January 10 – Hagerstown Mayor and City Council will have a work session this afternoon at 4 p.m. at 1 E. Franklin Street.
Citizens can watch the meeting in person or on the city’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.
Wes Decker, Communications Officer for the City of Hagerstown, joined First News this morning for a preview of the meeting.
The agenda has four items, including a proclamation.
The Hagerstown Youth News Corp Project will be presented to Mayor and Council tonight.
Decker said, “I’m not sure if it’s for funding or not. I’ll certainly know more after the meeting. This is an offshoot of Speak Up News. It’s actually been around for 21 years. So it certainly has some roots here in the community. It’s through Brothers United who Dare to Care, Inc., which was established back in 1996. They do have a relationship and have established a relationship with the city through the Neighborhoods First program and they also oversee the Medal of Honor group that can partake in recruiting youth interns for this particular youth corps that is being promoted and presented in front of Mayor and Council this afternoon.”
The goal is to provide a vehicle for youth in a meaningful way for them to engage with issues related to the city.
Decker said, “It’s really something that can create what I would call an invaluable understanding of the younger generation’s perspective.”
The city is also looking at purchasing land from Meritus holdings.
Decker said, “People in Hagerstown know it as Hospital Hill, where the Washington County Hospital used to be in downtown. There are several parcels there that are owned by Meritus holdings. The city is interested in purchasing those parcels and turning them into what would be termed Battlefield Park, playing off of the Civil War heritage in and around Hagerstown.”
The city would work with some of the battlefield organizations around the area and would be looking into funding for the project. For this afternoon’s agenda, click here: https://hagerstown.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/MeetingView.aspx?MeetingID=1151&MinutesMeetingID=-1&doctype=Agenda
