New Market to spend nearly $560K for drainage work; council talks ways to add parking

Jan. 21—New Market Town Council has approved big spending for a long-awaited drainage improvement project.

At nearly $560,000, the cost for the project came in about $99,700 over the town's original budget from last spring. The council voted 4-0 Thursday — with councilman Matthew Chance absent — to move the difference over from the general fund to cover the balance. ECM Corporation, the lone bidder, was awarded the contract.

For years, alley drainage issues have led to flooded yards in New Market, according to Mayor Winslow Burhans. He estimated the drainage system in place dates back 40 or 50 years.

"It's a mess," he said in an interview.

The construction will involve adding drainage to alleys that run from Main Street to North Alley to step pools.

Council Vice President Shane Rossman said the improvements would be a game changer.

"This has been a long time coming, and I'm really excited to finally have the infrastructure to not only carry the water off of Main Street but to really solve a lot of these issues on these alleys," Rossman said during the meeting. "These homeowners have suffered for so long with all this water coming into their homes."

Earlier phases had to be completed before the drainage work could reach this stage. Burhans noted the town also had to wait for its multi-million dollar Streetscape project to wrap up on Main Street before the town tackled North Alley. The mayor thanked residents for their patience. He hopes the drainage work will be done by the end of summer.

Adding parking

In other business Thursday, the Town Council is seeking a grant to add parking spaces off of South and 5th alleys to alleviate parking congestion on Main Street.

New Market intends to apply for the Maryland Department of Housing Community Development Community Safety Works Grant, which has a limit of $100,000, according to town planner and zoning administrator Pat Faux.

Town staff, councilmen and the mayor agreed spaces behind the old town hall on 5th Alley and by the current town hall at 40 South Alley would be the best places to start. Town engineer Bryan Dusza estimated a roughly 2,900-square-foot parking area with 16 spaces on South Alley would cost a little over $30,000. A roughly 2,200-square-foot area with 12 spaces on 5th Alley would come in around $27,000.

Councilman Michael Wright expressed concern about the narrowness of the alleys and the space for vehicles to back out safely. He suggested the lines for spaces be drawn at an angle, which the other councilmen seemed to support, even at the cost of losing a parking space. Dusza said angled spaces would be viable.

Rossman voiced support for using grant funds to add lighting for safety. The discussion touched on solar-powered lights, which should be dim enough that they don't disturb neighboring homes. Redirecting the conversation, Burhans suggested the town attempt to secure funding for parking pads first then explore extras like lighting and landscaping.

The mayor and Town Council are scheduled to meet next on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller