Gettysburg has just been recognized as the “most welcoming city in the United States” by Booking.com, the third-largest travel website in the world. The honor was announced at Thursday’s Adams County Council of Government (ACCOG) meeting. “This is the result of over 240 million traveler reviews on Booking.com that led to naming Gettysburg at the top of that list,” said Carl Whitehill, vice president of Destination Gettysburg. “It says a lot about our destination, our residents, and what we do here,” he added.
Land Conservation Clarified
In other ACCOG business, three Adams County specialists were on hand to explain the sometimes confusing land preservation process in the area. Mark Clowney, Senior Planner-Rural Development, Ellen Dayhoff, Administrator of the Ag Land Preservation Program, and Sarah Kipp, Conservation Director, described how their organizations mesh to provide the best outcome for land conservation in the county.
Adams County is one of only three counties in the state to have an established Agricultural Security Area in every township, encompassing over 107,000 acres of farmland. “What it was designed to do is basically protect the land-owner,” said Clowney. He specifically noted protections against eminent domain claims and local ordinances that might affect day-to-day farming practices. “It is also a prerequisite for getting into the state or county land preservation program,” he added. Applications to the ASA program may occur anytime throughout the year.
The Adams County Agricultural Land Preservation Program (ALPP) has been part of the State Farmland Protection Program for 33 years, offering protection against development through the protection of conservation easements. It currently has 194 farms under its umbrella, encompassing 24,650 acres. The average amount paid for an agricultural conservation easement in the last two years was $2,692 per acre. “A conservation easement is a deed restriction on a property that restricts its use to agricultural purposes,” Dayhoff explained. “This is something we want to work with municipalities on,” she added. They are glad to present information at local meetings if requested. Responding to a question about solar farms, Dayhoff said, “Solar farms are not permitted.” She added that farms could use solar panels only for operational purposes.
The Land Conservancy of Adams County works closely with the ALPP. Since its inception in 1995, the non-profit organization has protected 13,065 acres of farmland, historic land, and open space on 183 properties. Kipp explained that no county money supports the non-profit organization, “but we use the same tool the county uses to preserve open space.” While the ALPP focuses only on farmland, the Land Conservancy was created to preserve other types of open space, including woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife habitats,” she added. They will also consider farmland that may not qualify under ALPP guidelines.
New Election Office
A new site for the county election office will open in August at the Emergency Services Building on Greenamyer Lane. “Elections are a totally different animal than they were two or three years ago, especially with mail-in ballots,” Commissioner Randy Phiel said. “In this facility, we’ll be able to store records, ballots, and voting equipment,” he added. At present, they are stored in separate locations outside of the courthouse. Phiel hopes the new location will also be more convenient for the voter than parking in the more congested downtown location.
Broadband Update
According to George Mauser, Vice Chair of the Adams County Broadband task force, the broadband survey results distributed earlier this year should soon be available.
“There is not enough government money to solve all the problems in Adams County,” said Commissioner Marty Qually, the task force’s ex-offio member. He noted that the upper part of the county is particularly underserved. “Students are driving to free Wi-Fi hotspots at schools to make sure they can download their homework. That’s just absurd,” he added.
The current Broadband Infrastructure Program offers grant money geared toward under- and un-served areas. “This program is not geared to spur economic development, but we’re hoping that future rounds of funding will,” Qually said, adding more information regarding the broadband issue will be available in August.
Fire bans and Fireworks
ACCOG members had questions about whether or not to include fireworks in their fire ban ordinances and whether or not to mandate a fire ban at all in some cases. Commissioner Phiel said it is up to the municipalities to write fire ban ordinances that reflect their particular area’s needs, but that in his experience, fireworks are often included.
ACCOG president and Mt. Joy resident Terry Scholle said they did not create a fire ban ordinance because, without a police force, there was no way to enforce it. “It’s kind of a moot point,” Scholle said. “We don’t have one because we don’t have our own police force.” He said he called the state police to see if they would enforce such a ban and was told “no.”
Where’s Arendtsville?
An Arendtsville representative said she is concerned that Arendtsville is now called Biglerville, and the confusion is growing. She called the county for clarification and was told that “basically, Arendtsville doesn’t exist.” That confused the 27-year resident, who entered her address into the ESRI Geo database. It came up as Biglerville.
“Arendtsville still has its own post office. Arendtsville still exists,” she added. A postal investigation is supposed to be conducted through the state representative’s office. Adams County planning director Sherri Clayton-Williams also plans to look into it.
ACCOG meets monthly with county jurisdictional and school leaders, legislative representatives, county officials, state police representatives, emergency services, and Destination Gettysburg. The next meeting will take place July 27, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. at the Emergency Services Center, Greenamyer Lane.
Featured Image Caption: The faces of land conservation in Adams County: From left, Sarah Kipp, Land Conservancy of Adams County; Ellen Dayhoff, Ag Land Preservation Program and Mark Clowney, Agricultural Security Areas.
Judith Cameron Seniura is a freelance reporter. She began her journalism career in the early ‘70s and has written for newspapers, magazines, and other media in Ontario, Canada, Alaska, Michigan, Nebraska, San Antonio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.