A roughly one-mile stretch of Carroll Creek is now off-limits to fishing.
The Frederick Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Thursday night to ban fishing along the most heavily traveled portions along the creek between East Patrick Street and the bridge behind the Diggs swimming pool.
“The main issue is safety,” said Roelkey Myers, the city’s deputy director of parks and recreation. “There are too many people around to have hooks flying around.”
There are also concerns that errant fishhooks could damage lily pads recently installed in the creek to combat the algae problem, Myers said. Should the city begin stocking the creek with algae-eating fish, there would also be a concern that those fish would get caught by those fishing.
He said there are still plenty of spots to fish in the city, including other parts of Carroll Creek and several lakes.
“We’re not an anti-fishing department,” Myers said. “I just think we’re being cautious.”
A similar ban was previously sought in 2007 but failed.
Myers said police should be able to enforce the new ban immediately. Violations would be considered a misdemeanor offense.
Staff originally asked for the ban to go from Bentz Street to Highland Street, but Myers changed the proposal after some resident push-back and concern from the board.
“It’s a nice compromise,” Alderwoman Shelley Aloi said after the meeting. “There have been people fishing in that area for decades. I didn’t want to eliminate their ability to do that.”
Myers said he felt the compromise would be more than adequate.
“Those are the big plaza areas,” he said of the new boundaries.
A $91,512 deal was reached to replace the irrigation pumping system at the city’s Clustered Spires Golf Course.
The aldermen unanimously approved the agreement Thursday night.
The current system, which uses treated water from the wastewater treatment plant to water the greens, is 22 years old, according to Myers.
The system is on the verge of failing, Myers said. Should that happen during a dry spell in the busy summer season, it could mean lost revenue, he said.
“I can’t believe (the system) is still running,” said Jason Michael, superintendent of water and sewer facilities maintenance for the city. “If it quit on us, it would be a real problem.”
A similar system will be installed to continue collecting water from the plant to use at the golf course.
Board members applauded the deal because it split the cost between the golf course’s operating budget and revenue from the treatment plant.
“I think it shows some innovation,” Aloi said.
