By Greg Ellison, Staff Writer

(Oct. 19, 2017) The Snow Hill Town Council discussed the following items during a meeting last Tuesday at the Train Station on Belt Street:

Town Clean Up Day
Randy Barfield, public works director, said the annual Town Wide Fall Cleanup was scheduled for Oct. 23. “It’s giving residents an opportunity to spruce up their properties,” he said. Items included in the one-day free bulk trash pickup program include regularly discarded materials, like appliances, mattresses, box springs and furniture. Barfield said there are limits to what would be accepted. “We will not pickup any liquids, poison, batteries, medical waste, tires, fuel tanks, electrical equipment, yard waste, wood, demolition materials, or anything that can possibly harm the environment,” he said. Barfield said numerous people ignored directives last year and placed unacceptable items, such as tires and paint, outside for collection. “The town is trying to help people and save them the cost for bulk pickup,” he said.

Red Speed cameras
Police Chief Tom Davis, because of numerous requests, examined the preciseness of town speed cameras, which are operated by Redspeed Maryland. “I deal every single day with these complaints,” he said. “I wanted to show the council and everyone in the town it’s very accurate.” Maryland law permits speed cameras to be operated in school zones between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. from Monday through Friday. Citations are issued to vehicles going at least 12 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Mayor Charlie Dorman shared his concerns about the camera on West Market Street near the Snow Hill Middle School, which is situated a short distance before the speed limit jumps. “You come up and see the camera and then you see 50 miles per hour … that needs adjustment,” he said. “People see that and they step on it.” Davis said he previously contacted the camera vendor to no avail, but could make an additional request based on the mayor’s sentiments. “I discussed that with Redspeed and asked them to move it back and … they didn’t want to move it at this point,” he said. “I can certainly ask on your behalf.” Dorman also questioned why the camera at that location only captured one direction of traffic flow. “You’re getting the people leaving town [but] what happens to the people coming into town.” he said. “That’s where we need to stop them.”

Car show successful
Councilwoman LaToya Purnell said the Endless Summer Cruisin vintage car show on Oct. 7 drew a healthy contingent of high-octane enthusiasts. “I know it was well over 20 cars and they were coming in and out,” she said. “Green Street was completely packed.” Although the event was largely successful, Purnell said some participants had concerns regarding nourishment. “One of the complaints was we didn’t have enough food,” she said. “I explained to them that we had a restaurant that was open … and then we had the ice cream shop.” To plan for the event, Day said he advised the Daily Brew Coffeehouse to be prepared for a higher than usual volume of business. “We had a breakfast vendor lined up, but then the Mayor and I decided we didn’t want to take the chance,” he said. Purnell concurred with the cautious approach. “I don’t know if the vendor would have been very successful,” she said. Mayor Dorman said unlike most car shows, Snow Hill waives entrance fees for participants. “They give us trophies for free to give out, so it doesn’t cost us anything out of pocket,” he said. “It’s to get people in town to see the town … and it gets bigger every year.”