[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6457843,"mediaKeyId","5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607","parentId",5825954,"title","Washington County: meter component replacement to raise sunken vaults; billing tied to measured use","audioSeconds",1205,"startMs",482000,"endMs",1687000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607&start=482&end=1687","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607/thumbnail_482000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6457843/Washington-County/Maryland/Washington-County-meter-component-replacement-to-raise-sunken-vaults-billing-tied-to-measured-use","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6457843-90e458156028e068f722c18c802cd058/orig.mp4?Expires=1773164987&Signature=Q5znmerq4n0-ViGdTpn5dCQWJrfFcJ0U53OyoeuByGb5ifaKdp28gdC8nuj339o87E0nB4mf0xI3ZxD7P4tnq3mWZe-a1p5GU6dcixinI7tJ77EWk8RfPuUKxQO~gXdRnHT9dz-OQd4FOuq1~9B1AXtPGnZNHAp~xtUbP5a-87~sdh-C4EijpKcQbIiiKCvSbgaHg44Sykv9jsWPQYCgijn4bwONP1qTBwAN3mr26fk7mRv-O8OEk~qwuRCgoSDMjtMg5GXHKVc2UGxFD-SaDgU1IDt4BCpd02NLjBPEhD3WG~Zf0rXzYsc5EVLzSnjdtrXWUuxgK0qKYMpvRMGBuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washington County, MD","date","2025-09-24T17:11:21.027Z","article","Washington County planning and operations staff told Sharpsburg officials that work on water meters will include raising sunken meter vaults, repairing damaged sidewalks around vaults and installing more durable vault components, while cautioning that changes to meter components may affect measured usage and customer bills.

Mark Bradshaw, a county operations representative, explained the county is not swapping out the meters themselves but is replacing components — \"We're not actually replacing the water meters. We're replacing all the components like the yoke, the angle check, shut off valve and the faults. The actual meter, we're gonna pull it out, put all the new components in and set the old meter right back into the new, parts.\" He said meters have about a 15-year life cycle and were replaced roughly seven years ago.

County staff said contractor specifications require removing concrete to the nearest joint and replacing it; for brick sidewalks the contractor will salvage and reuse bricks when possible. The county also said it will raise meter vaults to the proper elevation and \"any damage to the sidewalk as a result of that process... will be repaired.\" The county cannot guarantee that customers' bills will not change after work is complete because staff are required to bill customers for the water they actually use.

Residents raised questions about sinkholes and a culvert collapse at Chaplin Street; county staff said the culvert was cleared of silt and that some concrete and retaining-wall work will be needed. County staff indicated the culvert work appears to be a joint town-county issue and said staff will follow up on repair needs.

Commissioners suggested the county consider whether future rate-setting conversations should anticipate any measured-usage increases following meter adjustments.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of County Commissioners Evening Meeting - September 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","County staff told Sharpsburg officials that the meter-replacement project will raise sunken meter vaults and repair sidewalk damage; county cannot guarantee whether customer bills will rise because customers are billed for actual use.","taxTitle","Washington County, Maryland","taxId",4677,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6457849,"Sharpsburg officials press county over Green Hill Farm easement; county says Maryland Environmental Trust enforces covenants",1697,702000,2399000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607&start=702&end=2399","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607/thumbnail_702000.jpg","/articles/6457849/Washington-County/Maryland/Sharpsburg-officials-press-county-over-Green-Hill-Farm-easement-county-says-Maryland-Environmental-Trust-enforces-covenants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6457849-b759864296caba83b0a1cf151df2edec/orig.mp4?Expires=1773164987&Signature=HNDCZIVHKMGgaPTzogu-7CBKQeGntbWrIS7wEw90UpLAnpb-EnIpJzLevV86yUcpO3HUv9N3eOXLRe4l0yQXanf-qPS3yyrBaXh4wLcqP23CzgnW7hDVeqe5OK7MX1P~dXLXdC~AdJx0zW2BAfmIlB6FRXn-Zl10g7Nc6jaLsWnMhO8H3Qf9cgrnCBFi1BGPEStrMsM86homUDUVZeWSy-9O4L~z-UtYSvVI9cLjYRdOSylMcwu4gR5wWmdIH3T3dtHttAW65kxeXPa1yoVurb-YGJh-VHzUEcjzr1dNZE3JXXbCmMxyFpidgDI75KrylEnF8bDksHz3BvV8mOjAzw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Town of Sharpsburg representatives pressed Washington County officials on Green Hill Farm and whether a Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) easement restricting commercial and residential structures had been breached, raising questions about who can enforce easement terms and whether county review processes need tightening.

The town representative, Russell, told commissioners the MET easement attached to parts of Green Hill Farm forbids new residential structures and limits commercial and industrial activities \"other than farming, silviculture and horticulture.\" He said minutes and the easement language showed the property “shall never exceed 1” residential structure and asked the county to \"tighten this process\" so easement protections could not be circumvented by decisions elsewhere.

Jill Baker, Washington County director of planning and zoning, said the county maintains a GIS layer of recorded easements and that the county sent plans for Green Hill Farm to the Maryland Environmental Trust for review. \"In this particular case for Green Hill Farm, we did send copies of the plans to the Maryland Environmental Trust. We let them know what was going on, and they did not see fit to find it to be against their easement,\" Baker said, adding MET inspected the property in 2024 and that inspection \"came back clean.\"

Baker also distinguished between uses on the property. She told the commissioners the county had treated the venue there as a banquet or reception facility permitted under a special exception from the board of zoning appeals, not as agritourism, and that a state law change in 2025 had altered health-department requirements for permanent septic systems. \"Now that that has been circumvented through this state law and the health department will no longer require them to have a septic system... there's nothing for the county in any of the approvals that we have to limit the number of events,\" Baker said.

Baker said the county issued a cease-and-desist order related to cabins that were being used as short-term rentals because campgrounds are not allowed in the parcel’s zoning district. She said the property owner complied, removed advertising and stopped renting the cabins, and \"we have no evidence to support the fact that they were renting those facilities out\" since then.

Russell said the town and local preservation advocates view MET easements as key protections around the Antietam battlefield and expressed concern that precedents could undermine long-standing conservation work. He told county officials the town’s remaining recourse could be litigation if easement covenants are effectively nullified by other approvals. \"If we have to sue, I guess we'll have to because this is such a blatant violation of an easement,\" Russell said.

Commissioner Jeff Harvey and other commissioners said they saw a county interest in ensuring easements that protect the battlefield’s historic character are identified and defended. Baker and county staff agreed to provide MET contact information and to share the materials the county sent to MET during its review. Rural preservation administrator Chris Boggs was identified as an additional county contact who could help facilitate state-level discussion.

The county’s position, as described by Baker, is that enforcement of restrictive covenants in a MET easement is the responsibility of the Maryland Environmental Trust; the county can and does flag easements during plan review and notify the easement holder, but it does not itself enforce the private contract between a landowner and MET.

The exchange ended with county staff agreeing to supply Russell and Sharpsburg officials the documents and MET contact information they requested so town representatives can follow up directly with the trust.","Town officials and county staff debated whether restrictions in a Maryland Environmental Trust easement have been violated at Green Hill Farm. County planning staff said the state trust enforces easement covenants and that the property complied with a county cease-and-desist over cabins.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6457838,"Sharpsburg asks Washington County to support 250th Memorial Day parade May 23, 2026; 1,500 commemorative coins offered",419,142000,561000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607&start=142&end=561","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5825954-678300b74639d40584033cf7bacd2607/thumbnail_142000.jpg","/articles/6457838/Washington-County/Maryland/Sharpsburg-asks-Washington-County-to-support-250th-Memorial-Day-parade-May-23-2026-1500-commemorative-coins-offered","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6457838-22f211d30ef861ada9ec1159f0554ab8/orig.mp4?Expires=1773164987&Signature=T8g~LPsZmdiSC3pNkQeWp9RYMI0qfMvfYZFEGG6TDUybk4YTJSOHwYDAx7gTUqTlqyhr6tlIrg7-u23iemGoeSnLYDbkBfJVy8Qe1MBjtojqso6iBrTFhrPuaj9aCLG6VUozyMb0wvh3Im4TEQUYMtMC4RQQCnmx0OBelSdGArvK1etahhMjkEV9BHpoBh-Mqf3B8DS8xcCzsT8J75BARERHxmqlBzpksnYLwZEqaV95QI9UgNNttjFv9E27LtdAwwiUfHxkHT8pSJAvU~jPimB2EWxwoN4bJ1A1y~fhIamq5R1idUL4YWZHmbdO-6wJQx8DjOpEL5QVSyTaBPnPig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Town of Sharpsburg officials asked Washington County commissioners to participate in and help promote the town's Memorial Day parade on May 23, 2026, and offered a float and about 1,500 commemorative coins for distribution at county events.

The vice mayor of Sharpsburg said Sharpsburg \"holds the title of the longest continuously held Memorial Day parade in the country\" and described next year's program: a replaying ceremony at 11 a.m. and a parade starting at 2 p.m. He said next year’s theme will mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, titled “America’s 250, honoring the sacrifices that birthed the nation.”

The vice mayor encouraged county officials to attend and treat the parade as a \"max effort\" event, and said Sharpsburg’s public-relations staff has prepared a 250th-anniversary float they would like to enter in the county parade. Daniel (county/town staff) handed county officials bags containing about 1,500 coin sets and said those coin sets would be available for sale and that a capstone coin would be featured at a main event on July 4, 2026.

County staff said they will add Sharpsburg events to a 250th anniversary calendar on the county website and share marketing materials provided by Sharpsburg. The vice mayor said he typically circulates an RSVP slip in February and requested county assistance to increase participation.

Sharpsburg officials also reported progress on a park project on Main Street and said interpretive signage and lighting are planned for completion in spring and fall, respectively.","Sharpsburg officials invited county commissioners to participate in the town's Memorial Day parade and requested county promotional support and help distributing commemorative coins for the 250th anniversary events.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Washington County: meter component replacement to raise sunken vaults; billing tied to measured use

Sharpsburg officials press county over Green Hill Farm easement; county says Maryland Environmental Trust enforces covenants

Sharpsburg asks Washington County to support 250th Memorial Day parade May 23, 2026; 1,500 commemorative coins offered