From the Burgess Woodsboro

Burgess Heath Barnes

The January 11, 2022, town meeting was a quiet one, with only a few items on the agenda. Town residents Kurt and Tammy Weinrich attended the meeting to discuss the potential for subdividing a lot on 2nd Street. To do this, there would need to be a street getting back to the back side of the lot. Currently, there isn’t one to the back of the property. The town’s planning and zoning committee, headed up by Commissioner Jesse Case, will be having its first meeting of the year on February 7 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss this matter. The meeting is open to the public if anyone would like to attend.

There were discussions concerning upcoming events that are in the works for the community. I talked about having an Easter Egg Hunt in the park. I have been discussing the idea with the Woodsboro Volunteer Fire Company members. The tentative plan will be to have it in the town park on Saturday, April 9. More details to come. I also discussed that I had a meeting with Pastor Neil Achempong, who pastors the Covenant Family Chapel in Woodsboro. (This church is newer to the community. They moved here from Frederick in 2019.) Pastor Neil proposed an idea for next Christmas, which would be a trail of lights that the community would be able to enjoy beginning the first week of December and ending the first weekend in January. In addition, one of the Saturdays in December, there would be an all-day program and community choir, etc. I suggested to them to work with the Woodsboro Evangelical Lutheran Church to coordinate the Saturday event with the Sunday the Lutheran Church holds its annual Christmas concert. They will be looking for community members who would like to be involved in the planning process, etc. This is in the very infant stages. More details to come.

Town Manager Mary Rice announced that we have ordered the new tractor for the town, but it could be several months before we receive it as it is on back order. The town hopes to have it in time for spring projects, as the town’s current tractor is over 40 years old and barely hanging on. In addition, the town has begun ordering some of the items for the water and sewage repairs that are needed and were approved at the December meeting.

On January 7, several town residents complimented the town’s maintenance crew on how well the streets were cleared. This is, in part, due to most town residents taking our suggestion to move all their vehicles off the streets before the snow. Please remember to move your vehicles off the streets anytime we have pending snow, as it helps the plowing process tremendously. It is also against town code to shovel your snow into the streets from your driveway, sidewalks, etc. As always, if you do not have the ability to get your sidewalks shoveled after a snowfall, you can reach out to me at [email protected] or 301-401-7164, and I will assist or help get someone out to assist in getting them cleared off.

Commissioner Dana Crum announced that she has updated the town website with all the monthly meeting minutes as requested by several town residents. Each month, as the previous month’s minutes are approved, they will be going up on the website so that the public who may not be able to attend town meetings may have access to what was discussed and or voted on.

I would also encourage everyone to support Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) if you have clothes or food donations, as they are always in need of items for members of the community. For more information, please contact GVCS by email at [email protected] or call 301-845-0213.

If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or compliments, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or by phone at 301-401-7164.

Woodsboro Town meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. In addition, planning and zoning meetings are at 6:00 p.m. on the first Monday of the month as needed. If you have an item for the agenda, it needs to be submitted 14 days before the P&Z meeting. The current location for meetings is the St. Johns United Church of Christ, located at 8 N 2nd Street, Woodsboro, MD 21798. The public is always invited to attend.