Town Hall Reports

by James Rada, Jr. Emmitsburg September 2015 Doughboy Repairs Out for Bid The Emmitsburg Mayor and Board of Commissioners expect to see bids for what it would cost to restore the Doughboy statue to its pedestal and repair any damage caused from an accident on June 17. A car struck the statue’s pedestal, causing some damage. The statue has been at that same location since 1927, and residents would like to see it once again mounted on a repaired pedestal, looking down Main Street. Because the statue is considered a historic artifact in Emmitsburg’s historic district, the State of Maryland must also approve any changes. Mayor Don Briggs pointed out during a recent town meeting that the town has been doing everything that it can do, such as getting a state-approved conservator’s report that cost the town $1,500 and putting the repair out for bid. “We’re doing what we’re permitted to do, but it’s not our schedule,” Briggs said. Briggs said that he had submitted an article to another local newspaper, which the newspaper chose not to print. It outlined everything that the town had been doing to get the Doughboy statue repaired. The statue’s location will not be moved, which was a decision made in early July. The cost of repairs should be paid by the driver’s insurance company, and the town is pursuing that option. The commissioners are expecting to see bids by the second town meeting in October. At that time, they will see how much the restoration and repair will cost. They may begin discussion on how to fund the repairs and the timeline for repairs. There will be an add-on to the bids for replacing rather than repairing the plaque with Veterans’ names on it. If the commissioners chose to replace the plaque, they would be able to integrate the names of the African-American Veterans with the white ones. The names are currently segregated. “I have to give that option to you all to vote on,” stated Town Manager Dave Haller. However, when asked, Haller noted that the damage to the plaque is minimal. “You can hardly tell it really… If somebody didn’t tell you, you would think it was normal wear,” Haller said. High Schools May Be Able to Serve on Parks and Recreation Committee Commissioner Jennifer Mellor gave the Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners an update on a recent meeting of the Parks and Recreation Committee. One of the topics of discussion was about the town’s open field and who is allowed to use it, and whether high school students could participate on the committee and give their input. Mellor said she saw nothing in the committee’s mission that precluded high school student participation; the commissioners and Town Manager Dave Haller agreed. “That’s healthy. That’s absolutely what we want,” Commission President Tim O’Donnell said. Comprehensive Plan Review The Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners will hold a public hearing about the 2015 Emmitsburg Comprehensive Plan on October 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room in the town offices at 300A South Seton Avenue, which can be reviewed online at www.emmitsburgmd.gov or in person at the town office. The hearing will also include the rezoning of Parcels 300/1884, 300/1886, 300-1887, and 300-1888 from R-1 Residential to B-1 Neighborhood Commercial, as recommended in the plan. Parks and Recreation Committee Members Appointed The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners appointed seven members to the Parks and Recreation Committee on September 21: Dwight Baumgardner, David Maze, Shannon Cool, Cynthia Canadas, Matt Myers, Jen Myers, and T.J. Burns. For more information about the Town of Emmitsburg, log onto www.emmitsburgmd.gov or call 301-600-6300. Thurmont September 2015 Additional Community Park Paving Approved The Thurmont Mayor and Board of Commissioners voted to spend $14,750 to pave part of Community Park. However, the net cost of the project to the town will be $6,185. The town had $8,565 left over in Program Open Space funds from a previous Community Park paving project, so they were able to use the money for a similar project. The town had solicited bids for the new project, and Frederick County Paving was the low bid and has done previous satisfactory work for the town. The company will be paving approximately 800 feet of trail that is currently gravel. Can Thurmont Get More Tax Equity Funds? The Thurmont Mayor and Board of Commissioners discussed the Frederick County Tax Equity Program that returns tax dollars that provide duplicate services. Since the county doesn’t have to provide a service to a municipality, such as police enforcement, the county returns a portion of tax dollars to the municipality that is supposed to be representative of the portion of the county tax bill that residents would need to pay to have county sheriff’s office deputies patrolling the town. This is a somewhat contentious issue between municipalities and the county; the municipalities seek to increase their tax equity amount, and the county seeks to minimize how much it needs to return to the municipalities. The county has proposed having an annual discussion of the tax equity formula and opening it up for adjustments. For Fiscal Year 2016, it is proposed that Thurmont receives $249,000 for highways; $545,714 for police; $54,124 for parks and recreation; and nothing for planning and zoning. Two areas that the commissioners would like to see added to the formula would be senior centers and volunteer fire services. Both of these items tend to be paid by the county in other municipalities, so it would benefit Thurmont if it could be reimbursed some of the costs for those items. Hazardous Waste Drop Off Frederick County will sponsor a hazardous waste drop-off on October 17, from 8:00 a.m.-noon, at the Public Safety Training Facility, located at 8349 Reichs Ford Road in Frederick. The event will be held rain or shine. Although there is no cost for county residents, only residential hazardous waste will be accepted. A list of acceptable items can be found at www.thurmont.com or at the Thurmont Town Office. View the Town of Thurmont’s website at www.thurmont.com or call the town office at 301-271-7313 for more information.