From left to right, town council members Cheryl Roberts, Linus Bicker and Shannon Thomas discuss an issue and take notes at their monthly meeting in Town Hall on Aug. 13. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Town Council held its monthly meeting in Town Hall on Aug. 13.

During the meeting, the Town Council discussed a number of subjects, such as the need for temporary office space. A new position — that of town financial director — was recently filled and, once the remaining new, open position for town program manager has been filled, the Corporation of Shepherdstown’s staff would be in a desperate need for office space. For this reason, the Town Council unanimously approved for the town to rent the available office space beside Town Hall.

“The town of Shepherdstown has an ongoing need for additional workspace to adequately support staff operations and maintain town documents. The proposed rental space at 102 North King Street is adjacent to Town Hall and would provide convenient and immediate relief to current space limitations,” said Mayor James Gatz. “The town intends to lease the space for a one-year term, while exploring long-term options to address future space needs.”

Gatz also announced that the town’s Comprehensive Plan has been officially approved by the Town Council. The next step, regarding the Comprehensive Plan, will be focused on its implementation.

Unanimous approval was given for Appalachian Heritage Festival events to be held in downtown Shepherdstown on Sept. 13; Shepherdstown Community Club’s 80th anniversary dinner to change its date, from Sept. 21 to Sept. 14; the first annual “We the People” Parade to be held on Sept. 20; and the Shepherd University Homecoming Parade to be held on Oct. 25 — a standalone parade this year, as the Founder’s Day Parade traditionally held on the day before Homecoming was viewed as redundant and canceled.

One request that was made, and not approved during the meeting, was that of Shepherd University alumna and New York City resident Jillian Sobrino. Sobrino said she was hoping to be granted a $2,500 Shepherdstown Community Grant by the Town Council, to aid her in making her next film, “This Land is Cursed,” which will be filmed in Harpers Ferry. After reviewing her application and seeing no direct connection between the film and Shepherdstown, the Town Council deferred the decision to the town’s Finance Committee. They said her application would likely be approved, if she could find a way for the film to positively feature Shepherdstown or support its businesses.

The Town Council unanimously approved for $1,000 in funding to be given to the Town Run Watershed, for a matching grant. Also unanimously approved, pending approval by the Shepherdstown Planning Commission and Shepherdstown Parks & Recreation Committee, by the Town Council, was a request by Town Run Watershed Steering Committee founding member Kay Schultz to place two signs about the watershed at Riverfront Park and Rumsey Park.

“In our current grant, we have planned to do outreach to help people understand the storm drains in this town go right into Town Run. So whatever you put along the stream, whether it be dog poop or salt, it’s just washing right into our future water source,” Schultz said, of the Chesapeake Bay Trust grant.

Town Run Watershed must complete the plans for the grant soon, for it to be eligible for a second grant.

“We have eight beautiful watershed signs. We had planned to put them, initially, in rights of way near the state highway. We were finally told by the engineer for this area that we may not put such signs in the right of way,” Schultz said. “So we’re looking for additional locations for these beautiful signs, that build awareness of how this water matters. We have two town parks that we think would really benefit, from this kind of acknowledgement.”

Along with the two signs at the town parks, two signs will be placed at the two entrances of Morgan’s Grove Park, one sign will be placed on Suellen Myers’ property near the James Rumsey Bridge, at least one sign will be placed on Shepherd University’s property bordering Shepherd Grade Road, one sign will likely be placed along Town Run by Jefferson Security Bank and one sign will likely be placed in the woods by the historic Christ Reformed United Church of Christ building.