NEWSLETTER ARTICLES DUE IN CITY OFFICE

NOON, MONDAY April 15, 2002

New 8" Water Lines, Service Connections, and Meters. Work has begun on several major water improvement projects in town. Please be sure to have ample amounts of drinking water on hand during the construction phase. It is possible that water service may be temporarily disrupted several times throughout the construction phase. The mayor and council awarded the project to Mid-Atlantic Utilities, Inc., after reviewing four bid proposals. The work involves installation of several new water mains, new water meters and pits, services lines and upgrading substandard lines. New water mains will be installed in Locust Street, East Elgar Street, Lehigh Drive, and White Street. The contract award to Mid-Atlantic is for $952,800. In addition, the town is designing a new 8" water line for Main Street. The Main Street water line and meters will be installed in conjunction with the planned Maryland State Highway Administration’s improvement project for Main Street, scheduled to begin in July 2002. The town is also initiating a new computerized water billing system.

Water Storage Tank Construction of the new 300,000 gallon above-ground water storage tank has been awarded to Johnston Construction Company for $688,650. The new tank will replace the existing ground level tank on East Locust Street, adjacent to the basketball courts. Construction should begin on or about March 4, 2002.

New steps and railing are planned for the small ball diamond on Thomas Street. Construction should begin in April 2002.

Main Street Revitalization

The State Highway Administration (SHA) has given funding approval for the Union Bridge Main Street project. In a letter from Mr. Robert Fisher, SHA District Engineer (7), the town was notified that the Maryland Rt. 75 Neighborhood Conservation Project has been included in the draft Consolidated Transportation Program Document. This means that funding for Main Street improvements has been included in the SHA 2003 budget. Planned improvements include resurfacing, curbs, gutter, sidewalks, storm drains, inlets, signs, landscaping, crosswalks, and handicap ramps. We also learned that SHA would fund the 35 proposed decorative streetlights along Main Street. The town must also contribute toward some of the improvements including upgrades to town side streets that connect with Main Street, the cost to upgrade the standard SHA sidewalk to a decorative patterned concrete design, two gateway signs, the "town square" at Main and Broadway, and possible undergrounding of some utilities and overhead wires.

The town completed its application to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development for Community Development Block Grant Funds. Estimated town costs will be about $275,000. The SHA improvements, which have an estimated cost of $2.1 M, will be advertised for bids in April 2002, with construction to begin in July 2002.

Ordinance 256-Sec 11, This ordinance states that "The Owners shall permit no one, except an agent of the Town or otherwise lawfully authorized to do so, to remove, inspect or tamper with the meter or other property of the Town on his premises. The customer shall notify the town, as soon as it comes to his knowledge, of any injury to or any cessation in registration of the meter."

We may still get snow this year so please remember that Main St. is a snow emergency route, NO PARKING is allowed when the snow emergency plan is in effect. Ordinance #263 B-2 states that owners or occupants of premises fronting on any street with paved sidewalks shall remove any snow and 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.