On August 21, Mayor Chris Cerino met with the Chestertown Town Council to review the current status of the Mabel Mumford Gateway Park project.
Chestertown Zoning Administrator Kees de Mooy presented the update. Perry Otwell from McCrone, Inc. was on hand for questions. McCrone, Inc. provided the engineering renderings for the future park.
New roundabout intersecting High Street/Rt. 20 and Morgnec Rd./Rt. 291. Aerial photograph by Tyler Campbell shows Rail Trail and site for the new park.
De Mooy has made ten similar presentations to various town and county agencies and public organizations over the course of several years. The project has received many letters of support from agencies, including the County Planning Commissioners and Washington College Center for the Environment and Society.
Fully supported by grants from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) State Parks and Playgrounds, the less than one acre property at the juncture of Rt. 20 and Flatland Rd. (Rt 514), just north of the High Street extended roundabout, lacks only one licensing approval for an entrance design before construction can begin. The approved grant request was for $155,000.
“We hope the construction will begin this winter or early Spring,” de Mooy said.
The goals for the design and use of the property since the town purchased the property from the county in 2010 have been expanded to include: enhancing the entrance into town, improving the recreational areas for the community, enhancing the watershed improvement plan and to educate the public about the history of the regional wetlands.
Design of the park—now an impervious V-shaped section between wetlands used to park county vehicles—will include: a parking area, a green space for native plants, landscaping along Rt. 20, a basketball court, and an observation deck on the current raised area.
The impervious nature of the property will be reduced by 50% and will help with the overall goal of dealing with runoff that eventually ends up in the Chester River via Radcliffe Creek.
Previously this year, a step-pool conveyance system was built northeast of this project on Rt. 213 across from the Freeze on Washington College and LaMotte Chemical adjacent properties. The two projects are a combined effort to reduce pollutants and deal with storm water runoff before reaching the river.
Pedestrian safety issues were questioned and addressed. Specifically, speed reduction signage would be extended farther west on Rt. 20, and a proposed crosswalk designation was agreed to by State Highways. A sidewalk from the Rails to Trails path to Gateway Park entrance will also be constructed, with additional sidewalks being considered for the future.
Park safety was another concern, and if the positioning of the parking area would inhibit observation by law enforcement.
Town Manager Bill Ingersoll said that an agreement could be worked out with the county so that Chestertown Police could incorporate the park into their patrol schedules. The consensus was that the park would be no more susceptible to crime than any of the other town parks. The park is unlighted and would not be open after dark.
Councilwoman Linda Kuiper suggested that the town should further honor Mabel Mumford by annexing the park property into the town proper. She also praised Councilman Marty Stetson for originally honoring Mabel Mumford’s decades of community service by suggesting that the the park be named after her.
The following excerpts are from de Mooy’s presentation and is approximately 8 minutes in length.
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