Funkstown asks Washington County for help on park, sidewalks, waterline and event funding

Funkstown officials asked Washington County commissioners on Tuesday to help complete a new park, fund sidewalk and traffic-safety improvements, and keep supporting local events with hotel/motel tax revenue as the town proceeds with ARPA-funded waterline work.

The requests came during an annual outreach meeting between Funkstown town leaders and Washington County elected officials and staff. Mayor (Funkstown) led the town’s presentation and said the town is preparing Jerusalem Park — a roughly "3 and a half acres" site that removed "14 trailers from the floodplain" — for the county’s 250th anniversary and wants to coordinate county participation and funding.

Why it matters: Funkstown officials said the park project ties to public-safety and floodplain mitigation priorities and that county support will be important if discretionary budget cuts occur. Town leaders also raised safety concerns about Stauffer/Stafford Avenue traffic, sought a volunteer project list from Parks and Recreation for Boy Scout and Girl Scout Eagle and service projects, and asked commissioners to maintain existing hotel/motel tax distribution practices that support the town’s reenactment and other events.

Town officials described work already under way. Mayor (Funkstown) said the ARPA-funded waterline project "has started" and that contractors expect it to finish "by September," and noted an ongoing sewer infiltration-and-inflow (I&I) correction project. County staff and department heads responded that they would coordinate follow-up: the county’s director of engineering said Funkstown is on a list for new sidewalk work but that new sidewalk funding is "still a few years out," and county staff agreed to bring the traffic-calming request back to the technical committee for review.

On event funding, town organizers described a long-running historical reenactment that has grown to hundreds of participants and drew hotel stays from visitors. The town asked that hotel/motel tax revenue distribution remain at the county level rather than be redirected, saying the event generates lodging demand outside the host city and that those proceeds currently support countywide events. A town official noted a legislative proposal from MML (the municipal league) had not advanced and that, for now, hotel/motel money "will still be distributed based on the county commissioners."

The county delegation thanked Funkstown for hosting and signaled willingness to follow up. Commissioner Randy (Washington County commissioner) and Commissioner Clark (Washington County commissioner) both thanked town staff for the information; county engineering and parks staff present — including Scott (director of engineering) and Andrew Hesselman (director of public works) — committed to collecting more data and returning with options and timing.

Town leaders also asked Parks and Recreation to develop a volunteer "wish list" so scouts and other volunteer groups can identify appropriate Eagle and community-service projects. Funkstown officials said scouts have completed several local projects and that a formal list would streamline future volunteer efforts.

Discussion vs. decisions: No formal votes were taken during the town presentation. County staff acknowledged directions to investigate or compile follow-up materials: engineering will review Stauffer/Stafford Avenue for traffic-calming options; parks staff will assemble potential volunteer projects; and county and town staff will coordinate details for the Jerusalem Park ribbon-cutting and participation in the county 250th anniversary. The ARPA-funded waterline work is described as in progress; completion timing was reported by town staff but no formal county acceptance or certification of completion was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Town and county officials noted uncertainty tied to state-level budget actions. Mayor (Funkstown) and town staff said Governor Moore's cuts to discretionary park funds could affect POS funding for Jerusalem Park and that county support could be necessary if state funds fall short.

The meeting included expressions of appreciation for ongoing shared services: Funkstown leaders praised the sheriff’s office for regular patrols and the county’s shared-services approach, saying small towns rely on that partnership because they cannot fund full-time local police forces.

The county said staff would follow up with Funkstown on timelines, cost estimates and next steps. Town leaders stressed a desire to finalize the park improvements in time for the county’s 250th anniversary celebration.