Town Hall Report

by James Rada, Jr.

Thurmont

Sidewalk Work Ongoing

The Town of Thurmont began a comprehensive sidewalk replacement project on April 14. The project, funded by a Community Development Block Grant and Maryland Highway User Revenues, will remove and replace the sidewalks on Lombard Street, Walnut Street, and Carroll Street. While the work is underway, parking on the affected streets will be limited to one side of the street, opposite to where the work is taking place. Updates on the project will be posted on the town website and Facebook. Residents may also call the Town Offices at 301-271-7313 with any questions.

State Highway Project Work On Emmitsburg Road Expected to Finish This Month

The Maryland State Highway Administration began repairing cracks and depressions on the roadway, removing the driving surface, and installing a new asphalt surface on Emmitsburg Road in late March. No parking is allowed along this stretch of road during work hours. The project is expected to be completed this month, weather permitting.

Program Open Space Projects Discussed

As part of the budget discussions for Fiscal Year 2027, the Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners discussed their wish list for projects that could be funded with Program Open Space funds. A new project on the table is a disc golf course that could be placed on town property near the library. Besides the course equipment and landscaping, picnic tables and trash cans could be placed in the area. Another possible project is to replace the fence on one of the baseball field backstops.

Once the mayor and commissioners choose their priority projects, a representative from the town will meet with other municipal representatives to see how much money is available and how many projects the money can fund.

Emmitsburg

Sheriff’s Deputies’ Contract Approved

The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners approved the contract with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for the community deputies who handle law enforcement in Emmitsburg. The contract to have two deputies in Emmitsburg for Fiscal Year 2027 will cost $402,927, which is an increase of 4.71 percent over the current year. The increase is due to a 4.5 percent increase to the Uniformed Law Enforcement Pay Scale, a step increase for each deputy, and associated fringe benefit costs. Commissioner Rosario Benvengi objected to some of the costs, saying that town residents were already paying for some of the costs, such as workman’s compensation through their county taxes, and that having them in the contract was double taxation.

Rainbow Lake Dam Repairs Approved

The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners recently approved a contract with Charles P. Johnson & Associates to make needed repairs to the 76-year-old dam at Rainbow Lake. The list of repairs came from a Maryland Department of the Environment required inspection. The cost of the repairs is $125,243.45.

Benefits Allocation Discussed

When the Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners requested that town staff allocate staff benefits to their home department rather than where the work was performed, they were warned that this was not considered a best practice. However, it allowed for it to appear that the water budget was smaller in the hopes of minimizing the increase needed to make the needed repairs and upgrades to the water system.

As Mayor Frank Davis explained it, “You’re saving the water fund a little but draining the general fund.”

Town Manager Cathy Willets explained that shifting the money didn’t decrease the amount of money residents will need to pay to fund the budget; it just moved it from one fund to another. The shifting of money between funds amounts to around $60,000.

Then the annual town audit noted this change as a problem that should be corrected. While changing the methodology back to allocating the benefits to the department that received the work, the commissioners were warned that not doing so could affect the town’s ability to get grants.

The commissioners need to decide how they want the benefits allocated so that the budget can be put together.

Butterfly Garden Approved

Based on a recommendation from the Citizens Advisory Committee, the Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners approved the expenditure of $100 to create a Monarch waystation in E. Eugene Myers Community Park, where the town’s first community garden is located. Residents who currently garden there can be redirected to the Cedar Avenue Community Garden.

The waystation would be a native plant “demonstration” garden that will help the town meet the goals of Sustainable Maryland. It will also serve as an outdoor classroom for adults and children who want to learn more about native plants; the importance of pollinators in flower and food production; the amazing lifecycle of butterflies; and how to “tag,” record, and release monarchs.