Sykesville residents have another opportunity to make a difference in their community ? and town officials will be listening.
The town is starting a second phone survey on such issues as police service, solid waste collection, and parks and recreation.
“We want to see how we were being rated by the citizens and get a critique of our job performance,” said Mayor Jonathan Herman.
“The survey is conducted by a real human being asking questions. So there is an opportunity for residents to elaborate,” said Town Manager Matthew Candland.
The first random phone survey in the late 1990s provided council members with residents? views on the proposed Warfield Complex annexation, the need for a municipal swimming pool and an emphasis on more communication.
Survey participants supported the town?s move to annex the Warfield Complex, after Sykesville offered to buy the 15-building site from the state and redevelop it as a business park. The annexation went to a referendum, where it passed overwhelmingly at 80 percent. Carroll Dance Company and Nexion Health have signed on for the project.
The last survey revealed residents? support for a pool in Sykesville. The town has moved forward with a public-private partnership that will allow it to secure land next to Cooper Park for a privately run pool with a membership fee.
To promote better communication, as it was a need specified in the last survey, Sykesville added a voluntary listserv to its Web site.
A Web-based version of the survey may be offered, though Candland said wouldn?t happen until after the phone survey is complete.
About the survey
The $2,000 survey will begin in late May, reaching 200 of the town?s approximately 2,000 households. Sykesville officials will submit the questions they want asked to Public Opinion Research of Eldersburg.
