(6/2022) Emergency Mitigation Plan Adopted

At its May 25 meeting, Rohan Brown of the Frederick County Department of Emergency Management presented information about the Frederick County Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation plan.

The purpose of the plan is to prevent further damage to the community by assessing vulnerabilities to natural hazards and to prepare a long-term strategy that considers climate change, he said.

The county’s pre- disaster mitigation plan details strategies for natural disasters and works to adequately address resources needed with the assistance of county officials and stakeholders.

Committee collaboration notes areas of concern for mitigation actions and strategy for emergency situations and the county plan is reevaluated every five years.

Twelve Frederick County municipalities participate in the plan as well as Frederick County Community College, Hood College, and Mount Saint Mary’s University, Brown said.

The Council unanimously approved the adoption of the resolution.

"It’s a good program to be involved in and we’re happy the county has taken the lead with this," Mayor John Kinnard said.

The town has been part of the program for the last five years for plans specific to Thurmont, Commissioner Wayne Hooper said, and reimbursement through the county is crucial when hazards happen.

"It’s a good thing to have available," he said.

With the resolution passed, the town is now eligible to apply for the next round of hazard mitigation grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The intention is to apply for funding for the Emmitsburg Road Flood Control Project. This study is a priority for the town due to the impact on residents, Chief Administrative Officer James Humerick said.

Police Department Camera Granted

Thurmont Town Council approved the purchase of a wide angle lens for the Thurmont police department.

The camera will be used by the department’s crime scene technician team, giving officers the ability to recreate a scene and detail locations to display for court hearings according to department Corporal Gerald Bowen.

Bowen has been working to develop a crime scene technician team to collect photographs, fingerprints, and DNA of the evidence to build a case. The camera will help the team present cases better in the courtroom by pinpointing and plotting points of interest in photos.

The camera has multi-purpose indoor outdoor settings including a geo-locator that "will automatically stitch the video from one room to the other, so it knows where the camera is in relation to the last picture. So we can build an entire crime scene for courtroom purposes," Bowen said.

The camera can also be used for interior building reconstruction to present to tactical teams and negotiators in case of incidents in prominent locations.

The total cost of the camera is $14,063.95, with $9,802 being provided by a grant from the State Homeland Security Program

Main Street Thurmont Praised

With ample parking and products, the Thurmont Main Street Farmers Market continued strong this season, welcoming all.

Through September 10, the outdoor market at Thurmont Community Park is home to one of the largest outdoor farmers markets in the county.

Due to its size, the market offers the freshest produce, local cheese and butter, locally raised beef, chicken, and eggs as well as handcrafted sauces, rubs, natural honey, quality baked goods and endless more.

Anyone interested in participating in the Main Street pop up shop every Saturday is encouraged to reach out to Economic Development Manager Vickie Grinder at vgrindr@thurmont for more information.

Thurmont Economic Development recently unveiled a historic visitors guide glossy and full color to entice visitors to town and showcase the majesty that is Thurmont. Thurmont is now the only municipality in Frederick County that has a full color visitor guide, according to Grinder.

The extensive guide has been two years in the making and was just in the beginning stages when COVID-19 forced the project to be put on the backburner. The project was brought back to the foreground last September and work hit the ground running like never before, Grinder said.

The guide is available as part of the "Welcome to Thurmont "bag that arrives with the first electric bill for those recently moved into town.

The guide displays the vigorous work that went into obtaining accurate information regarding businesses and town attractions as well as beautiful photos to attract visitors and tourists. "This is a big thing for us," she said.

More information about Main Street Thurmont and the official visitors guide can be found at thurmontmainstreet.com.