On May 2, voters in La Plata elected a new (woman) Mayor, and 4 new Councilmen/women. Their background and platform are described here https://www.newday4laplata.com
The candidates defeated all 4 previous male council members who had served with, and been supported by, elderly Mayor Roy Hale who is retiring. Hale is a retired Naval officer and Accountant, who had once been Acting Treasurer of the United States.
Mayor Hale in a recent newspaper editorial letter, stressed that the town is financially solvent, has no construction debts, no debts on town vehicles, has not raised tax rates for 16 years, and has the best municipal water system of any similar-sized town in the State. The town government organizes seasonal outdoor festivals, a very well-attended series of outdoor summer concerts, patriotic parades, and free carriage rides at Christmas season. They recently developed very scenic "Tighlman Lake" park beside the existing "Laurel Springs" park with its many ball fields, giving a total of 2.6 miles of hiking paths. The Port Tobacco Players is acknowledged as the best community theater in the 3-County region. A popular auto garage/ old-timers' social hangout and gift-shop (across from the Court house), operated by the Martin family since 1922, along with a farmers market, and coal-trains whistling and passing through once or twice a day, give the town a nostalgic "Mayberry" feel. Town voters a few years ago, defeated a proposed "Super WalMart" which, if built, would have left the existing "regular" WalMart building as an empty shell. It is felt that the existing Safeway, Giant, and Weis (former Food Lion), along with new grocery departments recently added to both Target and Walmart, are plenty. There is also definitely a surplus of drug-stores (some 24-hour) which needlessly duplicate each other.
The 5 new electees' platform stresses making the downtown area more of a destination to celebrate, rather than a place to drive through. They want to eventually design the downtown to be more walkable and to alleviate traffic problems. It is increasingly difficult each year, to walk across congested east-west Charles Street/ Route 6 during rush-hour (or make left-turns on or off it). Traffic also backs-up badly on scenic but narrow Washington Avenue, especially ALL afternoon Fridays when interstate motorists use it to bypass US 301 (Crain Highway) - as well as around Noon weekdays, when county government, court, and hospital employees go out on their lunch-hour - jamming Wash. Ave.
The new electees who won office, are supported by many of the downtown boutique shops and restaurant owners, including the Music store and another merchant who were heavily fined last year, for having temporarily displayed small balloons outside their shop (advertising special events/ sales), and too-large signage prohibited by town ordnance.
Another sore point with some residents has been the local Hospital recently buying and tearing down houses to create more surface parking lots, instead of building a parking garage which hospital administration claims would be too costly. This (along with the court's satellite overflow parking lot built north of the Court house) combine to give the downtown a "sprawl" appearance, and removes residential tax revenue that the houses previously generated. The hospital (which is now a part of the U- MD system) has certainly been expanding their services, including some in satellite locations. A new and bigger public library is also envisioned, possibly on St. Mary's Avenue, when finances eventually allow. (It has only been 3 years since much County money was spent adding the large, overly spacious "Waldorf West" branch library).
The candidates defeated all 4 previous male council members who had served with, and been supported by, elderly Mayor Roy Hale who is retiring. Hale is a retired Naval officer and Accountant, who had once been Acting Treasurer of the United States.
Mayor Hale in a recent newspaper editorial letter, stressed that the town is financially solvent, has no construction debts, no debts on town vehicles, has not raised tax rates for 16 years, and has the best municipal water system of any similar-sized town in the State. The town government organizes seasonal outdoor festivals, a very well-attended series of outdoor summer concerts, patriotic parades, and free carriage rides at Christmas season. They recently developed very scenic "Tighlman Lake" park beside the existing "Laurel Springs" park with its many ball fields, giving a total of 2.6 miles of hiking paths. The Port Tobacco Players is acknowledged as the best community theater in the 3-County region. A popular auto garage/ old-timers' social hangout and gift-shop (across from the Court house), operated by the Martin family since 1922, along with a farmers market, and coal-trains whistling and passing through once or twice a day, give the town a nostalgic "Mayberry" feel. Town voters a few years ago, defeated a proposed "Super WalMart" which, if built, would have left the existing "regular" WalMart building as an empty shell. It is felt that the existing Safeway, Giant, and Weis (former Food Lion), along with new grocery departments recently added to both Target and Walmart, are plenty. There is also definitely a surplus of drug-stores (some 24-hour) which needlessly duplicate each other.
The 5 new electees' platform stresses making the downtown area more of a destination to celebrate, rather than a place to drive through. They want to eventually design the downtown to be more walkable and to alleviate traffic problems. It is increasingly difficult each year, to walk across congested east-west Charles Street/ Route 6 during rush-hour (or make left-turns on or off it). Traffic also backs-up badly on scenic but narrow Washington Avenue, especially ALL afternoon Fridays when interstate motorists use it to bypass US 301 (Crain Highway) - as well as around Noon weekdays, when county government, court, and hospital employees go out on their lunch-hour - jamming Wash. Ave.
The new electees who won office, are supported by many of the downtown boutique shops and restaurant owners, including the Music store and another merchant who were heavily fined last year, for having temporarily displayed small balloons outside their shop (advertising special events/ sales), and too-large signage prohibited by town ordnance.
Another sore point with some residents has been the local Hospital recently buying and tearing down houses to create more surface parking lots, instead of building a parking garage which hospital administration claims would be too costly. This (along with the court's satellite overflow parking lot built north of the Court house) combine to give the downtown a "sprawl" appearance, and removes residential tax revenue that the houses previously generated. The hospital (which is now a part of the U- MD system) has certainly been expanding their services, including some in satellite locations. A new and bigger public library is also envisioned, possibly on St. Mary's Avenue, when finances eventually allow. (It has only been 3 years since much County money was spent adding the large, overly spacious "Waldorf West" branch library).
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