Animal Control has been a topic of much discussion in the county for the past few years. Discussions have centered the care and overall treatment of stray, abandoned and lost animals. That care is the responsibility of dedicated Animal Control Officers who, on many occasions, do their work with little fanfare. Each year a week in April is designated as National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week. It is an opportunity to thank those Animal Control Officers who labor each day to ensure the safety and protection of animals.
At a recognition ceremony, the Commissioners of St. Mary's County joined various federal, state, and local government officials across the country to thank and commend the county's Animal Control Officers and staff for the dedicated service they provide to various public safety and public service agencies, departments and county citizens.
"The St. Mary's County Animal Control Division is dedicated to the health and safety of at-risk, helpless animals and work throughout the year to rescue and protect animals from injury, disease, abuse and starvation," said Commissioner Tom Jarboe (1st District).
In proclaiming National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week, the commissioners encourage all citizens to join them in expressing their sincere appreciation for the service and dedication of the county's Animal Control officers and staff.
Ethics Commission to Hold Special Meeting
The St. Mary's County Ethics Commission will hold a special meeting on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 6 p.m. in the Commissioner's Meeting Room inside the Chesapeake Building. The address is 41770 Baldridge Street, Leonardtown, MD 20650.
The meeting is being held to discuss an Advisory Opinion which was received.
For more information, please contact Diane Gleissner at 301-475-4200, ext. *1700.
Seasonal Maintenance to Close Great Mills Pool
The spring season is a time of transition from the cold winter months to days of warm, sunny days. As summer rapidly approaches, the Great Mills Swimming Pool is also transitioning in preparation for the summer season.
This transition will force the pool to be closed for seasonal maintenance, beginning Monday, May 15 through Friday, May 26. The pool reopens Saturday, May 27 for normal operating hours to kick off the summer season.
During the closure, the pool's air supported "bubble" structure will be removed, transforming the pool into an outdoor facility. Other seasonal maintenance and staff training will also occur during this time.
Recreation and Parks regrets any inconvenience the temporary closure of the pool may cause. For more information, please contact the Great Mills Swimming Pool at 301-866-6650. The pool is located at 21100 Great Mills Road in Great Mills.
For information on activities and programs at the Great Mills Swimming Pool, visit the Department of Recreation and Parks website at www.stmarysmd.com/recreate/aquatics.
Piney Point Museum Store to host Grand Opening Celebration
The Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park is proud to announce the grand opening of the recently renovated Museum Store. We will celebrate the opening on Saturday, May 27. Judy Sterling, a dedicated 4-year board member from the Friends of St. Clement's Island and Piney Point Museum, will help cut the ribbon at noon. Local author Karen Gruber will hold a book signing and light refreshments will be served.
Karen Gruber, author of Postcard History: St. Mary's County will be available from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. during the Grand Opening event. Visitors can enter for a chance to win a signed copy of her book. We will also raffle a family 4-pack admission to the Piney Point Museum along with a watercolor art print of Piney Point, Lighthouse of Presidents on the Potomac River, St. Mary's County, MD, created by illustrator Rob Thorpe for the Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses. As always, the lighthouse and museum will be open for visitors to tour.
The Piney Point Lighthouse, Museum and Historic Park implemented major store enhancements over the winter. The public is invited to view and enjoy the updated look and new merchandise now available. Also on site, the Potomac River Maritime Exhibit houses a collection of historic wooden work boats and state-of-the art exhibits which illustrate the history and culture of local watermen. The museum has exhibits relevant to the interesting history surrounding Piney Point, including the U-1105 Black Panther Historic Shipwreck exhibit.
The Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park is open daily for the summer season from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through September. Admission is $7 for adults, $3.50 for military with ID, senior citizens and kids 5 and under are free. The park area is handicap accessible and is open 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset.
The museum and historic park is managed by the Museum Division of St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks. It is located at the end of Lighthouse Road in Piney Point.
For more information, log on to the Museum Division website at www.stmarysmd.com/recreate/museums or call the museum at 301-994-1471.
Community Document Shredding Event Rescheduled
The spring season ushers in spring cleaning. Thoughts quickly turn to clearing out file cabinets, closets and desks to dispose of confidential, private and important personal documents no longer needed. Community shredding events help protect individuals from identity theft and consumer fraud which has become widespread in our communities.
To raise awareness and promote prevention of identity theft, the St. Mary's County Department of Public Works & Transportation will host its 3rd annual community Document Shredding Event on Saturday, May 6. The event, to be held at the St. Andrew's Landfill from 8 a.m. until noon, was rescheduled from earlier in April.
The community event provides residents an opportunity to have their confidential, private, and important documents destroyed by a professional shredding service at no cost. The truck, provided by Shred-It, can hold approximately 12,000 pounds while using proprietary crosscut shredding technology which turns sensitive documents into confetti-sized pieces. This type of shredding ensures confidential material cannot be copied. All paper material shredded during the event will be recycled.
Citizens are asked to refrain from bringing materials which are not confidential in nature (i.e. newspapers and magazines) as they will cause the truck to fill up quicker. The shredder can handle simple staples, paper clips, spiral note books and thin metal prongs. However, it cannot accept 3 ring binders. Please try to limit the number of boxes you bring to 2 standard bankers' boxes (10"H x 12"W x 15"D) per person so we can serve as many residents as possible. Last year's event yielded 4,600 pounds of paper.
For more information about this event, please contact the St. Mary's Department of Public Works and Transportation at 301-475-4200, ext. 3551. For more information on recycling programs, log on to www.stmarysmd.com/dpw/
Commissioners to Host Public Forum May 2
The Commissioners of St. Mary's County will host their next Public Forum on Tuesday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. The forum will be held in their meeting room inside the Chesapeake Building, at 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown.
Citizens unable to attend and wishing to voice a concern can do so on social media. Residents can post comments or questions using the hashtag #CSMCforum to the county's Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/StMarysCountyGovernment) or twitter feed (@StMarysCoGov). Time permitting, comments and questions will be read at the forum. Citizens should include their full name and the area of the county in which they live when posting to social media as the comments will become part of the official record.
Commissioners of St. Mary's County Public Forums are televised live on St. Mary's County Government TV 95 (SMCG TV 95) on Metrocast Cable and streamed live for online viewing on the at www.stmarysmd.com/broadcast.asp. Click on the LIVE link at the top of the page.
The forum will re-air on SMCG TV 95 on Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m. Videos of the Forums are also available for viewing on demand on the county's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/StMarysCoMDGov?feature=mhee as well as the St. Mary's County Government TV 95 video on demand site at stmarysmd.viebit.com/.
Individuals wishing to speak at the Public Forum will be allowed up to three (3) minutes to address the Commissioners (those representing a group will be allotted five (5) minutes to speak.) Anyone wishing to provide more detailed comments can do so via email or regular mail.
The Commissioners of St. Mary's County can be reached via e-mail at csmc@stmarysmd.com or by U.S. mail at Commissioners of St. Mary's County, P.O. Box 653, Leonardtown, Maryland 20650.