Congratulations are in order for everyone who participated or volunteered in making this year's 4-H & FFA Fair a success. The weeklong event culminates tonight with a concert featuring country singer Kip Moore. From a fashion show to a grain truck race to last night's livestock auction, the 4-H & FFA Fair offered nearly something for everyone throughout the week. Among the highlights - the crowning of 19-year-old Phyllis McKenzie of Westminster as Miss Carroll County Farm Bureau and 11-year-old Grant Laney's second consecutive win in the baked goods auction where his Mountain Dew cake fetched $1,400.
Rebecca Railson, 14, and Samuel Blank, 15, have made summers at Carroll Community College a part of their summer routines for most of their lives. This summer, the two expanded their usual Summer!Kids@Carroll camper roles by deciding to be counselors to younger children. A lot of the teenagers who express interest in being volunteers have also been campers in the programs. About 40 students served as counselors this summer. Rebecca and Samuel, campers since age 6 and 8, respectively, are some of the longest-term campers to volunteer. In their new roles, they assisted children with projects, set up activities and cleaned the classrooms in different camps.
A 30,000-gallon capacity underground water storage tank was recently installed in Uniontown, which will supply the volunteer fire company with water in the case of an emergency. Before the installation of the water storage tank in the 3000 block of Uniontown Road, the New Windsor volunteer fire company used a storage pond but it fell into disrepair in the mid-1990s. The new storage tank enables the fire company to release 500 gallons of water per minute for an hour. The fire company now will also have 24-hour access to water year round. The Uniontown water storage tank cost $82,900 to buy and install.
New Windsor residents may be seeing a sewer rate decrease in the near future thanks to a $2 million grant from the state. The Mayor and Town Council recently discussed how much of the grant should be applied toward the town's $4 million loan for its wastewater treatment plant, which drove up town sewer rates a year ago. Town officials debated whether to apply any of the grant toward the next wave of capital improvements to the town's aging infrastructure.
However, any decrease residents see may be short-lived, as the town already has another $1 million in future projects lined up, including two wastewater pumping stations.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office was re-accredited recently by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The accreditation signals that the Sheriff's Office strives to stay on top of and follow the best polices and practices, agency representatives said. The sheriff's office first became accredited by the commission in 2006. Every three years an assessment for re-accreditation is completed.
