(3/28) Residents Hold Bake Sale for Ukraine

After seeing the disturbing news unfolding in real time on TV, Michele Cuseo and Cathy Bodin wanted to do something tangible to help out. Michele and her friend Cathy put their heads together to come up with the Charity Bake sale idea. They enlisted the help of a non-profit organization EOPCC (Emmitsburg Osteopathic Primary Care Center) and volunteers from the Northern Frederick County Democrats & Friends organization to sponsor the event. Then they reached out to friends, neighbors and other organizations asking for baked goods and help with advertising.

Volunteers came through in a big way with baked goods and generous cash donations. The event was held on March 19th at the Memorial pavilion and was a huge success bringing in over $1,300.

More support was provided even after the bake sale with a special thank you to volunteer, Sabrina Massett, who continued the Bake Sale at the Moravian Church and brought in an additional $200 plus.

Proceeds from the event are being sent to IRC (International Refugee Committee). IRC is a non profit that was originally founded during WWII to help refugees fleeing from fascism.

Michele comments that people do want to help but are super busy with their own lives. This bake sale brought in people who were out running errands and saw the sale. Many of them bought a couple of cupcakes and threw in a $20 bill as a donation.

Another Charity Bake Sale is being considered to continue to provide support to Ukraine. A big thank you to all who contributed.

Abandoned Building Not Condemned

At its March meeting, the Town Council heard the results on an investigations into the abandoned building at 507 East Main Street. The property has been in disrepair since the property owner passed away a few years ago.

Numerous complaints have been received from neighboring property owners regarding the area.

An administrative search warrant was obtained and the town’s structural engineer firm, ADTEK Engineers found the building in structurally stable condition and not in imminent danger of collapse. No significant roof leaks or other water infiltration were found.

No dangerous levels of mold were reported by the town’s mold specialists. "Which was shocking because the doors and windows have been open a long time," Town Planner Zachary Gulden said.

The house is not habitable at this time and will require substantiate improvements before it could be habitable.

"Fortunately, or unfortunately, the building is not in a dangerous condition that it can be deemed a dangerous hazard building," he said.

As the building was not identified as a dangerous hazard building, there is nothing more the town can do about it, at this time, but the property can be reviewed again at a later date.

Numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made to contact the executor of the estate to address the issues, Gulden said.

Council Mourns Sheriff’s Deputy Passing

Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) lost one of its own with the passing of Deputy 1st Class (DFC) Ken Olander in early March.

Olander was a town resident with a charismatic and funny personality and known as "Kenny the Cop" to the community, Council President Tim O’Donnell said.

An avid cycler as well, O’Donnell had the pleasure to ride with him on multiple occasions and was professionally sponsored before becoming a sheriff’s deputy.

Olander always made himself available for town issues with a particularly strong devotion to road safety.

Olander was also on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and recently narrated an online video about sharing the road.

Olander is a 32-year veteran of the FCSO and served in numerous capacities including patrol operations deputy, the traffic unit, school resource officer, and most recently as the community deputy for Myersville, Maryland. He was long-time, certified state Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) and served as the lead DRE representative for the agency.

"He’s committed through and through to cycling and safe pedestrian access. He certainly will be missed, O’Donnell said.