(9/1) Council Denies Temporary Trailer Parking Variance
The Council denied Howard Sparkman a temporary variance to park his yard care trailer on the street in front of his home in the Woodbury subdivision.
Sparkman, who has parked his trailer for 13 years in front of his home, was recently served with a notice that he was in violation of the town code prohibiting the parking of trailers on town streets.
Sparkman told the Council in its July meeting that since he was served, he had to drive his trailer every night to his father’s home in Thurmont and retrieve it every morning, which adds almost an hour to his day.
He only parks the trailer in front of his home during yard care season. In the winter, the trailer is stored at his father’s house.
The town zoning enforcer noted that while Sparkman would be allowed to park the trailer in his driveway, the length of his driveway was not sufficient to house the 16-foot trailer.
Burgess Heath Barnes and the Town Commissioners were caught off guard by the request, as they were unsure if they had the power to grant a variance to the town code.
All the Commissioners expressed sympathy for Sparkman at the July meeting and voted to approve a temporary variance to the code, allowing the parking of the trailer on the street until the Planning & Zoning Commission could take the issue up and make a final ruling at their August meeting. The Planning & Zoning Commission, however, threw the case back into the lap of the Town Council.
Commissioner Bud Eckenrode suggested allowing Sparkman to continue to park his trailer until the end of the lawn care season, which would allow him the Winter to find a better solution to its storage.
Commissioner John Cutshall however expressed concern that if the Town was not going to enforce the town’s codes, "why have them? If we ignore this code, it opens the door for people to ask us to ignore other codes. It’s just not a good idea. We should revote on the temporary variance right away."
Commissioner Case, who found himself as the deciding vote, as Commissioner Rittelmeyer was absent from the meeting, was swayed by the reminder that the Town had received numerous complaints about the trailer, but wanted to give Sparkman until the end of the month to make plans for the trailer’s nightly storage. "Sparkman, after all, did come to us and ask for permission, so it’s only fair that we give him notice so he can use the next few weeks to make his plans."
Eckenrode and Cutshall concurred with Case’s recommendation.
Woodsboro Historical Society Opts Not To Continue With 5K on Woodsboro Days
At the August Town Council meeting, Burgess Heath Barnes informed the Council that the Woodsboro Historical Society's has decided to discontinue its annual Woodsboro 5K Run/Walk and fundraiser, which has traditionally served as the unofficial kicking off the Town’s festival. The yearly event was one of the main events that supports the ongoing activities and efforts of the Woodsboro Historical Society.
The decision was a setback to plans to expand the festival to a full two days. Barnes told the Council that he explored options to move the music festival portion of Woodsboro Days to Saturday to coincide with the yard sale that would be taking place all over town, but unfortunately all the bands are scheduled to play on Sunday. The music festival portion of Woodsboro Days were already locked into other arrangements that Saturday, as were all the food trucks, so the town has no other option but to continue with the two-day format—for this year, at least.
This year’s Woodsboro Days will take place October 22 & 23.
Work To Begin On Laying Power Lines To Park Pavilion
The town has been informed that it will cost $45,000 to lay a power line from RT 550 to the music stage in Woodsboro Park, Barnes told the Council. "It will cost us another $45,000 to continue the power line to the pavilion and bathroom," he said.
Barnes told the Council that the electrical lines to the music pavilion will be completed by Woodsboro Days, thereby eliminating the need for portable generators to provide power, as in the past.
"Initial estimates for the laying of the water and sewer lines to the new bathroom are $60,000," he said, "leaving approximately $164,000 from the Project Open Space grant awarded to the Town earlier this year for upgrades to the amenities in the park.
"$164,000 will buy us a really, really nice bathroom. If the final cost of the bathroom comes in under that figure, we can use what money is left to add additional lighting in the park."
Work will also begin on the Skatepark in September, with an estimated November completion date.
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