Berlin Community Center Vision Advances With MOU Approval

BERLIN – Plans for a community center on Flower Street took a major step forward this week with approval of an agreement between the town and the Berlin Community Improvement Association.

On Monday, in a split vote elected officials approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the town and the Berlin Community Improvement Association (BCIA). After talk of last minute modifications, Mayor Zack Tyndall was the tiebreaker when the vote to approve the agreement came in at 2-2.

“This has been a ball we’ve been trying to get rolling for a long time,” Tyndall said.

Tyndall told the council he was honored to be presenting them with an MOU with the BCIA after months of discussions. The agreement transfers the two parcels currently occupied by the Shore Up facility and the aging multi-purpose building, which would be demolished, to the town. With the transfer, the town will have four parcels to combine to create a site for a new community center. The agreement also gives the mayor and town council authority to create a seven-member Berlin Community Center Advisory Board, which will include three members nominated by the BCIA, one member nominated by Shore Up, and two members nominated by the town. The committee will be headed by the mayor. The other two town representatives will be Councilwoman Shaneka Nichols and Councilman Dean Burrell.

“With the execution of this MOU we can start moving forward with some fun things,” Tyndall said.

Councilman Jack Orris thanked Tyndall, Nichols and Burrell for their efforts getting the agreement drafted. He said it was slightly different than he’d envisioned but he appreciated the fact that it tied in a variety of people who’d been involved with the site historically.

Councilman Jay Knerr said he hoped the MOU could be slightly modified. He suggested the agreement establish the proposed community center as a two-phase project. Phase one would involve research regarding the history of the site. Phase two would increase the size of the committee by two people — one from District 1 and one from District 2 — and would involve the committee developing a site design and programs for the new facility. Knerr said he also wanted to see Burrell, who was not present Monday, as the advisory committee’s chair and the mayor as a standing member.

Tyndall said he felt the recommendations were items the committee could discuss once it started meeting. He added that as an advisory committee, the group would be making recommendations to the council, which includes representatives from every town district.

“I’m trying to get involvement from the community members from those two districts …,” Knerr said. “It’s a community center for the entire town.”

Tyndall said the town would eventually be bringing in an outside entity to help in the planning process and that entity would be getting input from the public. He said the committee would be chaired by the mayor because the mayor had oversight regarding the way the town operates.

“The reason we put the mayor on as chair is because looking forward with this project, it’s going to evolve with time,” he said.

Knerr continued to advocate for Burrell.

“It’s time to let council members step up and take a leadership role,” he said. “Dean is a natural fit to take charge of this committee.”

Councilwoman Shaneka Nichols agreed.

“He does have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to the site, the history and what has happened there up to now,” she said, adding that she didn’t believe the MOU as written excluded future participation from other districts.

Knerr said that it specified a seven-member committee. Tyndall maintained it was balanced that way.

Councilman Steve Green asked if there was any opportunity for compromise on the makeup of the committee, pointing out Tyndall serving as chair will require more work with his plate already full in a strong mayoral form of government.

“This isn’t my agreement,” Tyndall said. “This is an agreement that has been constructed by the BCIA, Shore Up, and Councilmember Nichols, Burrell, myself. It is not a Zack Tyndall agreement. It’s signed by the BCIA. Your compromise would be with that organization.”

Knerr made a motion, seconded by Green, to approve the agreement with his proposed modifications. Nichols asked what making the modifications would involve.

“That would set us back,” said David Gaskill, the town’s attorney. “It has to go back to BCIA.”

Nichols spoke strongly against potentially slowing the process down.

“I don’t want to see us take four steps backward,” she said, adding that she agreed with Knerr’s suggestions but didn’t want to impact progress on moving forward.

The council voted 2-2, with Green and Knerr in support and Orris and Nichols opposed, to make the modifications. To break the tie, Tyndall weighed in and the motion failed 2-3. Nichols subsequently made a motion to approve the MOU as written. Orris seconded and the vote was again 2-2, with Knerr and Green opposed. The mayor’s vote resulted in the motion to approve the agreement passing 3-2.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.