CONTENTS DATES TO REMEMBER Town Office will be CLOSED: website www.carr.org/~unionbr email
unionbr@carr.org FROM THE MAYOR’S DESK Perry L. Jones, Jr., Mayor GRANT PROJECTS UPDATE Jared Schumacher,
Town Consultant RING IN THE NEW YEAR Master Deputy "Brian" Colussy PUBLIC ELECTION NOTICE Election day is Tuesday May 9, 2017
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. PUBLIC WORKSHOP HOMEOWNERS & STORMWATER Come for the entire time or just drop-in for specific sessions and talk directly to the expert(s). PROTECTING CARROLL COUNTY WATERS ORDINANCE #313 -- DISORDERLY HOUSE NUISANCE WEST CARROLL REC Penny Rockwood, Community Coordinator LIONS CLUB BLOOD DRIVE LOST AND FOUND UNION BRIDGE FIRE COMPANY HOUSE NUMBERS WINTER MONTHS SEWER LINE BLOCKAGES WINTER MAINTENANCE AND CARE OF PATTERN SIDEWALKS
SNOW UNION BRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER
UNION BRIDGE NEWSLETTER
January/February 2017
From the Mayor's Desk
Community Deputy
Grant Project Update
Public Notice - Elections
Public Workshop
West Carroll Rec
Protecting County Waters
Ordinance No. 313
Lions Club Blood Drive
Union Bridge Fire Company Events
Council Meetings
Jan 23 & Feb 27– 7 pm.
Planning & Zoning Meetings
Jan 19 & Feb 16 – 6:30 pm.
Council Work Sessions
Jan 9 & Feb 13 – 6:30 pm.
Heritage Committee information, contact Jim Rowe 410-775-9939 or buttersburg@verizon.net
- January 2 (New Year's Day)
- January 16 (Martin Luther King Day)
- Feb 20 (Presidents Day)
Articles for the March/April Newsletter are DUE
IN THE TOWN OFFICE February 15
Well Thanksgiving and Christmas are gone and those extra pounds from eating too much will still be hanging on. So it will be a great time to use the completed walking trail. I know it is winter time so dress warm and walk quickly. The trail has a lot to offer. At our January 23rd council meeting we hope to have a guest talk about some of the nature in the park. Don't miss this meeting.
Main Street patching is being done by State Highway. Remember Main Street is also Route 75 and is a state highway. Truckers pay big taxes to Highway User Fees and we will never be able to keep trucks off of Main Street, but we hope to slow them down. Working radar most often gets the local people tickets. "Sorry" but when calls go to the local police they have no idea who lives where when they stop you.
Town Elections will be held this May. Everyone should make an effort to come to some of our upcoming meetings to get to know your elected officials and learn what they do. Let's not be like some other towns. Some people get a wild hair and think they can change the world. Everything has a process. Change doesn't happen overnight. In order for change to happen, everyone must work together. Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe New Year.
Wetlands Park Trail Extension
I hope everyone has had a chance to see and use the completed trail system at the Union Bridge Wetlands Park. This new trail section is part of a multi-phase walking and biking trail that has been in progress since 2001. The park now has over a mile of trail that meanders through the town's natural 54-acre park. The Wetlands Park has several unique natural features that go along with our ongoing preservation improvements including:
- A large and diverse young forest, developed through a Carroll County coordinated reforestation program with the planting of over 5,000 trees.
- The Little Pipe Creek meanders through the length of the property. The Town restored approximately 2,500 linear feet of the eroded stream banks and stream channel.
- The stream has forested areas and vegetative cover along the banks to cool the water temperature and encourage growth of fish populations (completed with the cooperation of Maryland Department of Natural Resources).
- The park has over 85,000 square feet of restored wetland areas, adding to Carroll County's and DNR's goal to restore lost wetlands and maintain water quality.
- The park has a high population of diverse bird species for bird watching.
- The park is accessible for handicapped individuals.
The Town hopes this trail system will allow students, residents, and visitors to explore the complete park and all its natural wonders.
For questions on these or any other projects, please call the Town Office at 410-775-2711.
Union Bridge, we have made it another year. Looking back over the past year, I know that some of you were able to find love, while others have lost their loved ones. Some of you were affected by crime while others began to realize that they are fighting the hard battle of an illness/addition. I know that some of us had a rough 2016 but hopefully 2017 will be a change for the better.
As we bring in the New Year of 2017, we need to start making resolutions or goals, which hopefully we will keep. Melody Beattie said it best with, "Make New Year's goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you're interested in fully living life in the year to come."
Maybe some of your goals this year could be the following:
* Take a family vacation.
* Go back to school.
* Find a new job.
* Start a business.
* Begin fighting that addiction.
* Become active within the community or a group.
Every year each Deputy at the Sheriff's Office creates goals for themselves. The past several years one of my goals has been to work hard within your community to change it for the better. This continues to be a work in progress and once again it has made it to the top of my list. This year, with the assistance of the community, I plan on starting the following:
* Setting up a Business Watch with the local businesses.
* Setting up Community Block Clubs (Block Watch).
* Other Community Actives
Over the next few months, please keep your eyes out, as I will begin looking for volunteers to assist me with my goals. If you have any suggestions for me, please email me at bcolussy@ccg.carr.org.
I hope that 2017 brings everyone joy, peace and of course success.
TO THE CITIZENS OF UNION BRIDGE:
Three members of the council will be elected.
LOCATION: Town Hall 104 West Locust St.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TOWN ELECTIONS:
Voter Registration: It is necessary to be registered in order to vote in Town elections. If you are already registered with the County to vote in County, State, and Federal elections, you are automatically registered to vote in Town elections. If you wish to vote in only the Town election you may register at the Town Hall during regular hours, 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Registration will close on Saturday, April 9, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
Qualification of voters:
1. You must be a citizen of the United States.
2. You must be at least eighteen (18) years of age on or before Election Day.
3. You must have resided within the corporate limits at least thirty (30) days prior to the election.
4. You must be
registered to vote.
Qualification of Candidates for Mayor and Council:
1. You must have resided within the corporate limits for at least one (1) year.
2. You must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
3. You must be a qualified voter of the Town.
***Terms of office are for four (4) years***
A candidate for office must file a “Certificate of Nomination” with the Town Clerk, no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 10, 2017.
Should you have any questions concerning this notice please call the Town Hall, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., at 410-775-2711.
The Carroll County Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is partnering with the Carroll County Water Resource Coordination Council to host a free public workshop on March 18, 2017, in the Great Hall at Carroll Community College to provide homeowners with information on how to prevent stormwater pollution and minimize stormwater runoff from their properties.
Experts will be able to provide helpful materials and answers to individual questions on the topics listed below. Each expert will briefly present on a topic (see webpage for approximate times).
*General Homeowner Best Management Practices
*Lawn Care and Landscape Management.
*Septic Maintenance
*Permeable Pavement
*Rain Gardens
*Composting (Yard and Food Waste)
*Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
*Tree Planting
*Stream Corridor Assessments & Stream Buffer Initiative
More details and information on the Homeowners & Stormwater Workshop can be found on the website at http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/npdes/homeowners/ or by contacting Brenda Dinne @ bdinne@ccg.carr.org or 410-386-2140. No registration is necessary. The workshop will be held in the Great Hall from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Stormwater in Union Bridge is regulated by law under Phase 1 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) permits under EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) administered through the Maryland Department of the Environment. For more information go to: http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/npdes/
Mayor Jones introduced the proposed Disorderly House Nuisance Ordinance #313 at the November 28th Council meeting. Copies of the Ordinance are available for review at the town hall. There will be a public hearing to consider comments and questions from interested citizens regarding proposed Ordinance #313 on January 23, 2017 at 7:00 P.M.
West Carroll serves Union Bridge, New Windsor and the surrounding areas. Anyone interested in Rec Council programs or events is welcome to attend our meetings, which are held the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Old New Windsor School/County Government Offices/Library Administration Offices in New Windsor.
We are currently seeking a Union Bridge Town Representative. Please attend one of our upcoming meetings.
For general information about West Carroll programs, contact Community Coordinator, Penny Rockwood at 410-775-1506. See our website:www.gowcrc.com or
like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gowcrc. Another source to check for upcoming sports registrations is “RecZone”’ found in the back of the Sports section of the Carroll County Times on Sundays.
January 13, 2017
Noon - 5:00 P.M.
Community Center
4770 Ladiesburg Rd.
Union Bridge, MD
To donate, please contact John Laudermilch at 410-635-6342 or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) to schedule your life saving appointment.
Giving blood doesn't require much time. About an hour should do it. The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Please schedule to donate.
A few items have been left at the playground area. Call the Town Hall to inquire.
Monthly Public Breakfast -- second Sunday of the month from October to May
7:00 AM - 11:30 AM
All you can eat - Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Sausage Gravy, Hominy, Pudding, Potatoes, Biscuits, Muffins, Fruit, Orange Juice, Tea and Coffee.
Adults $8.00
Children 6- 12 $4.00 - Under 6 Free
If snow emergency plan is in effect the event is cancelled.
Emergency response teams cannot find you if your house number is not clearly displayed on your home. Believe it or not, a majority are not visible from the street. It's even worse at night. A badly displayed number or no number at all can cost you precious time in an emergency. If you have not already done so, please place your house number on your home. The bigger the numbers the better. Help us to be able to locate you when you need our assistance.
Be sure to drain all outdoor water hoses and temporary water lines. Check all outdoor faucets to make sure they are turned off and are not leaking.
RESIDENTS: If your sewer line becomes blocked please contact the Town
Hall at 410-775-2711 before calling a plumber.
FOR WATER AND SEWER EMERGENCIES PLEASE PAGE AMY KALIN 1-410-775-0687
IMPORTANT:
If anyone notices anyone stealing water from hydrants or any unauthorized appropriation of water, please call the Town Hall at 401-775-2711.
REMINDER: UNION BRIDGE CODE CHAPTER 130, SEC. 4 (B2)
Owners or occupants of premises fronting on any street with paved sidewalks shall remove any snow or ice from the traveled portions of the sidewalk, to a width of at least 30”, within 24 hours after snow or ice ceases to fall.
Main Street is a snow emergency route.
NO PARKING is allowed when the snow emergency plan is in effect.
NO PARKING on East Broadway from Lightner Street up to Bellevue and on Thomas Street up to Bellevue when the snow emergency plan is in effect.
Is available for weddings, parties and reunions. Call the town office at 410-775-2711 to inquire about renting the center for your function.