From the Mayor
THURMONT
Mayor John Kinnaird
It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through the year already! Schools are out for summer vacation, and our kids are exploring and playing. Be extra careful on residential streets and near parks and playgrounds. Kids don’t always look both ways when crossing roads and often cross where there are no crosswalks. They are also riding their bikes, skateboards, skates, and scooters, and can pop out in front of you from driveways and from between parked cars. Please remember that people using crosswalks have the right of way, and you are required to stop while they cross the street. A little care and heightened awareness of kids walking or riding on sidewalks and roads will keep you and our kids safe.
As everyone must know, the tennis courts at Community Park have been under construction for a long time. Recently, we have contracted with a new company to complete the project. The work required the removal of the blacktop and fence posts installed last fall. The new contractor has installed the new fenceposts and has placed the subbase for the blacktop. Due to all the rain we have been experiencing, this work is taking longer than anticipated. I am certain that by the time you are reading this, the blacktop will have been laid and the net posts will have been installed. Then, the fencing will go up, leaving only the application of the painted top coating. The courts will be painted for both tennis and pickleball. Pickleball equipment will be available in the storage box at the courts. We all look forward to the completion of this long and aggravating project! A grand opening ceremony will be planned and advertised.
Work has begun on the new pump station on Radio Lane to connect the high- and low-pressure water systems. This connection will help improve service capabilities and give us the ability to take specific wells offline for maintenance without interruption of service. This work will involve new high-voltage electric lines, several hundred feet of water main, line connections, and the construction of a pumphouse on Radio Lane. This project is expected to be completed by late fall.
Contractors have begun work on the improvements to the electric substation on Moser Road. The project will include new breakers, switches, electronic controls, and the refurbishment of both of the main transformers. The vast majority of the equipment at the facility dates to the mid-1990s when the plant was opened. These improvements will carry us well into the future with the most up-to-date electric distribution equipment. This project will be completed without any planned service interruptions.
The rebuilding of Sheetz is nearing completion. I understand they are looking at a July 3rd opening.
Karen and I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. I can be reached at 301-606-9458 or by email at jkinnaird@thurmont.com.
Emmitsburg
Mayor Frank Davis
I want to start by congratulating the graduates of Catoctin High School Class of 2025! I apologize for not attending the ceremony, as I had committed to attending an event at the Mother Seton School the same evening. I wish all of you the best of luck in the next chapter of your lives. If the Town of Emmitsburg can help you in any way, please reach out.
I have some exciting news. We are one step closer to addressing the parking shortage in the downtown area. We have qualified for a grant that will allow us to purchase a property to add additional parking within a block of the town square. With negotiations underway, we feel confident that we can reach a deal to address a 50-year problem that has hindered both business and residential needs. I hope to get more information by next month.
The town council has passed the budget for fiscal year 2026. For the most part, this should allow us to continue to provide services that are expected by you, the residents, and fund upgrades to some town amenities. The one concern I have is with the decrease in the water rates. The town’s water fund continues to operate at a deficit, which has potential for negative impacts in several areas. Some expenditures that are directly related to the water fund, such as salaries and benefits of water department employees, have been moved to the general fund. This has caused a shortfall for important projects, such as roadway paving and park upgrades, to name a few. We will be forced to put on hold the much-needed waterline replacements for West Main Street and the Waynesboro Road customers, as well as beginning to save over $20 million for improvement projects that are a major concern. I was hesitant to share my concerns, but I’ve promised that I will always be transparent with you all, so that there are no surprises that may affect the services we provide.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to schedule a time for us to meet. Have a great summer!
Woodsboro
Burgess Heath Barnes
Happy Independence Day! I wish you all a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend. Enjoy your long weekend with family and friends.
At our June 10th town meeting, Commissioner Denise Hahn was sworn in to begin her term, and Commissioner Case and I were sworn in to start our second terms. During this meeting, the council voted for Commissioner Case to be the president pro tempore of the council, which means he will act as burgess in my absence for any reason. I also appointed the commissioners to their respective roles, which are: Commissioner Rittelmeyer will remain the water and sewer commissioner, Commissioner Cutshall will remain the streets and roads commissioner, Commissioner Case will remain the planning and zoning commissioner, and Denise Hahn will be the new parks and recreation commissioner. If you have an issue in one of these areas, please reach out to the commissioner who handles the item with which you are experiencing an issue.
We are working diligently to get funds to have work done on the pond in the park, as it badly needs dredging. I announced at the meeting that I was able to obtain $26,000 from a grant to help with the project, and so we are moving forward with obtaining some estimates to work on getting this project completed.
I am excited to announce that we have formed a community events committee with two townspeople and Commissioner Hahn. I am part of it as well. We had our first meeting on June 16, and some ideas that are in the process of being implemented are for Woodsboro Days on October 18. We will add some things for kids at the event, which include pumpkin painting, a possible petting zoo, and a big area of yard games. This year’s bands will be Taylor Brown as Elvis, opening the day with the first set, and The Bootleg Band will play the other two sets. We are planning to have food trucks in the park on the second Monday of the month, beginning in July, so look for details coming out soon about this. We are planning a back-to-school movie in the park, tentatively scheduled for August 16. We are also looking at a possible Christmas decorating contest in December for homes inside of town limits. These are a few of the exciting ideas that we are talking about having to bring the community together for events.
We are still looking for a couple of other people who would be willing to help with these events. If interested, please reach out to me or Commissioner Hahn.
As we are getting closer to the town office being completed, I have been gathering pictures of all the former burgesses to hang in the town office. I have been able to collect almost all of them. We are looking for an 8×10-inch size picture. If you are a family member of a former burgess with a picture, please reach out to me.
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 gvcs.inc@verizon.net or by calling 301-845-0213.
If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, suggestions, or compliments, please feel free to reach out to me at hbarnes@woodsboro.org 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.
