Council, nonprofit discuss 12-month lease, signage and building repairs for Discovery/Training space

At a Pocomoke City work session, council members and nonprofit representatives discussed proposed lease terms, signage needs and persistent maintenance problems at a city-owned building used by a local discovery/training organization.

A council member said she favored a one-year lease with automatic renewal and a termination-notice clause, and another member proposed increasing the maintenance threshold from $100 to $200 before the city steps in. “A hundred bucks don’t carry very far,” Speaker 5 said, urging the threshold be doubled to avoid unnecessary city involvement.

Nonprofit representatives and council members also raised concerns about outreach and program growth. Speaker 3 emphasized proactive recruitment: “You have to go out and find these people. People are only passionate about what they know,” and urged the council to connect programs to schools and other community groups to increase engagement.

Speakers reported building problems. One participant said staff had placed a tarp over a leaking side of the building during the prior winter and that maintenance had been contacted multiple times. Speaker 3 argued the city should inspect city-owned buildings at least twice a year and said negligence had contributed to problems at the Discovery Museum, linking that negligence to complications with a reverter clause involving the Salvation Army.

Council members discussed signage and whether the nonprofit should become a city-recognized entity to receive assistance; staff were asked to coordinate with city manager Barker and other council members on next steps. No formal lease was approved at the session; council members asked staff to prepare follow-up information.

The council also discussed standing up an online packet system to improve public access to agenda materials.