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This past year saw the completion of several projects in southeastern Frederick County, with a waterline being installed in the Town of New Market and the completion of shopping centers and medical facilities in Urbana.

There were also several challenges to local authority and projects stymied by the lagging economy or public outcry.

A year of challenges for

New Market Town Council

The New Market Town Council battled budget difficulties this year, saw the completion of a waterline, and the creation and cancellation of a crossing guard program.

Most of the Town Council members won re-election in May, save Mark Timberlake, who did not seek reelection. In his place, David Price, owner of 12 West Main art gallery, was elected.

This summer, work on a 5,000-foot waterline that cost $1.7 million to construct wrapped up, and now many town residents can connect to the county water supply instead of relying on wells. The project had been in the works for several years, and in September of 2007 there was a scare when certain wells in New Market were found to be contaminated by e. coli bacteria, which can cause serious health problems.

Residents had to pay a licensing fee to connect to the line — $4,300 per resident — which can be paid on a resident's quarterly water bill over the course of 10 years.

The council finalized in August a crossing guard program to help children in New Market walk safely to school after the Frederick County Board of Education voted to cut bus service to children living within 1.25 miles of an elementary school to save money. The program began in August, with an $11,000 price tag and a proviso that it would be cut in December if the Town Council members determined that there weren't enough children using it.

The two crossing guards helped students cross at the intersection of Wicomico Court and Royal Oak Drive and in front of New Market Middle and New Market Elementary schools, which have staggered start times.

Less than 25 students a day used the crosswalks, and most of these were accompanied by their parents, according to Councilman Jake Romanell.

With budget cuts looming in December after the state cut aid by $29,000 and tax revenues from Adventure Park USA coming up $40,000 short of projections, the council cut the program.

The town was also allowed to maintain an exemption from The Town of New Market will keep its 28-year exemption from state ethics regulations.

In November, the State Ethics Commission informed town officials that New Market's exemption would continue, but commissioners advised the town to consider creating ethics regulations of its own.

The commission may again review the town's exemption status as a part of the 2010 census, as the commission will be reviewing all municipalities at that time, according to Jennifer Allgair, an attorney for the State Ethics Commission.

The review was triggered by a citizen's group, Citizens for Public Ethics in New Market, the members of which thought the town's business and population had grown enough since 1981, when the exemption was granted, for to the state to lift the exemption.

State ethics laws require municipalities to create guidelines for lobbying, conflicts of interest, and financial disclosure for public officials.

However, certain municipalities are exempt if the scope of their business is limited, and if guidelines would constitute an unreasonable intrusion into public official's private lives.

Construction projects

wrap up in Urbana

Several construction projects either began or concluded in the Urbana area in 2009, bringing additional medical, retail, and educational service to the community.

The Urbana Village Center wrapped up construction in March at the intersection of Md. Routes 80 and 355, boasting a Buffalo Wild Wings, a Rite Aid Pharmacy, Bank of America, Georgetown Valet dry cleaner, Ledo Pizza and The Fractured Prune.

Friends Meeting School in Ijamsville opened an addition in September, which tripled the instructional space at the school.

Frederick Memorial Hospital also opened a satellite office in Urbana in September, offering specimen collection, radiology and a multi-specialty suite, which serves as urgent care center on weekends.

In January, the Board of County Commissioners granted Tom Natelli, CEO of Natelli Communities, an increase in the retail space he could build on a "mixed use" property near the interchange of Interstate 70 and Md. Route 80 in Urbana, allowing 593,000 square feet of retail on the 212-acre property, located near Fannie Mae. The mix also allows for nearly 1.2 million square feet of office space.

Natelli hopes eventually to build a 100-store outlet center when he can find a company to partner with him to develop it. Prime Outlets and Chelsea Property Group, a division of Simon Property Group and the developer of the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets, both dropped out as possible developers.

Rockville-based Banner Life Insurance Co. is scheduled to build an office in the office-zoned portion of the property this spring, relocating 400 employees to Urbana. Construction is set to complete in 2011.

Oakdale High takes shape; announces department heads

Oakdale High School, which will open in August, began in December a survey of possible mascots and school colors, and announced department heads.

The mascot choices are the Oakdale Bears, the Oakdale Eagles and the Oakdale Generals.

Principal George Seaton also announced department heads for the coming school year, and hopes that the rest of the teaching staff will be selected before winter break.

He began accepting applications for department head positions in September, and had to choose from about 160 applicants.

The 12 department heads are expected to be joined by staff before winter break begins on Dec. 24.

For more information on Oakdale High School, see the stories on the redistricting process and the construction of the new Linganore High School.

Global Mission Church to appeal denial in January

The Frederick County Board of Zoning Appeals will hear an appeal by Silver Spring-based Global Mission Church, which was denied the right to build a sanctuary on its property on the border with Montgomery County.

The hearing will take place at 1 p.m. Jan. 20 in Winchester Hall, 12 E. Church St., Frederick. If the board can't hear the entire case in one day, it has set aside Jan. 28 and March 1 for additional testimony.

The Frederick County Planning Commission on Oct. 14 denied the proposal by primarily Korean parish affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, to build an 85-foot-tall, 138,027-square-foot church in southern Frederick County.

The land upon which the church would be built borders Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve, a 93,000-acre area where development is restricted.

Residents of both counties complained the church did not belong in the Agricultural Reserve and its height and size would obstruct the view from historic sites, such as Sugarloaf Mountain.

The proposed church would include 67 meeting rooms, a 500-seat dining room and an 18,000-square-foot open room, as well as a parking lot with 397 spaces and a 1,160-seat sanctuary. The church has about 1,600 members, but no more than 900 would be there at one time, church officials said.

75-80 Dragway reopens

The 75-80 Dragway reopened in April after a four-year hiatus, drawing drag racing fans back to Monrovia.

The dragway, located at the intersection of Md. Routes 75 and 80, was a fixture of Monrovia's history for 45 years, until former owner and operator Bill Wilcom retired and closed the track in October 2005.

Wilcom had planned to build 1,608 homes on his family's 400-acre farm – the track sits on a corner of the property – but a building moratorium in Frederick County froze those plans.

The dragway is currently being operated by Heads Up Racing.

James Crawford, who is managing the racing program for Wilcom and the Stanley Family, which owns Heads Up Racing, said it took three months and more than $500,000 to improve the track, repairing years of racing and weather damage to the asphalt 2010 is the 50th anniversary of the dragway.

E-mail Christian Brown at chbrown@gazette.net.