SHEPHERDSTOWN — The monthly Corporation of Shepherdstown Town Council meeting was held on March 8, drawing a full room of community members and political candidates wanting to introduce themselves to the town.

The first order of business approved by the Town Council, was the approval of the first reading of an ordinance reenacting Section 7-120 of Chapter 1, Title 7 of the Code of Shepherdstown. The ordinance amendment on gender identification will bring the Code of Shepherdstown into accordance with the West Virginia Code’s corresponding statute.

The council then likewise approved the first reading of an ordinance to enact Chapter 5, Title 3 of the Code of Shepherdstown as the Outdoor Dining Act.

“It’s quite a lengthy document,” Auxer said of the 12-page document. “It was started by the Planning Commission, and we sent it to our town attorney, and he formulated this and sent it back to us. The ABC (Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) said the town had to have an ordinance, in order for our restaurants on German Street to operate outside of their establishments.”

One detail of major concern in the ordinance, was the requirement for a temporary barrier surrounding all of the outdoor tables to be at least 48 inches from the curb. Upon further consideration, with input from local restaurateurs, the Town Council decided to consult with the town’s restaurants, to tweak specific details of the ordinance, which might otherwise be too stringent to allow some restaurants from offering outdoor dining. The necessary changes to the ordinance will be shared with the town’s attorney and incorporated into the ordinance by its second reading in the next Town Council meeting.

“If the changes are not significant, we can move forward, without having to have another first reading of the ordinance,” Auxer said.

The Town Council then approved a number of special events being held in the coming months, including a couple of ones that haven’t taken in place in town in years. The first event to be approved was the Shepherdstown Community Club’s Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea, set to be held on May 21 and 22.

“So far this year, we’ve had 20 homeowners volunteer to be on the tour!” said SCC President Jennifer Wabnitz.

As the COVID-19 Pandemic will still likely be going on in two months time, Wabnitz said the event pricing has changed.

“For $20, you can take just the tour. For $10, you can come in and have a tea party. If you don’t want to have the tea party, that’s fine! You can just go on the tour,” Wabnitz said. “There are some community members who are a little worried about going inside the War Memorial Building for tea with 200 other people. We totally understand you.”

For those who want to attend the tea, but are still concerned about the spread of the coronavirus, SCC member Meg Spurlin will be opening her home, as a secondary tea party location

“We’re going to have two locations, and that will spread out the crowd a little more,” Wabnitz said. “Hopefully, that’s going to allay some people’s concerns.”

Although May Day representative Rachael Meads said it won’t be possible to hold a May Day Parade this year, the plans she does have on tap were approved by the council.

“We still want to do May Day. We still want to have the Maypole and the kids and the spirit of community. We want to have music, and so the plan is pipers going through the farmer’s market and to include people in the market,” Meads said of the May 1 event, which will start at noon at McMurran Hall.

The next event, scheduled for June 24, was likewise approved by the Town Council.

“We’re going to do Street Fest, with your approval,” said organizer John Meeker. “It’s always going to be basically the same event, because you guys found the right place and way to do it!”

Lilah Restaurant owner Connie Heyer will be organizing the final approved event, Dog Fest. Scheduled for June 4, the festival will start the night before at Heyer’s restaurant, with a dog-themed meal. On the approved day of the event, a fun run will begin the morning at Morgan’s Grove Park, followed with the traditional dog parade on a new route in downtown Shepherdstown at 11 a.m. A variety of dog-focused events and vendors will be at the festival, as well as the new addition of music and a beer garden area.

“One of the main goals to the parade, is to let the owners be in the parade with their dogs, dressed up. But more importantly, another main goal is to invite rescues, that will bring dogs that are available for adoption to participate in the parade,” Heyer said. “They would have a little bio read about the dogs when they pass the emcee. And then we would have a meet-and-greet area, where people could actually go and meet the pups and fill out an application for adoption.”

The final item on the agenda approved by the Town Council was the Master Service Agreement with Water 120, Inc., which was already approved by the Water Board. The board had also already approved financing for the agreement, which will result in the company inspecting the town’s water lines for lead fittings.