Town staff: station project cleared by historic trust; Parks announces Santa event and Light Up Sykesville plans

Town staff and council members used the Nov. 24 meeting to update residents on municipal projects and upcoming holiday events.

Clerk Joe told the council recycling would be skipped for the holiday week and the town had received approval from the Maryland Historic Trust for the station project. He said the town will ask the design team back to a future meeting to present proposed changes before ground‑breaking and estimated construction could take "somewhere in that 6 month to a year frame."

Councilman Reese, representing Parks & Recreation, announced that Santa will visit Sykesville on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 3 to 6 p.m., and that the town has added a sensory‑friendly hour from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; donors may bring new, unopened toys, coats and hygiene items or reserve five‑minute time slots by calling (410) 795‑8959 or emailing parks@sykesville.net. Reese said Spark (the event operator) will manage line control and volunteers are welcome.

Council and staff also discussed Light Up Sykesville, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 16, and a neighborhood holiday lighting contest. Council members agreed to a provisional judging date of Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., described contest rules (nighttime visual judging, lights on, no cash prize, town signs to mark winners) and asked staff to coordinate with police to alert the public.

Other items: town offices will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday; a council member warned that Comcast may drop some local paid cable channels unless customers pay extra and the issue will be on a future cable meeting agenda.

Next steps: staff will post formal event notices and dates on town channels and follow up with a formal meeting announcement if schedules change.