The City Council considered amending regulations, which presently exist restricting dogs from city parks, to pave the way for possible dog-walks and way stations. During the council’s January 6 work session, Councilman Joe Vigliotti initiated discussions concerning the issue of restricting dogs from having access to the parks.

The councilman noted that among the department reports, the Department of Parks & Recreation indicated the department was going to be researching costs for installing a dog-park at Roberts Mill Park.

Additionally, Vigliotti pointed-out that the report also indicated that the department was also going to be ordering dog "way stations" to be installed in the spring. Such way stations, are commonly equipped with trashcans and plastic bags to facilitate dog waste.

After the commissioner noted that current city regulations prohibit dogs in parks, Mayor Wantz commented, "We need to think about the reality of it, and the reality is this: our parks are open to the public, they are not monitored, we don’t have security … in the parks, so is it realistic to tell people they cannot walk their dog in the park?"

City Manager Wieprecht said it appears that the applicable city ordinance seems to indicate that the rules can be changed at-will, without having to go through an amendment process. The change is scheduled to be considered further at a future meeting.

Groundwater pump/motor unwell

Wieprecht reported during the Council’s January work session shop that there had been issues reported regarding one of the city’s wells that supply water to the community.

Wieprecht stated that Well No. 17 (located near the Baptist Church) had some pumping issues, so staff requested that a vendor inspect pump to determine what the issues were, and both the pump and its motor were found to be bad.

"The issue is that the well is not pumping at the rate that it typically does," Wieprecht said, adding, "The suspicion is - that because we have a pump and motor that are sized to pump significantly more than we are currently pumping, that the motor is not cooling properly and has shortened it’s life span."

He said that wiring and controls were salvageable, but that the loss of the pump and motor was not the least expensive possibility … (But) it’s not the absolutely worse case either. He said if the failure reoccurs, "We’re going to have to think long and hard about the future of that well and our expectations for its production-level." The cost of replacement will be presented at the February meeting.

Mayor addresses D.C. violence

During the January 6 workshop of the city Council, Mayor Wantz addressed the events which transpired earlier in the day … involving an assault on the Capitol, which led to the deaths of five people in Washington, D.C.

Wantz stated, "If you’ve been watching the news, the nation’s Capital is kind of in disarray at this time … I guess seemingly what should have started as protests and stayed as protests - escalated into so much more … storming the Capitol building, things like that."

"I support passion. I support protests. What we’re seeing now are neither of these things," he stated, adding, "There’s a better way to go about things, and what’s happening there is unacceptable."

The mayor asked that the first responders and government officials "who are seemingly under attack at this time" … be kept in mind.

Councilman Vigliotti stated, "There’s a way to handle things … and a way to not handle things - what happened today is not acceptable," further noting that he is praying for a more-peaceful future in the wake of the incident in the nation’s Capital. "there is a way to peacefully protest," he said.

Economic management resumes to be reviewed

Taneytown staff continue to seek a replacement for a recently retired Economic Development and Main Street manager. The first job-applicant search was unsuccessful, but that as a result of a second effort, the city has received 20 applicants. The deadline for filing an application ended January 22. As of January 21, Kalman stated, "We have not yet created our candidate-base for interviews."

As per the advertisement placed by Taneytown staff for candidates for the management position, the salary range begins at $44,970, and includes a benefits package.