The Mayor and Town Council, as well as some of the administrative staff at Kent County Middle School, will be hosting a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 29 at Town Hall to unveil plans for the renovation of recreational amenities on Kent County Middle School’s campus.
The meeting will be held after a brief presentation of the plan and invite public input to be considered before a grant application is made to the Community Parks and Playgrounds of the Maryland Department of Resources on August 15th.
Mayor Cerino made a presentation to the County Commissioners on July 15 to present current ideas to upgrade the Middle School’s recreational areas and facilities.
The project, estimated to cost between $200,000 and $250,000, is the result of unprecedented collaboration between the Kent County School Board and Staff of Kent County Middle School, the Town of Chestertown and the Kent County Commission.
Since KCMS is the only Middle School in the county, restoration and enhancement of the current facilities would benefit all county middle school students
Repairs might include paving of the walking track, tennis courts and outdoor basketball courts, creating exercise stations and handicapped access, and possibly a baseball field or a multiuse “community field.”
The commissioners were very enthusiastic about the project and offered an official endorsement.
The following are PowerPoint pages from Mayor Cerino’s presentation.
Chris Reeves says
Editor,
Not sure if I will be attending the aforementioned meeting, as I also am not sure if the following concern should be addressed by the “town”.
As I walk the macadam path that circles around the “dog park” I am horrified to see the condition of the newly planted trees. There are many already dead and many more struggling to survive. Obviously they are not being attended to; Weeds are growing close to trunks in addition to the tree’s thirst for food and water. I would hope those responsible for this neglect would reconsider adding a similar burden ( trees at yet another playground site) . Let’s first nurture what we have.
Carol Wise says
Editor,
I can’t agree more with what Chris Reeves says. My house butts up to the land. The school – which includes students, teachers and maintenance staff do not pick up trash – I have done so many times when walking there. The gravel walkway around the school has never been tended to – it looked nice the first month and after that, no one picked a weed or anything. The people who mow the grass do not pick up trash – they mow right over it or push it into the corners. I have never lived in an area where there was less concern to the grounds – I realize there are budget cuts everywhere but we are a small county and volunteerism should help out. I, for one, am willing to do my share.
I had met some teachers out at recess with the kids and suggested that since this is the only middle school – why couldn’t there be a committee to schedule trash pickup, track maintenance etc. I would think parents would want their kids to play in a safe and clean environment.
Before we add onto what we have, which does look glorious, let’s take care of what we have .
Carol Wise says
Well I think the dog park area is taken care of much better – it is a beautiful spot with no trash – I am speaking of the land behind the middle school.
Kees de Mooy says
Editor,
The trees at Bailey Park are being maintained as part of the contract that the Town signed for their installation (paid for by a grant from DNR), and they came with a one-year guarantee. Some of the dead trees have already been removed, and others, although they may look dead, are making a comeback. Japanese beetles devastated most of the leaves on some trees, so these may look dead, but they will likely survive. Those that do not survive will also be removed. Some of the trees were donated, they were planted outside of the Rolling Road entrance and behind the parking lot for the dog park, and many of these did not survive because they had been out of the ground for too long at the nursery. In any case, all of the dead trees that were part of the grant project will be replaced this fall, which is the optimum time to plant them.
Ellen Simmons says
There is minimal maintenance of the athletic field behind the middle school. The track that was donated by Brambles, not very long ago, is covered with weeds in many areas. The grass is not mowed on a weekly basis, often is a foot high. The fence has not been painted since??? never. There is trash and broken glass almost every day. Not sure who has responsibility for the sidewalk that runs parallel to the field, but, again, no maintenance. This past winter, there was never any clearing of snow and ice from the sidewalk. Those of us who live nearby expressed concerns about cars and parking if this were to become a community field. We were told people would likely use the school parking lot. It now appears that the baseball field is being relocated to the Rolling Road/Campus Avenue corner, which is exactly where the parking/traffic problems would exist. A quarter of a million dollars is a lot of money to spend…………still question whether there will be day-to-day maintenance.
Steve Narowanskie says
Kudos to all those involved in advancing the Kent County Middle School project. It is a shame not to put this recreational space to better use. I look forward to it’s completion.