From the Mayor
Thurmont
Mayor John Kinnaird
Wow, here we are in 2025—it seems time goes by faster every year! Karen and I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas. Spending time with friends and family makes for very special times and memories. We also want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! We both hope the new year brings you and your family good health and happiness.
I want to remind our residents that the winter months are the most demanding for the volunteers at Thurmont Food Bank and Thurmont Clothes Closet. Both organizations see an increase in the need for their assistance, and they need more donations to keep up with the demand. The food bank needs donations of non-perishable foods, cereals, pasta, cans of vegetables, soups, sauces, crackers, cookies, and so forth. Donations can be dropped off in person on Tuesdays and Fridays, or you can place your donations in the donation bin located at the front corner of the Thurmont Food Bank building. The Clothes Closet needs warm clothing in children’s and adult sizes. Due to seasonal layoffs or work shortages, many families have trouble buying the clothing they need for winter. Children are especially vulnerable to the cold when going to and returning from school. Warm coats, gloves, hats and caps, scarves, shoes, and boots are some of the items needed. Donations to the Clothes Closet can be dropped off at the donation box at the rear of the Thurmont Methodist Church on Long Road. Your donations will be greatly appreciated by our friends, neighbors, and family members who are in need of some assistance. Both organizations provide help at no cost. I want to thank the Thurmont Food Bank and Thurmont Clothes Closet for supporting those in need in our community.
The new year will be bringing several new infrastructure projects and, hopefully, the completion of at least two projects. The North Church Street project is awaiting the SHA milling and blacktopping to complete the work. State budgetary shortfalls have prevented the work this year, and we have been assured the project is scheduled for spring. The tennis court work in Community Park has ground to a halt. We will be re-bidding for the remaining work as soon as possible in hopes of a spring completion date. New projects include the rebuilding of the sewer line through the wooded area from McDonald’s to the wastewater plant. This work will include the replacement of all the manhole structures and the lining of the sewer pipes. This line serves many businesses and residences, but the work will not interrupt service. I hope we can break ground on the new Radio Lane water interconnection pump between the high- and low-pressure water systems. This will help ensure against system shortages, should we need to take any wells off line for service to pumps, etc.
Most importantly, this year, I want to make sure all our residents are aware of the annexation proposal being brought forward by Cross & Company, LLC. This proposal relates to the Simmers property along Apples Church and Graceham Roads. The proposal has been submitted to the Board of Commissioners, who, in turn, have passed it on to the Planning & Zoning Commission for review. As you may be aware, this is the second proposal by Cross & Company LLC for the annexation and development of the Simmers property. As with the first instance, this request will follow the process as required by the State of Maryland and Thurmont’s Zoning Code. I encourage each and every resident to pay attention as this process moves forward, and to attend P&Z meetings where this will be discussed, as well as public hearings, to gather input from our residents. I can assure you that, as in the past, public input will be sought at each step of this process.
I am always available by phone at 303-606-9458 and by email at [email protected].
Karen and I look forward to the coming year and its possibilities, and we hope each of you has a healthy and Happy New Year.
Emmitsburg
Mayor Frank Davis
Remember to date all our “stuff” 2025. Good luck with that—it usually takes me until March to get it right.
I am anticipating this new year to be full of great opportunities for our community. Several new businesses have shown an interest in locating in town, as well as two housing projects that are moving forward. While some might cringe at the thought of growth, this is an imperative ingredient for the future of our town. I will keep you posted on the progress.
I am sure that some of you are aware of the bleak outlook for the State of Maryland’s upcoming budget. It is not a pretty picture. It appears that there is a shortfall of $2.75 billion (yes, with a B). Unfortunately, when the state struggles with funding, it also affects the counties and municipalities. After attending a meeting in Annapolis last month, I have instructed our staff to begin to plan for a shortcoming of state-assisted funding. On a positive note, we are fortunate to have the support of State Senator Paul Corderman and Delegates William Valentine and William Wivell. They have already begun to assist us with applying for funding for our much-needed infrastructure projects.
The winter months are full of opportunities to enjoy both high school and college sports. Catoctin High Basketball is in full swing, and as always, we anticipate a successful season for both the girls’ and boys’ teams. Mount St. Mary’s Basketball is off to an amazing start and is exceeding pre-season expectations. The womens’ and mens’ teams are starting conference play and will guarantee a season of exciting high-level entertainment for the whole family.
As always, we continue to explore new opportunities and projects to improve our community. Please reach out with your ideas and suggestions as we continue to improve and grow.
Woodsboro
Burgess Heath Barnes
Greetings, Happy New Year, and welcome to 2025. I hope everyone had a happy and cheerful holiday season. I look forward to good things this year and exciting developments in Woodsboro.
On December 18, we officially broke ground for the new town office. It was attended by several local elected officials, as well as our local fire department and many townspeople. This project has been in the works for several years but is finally happening. It is a much-needed thing for the town.
Mt. Hope, Rocky Hill, St. Johns, and Oak Hill cemeteries participated in the Wreaths Across America program for the first time this year. The support was overwhelming, and the crowds that came out to lay the wreaths on our Veterans’ graves were really nice. Now every Veteran in these cemeteries has a nice wreath on their graves for the holidays.
With the new townhouses that have been built on 2nd Street, the town council voted to make parking only on one side of the street on South 2nd Street from Coppermine Road to Elizabeth Street. This was necessary due to the width of the street to ensure emergency vehicles can get through. New signs have gone up for this along the street.
As always, I 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 by calling 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.
