Since the parcels that are meant to be home to the center were consolidated last fall, the committee is expected to provide the public with an update on their efforts this month.
Shore up and the Town of Berlin’s multi-purpose building are pictured on parcels on Flower Street that officials are eyeing for a new community center. File photo
Facility planned for Flower Street
By Charlene Sharpe, Associate Editor
Efforts to bring a community center to Flower Street in Berlin remain underway, according to municipal officials.
Mayor Zack Tyndall said the Berlin Community Center Advisory Committee has been meeting regularly to plan for a new facility. Since the parcels that are meant to be home to the center were consolidated last fall, the committee is expected to provide the public with an update on their efforts this month.
“We’ve been working hard and we’re ready to talk to the public and bring everybody up to speed and advance the community center project,” Tyndall said.
For years, the town has been working toward building a new community center on Flower Street to replace the aging multi-purpose building. An advisory committee made up of community members started meeting last February to talk about plans and needs. And in October, the town council voted unanimously to approve the transfer of two parcels of property from the Berlin Community Improvement Association, or BCIA, to the Town of Berlin. The parcels, currently home to Head Start and the multi-purpose building, were added to the property already owned by the town that is slated for a community center.
Tyndall said the committee has been hard at work.
“We’ve met several times,” he said. “We’re working with BCIA and Shore Up for an event to brief the public as far as what our next steps will be.”
He said the committee has drafted a guiding document to advance the process but that community feedback was still needed. Because officials are still seeking public input for the town’s strategic and comprehensive plans, Tyndall said the committee would likely wait a bit before seeking community feedback on plans for the center.
Fundraising for the new facility already started, however, with the sale of town flags. Tyndall said flags would be for sale for $30 each.
“The $30 will cover the cost of the flag and the remaining proceeds will be used toward the development of a community center on Flower Street,” Tyndall said. “The flags will be delivered to residents around the week of March 13 with a note asking everyone to fly the flag on March 30 for Berlin’s 156th birthday.”
Tyndall said anyone interested in ordering a flag could call the mayor’s office at 410-641-3858 or email mayorzack@berlinmd.gov.