to 2033. The Planning Commission wants to update the Comprehensive Plan this year, but wants feedback from Town Council. Pennington said he is trying to re-establish the communication between the Planning Commission and the council.

Fink also expressed interest in rebuilding the relationship between the commission and council.

Pennington will schedule a joint meeting between the two entities. If updated this year, the Comprehensive Plan will provide a guideline of the towns future until the year 2037.

Attending the work session at the Middletown Town Office at 7735 Main St. were Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV, Vice Mayor Tom Simon and council members Carolyn Aliff, Jeffrey Pennington, Carole Snyder Jones, George Smith and Scott Fink.

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Middletown Town Council agrees on company for office building renovation - The Winchester Star