(7/17) The Taneytown City Council agreed at their regular July meeting work session to approve expending the funds necessary to address algae blooms at a pond located within Roberts Mill Park in the amount of $15,867.
Roberts Mill Park is located on 19.3 acres of open space, with a large pond that is fed by natural springs. The pond is home to a variety of different animals and wildlife, including ducks, geese, fish… and algae.
Mayor Bradley Wantz told the council, "As you probably see on social media from time to time, we do get a fair amount of complaints about the pond at Roberts Mill."
He said the complaints tend to focus on the heavy presence of algae that form in the lake, and the odors that come from it. He said that even an existing aerator is not helping to significantly reduce the stagnation.
During the board’s July 7 work session, Wantz recommended that a fountain be installed in the pond at the cost of which would be – he stated then - $9,300 for a 25-foot fountain. The cost was subsequently amended at the regular June meeting to $15,867.
The mayor said during the work session that the possibility of acquiring a fountain to address the stagnation was brought to his attention by Lorena Vaccare, director of Parks & Recreation, who had contacted the state Department of Natural Resources, seeking a solution.
Since the city continues to work on improvements at the park, Wantz suggested that the staff might as well work on the pond issue at the same time.
The fountain, he stated, would solve the problem with the stagnation in the pond, and "chase the fish towards the outskirts of time, making it a little better fishing for people," and also eliminate the odor that is sometimes present, the mayor stated.
It was also noted at the work session that the fountain would also have an option to be lighted by LED lights, by which colors could be changed at will.
City Manager James Wieprecht told the News-Journal that the difference between the initially expressed cost of $9,300 and the final cost of $15,867 was caused by a re-assessment of options, and by the time of the regular meeting, with the final price tag including the LEDS, as well as covering the costs for the necessary electrical requirements, including upgrading, to support and operate the fountain.
