WALKERSVILLE — Burgess Ralph Whitmore says he will likely approach the Board of County Commissioners within a month with an idea on how to settle the ongoing discussion about the future of the town’s mulch pile in Heritage Farm Park.
Users can currently dump grass, leaves, branches and other yard waste at the site and take compost free of charge.
Whitmore has been negotiating to keep the compost site open since May, when county officials first recommended that the county no longer be affiliated with it, he said. So far, attempts to find a compromise that will keep the site open at a reasonable cost and liability to the town have been unsuccessful.
At Wednesday evening’s town meeting, residents Joel Herman and Bonnie Leins approached the Board of Commissioners with an idea for forming a historical society for Walkersville. Board members voted in favor of formerly sanctioning the new group.
According to Herman, who has lived in town for 15 years, both he and Leins consider the society very important to preserving the town’s past for future generations.
When older generations move away or pass on, “sometimes the younger generations pick this up and sometimes they don’t,” he said. “And when they don’t the history of the town just goes away.”
Leins, who moved to Walkersville in 2010, said there are already quite a few people interested in assisting with the formation of the group. The next steps will be to register it as a nonprofit and put together a board of directors. They are eager for donations of artifacts, photographs and other historical items. Information about available storefronts or properties that would serve to house a headquarters would also be much appreciated.
Herman said they hope to open the society up to membership by this summer and hold a historic home and church tour fundraiser in December.
To contact Herman or Leins, email joel@eccsolution.com or bonnieleins02@ comcast.net.
