(1/24) At Commissioner Bob Lookingbill’s request, the Town Council put the Thurmont Boulevard Project on hold to leave room in the budget to cover work needed for the PFAS treatment work.

[PFAS is the short name for a class of human-made chemicals known as Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances. PFAS are often called "forever chemicals" because they do not easily degrade in the environment or in the body, so they accumulate in both over time.]

Previously, the Town Council agreed to put the Thurmont Boulevard Project on hold at the March 21 meeting but did not take a formal vote. Because of this, Lookingbill requested a formal vote to protect the Town and its residents to ensure that someone on the Council can’t restart the project without a vote to do so.

"I think it makes it cleaner," Commissioner Marty Burns said. He went on to explain that a commissioner or the mayor could bring the project back up next week.

While Mayor John Kinnaird agreed that the issue was important in terms of process, he still believed that the Thurmont Boulevard project needed to be restarted at some point, even if not immediately. "It’s a project that we need to discuss at some time," Kinnard said.

Town Manager Jim Humerick reminded the Council that no projects can be started or restarted without going before the Council for a vote of approval.

The then Council paused the Thurmont Boulevard Project to use the funds set aside for that project for the new water treatment facilities that need to be put in to bring PFAS contaminants in the Town‘s water down to undetectable levels. The work will take about a year and a half and will include new structures and new equipment for the filtration.

The Thurmont Boulevard Project was intended to relieve traffic on Thurmont Boulevard by extending the road by half a mile, connecting Moser Road and Frederick Road. The Town hopes it will ease traffic on Moser Rd. and Frederick Rd. by making it easier for residents in Thurmont and surrounding communities to get to Route 15. The project also addressed aging water and sewage infrastructure while also potentially creating new wetlands.

The Council had previously voted 4 to 1 to move forward with the long-envisioned Thurmont Boulevard Project by approving the ability of the Town to sell up to $6 million worth of Infrastructure Bonds for the Project. The discussion to put the project on hold prevents town staff and the commissioner from seeking bonds for the Thurmont Boulevard project until it is brought back to and approved by the Town Council.