Affordable housing progress concerns mayor

‘‘It’s a nice idea, but I don’t know [in the previous administration] if it was well thought out,” Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger (R) said. ‘‘It has not gone very far.”

During a Feb. 28 workshop, city officials were updated on the project from E. Kevin Lollar, director of development for the Frederick Housing Authority.

The housing authority, in partnership with developer partner TCG–Venezia, has devised a plan to create mixed-income housing in the revitalized North Market Street neighborhood.

To date, the Hanson⁄Taney apartments have been demolished, and 146 families relocated by the housing authority. Lollar told the aldermen that his organization has promised to bring most of them back to one of five Hope VI housing sites in the city.

‘‘We made a promise to some of these families that they would be able to return, and we need to keep that promise,” Lollar said. ‘‘...We can bring some families back and give them dignity and the respect they deserve by honoring our promise.”

Plans for rental and homeownership units as part of the project are being reviewed by the city’s Historic Preservation Committee, which has a meeting tonight to decide whether or not to support building plans.

Besides an update on the project, Lollar also presented information on a community center in the North Market neighborhood, which the city previously agreed to fund.

The 10,800-square-foot center would be owned by the housing authority and feature a Head Start center, computer lab, meeting room and other features.

Under the 2002 agreement with the city, $4.2 million was pledged toward the center and infrastructure improvements in the area. Lollar estimated the cost of construction for the center at $2.5 million.

As for where the money will come from, Holtzinger said that the city had once considered a ‘‘Tax Increment Financing District,” where taxes would be reinvested into the area. The mayor said that now, however, the city may have to borrow money instead as issues arose with creating the district, such as establishing boundaries.

Holtzinger said the city’s finance department would bring information to the aldermen at a future date.

Besides funding, numerous residents spoke at the workshop, expressing concerns about the project ranging from environmental impacts to how long it will take for housing to actually be created.

Holtzinger said the city will take resident concerns into account in reviewing the project. He praised the housing authority’s efforts, but said numerous questions still linger.

‘‘On the city side of things, the project isn’t under our control,” he said. ‘‘There are still a lot of questions on funding ... and I want to look into some of the environmental questions as well.”

Carroll Creekconcrete complete

Despite freezing temperatures and some scattered snow and ice, work to line part of the Carroll Creek with a concrete floor was completed by the March 1 deadline.

Tom Davis, utility planning manager for the city, said that contractors completed the work well before the deadline imposed by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

With a 210-foot portion of the creek from Bentz to Patrick streets drained of water for the repair, the state required the work to be completed by the first of the month to restore it as a trout stream.

Davis said that the flooring — to help water flow and future maintenance — was completed a few days before the deadline, and water is now running through that portion of the creek.

He added that the project also came in under the $157,000 budget allocated by the city by emergency purchase order in January.

Holtzinger said he has seen the finished product and that the lining ‘‘will pay dividends in the long-term” to help the creek’s flow and could assist in reducing algae in the middle part of the creek.

‘‘Our engineering department is looking at the creek’s flow to see what they can do to help with stagnant flow [along the Market Street section] that concerned people,” he said. ‘‘...You want to slow the water’s flow, but also have some velocity to help [with build up].” Davis said that cleanup efforts around the work site will commence over the next few weeks as the weather improves and tasks like reseeding grass areas can be achieved.

Police honor threefor contributions

The Frederick Police Department recently recognized their officer, employee and volunteer of the year for 2006.

At the March 1 meeting of the mayor and aldermen, Lt. Shawn Perry of the human services division announced the recipients.

Officer First Class Sean Carr was named ‘‘Officer of the Year.” A six-year veteran of the department, Carr was acknowledged for his interaction with the Hispanic community in the city in part as a translator, ‘‘ensuring that victims of crime are truly heard,” Perry said. Dana Elizabeth Kelly was named ‘‘Employee of the Year,” for her efforts in getting the department re-certified by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As accreditation coordinator, Kelly oversaw all aspects of the national assessment of the department.

‘‘Volunteer of the Year” was awarded to the Rev. Richard Dyson, a member of the Frederick Police Chaplains Corp since 1994. Former pastor of the Mt. Zion AME church in Brunswick, Dyson was recognized for his assistance ‘‘both during tragic and joyous events.”

Nominations for the awards were made by members of the department. Alderman Marcia A. Hall (D) congratulated all the recipients, noting that they ‘‘represent a wonderful department and are examples of how wonderful all our staff are.”