HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Washington County’s Adult Drug Treatment Court has graduated 35 participants since launching in 2019, with nearly 70% remaining crime-free after completing the program, officials told county commissioners Tuesday.
Drug Court Coordinator Jennifer Bricker said 67 people have enrolled in the specialty court program since it opened.
“I’m happy to report that we’ve had 35 graduates,” Bricker said. “And of those graduates, 69% of them have continued to live a crime-free life.”
The Board of County Commissioners proclaimed May as Drug Treatment Court Month during the meeting.
Greg Barton, director of the Maryland Judiciary’s Office of Problem Solving Courts, thanked county officials for supporting the program and said local backing is critical to keeping treatment courts operating.
“There are 75 problem-solving courts across the state of Maryland,” Barton said. “They all started grassroots. They all continued with the local support.”
Bricker said the court’s next graduation ceremony is scheduled for Friday.
Gordon denies NDA with DHS on ICE facility
In her remarks, County Administrator Michelle Gordon in her remarks denied that Washington County ever signed a nondisclosure agreement with the Department of Homeland Security regarding the proposed ICE processing facility on Wright Road near Williamsport, as was widely reported.
She stated that any claims or social media posts to the contrary are false and that no county officials were approached with or signed an NDA.
Several local outlets previously reported that the county had signed an NDA tied to a confidential industrial project. Those accounts, particularly timelines compiled by Hagerstown Rapid Response from public records, strongly suggested prior knowledge and secrecy.
The reported sequence showed the Board of County Commissioners entering the NDA in closed session in early December 2025, followed days later by additional closed sessions on real estate matters, shortly before the Washington Post revealed DHS plans for the ICE facility.
Gordon added that on May 5, DHS notified the county that ICE is preparing a formal environmental assessment. She said ICE is awaiting final design information from contractors before re-engaging consulting parties and the public for input on environmental and cultural resource impacts.
She said ICE is awaiting final design information from contractors before re-engaging consulting parties and the public under federal review requirements.
“The scope of potential impacts associated with the proposed undertaking warrants the development of an environmental assessment,” Gordon said, reading from the federal update.
She said public engagement on environmental and cultural resource impacts will occur in the future once additional planning documents are released.
County honors jurors during appreciation proclamation
Commissioners also proclaimed May as Jury Appreciation Month and heard updated statistics from Washington County Circuit Court officials.
Court Administrator Mark Singer said 14,879 jury summonses were issued in 2025, with 4,384 qualified jurors reporting for service.
Singer said Washington County courts held 110 jury trials last year, including 101 criminal cases and nine civil cases.
“The judiciary is dependent on jurors and extends the gratitude to the jurors,” Singer said.
Commissioners Jeffrey A. Cline and Neil Parrott both praised the jury service process and staff during discussion of the proclamation.
Commissioners forward ARC funding requests
Commissioners voted to forward six Appalachian Regional Commission project requests totaling about $895,000 to the Tri-County Council for Western Maryland for further review.
Grant Management Director Maria Kramer said an additional late-submitted workforce development project could also move forward because sufficient regional funding may still be available.
Kramer said Western Maryland typically receives about $1.3 million to $1.4 million annually through the ARC process.
County approves family, senior grants
Commissioners approved submission of a $400,000 Healthy Families Home Visiting grant application through the Maryland State Department of Education.
Grant Manager Richard Lesh said the program supports child abuse prevention, parent-child relationships and early intervention services.
The board also approved acceptance of a $32,765 Senior Citizen Activities Center Operating Fund grant administered through the Washington County Commission on Aging.
Commissioner Jeffrey A. Cline thanked Commission on Aging Executive Director Ed Lowe and Amy O’Leary for their work with seniors in the county.
Commissioners formalize MLK Center agreements
Commissioners moved to formalize license agreements with four organizations operating inside the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Hagerstown.
The agreements cover Head Start, Children In Need, Character Counts and Brothers United Who Dare to Care.
Real Property Administrator Todd Moser said the organizations currently do not pay rent or utilities and the county treats those costs as in-kind contributions.
During discussion, Parrott asked whether the county should consider selling the property, though Public Works Director Andrew Eshleman said no serious discussions about disposal of the facility have occurred.
