The Water Department will be flushing hydrants this month in Poolesville to reduce and remove the accumulation of rust and iron in the water mains. The flushing may cause discolored water from the loose sediment, and we advise residents not to wash white clothes for 24 hours following the flushing. The schedule can be seen below:
April 11 Elizabeth’s Delight, Tama, Woods at Tama, Brightwell
The Town of Poolesville will be holding its annual youth fishing tournament next month. The Richard S. McKernon Youth Fishing Tournament will take place at Stevens Park Pond on May 13 from 9am until 11am. All youths between the ages of 6 and 16 are invited to come on out and “catch some fun”. Cost is $1.00 and the event is held rain or shine. Prizes awarded for each age category. Tournament Rules (and registration) below:
Earlier today, White’s Ferry owner Chuck Kuhn released a statement saying that Rockland Farm, the Virginia landing site for the ferry, had rejected a $1.1 million dollar offer to purchase the Virginia site. In the statement, Kuhn also announced his intentions to sell the ferry to Montgomery County; “We have run out of options and will now seek to sell the ferry land and operations to Montgomery County so it can work to invoke eminent domain and acquire the Virginia landing site.”
Rockland Farm tells us, “the reason that Rockland Farm turned down the $1.1 M combined offer from Loudoun County, Montgomery County, and Mr. Kuhn is that we will not accept a flat fee for our Virginia landing.” Rockland Farm has stated on several occasions that it was requesting $.50 per vehicle. “All that it would have taken to get the ferry open would be to increase the fee by 50 cents per ride for the use of our landing, but Mr. Kuhn said no.”
The owners of White’s Ferry have announced that Rockland Farm, the Virginia landing site for the ferry, have rejected a $1.1 million dollar offer to purchase the site. According to a press release, the offer included funds from White’s Ferry’s owners, both Montgomery and Loudoun Counties, and additional funds from Herb Brown, the original ferry owner. White’s Ferry ceased operations back in December 2020 over a legal dispute with Rockland Farms.
Chuck and Stacy Kuhn, owners of JK Moving Services, purchased the Ferry in February 2021. “We have run out of options and will now seek to sell the ferry land and operations to Montgomery County so it can work to invoke eminent domain and acquire the Virginia landing site,” Chuck Kuhn said. Full statement below:
The Commissioners of Poolesville have presented the FY2024 Budget and Tax Rate. The FY 2024 proposed budget maintains the constant tax rate .1781¢ per $100.00 of assessment and water rates remain the same.
Per The Commissioners of Poolesville: The Town’s Proposed FY 2024 Budget is balanced, funds all debt service obligations, and funds critical operation and maintenance items. As has been the case for the last several years, the Town continues to grapple with rising costs for construction projects, equipment replacement and overall increased costs for goods and services. A Public Hearing will be held on April 3, 2023, 7:00 PM @ Town Hall. FY2024 Proposed Budget & Tax Rate
Poolesville Elementary School principal Douglas M. Robbins has been honored with the Nancy C. Walker Award for Outstanding Support to a Library Media Program for the 2022-2023 school year. The award is given annually by the Montgomery County Educational Media Specialists Association (MCEMSA) to highlight the role of administrative leaders in supporting library media centers.
Clair Ketchum, the library media specialist at Poolesville, nominated Robbins because he fully supports the media program, “Anything to get the kids more involved in the library is always going to be a yes from me!” Robbins supports having Ketchum participate in weekly grade-level planning meetings and is enthusiastic about the new flexible scheduling shift. This allows Ketchum to bring lesson ideas, enrichment opportunities and field trips that integrate media into existing elements of the curriculum in a timely manner.
There is a vacancy on the Planning Commission, and The Town is currently seeking applicants for this position. Applications must be received by March 15th. The Planning Commission consists of 5 town residents, of which one is a Commissioner of Poolesville who serves in an ex officio capacity. The volunteer members serve a 5-year term and meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (for more information, click here).
To apply for this position, please fill out the application in the link below, and the Town Commissioners will interview you at a closed session of the Commission. If you have any questions, please contact Town Hall at [email protected]. https://www.poolesvillemd.gov/formcenter/volunteer-application-9/application-for-appointment-to-boards-an-59
Justin “Captain America” Budd is a Poolesville native and 2016 graduate of Poolesville High School. Last week he made his pro debut at the Legacy Fight Alliance’s LFA 152 show, knocking out Caleb Jensen in the first round with a spinning back fist (video below).
The 5’10, 170 lb Budd wrestled at Poolesville before going on to wrestle at Bacone College. MMAnews.com gave Budd the #1 finish of the week with his impressive performance, stating the following about the up and coming fighter, “Justin Budd had a lengthy amateur career before turning pro at LFA 152, but he jumped onto the radars of a lot of fight fans with the way he stopped Caleb Jensen.”
SpringFest is a Poolesville Town celebration, featuring BBQ, Beer & Blues. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, May 6th from 2pm-7pm, and will “have something for everyone”, including musical performances by the Hard Swimmin’ Fish (2-4 pm) and New Blue Soul (5-7 pm), food and artisan vendors, and kids activities such as face-painting, rock wall, mechanical bull, bounce house and dunk tank.
The Beer & Wine tent will feature samples from over 20 local breweries. A ticket is required to sample the beer & wine and pre-sale tickets are available now. Tickets are not needed to enjoy all of the other amazing festivities throughout the day. To purchase pre-sale tickets into the beer & wine tent or for information on sponsorship opportunities and food and artisan vendor forms please visit https://www.poolesvillemd.gov/345/SpringFest
Town of Poolesville staff and consultants continue to monitor and research treatment options to remove the PFAS from drinking water wells, according to an update on the town website. This comes approximately two months after PFAS were detected in the water samples collected from wells 2 and 3 approximately two months ago. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a group of over 5,000 human made compounds. Used since the 1940s, PFAS compounds can be in a wide range of consumer and industrial products and processes. PFAS released to the air, soils, ground- or surface water can enter into nearby drinking water sources.
Per the Town of Poolesville: Wells #2 and #3 remain offline. We are sampling all wells with the assistance of Senior Scientist Kathy Mihm, EPA and MDE. We have also identified a Granular Activated Carbon Filtration System that can be sized and used on the 2 wells. We are in the process of obtaining permission from MDE to pilot test the treatment system and identify the parameters needed for data collection. The process is rather slow as this is new to MDE so we are at the mercy of their timetable.
At the February 6th Town Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners formally adopted Ordinance 224, which allows for keeping backyard chickens. To comply with the ordinance, residents who have chickens or would like to purchase them must apply for a permit and submit a site plan and a Chicken Keeper Certificate. The site plan and applications must abide by the following regulations:
A maximum of six chickens may be kept. Roosters are prohibited.