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Sharpsburg officials, Green Hill Farm clash over county enforcement and Maryland Environmental Trust oversight
Summary
At a Sept. 29 Sharpsburg work session, town leaders and Green Hill Farm owner Erin Moshier debated whether county enforcement and Maryland Environmental Trust easement terms are being applied transparently; Mayor Russell Weaver clarified he said the town would not sue and urged scrutiny of MET practices.
Mayor Russell Weaver told the Sharpsburg Mayor and Council on Sept. 29 that the town does not intend to sue Green Hill Farm and urged greater clarity about how Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) easements are administered.
Weaver read a prepared statement saying he had raised easement questions at a Sept. 23 Washington County Board of County Commissioners meeting but “I was not. The Town of Sharpsburg does not have any intentions of suing Green Hill Farm,” adding that public‑interest questions about MET stewardship and enforcement are reasonable to pursue.
The exchange grew out of a zoning update from Zoning Administrator Tim Lung, who summarized complaints received about noise and traffic at Green Hill Farm events and said he had followed up with Washington County Zoning Administrator Jill Baker. Baker provided copies of the approved site plan and a BZA opinion, told the Town a violation letter had been issued concerning cabins, and said Green Hill had agreed to stop using cabins pending compliance; she advised that recent state law changes affecting ag‑related businesses had affected County sanitation restrictions and that the County therefore considered the property in compliance.
Erin Moshier, owner of Green Hill Farm, addressed the Council with supporters and said she felt the town’s inquiries amounted to harassment because the property is outside Sharpsburg’s corporate limits and she has worked to meet MET and County requirements to operate the business. “I feel that I am being harassed by the town,” Moshier said.
Ken Buckler, president of Radio Free Hub City, told the meeting that while tensions were high the discussion was constructive and that the core issue appears to be transparency and the lack of local input into MET decisions.
Mayor Weaver also recounted county easement data, saying Washington County holds about 52 MET easements (47 in the south county bordering Antietam Battlefield) totaling roughly 4,000 acres. He urged scrutiny of MET processes—asking how landowner requests are processed, what standards apply, and whether easement recipients are being allowed to conduct commercial activity after receiving easement payments, a practice he described as potential “double dipping.”
No formal motion or vote occurred; Council members instructed staff to continue tracking correspondence with the County and MET and to place related materials on upcoming agendas so the issue can be monitored. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 P.M.
