Harris farm property annexed into Middletown for public park
The town of Middletown has annexed about 30 acres of existing farmland into corporate limits to become a public park.
Middletown's commissioners and burgess unanimously voted on Monday to annex the Harris Farm property, which is south of Old National Pike and across from Old Hagerstown Road, into the town's limits.
In an interview on Wednesday, Burgess John Miller said around 26 of the acres, which are in a floodplain, will be developed into a "passive park."
He said he used the term "passive" because the town does not want lights, late activity or noise. Miller said the park will be similar to Wiles Branch Park with recreational fields, such as football, lacrosse and soccer fields, as well as pavilion or gazebo-like structures.
He added that there is "a great need in town for recreational fields, and we have a very active youth athletic association."
"We're trying to help them meet their demands while also meeting the needs of other park goers and other amenities that they might want to have there," Miller said.
Town Commissioner Kevin Stottlemyer, who also chairs the Sustainability Committee, added that the town in the future hopes to extend the walking trails of Wiles Branch Park and connect the two together.
He said the connected trails "will really be nice" because the Harris property borders Catoctin Creek.
Miller said the creek is "a beautiful feature of that park."
Miller said the property has operated as a farm since before the Civil War. Before the Harris family owned the property, he said, the Sheffran family operated a mill there.
Stottlemyer added that the Harrises also ran a plumbing business on the property until a few years ago.
Miller said the buildings on the front of the property, which were used for the plumbing business, will now be used by the town as an extension of its maintenance facility.
Stottlemyer said the town partnered with Silvoculture, a nonprofit organization based in Myersville, to plant trees such as pawpaw, persimmon and cherry along the walking trail and stream bank of the property for erosion control.
He said the state grant will be approved "hopefully" by the summer to plant the trees this fall, and the project will be "a really nice legacy project for the community."
"Certain segments of the property lend itself to that," Stottlemyer said. "The lower section lays somewhat wet. It can't really be utilized for any other purpose, so to speak."
He added that if the grant is approved, Silvoculture will plant the trees and provide upkeep for the first two years.
Miller said at public hearings for the annexation, the community had "kind of mixed" feelings about the change of the property.
"I think many people came there thinking that their farm view now was going to be basically lighted fields and things going on all hours of the day, and we allayed those fears," he said. "That's not our intention for that park."
Miller added that many of the surrounding residents have lived there for over 20 years, and their backyard has always been a farm.
"It's different than what they're used to, and that causes them some concern, and they ask good questions," he said. "But I think they left knowing that we're good stewards of that property and of our town, and we'll make sure that they're protected as much as they can be."
Miller said the next step is to create a five- to 10-year master plan "to develop a concept of what we'd like to see down there."
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