Union Bridge News-Briefs

(2/26) Preparations Begin For May’s Election

With the start of a new year, a new election season also begins. Union Bridge residents will have a chance to say something about who they want on their Town Council with three open Council seats in this election: Councilwomen Laura Conaway’s, Amy Kalin’s and Cheri Thompson’s. Remaining in office until 2027 are Mayor Perry Jones, Councilman Bret Grossnickle and Councilwoman Ellen Cutsail. Council terms are for four years but staggered so the entire council is not replaced at one election.

Any interested candidate must file a "Certificate of Nomination" by April 14th. In order to qualify, interested persons must have lived with Town limits for a minimum of two years continuously, be a minimum of 18 years old and qualify to vote. Election Day is May 13th from 7 in the morning to 8 in the evening at the Town Hall.

Comprehensive Plan Moves To Public Hearing

Town Attorney Mandy Porter updated the Town Council in January on the Planning and Zoning Commission's work on the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update. The Commission has been working on amending the Plan for over a year which according to Porter, "Is long overdue as it is coming in over 10 years since the last [amendment]." The last adoption of the Plan was in 2008 with an approved amendment in 2014.

The Plan is designed to set forth the Town’s policies in the areas of land use and community development, natural resources, transportation, utilities, recreation, and housing. It is reviewed and updated every ten years and will guide the Town through the year 2035.

Porter said the Commission has made significant adjustments to the Plan, specifically to the municipal growth area. She said that there is certain farmland in the Town that the Planning and Zoning Commission has decided is critical to preserve.

They have also addressed public sewer issues and the Wastewater Treatment Plant. "Right now, the Town does not have the sustainability for increased population which is why we are looking at the Comprehensive Plan," she explained. "We want to have this so that the Town can grow."

One new requirement for the Plan is a chapter addressing affordability of housing. Porter reiterated the need for Union Bridge to address the Wastewater Treatment Plant and other vital infrastructure requirements because without improvements to these vital areas the Town cannot address what affordable housing they can provide in the future.

Per the Town’s website, any changes to the Plan are "subject to a public hearing, after which the Commission will make any final adjustments before acting to approve the Plan update and transmitting the Plan update to Council for its adoption. The goal is to complete this process in 12 months or less." The Council approved a motion to move forward with planning the public hearing.

Solar Company To Cover Costs For Utility Hookups

Town Attorney John Maguire was present at December’s Town Council meeting to discuss the Union Bridge solar subdivision, a two dwelling subdivision that was originally annexed into Town proper along with 69 acres of land intended for the Shepherds Mill solar farm. The two dwellings affected are for sale and they utilize well and septic for their current utilities. The issue is that the Town Council voted in October to require them to hook up to Town utilities despite the current tenant and prospective buyer’s reluctance to do so.

In October, Maguire and Edward Cueman, Town planning consultant, reported the comments made by State, County and Local authorities concerning the condition of the well and septic serving the dwellings. The Health Department tested the well and found it to be sufficient to serve both dwellings. The septic also passed, however, the Health Department recommended, but did not require, that hookups to Town provide utilities be done anyway as a precaution for when the existing septic fails or in case something happens to the well (runs dry, gets contaminated etc.) At this time, the Council opted to require the connections to Town water and sewer as a condition of the Plan's approval.

This requirement has slowed down the purchase agreement for the dwellings much to the frustration of the owner of the dwellings. Maguire said a representative of the solar company had said, "We are not in the business of renting farmhouses, we’re in the business of running the solar project." The representative said the intention to subdivide and sell the dwellings off has been the plan since the beginning of the annexation process.

To hasten the Project along, the solar company has offered to pay for the utility hookups either upon the finalization of the plans or at any future time. With the Council’s approval they can now continue forward to their next step in the planning process.

Lead Pipe Survey Work Continues

Town staff updated the Mayor and Town Council on the Lead and Copper Rule Revision mandate that was released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021. The mandate requires every lead and galvanized pipe in the nation to be replaced by 2034. A complete service line material inventory and replacement plan was required to be completed by October 2024.

According to Councilman Bret Grossnickle, Town Staff have done excellent work in identifying the pipe materials on the Town’s side. Staff said they needed to identify around 50 more pipes. Grossnickle was unsure how many residents still needed to identify their pipe materials but speculated that more than 50% were still unknown. Letters were sent last month to houses with pipes made of unknown materials as well as houses that are known to have lead or galvanized materials.

Although the Project is an unfunded mandate, there are grants that have been recently made available to help pay for the Project. Grossnickle pointed out that he was not sure the Town could make residents replace their water lines if they were made of lead or galvanized. "We will keep working on it," he assured Council.