News

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING LOCATION CHANGE

FOR THE BOROUGH OF MERCERSBURG

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Borough Council Meeting scheduled for Monday, February 9, 2026 will be held at the James Buchanan Middle School, 5191 Fort Loudon Rd, Mercersburg, PA 17236 at 7:00 p.m. Any person who needs accommodation in order to gain access to or participate in the meeting should call 717-328-3116 prior to the meeting.

February 4, 2026

Mercersburg Borough Council Statement

The Borough of Mercersburg stands firmly with the dedicated men and women of the MMP&W Volunteer Fire & Ambulance Company. Their rapid response, professionalism, and selfless service to our community and surrounding areas are deeply appreciated and essential to public safety.

The Borough has reviewed the statement issued yesterday by the MMP&W Volunteer Fire & Ambulance Company concerning a recent barn fire and the alleged personal comments made by Ed Twine, Chairman of the Mercersburg Water Authority. According to the fire company, Mr. Twine informed firefighters that hydrants owned by the Authority could not be used and reportedly stated, “Let the building burn” and “it is only one building.”

Borough Council will allow Mr. Twine and the Water Authority an opportunity to speak for themselves to the extent they wish to offer any additional context or explanation for Mr. Twine’s comments.

However, the Borough Council wishes to be perfectly clear on two points:

1. The Mercersburg Water Authority is a separate, independent entity from Borough Council. No representative of the Authority, including its Chairman, Ed Twine, speaks for Borough Council or represents the official position of the Borough of Mercersburg. Any statements made by Mr. Twine reflect his own personal opinion.
2. The Borough of Mercersburg fully supports the use of Borough hydrants and water infrastructure by our volunteer firefighters in emergency situations whenever possible. We recognize that reliable water supply is critical for effective fire suppression, and we reject any suggestion that firefighters should be denied access to hydrants.

The safety of our residents, businesses, visitors, and firefighters is not optional. The Borough Council is committed to working collaboratively with the fire company, the Water Authority, and all relevant stakeholders to resolve any water-supply issues and ensure that our volunteer firefighters have the resources they need to protect life and property.

We recognize that many of the individuals involved, including the volunteer firefighters and the Water Authority board members, serve in a volunteer capacity with the community’s best interests in mind, and we appreciate everyone who dedicates their time and effort towards these goals.

The Borough Council will be addressing this issue directly in the coming days to prevent any recurrence.

Mercersburg Alert update: As of 02/04/2026

MERCERSBURG WATER SYSTEM NOTICE – FLOURIDATED WATER. Due to low well levels and increasing water consumption. The Water Authority has taken emergency measures and will haul in bulk water to supplement the system. Please be advised this bulk water is from a fluoridated source.

AVISO DEL SISTEMA DE AGUA DE MERCERSBURG – AGUA FLUORADA. Debido a los bajos niveles de los pozos y el aumento en el consumo de agua, la Autoridad del Agua ha tomado medidas de emergencia y traerá agua a granel para complementar el sistema. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que esta agua a granel proviene de una fuente fluorada.

Individuals with health concerns related to consuming fluoridated water should seek advice from their health care advisors.

Las personas con preocupaciones de salud relacionadas con el consumo de agua fluorada deben buscar consejo de sus asesores de salud.

Please continue to exercise water conservation measures.

We will inform you when bulk water is no longer being introduced into the system. For more information, please contact: Mercersburg Water Authority at 717-328-3116.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or by distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by Mercersburg Water Authority.

Statement from Mercersburg Water Authority

February 4, 2026

The Mercersburg Water Authority is committed to providing water for both household use and fire protection within the Mercersburg community.

The MMP&W Volunteer Fire Company has a mission of protecting life and property from fire hazards. The Mercersburg Water Authority has a mission of providing an adequate supply of water for drinking and household use as well as fire protection. Both missions are essential for public health and safety. The volunteer members of both organizations care deeply about the community. The current water capacity challenges have made completing those overlapping missions more difficult. The Water Authority fully supports collaborative discussions between both organizations to better address operational challenges and mutual concerns.

The Mercersburg Water Authority learned of the MMP&W concerns via its February 3rd press release. The Authority desires to emphasize a number of items:

1. Authority member Ed Twine does not speak for the whole of the Authority.
2. Mr. Twine relayed that when he was asked by the Fire Chief what the MMP&W should do if Mr. Twine’s house was on fire, Mr. Twine responded that the fire company should “let it burn” because he is concerned with providing drinking water to 1,000 customers in the Mercersburg community. While Mr. Twine may feel that is the appropriate action for his property, the Authority does not believe that a vast majority of the community shares those feelings.
3. The Authority has faced significant challenges with water supply recently with a large leak diminishing storage levels and water supplies struggling to keep up with demand.
4. When the new water source on Park Avenue, which is currently under construction, is operational, the Authority’s water supply will increase significantly. The Authority did inform the MMP&W well in advance that the new source construction project would require the removal of the Park Avenue hydrant.
5. The Authority has requested the MMP&W to observe the same water conservation measures that the community was asked to implement.
6. While the Authority questions some of the characterizations in the MMP&W release, it will address those directly with representatives of the MMP&W.

To be clear, the Mercersburg Water Authority unequivocally supports the use of hydrants to address danger to life or property. The Authority supports collaboration with the MMP&W on how to best accomplish the missions of both organizations that are essential for the community.

The Mercersburg Water Authority