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Residents tell Elkton council water loss and rapid development risk town character and services
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Council to slow growth and address water‑system losses, citing a 2021 report that allegedly found 57% unaccounted water loss; commenters also raised questions about annexation, past financial decisions and the scale of proposed housing.
Several Elkton residents used the Nov. 17 public‑comment period to press Town leaders on water‑system capacity, transparency about annexation and the pace of development that they say could change the town’s character.
Roxanne Gooden of 540 East Rockingham told Council she is worried the Town is permitting too many new connections to a system that already has strained capacity. She said she once found her home and the Elkton Area Community Center without water on the same day, and she cited “a 2021 engineering report indicating the Town was losing 57% of its water due to unaccounted leaks and that the wells were pumping at capacity.”
Other public commenters raised separate but related concerns. Wayne Printz accused officials of inconsistent public statements about borrowing and funding for projects, questioned transparency around annexation and said some council members do not speak up publicly on disagreements. August Napotnik urged Council to prioritize preserving the town’s social fabric and warned against rapid, large‑scale development that could alter Elkton’s demographic composition. Ronnie Merica II opposed a nearby proposal he understood would add 31 houses to a small road, saying it could add roughly 62 cars and strain infrastructure; Council staff later described the formal application as proposing 34 homes.
Town staff and elected officials noted some technical context during the meeting. Vice‑Mayor Rick Workman and Public Works Director Gaither Hurt reported that a Blue & Gold Drive water installation had reduced the Town’s water loss by 20%. Community Development Director Delores Hammer and project engineer Jonathan Garber described the subdivision plan as compliant with Town Code R‑3 and said the developer will extend water and sewer lines to the Town’s main.
No formal Council action resulted from the public comments themselves; the concerns were considered during debate of the Florist Road subdivision later in the meeting.
