Harvest of firewood for low-income residents proposed

In March, Emmitsburg Town Commissioner, Tim O’Donnell, brought a proposal to town staff that would allow members of the public to harvest firewood in town-owned forest areas. The proposal was brought back to the Board for discussion after further discussion with the town’s Attorney, John Clapp.

The proposal would allow persons of low-income to cut wood to provide heat for their homes during the winter months. O’Donnell hopes this opportunity, if approved, would give persons of limited means easy access to heat their homes. "There are many people in the community that heat their homes exclusively with firewood; [therefore] this could be a great benefit for many in Emmitsburg," stated O’Donnell.

After review, Clapp informed town staff that there are some liability issues with the proposal, however, these issues could be overcome by a waiver for those wishing to cut wood. If accepted, town staff and Clapp recommended including a permitting process, harvesting downed trees only, harvesting trees that are not in the timber sale area, or even waiting until logging is complete. O’Donnell countered by proposing a set time and place be enacted for residents of the 21727 zip code to cut wood.

Town staff will bring a policy and permitting process back to the Board at a future meeting for approval. Due to the budget process taking priority over the next two months, this proposal may not return until mid to end of the summer.

New storage shed at WWTP approved

Construction of a new storage garage at the Waste Water Treatment Plant was approved in April. The building will be fully enclosed and will house larger equipment, thereby freeing up space at the current storage shed.

This project will be funded through the enterprise fund within the sewer budget. Two bids were received. Hanover Building Systems bid $35,870, and Newmark Builders bid $29,232. Town staff recommended Hanover Building Systems because the snow load for the building was heavier, the bid included stone and concrete barrier and it included a 35-year fade warranty, a 50-year overall warranty, and insulated overhead doors.

The bid from Hanover Building Systems was approved unanimously.

Town square kiosk in the works

A new kiosk panel will soon be coming to Emmitsburg’s square and at the Maryland Visitor Center. The project is funded through a grant received from Visit Frederick and a donation from the EBPA.

Ion Design, creator of the town’s new wayside exhibits, designed the kiosk. The new kiosk will showcase eight of the town’s largest assets including Rainbow Lake, the multi-user trail, community pool, Frederick County Fire and Rescue Museum, the Doughboy statue, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, the Grotto and the Seton Shrine.

Once completely approved, fabrication is expected to take about six weeks to complete. The Board approved the design with minor amendments to the text and the addition of some pictorial markers on the kisok’s map.

Work on Route 15 to continue through 2020

Work on US 15 from Mount St. Mary’s southbound is underway. The $5.5 million project will be complete fall 2020. The project will widen the existing median of US 15 to provide acceleration and deceleration lanes at the US15/MD 76 (Motters Station Road) intersection. MDOT SHA will provide new J-turns at MD 76/St. Anthony Road, eliminating the left turn movement from westbound MD 76 and eastbound St. Anthony Road. Motorists will turn right and perform a U-turn at adjacent intersections, which will also be improved with acceleration and deceleration lanes.

Other work on the project includes constructing concrete medians and drainage improvements to minimize run-off in the 1.6-mile project limits. Crews will also upgrade signing along US 15 in the project area.

Motorists should expect single lane closures in each direction of US 15 during off-peak travel times. Most of the work will take place behind concrete barrier after it is installed, but there may be occasional lane single lane closures for material and equipment deliveries.