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by James Rada, Jr.

Emmitsburg

May 2015

Emmitsburg 2016 Budget will be Mostly Unchanged

The Emmitsburg town accountant Cole Tabler told the Emmitsburg mayor and commissioners that the fiscal year 2016 budget “is really only slightly different from this year.”

The difference, he said, comes primarily from a reduction in some state funding. The general fund for the current year was $1,702,792, and the projected general fund budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, is $1,627,709. The commissioners are reviewing the budget and can still make changes before they approve it.

Free Pool Time

The commissioners approved allowing free access to the Emmitsburg pool on Heritage Day, June 27. In addition, the commissioners are working on a plan that will give a free one-day pool pass to students at Emmitsburg Elementary and Mother Seton School who sign a pledge to wear a helmet while riding a scooter, bicycle, or skateboard. The town will also be hosting community pool parties on July 10, July 24, and August 7.

Emmitsburg is Solar Powered

As of May 13, 2015, the Emmitsburg Twitter feed announced that the Emmitsburg Town Government is 94 percent reliant on renewable solar energy. The town has also started work on the $2.2 million dollar Phase II of its solar project.

On a related note, with the town’s switch to LED lights in the street lights, there has been a 40 percent decrease in energy costs for the lights.

For more information about the Town of Emmitsburg, log onto www.emmitsburgmd.gov or call 301-600-6300.

Thurmont

May 2015

Thurmont Needs Ideas for Christmas Decorations

It may seem early to be thinking about it, but with the new streetlights that have been installed in downtown Thurmont, the town is going to have to purchase new Christmas decorations to fit them. During a recent meeting, Commissioner Wes Hamrick said the town could use ideas for what the new decorations should be.

Working on the Budget

The Thurmont mayor and commissioners have been working on how to best allocate next fiscal year’s revenues to create a town budget. The town is expecting roughly $3.5 million in revenue in the general operating fund. This does not include enterprise fund revenues (water and sewer, electric). Revenue to those funds are treated separately, because they must be used within the funds. The new budget, once approved by the commissioners, will take effect on July 1, 2015.

Business Expo Donates to Thurmont Food Bank

Heather Dewees and Rob Renner gave the final report on the 11th Annual Thurmont Business Expo, held at Catoctin High School on April 2, 2015. Dewees and Renner decided to continue the event after Thurmont Main Street—the usual organizers of the event—had decided not to hold the expo this year and cancelled it.

Renner told the commissioners that forty-two businesses and ten non-profit organizations participated in the event.

“Even holding it on Thursday, we felt we had a pretty good turnout,” said Renner.

After expenses, the Thurmont Business Expo was able to donate $1,145 to the Thurmont Food Bank. Pastor Sally Joyner Giffin accepted the check on behalf of the food bank.

“Thank you to all of the businesses,” she said.

View the Town of Thurmont’s website at www.thurmont.com or call the town office at 301-271-7313 for more information.

The Dirt on Minerals

by Bob Warden

I hope your hunting season went well, and your freezer is full of venison and your mind full of memories. My season was successful and I have plenty of bologna, chip, and hot dogs to get us through the year.

Now we start the real work to help our deer herd make it through the winter and into the spring, antler growing and fawning seasons. As soon as possible, if you are on private land, you need to start replenishing what the deer have lost through the breeding season and the cold winter months. By this, I mean helping them replenish fat reserves, vitamins, and minerals. I am big on deer nutrition for the health of the herd and for antler growth.

Through the winter, where it is legal, I use a grain-based product, Maxi-1 (15 percent protein) by WYLD Mineral products. Please do not use just corn. Deer need a variety of things, and only feeding them corn does not give them the protein they need. Corn is just a carbohydrate, and too much corn can actually change a deer’s digestive process. They can starve with a full stomach of corn. If you research it on the Internet, you will see what I mean.

As you can tell by my nickname, “Mineral Bob,” my big thing is getting the right minerals in my deer. You can do this year round but it is highly important from March through September. During these months, as things green-up, deer eat a lot of vegetation that is high in water and potassium, which will make them urinate more and in the process, they lose high amounts of salt, calcium, and phosphorus. By just putting out a salt block, the deer will be attracted to it, but will miss the two main minerals they need: calcium and phosphorus. These minerals will help in milk and fawn production, muscle development, and antler growth. So, use the salt as the attractant (this time of year deer crave salt) to get the deer to take in the other essential minerals for overall health.

Look at the labels on the product you use, choose as close to 30 percent total calcium and phosphorus as possible, with calcium being close to twice the amount of phosphorus. The amount of salt in your product is a well-debated topic. I use WYLD Minerals Orchard blend, which is 47 percent salt, 15 percent calcium, and 9.5 percent phosphorus, along with other trace minerals.

One thing to remember is that the closer you are to the ocean, the less salt the deer need.

Emmitsburg’s Green Efforts Paying Off

James Rada, Jr.

The Town of Emmitsburg recently replaced its street lights with LED lights. The result is that the cost to run those lights has dropped by nearly two-thirds.

This is just one of the ways that the town’s efforts to go green—while reducing costs and maintaining the quality of life in town—have paid off.

Last year, the town signed a resolution to participate in the Sustainable Maryland Certified Municipal program.

“It’s a state program with the University of Maryland Environmental Center that puts together a series of tasks or projects that lead toward the better use of community resources,” said Jerry Muir, who is coordinating the town’s certification efforts.

To become certified “Sustainable,” a municipality must accrue 150 points from a project list. According to a memo to the town from Muir, “These include, in general groupings, Local Food initiatives such as the Farmers Market; Energy Efficiency such as establishing a carbon footprint; Community Wellness programs; Green Business recognition; Land Use Planning and Conservation; Pet Waste disposal and education programs; Environmental Conservation Programs such as Tree City, Watershed Protection, etc.” There are dozens of projects a town can choose from to accumulate enough points.  

Emmitsburg had already been doing some of the potential tasks, such as having a farmer’s market and community gardens. Seeking the certification has pushed the town to look for new ways to become green. One such innovation was that the town built a solar energy field to provide it with 100-percent renewable energy.

“The long-term benefit is a better use of resources, and the town becomes a lot more environmentally aware,” Muir said.

He also added that should environmental grants become available in the future, the certification will help in winning them.

In Frederick County, Frederick City is already certified and Brunswick is working towards that goal.

“In the next few months, we should have enough points to be certified,” Muir said.

The last thing that Muir expects to be needed to accumulate enough points for certification is for the town to send out an energy survey. Once that is complete and the points added to Emmitsburg’s tally, certification can be made.

“The Mayor and Town Council have made an environmental commitment to become as environmentally efficient as can be,” Muir said.