City of Aberdeen | 60 N. Parke Street Aberdeen, MD 21001 | (410) 272-1600 May 7, 2020
As a long standing military community, many of you have been directly affected by the impact of the Coronavirus on our friends; staff and coworkers at the Proving Ground. As a special feature today, Colonel Tim Druell, APG's Garrison Commander has provided a short update on activities at the installation and some references for those who may work there. Thanks and Hooah Tim! Blessings to you and your APG Team!
"As COVID-19 impacts our community and nation, we have all been affected, including the Army and Aberdeen Proving Ground. However, thanks to the resilience and dedication of our workforce and residents, I’m happy to report that we are continuing to meet our mission to provide critical services, technologies, and readiness for our Soldiers. We are the Army’s home of innovation, and our efforts cannot and must not pause, even in the face of a global pandemic.
I want to reassure the community that our situation is stable on APG thanks to determined work from experts at the APG Garrison, Kirk Army Health Clinic, the Army Public Health Center, and other APG organizations. Some of the Army’s leading minds in disease control, protection and prevention are located right here at APG, which I’ve found enormously helpful. Many APG organizations are also contributing incredible efforts toward the Army’s whole-of-nation approach to fight COVID-19 outside our gates, which you can learn more about https://www.army.mil/coronavirus/.
Of course, we have had to make sacrifices and adjustments. APG remains at Health Protection Condition CHARLIE, as directed by Headquarters Department of the Army due to sustained community transmission in Maryland and surrounding states. Most of our workforce is teleworking, and our residents are practicing physical distancing. Installation access is limited to key and essential personnel, residents, and those providing essential deliveries or services. However, APG senior leaders are in the early stages of discussing command reconstitution and increasing our workforce posture on APG. While it is too early to announce any details yet, it will happen in a phased, deliberate and conditions based approach in keeping with Department of the Army policies.
I encourage you to stay connected by following our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/APGMd. APG Senior Commander Major General Mitch Kilgo provides daily updates to the APG community, and I provide occasional update videos, all of which are posted publicly on the Facebook page.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support for APG and the Army. Together, we are seeing a path to victory over COVID-19. Army Strong!"
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mayor and Council will conduct business with an audio-only teleconference on Monday, May 11 at 7PM. Residents who wish to participate can listen in by visiting www.aberdeenmd.gov/live. If you would like to submit a public comment to be read during the meeting, email your name, address and comment to council@aberdeenmd.gov. You have until noon on May 11th to submit your comments.
Food Giveaway at Epicenter
The Epicenter at Edgewood will be offering a FREE, drive through style food giveaway on Friday May 8th beginning at 2PM. Families in need of fruit, vegetables and non-perishables are encouraged to visit their location at 1918 Pulaski Hwy, Edgewood, MD 21040. As a reminder, the Epicenter will be opening a new campus here in Aberdeen in the Ollie's Shopping Plaza! Stay tuned to the Advocate for more information!
Heroes at the Hospital Meal Program Receives Nearly $16K in Donations
To our readers: We continue to be astounded by the tremendous generosity our community has demonstrated in its support of local hospital workers and restaurants . . . we’ve raised nearly $16k!!!! Your kind contributions to our Hospital Meal Donation Program is up by $7,000.00 more than last week! This will provide lunches for at a few more weeks, but we are still accepting donations. We plan to close this initiative out on Friday, May 15, so If you have desire and ability to participate, mail or drop off a check payable to the City of Aberdeen (with "Meal Donation" on the envelope) to 60 N. Parke Street! While large contributions go a long way to provide meals to these heroes, even a donation as small as $5.00 can make a world of difference! Special thanks to our partners at the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission for making this program possible! You rock, Aberdeen!
Farmers Market Guidelines
In tandem with last week's announcement that the Aberdeen Farmers Market opening day would commence on June 4th from 4-7PM, we've released a series of guidelines to ensure the safety of our vendors and patrons. These restrictions include one shopper per household (the kids will have to stay at home) and "eyes-only" browsing. While these measures may feel extreme (given our Market traditionally encourages large community involvement), we feel that these regulations are the best way to provide necessary produce and supplies to our residents until such time that it is safe to gather at large again. We appreciate your support as we rev up towards opening day and hope to see you there!
Habitat Aids Home Owners
With nearly one-in-five now unemployed, there is an exponential increase in the number of worthwhile causes that are in need of financial assistance. While most are extraordinarily worthy, there one close to heart for many in Aberdeen: Habitat for Humanity. Habitat has created the “Habitat Susquehanna Mortgage Relief Fund" to match the funds of homeowners affected by COVID-19 income disruptions. Many of you have or know of someone in Aberdeen or in the area who has firsthand experience of Habitat’s good work. If even a fraction of those who read this donates from $15, $25 or even $50, then local families can stay afloat and Habitat will be able to continue its' life changing mission. Click to donate!
Schools to Stay Closed for Rest of Year
Yesterday, Governor Hogan announced that Maryland Public Schools will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 Academic Year with intentions to resume in the Fall. This announcement came despite Governor Hogan's optimism that we have begun to see a flattening of the COVID-19 curve. "If these trends continue into next week, we will be ready to lift the stay-at-home order and to begin stage one of our recovery plan," remarked Hogan. The Governor also announced conditions for allowing elective medical procedures and some outdoor recreational activities such as golfing and boating. Click here to view the Maryland Strong Roadmap to Recovery and review the guidelines our state adheres to as we look towards reopening.
Review Aberdeen's Frequently Asked Questions page to learn the status of various municipal services during this pandemic. Don't see an answer to your question? Email us here!
