Sykesville, county eye BRAC potential

Twele: Sykesville, Eldersburg could see greatest growth in county as a result of Base Realignment and Closure

BRAC is a Department of Defense decision to relocate work and close military bases around the country to better suit its needs.

Sykesville and Eldersburg could see the greatest impact of BRAC due to realignment at Ft. George G. Meade and the National Security Agency, said Larry Twele, director of Carroll County Economic Development at an August presentation to the Board of County Commissioners.

County projections had Carroll seeing about 408 new households built as a result of BRAC from 2008-2015, he said. And it could be likely that Sykesville, Eldersburg and Mount Airy would see the bulk of those homes, he said.

‘‘We’re classifying this as a healthy impact,” he said. ‘‘We’re not staring down the barrel of 8,000 households like Harford County might be.”

About 435 Eldersburg and Sykesville residents commute daily to Ft. Meade, according to 2000 commutation studies, he said. That is the most in the county next to 222 Mount Airy residents commuting daily, he said.

Sykesville’s Town Council has not had a joint discussion about the potential effects of BRAC on Sykesville, Herman said, adding he might consider scheduling it for discussion at a Town Council meeting with a presentation by Twele.

Herman said he believes Sykesville already has part of the solution for BRAC’s commercial development. ‘‘The Warfield Complex would pose a great interest for BRAC,” he said.

Town Manager Matt Candland agreed, adding the town would be prepared for BRAC if Warfield is ready.

Warfield Complex is a portion of Springfield Hospital Center’s old site that is being redeveloped to attract businesses, residents and cultural events.

Twele also agreed.

‘‘That’s why we believe there is room for Warfield [in planning for BRAC], which is 25-26 miles from the gates of Ft. Meade,” he said.

Defense contractors that do not have to be on base every day might see Sykesville as an attractive option, Twele said, because Md. Route 32 leads to Ft. Meade.

The Warfield Complex is probably the best bet for BRAC-related business in the county, Candland said.

Candland anticipates businesses that support government contractors’ operations would be more likely to move into Warfield.

The first phase of BRAC is in place and will end in 2010, adding about 22 households to the county, Twele said. From 2010 to 2015, 386 new homes are anticipated to be built as well as 324 new jobs added, he said.

Town Council President Jeannie Nichols also agreed that Warfield could handle the commercial fallout as a result of BRAC.

However, she said the town isn’t ready to handle new households. Because of the town’s limitations of geography, the homes would more likely to be built in Eldersburg.

Candland said the Raincliffe development that would have 125 upscale town homes in town limits might be a place that could handle some of the housing demands.

Nichols said she is not sure if the town needs to discuss how it will prepare for BRAC in detail at this time.

So far, the council had concentrated on Warfield as the way to handle BRAC, so it didn’t beg for a discussion, she said.

Questions need to be answered at the state and federal level about what will happen with BRAC, she said. The town should wait until more information comes from those levels of government, she added.

But if BRAC starts to mobilize its large plan in 2010, that year shouldn’t be seen as a deadline for Warfield to have tenants and contractors signed to a lease, she said.

‘‘To put a timeline on it would have the town forced to accept a deal, because a timeline says we have to,” she said.

The town shouldn’t sign the first deal that comes to it to have someone occupy a space and satisfy a move for BRAC, she said.

‘‘We do have tenants over there; it’s ready to go,” she said. ‘‘We’re selective at who goes over there.”

Twele cautioned towns that could see benefits from BRAC about waiting too long to decide how it would approach BRAC.

‘‘The longer you wait as you get closer to that deadline, the less your influence can impact where decisions are made,” he said. ‘‘Typically, a lot of community interest may not be engaged until the movement takes place, so by then it might be too late.”

Sykesville Police Chief John R. Williams Jr. said he’s not waiting.

‘‘That’s what I’m writing up right now for the retreat,” he said about the Sept. 29 meeting where town officials will meet to plan out the year and future and discuss issues. It will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Visitors Center off of Oklahoma Avenue.

Williams said he plans to outline at the retreat the need for an additional officer and resources to handle both current and future demands on the department.

With the indirect impact of BRAC, which includes more congested traffic on MD. Route 32 and roads leading out of Sykesville and Eldersburg, Williams said those projections will affect the Sykesville Police Department.

Williams said he is also waiting to see what state lawmakers have to say and whether municipalities will receive funding to assist with the challenges that comes with BRAC.

Though the town sees Warfield as an attractive option for BRAC economic development, Candland said, it doesn’t know what the town’s chances are for landing those jobs compared to other towns surrounding Ft. Meade.

‘‘It’s hard to tell,” he said about Warfield’s chances with BRAC. ‘‘There’s been so much talked about BRAC, I don’t know what’s fact or fiction. We won’t know until it happens.”