July 2025 Work Sessions and Updates
Nicole Bryner
Thanks to everyone for your patience during last month’s water main break and disruption to service. I was out of town at the time, but I truly appreciate the efforts of Town staff to coordinate with WSSC and keep residents informed.
This month we held two work sessions—on July 24 and July 31—and I’m including updates from both in this combined newsletter.
MEETINGS
July 24 and 31 Work Sessions
You can watch recordings of all town meetings here.
State Highway Administration
We had a wide-ranging discussion with SHA representatives about state-managed roads near Cheverly, including Landover Road and Columbia Park Road.
- 202 Bike Lane: This project has entered the design phase, with contracts not expected to be awarded until Fall 2026.
- 62nd Place & Neighbor Lane: We're nearing installation of a sidewalk on the west side of 62nd Place between Monroe St. and Landover Rd. to improve pedestrian safety. We’ve also asked SHA to contribute funding. Additional safety concerns at this intersection—like frequent red light running and illegal left turns—led to discussion of:
- Improved signage for the “No Left Turn” on northbound 202
- Re-timing traffic lights to help reduce accidents
- A pedestrian-only signal cycle where all traffic is stopped
- Possible red-light cameras for northbound 202
- 202 & Cheverly Avenue: We’ve long requested a pedestrian signal here. SHA confirmed it’s still in the queue. I also followed up about the damaged signal pole that was struck by a tree recently—SHA is aware and says repairs are forthcoming.
- Columbia Park Road: The longstanding jurisdictional issues between SHA and the County continue to delay light synchronization. However, they held a joint meeting last week and we’re hopeful for progress. Red-light cameras at the Columbia Park Rd./Route 50 intersection have been approved and will be installed in coordination with SHA and Pepco. We also requested clearer signage for the right-turn-only lane heading toward Route 50.
WMATA Update
A WMATA representative briefed us on recent bus service changes. Council raised concerns about incorrect signage (some stops along Cheverly Ave list the wrong destination) and how rerouted service is requiring riders to walk farther or transfer more often.
WMATA has launched a new app showing real-time locations of buses and trains: https://wmata.com/initiatives/metropulse/index.cfm
Board of Elections Supervisors Update
The Board is on summer hiatus and will return in the fall with recommendations for updates to legislation, policies, and budget needs to better support our all-volunteer elections process.
Cheverly Day
Given past questions around Cheverly Day funding, we invited the committee to a work session to share more detail. They presented a breakdown of past budgets and expenses. While the Town’s official Cheverly Day line item (traditionally earmarked for fireworks) has remained fairly consistent year to year, actual expenditures vary as the budget is amended to cover shortfalls between income and expenses. Additional Town support such as staff overtime and equipment rentals isn’t reflected in that single line item.
In recent years, Town staff have taken on a growing role in supporting the event, and staff overtime costs have now reached the five-digit range.
To make Cheverly Day funding more sustainable, we discussed options such as:
- Creating a more standardized and proactive process for sponsorships and donations
- Maintaining outreach lists for past and potential supporters
- Exploring County programs that could reimburse the Town for some expenses (Councilmember Fry shared one such opportunity, which staff will research further)
The Committee is requesting increased support in FY27, especially as 2026 will be Cheverly’s 95th anniversary and will include a parade. But budgeting is challenging without predictable income projections. Everyone wants to see a great Cheverly Day, and recent years have shown the Town’s increased commitment to making that happen.
The Cheverly Day Committee is all-volunteer and while they do an incredible job they are always looking for more help—especially folks with fundraising or sponsorship experience. If that’s something you can offer, please consider stepping up!
Meeting Times
For as long as I’ve been on Council, Town Meetings have started at 8:00pm on the second Thursday of the month, and Work Sessions have started at 7:30pm on the fourth Thursday. Having two different start times can be confusing, and an 8:00pm start time means Town Meetings rarely end before 10:00pm—and more often wrap up closer to 11:00pm. That makes for a long day for staff, Council, and anyone attending the meeting.
Now that meetings are hybrid, it feels like a good time to align the start times and shift everything a bit earlier so meetings can end earlier, too. Council agreed that starting all meetings at 7:30pm would reduce confusion and be more respectful of everyone’s time. Since the August meeting times have already been published, this change will go into effect starting in September. Both Town Meetings and Work Sessions will begin at 7:30pm moving forward. We’ll share reminders in the newsletter and through News & Announcements.
We may revisit this again in the future and consider moving start times to 7:00pm—but for now, we’ll see how 7:30 works.
Departmental Reports
Kilmer Street Paving:
County construction crews are finalizing the sidewalk project on Kilmer Street just outside of Cheverly where Gladys Noon Spellman ES is located. They will be paving the entire road, which means that there will be no parking on that road through approximately August 6. You may see an increase in parked cars around the north end of Cheverly as residents on that street look for other places to park their cars.
Grants:
Town Staff have recently been successful in two grant applications for funding to resurface Boyd Park and plant 50 new street trees. Kudos to staff for their work in securing these funds!
Thank you for staying engaged! Please reach out with any questions, concerns, or feedback.
Best,
Nicole Bryner
Vice Mayor
Ward 3 Council Member
Town of Cheverly
Where to find me
Email: CMW...@cheverly-md.gov
Text, WhatsApp, Phone: 301.892.6384
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Upcoming Events
For more information about these and other events, check out the town newsletter
Tuesday, August 5
6pm-8pm
Cheverly Station Apartments
Thursday, August 7
Noon
Boyd Park
Tuesday, August 12
2pm
Hybrid
Town Meeting
Thursday, August 14
8pm
Hybrid
Saturday, August 16
8am-noon
Town Hall
55& Up Sip and Paint
Wednesday, August 20
2pm-4pm
Town Hall
Resident Appreciation Day: Music in the Park
Friday, August 22
7pm
Town Park
Saturday, August 30
8am-noon
Town Hall
Labor Day: Town Offices Closed and Services Suspended
Monday, September 1
All Day
Saturday, September 6
8pm-midnight
Town Hall
Town Meeting (featuring County Council Member Shayla Adams Stafford)
Thursday, September 11
7:30pm (note new time!)
Hybrid
Saturday, September 13
8am-noon
Town Hall
CAACO School Supply Distribution
Saturday, September 13
12-4pm
Cheverly United Methodist Church Parking Lot
Wednesday, September 17
7-8:30pm
Hybrid
Movie in the Park : IF
Friday, September 19
8:30pm
Town Park
Town Work Session
Thursday, September 25
7:30pm
Hybrid
Saturday, September 27
8am-noon
Town Hall
Eley Building Ribbon Cutting (tentative)
Saturday, September 27
1pm
Eley Public Works Building
Cheverly Day
Saturday October 4