A plan to replace water pumps at the Mary Ball Pump Station was given the go ahead by La Plata Town Council members.

The town will spend $35,600 on two submersible pumps to affect a complete changeover of pumps at the town’s water pump station.

According to Robert Stahl, director of operations, the replacement was necessary to replace a water pump that was heavily damaged at the end of July.

The damaged pump left just one pump operational at the station that was reportedly a decade old.

“It’s very dangerous to have just one pump,” Stahl said.

With plans in the works to construct a new pumping facility to deal with growth in northern La Plata, Stahl said in a letter to council that the plan was to replace both pumps at the Mary Ball station at the same time.

At a later date, two more pumps would be purchased for the pumping station while the current decade-old pump would be kept as a replacement pump in case of emergency.

Sherwood-Logan & Associates will provide the pumps, which are estimated to arrive on Oct. 1.

Creative sidewalks coming to La Plata

A program to create eye-catching crosswalks in La Plata is a step closer to reality after a consensus vote by the town council.

Shannon Wang, arts workgroup chair of Keep La Plata Beautiful, presented the idea to use Firehouse Alley as a test run of a plan to create themed paint jobs on crosswalks.

“I like the idea of something fun, something safe, and I’d love to see how it’s received by the community,” Mayor Jeannine James said during Tuesday’s La Plata work session.

Making “creative” sidewalks is a way to enhance the walkability of the town of La Plata and promote community engagement among residents.

Wang showed examples of how creative crosswalks can bring communities together, such as the Rainbow Street in Salisbury. Located in front of the Wicomico Public Library at the intersection of South Division Street and Market Street, the Rainbow Street was painted by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community.

The event created a yearly community event to repaint the road every year as a means of community partnership.

Wang said that Firehouse Alley, in front of the town’s firehouse museum, could be used as a place to test the durability and longevity of the paint as well as create a new landmark downtown.

“I like the idea of more destination places downtown,” Matt Trollinger, Ward 2 councilman, said.

A planned design would create a “hoses and ladders” theme that would lead to the front doors of the firehouse museum.

A final design and timetable was not determined.

Subscribe to this newsletter to have the latest obituaries delivered to your inbox weekdays at 5:30 pm.

A roundup of SoMdNews Headlines delivered to your inbox twice weekly, for free!

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.