Emmitsburg
Mayor Frank Davis
Every month brings new challenges, but each month also brings new opportunities to improve the day-to-day operations of the town. This past month was no exception. I had the opportunity to spend three days in Annapolis, meeting with fellow mayors at the Maryland Municipal League Mayors Conference. The time spent sharing information, comparing issues, and working together to find solutions was a rewarding experience. I learned that most municipalities struggle in the same areas of operations and are searching for that golden answer. So, we in Emmitsburg are not alone.
You may begin to see activity around Irishtown Road behind Northgate. The land has been purchased by a developer in hopes of completing Emmit Ridge II.
The town is close to releasing a new Citizens Notification and Alert Application. This will make it easy to communicate information on events, notices, and most importantly, emergency notifications. The app will be free to downland onto your phone and will add another means of communication with you, our citizens. Be on the lookout for the unveiling of the new system.
The flooding on Annandale Road has become a weekly occurrence and needs to be addressed. While the hazardous area is outside the town limits, it still affects our citizens, the Mount St. Mary’s community, and most importantly, our fire and police response. We are currently working with Frederick County and the Maryland Department of the Environment to correct the problem.
As the weather gets warmer, we encourage you to take a walk in our parks, take in a ballgame, try your hand at disc golf, or just get out and talk with your neighbors. Spring is a great time of year, and I look forward to seeing you out and about around town.
Woodsboro
Burgess Heath Barnes
Happy spring! Warmer weather has arrived and, hopefully, all winter weather is now gone until next winter.
Our annual Easter egg hunt in town was quite successful. The Woodsboro Volunteer Fire Department, along with the town of Woodsboro, outdid themselves again. The weather is always challenging, especially with Easter being so early this year, but we made it work.
The March 12th town meeting was quiet. Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen situation, I was not able to attend, but the meeting was in good hands and was run by Council President Bud Eckenrode. Thank you, Councilman Eckenrode, for stepping up last minute.
The main discussion was about the new building development that is coming to town. The nine townhouses that were approved several years ago are to be built on Second Street, and the project is starting to take place. The builders will begin the construction before too much longer. This will bring at least nine more families and homes to town.
It was also brought up that the town has stopped electronic payments for water bills. Electronic payments have been stopped at this time due to the revision of the fees that the processor is charging the town, along with the low utilization of this program. With those added fees, the council decided to stop them for now. We will research other options that the town can afford without taking a large loss each quarter.
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, 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. John’s United Church of Christ, located at 8 N. 2nd Street, Woodsboro, MD 21798. The public is always invited to attend.
