HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Washington County Commissioners have approved $658,290 Tuesday to help the Town of Boonsboro replace a deteriorating water line officials warned could jeopardize water service and fire protection for more than 4,000 residents in Boonsboro and Keedysville.
The funding request prompted the longest discussion of the May 5 meeting as town officials described a water system patched repeatedly over decades and increasingly vulnerable to failure.
“The short version is that over decades repairs that were made to the line, [but] they were inconsistently done,” Boonsboro Town Manager Rachel Souders told commissioners. “So there are [various] sections that are 4 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches and 12 inches [which] has created a bottleneck effect.”
Souders said the line has ruptured multiple times, including within the last six months, and testing revealed the infrastructure was in worse condition than town officials originally believed.
“We knew that there were places that were bad,” she said. “We did not realize the extent of it until we started having the line burst about six months ago.”
The project would replace water infrastructure along Potomac Street from King Road to Main Street. Officials estimated the total cost at more than $2.9 million.
Mayor Howard Long said the town’s existing water system serves both Boonsboro and Keedysville.
“This line runs from Boonsboro to Keedysville,” Souders clarified. “It affects, for fire protection purposes, the water going back and forth. So over 4,000 people.”
Long said the situation also presents public safety concerns in rural areas where fire companies rely on hydrants to refill tanker trucks.
“In the outlying areas where there are no hydrants, our fire companies go to the hydrant area to fill up those tankers back and forth,” Long said. “So it also creates a safety issue that I’m concerned with.”
Commissioners questioned town officials about the urgency of the project and whether additional grant funding might be available through the state.
Souders said pressure concerns will intensify when a new reservoir comes online later this year.
“When our new reservoir goes online … it sets 10 feet higher than the older one, so it will have increased pressure,” she said.
Commissioner John F. Barr said he was concerned the aging line could fail before outside funding became available.
“My concern is the sense of urgency with your reservoir coming online,” Barr said. “What happens if that pressure does harm that system even more?”
Souders responded that town officials expect the weakest portions of the line to fail. “We know that it will blow all of the 4-inch portions,” she said.
Barr argued the county should help immediately rather than wait for a lengthy state process. “I’m not willing to risk the citizens, 4,000 of them,” Barr said. “No fire, no potable water.”
The town plans to contribute $783,000 from its restricted water fund and another $1.5 million from general reserves, according to Souders. That left a remaining shortfall of $658,290.
Commissioner Neil Parrott cast the lone dissenting vote after expressing concern about using county funds for what he described as primarily a municipal water system.
“I love the town of Boonsboro,” Parrott said. “My son graduated just last year from Boonsboro High School, and I want to see you all be successful.”
Parrott said he would have preferred a loan arrangement and wanted the town to continue pressing the Maryland State Highway Administration over road restoration requirements that officials said significantly increased project costs.
“I’d be more comfortable with a loan to help you in the process,” Parrott said. “And I also would encourage you to go back to the state highway … to see if there are other ways that we can construct this to lower that cost.”
Town officials said State Highway Administration requirements mandate paving work be completed daily on affected sections of roadway.
Commissioners ultimately approved the funding request from county Capital Improvement Program reserves. The motion requires the town to apply for available state grants and reimburse the county if outside funding is later secured.
Preservation District applications approved
Earlier in the meeting, commissioners unanimously approved eight new 10-year agricultural land preservation district applications following a public hearing.
Chris Boggs, rural preservation administrator for the Department of Planning and Zoning, said the program remains one of the county’s oldest farmland preservation tools.
“What it is is a landowner will commit to a 10-year … keeping it in agricultural use,” Boggs said. “In return, the county provides property tax credits.”
Boggs said qualifying properties must generally contain at least 50 acres and include significant amounts of high-quality agricultural soils. This year, the department has received eight property applications, he said.
The approvals added 748 acres to the county’s agricultural land preservation district program.
Boggs told commissioners Washington County remains one of the state’s leaders in farmland preservation. “We do have the most prolific ag district program in the state.”
Commissioners also discussed how the preservation district program differs from permanent agricultural easement programs. Boggs explained landowners may leave the district program after certain time requirements are met.
“This is sort of what I would call like a temporary easement program,” he said. “As opposed to our other programs that are permanent.”
During the public hearing, Tom Thorson of Ideal Circle spoke in support of the preservation applications and broader farmland conservation efforts.
“I support the recommendation of the Planning Commission and the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board to add these properties,” Thorson said.
Thorson also noted the county has preserved substantial acreage through multiple state and local programs. “I was also surprised by how much land is being preserved in our county,” he said.
Meeting turns contentious
Public comment later turned contentious when Smithsburg resident Amber Dwyer questioned commissioners about transparency and closed-session discussions involving nondisclosure agreements.
“I don’t understand why you agreed to receive information that has to remain confidential from the public,” Dwyer said. “What are you hiding and are you benefiting in any way from the non-disclosure agreements that you signed?”
Dwyer, of the advocacy group Hagerstown Rapid Response, also criticized limits on public comment topics during meetings.
“I ask that you restore public comment in general so that people can speak about what they want to speak about,” she said, in a clear reference to the ICE warehouse in Williamsport, which the group opposes.
Open meetings opinion addressed
Commissioners also publicly acknowledged an April 29 advisory opinion issued by the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board.
Barr read a statement summarizing the board’s findings regarding complaints tied to meetings held earlier this year.
The compliance board found no violations involving the removal of a complainant from one Feb. 24 session or from a March 3 meeting. However, the board concluded commissioners violated the Open Meetings Act by prohibiting the complainant from attending a second session Feb. 24 that constituted a separate meeting.
“In accordance with section 3-211 of the general provisions article of the Maryland code … a member of the body of the public shall announce the violation and orally summarize the opinion,” Barr said before reading the statement.
The compliance board’s opinion was advisory and no penalties or corrective actions were discussed during Tuesday’s meeting.
Preservation Month proclaimed
Commissioners proclaimed May 2026 as Historic Preservation Month during Tuesday’s meeting.
GIS Coordinator Meghan Jenkins highlighted several upcoming preservation-related events, including a historic window workshop at Sailor House on May 30 and an “Architecture Maryland Style” presentation May 14 at the Washington County Free Library.
“Throughout the month, you’ll see some preservation posts that are on the county’s Facebook page,” Jenkins said. “We do like to see the public’s input on those for their favorite historic structures.”
Jenkins also encouraged residents to participate in upcoming events tied to the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration.
“I’d encourage the public to really get interested in some of those museums and historic sites during Preservation Month,” she said.
Contracts and personnel actions approved
In other business Tuesday, commissioners approved a three-year contract with Zones Inc. of Auburn, Washington, for Adobe Acrobat Pro DC for Teams licensing at a cost of $193,900.
The software contract supports countywide digital document management and paperless workflow efforts.
Commissioners also awarded a two-year construction and building inspection services contract to Development Facilitators Inc. of Millersville, with ECS Mid-Atlantic designated as a standby vendor.
The board approved hiring Ralph Weaver as chief site inspector, and Brian Beal as Emergency Communications quality assurance and training coordinator.
Emergency Management and Communications Director Alan Matheny said the position plays a key role in dispatcher training and risk management.
“We’re behind on our quality assurance,” Matheny said. “Which protects the county from liability in the future.”
