Over a year ago, the Spy sat down with Alan Girard, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s director of the Eastern Shore, to talk about a planned Lakeside development project in Trappe. It was the Spy’s first conversation about the environmental impact of a long-term 2,400 home community in one of Talbot County’s smallest municipalities, and the title of our interview was “CBF Has a Few Questions for the State on Trappe’s Lakeside Project.”
It was the beginning of an ongoing public debate about the environmental protection challenges that come with these large scales projects.
Last week, the Talbot County Council made the decision (3-2) not to pass a resolution that would have required the Lakeside development in Trappe to meet Enhanced Nutrient Removal standards (ENR) for its first 120 homes to be built for the project. In short, this has permitted the Lakeside developer to finalize the permit process and proceed with the project.
Given this critical moment in the project’s history, we elected to reach out to Alan again for his thoughts about the Council’s decision and the road from here for his organization.
This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation please go here.
Linda A. Henselman says
Dear Mr. Girard,
My husband and I have lived in Talbot County, St. Michaels, Md., Martingham Properties for 28 years before moving to Riddle Village in Media, Pa. 4 years ago. From 1991 we appreciated the beauty of the 2 acres which I constantly spent time and effort to keep improving the land by planting trees, bushes and tending to the organic restoration of the soil. When we left it was like a park and people who visited us understood why we didn’t need to travel elsewhere since this place was the best possible one for its beauty and respect of nature which is a great need for all people.
If a development is to be made, there should be concern devoted to cleaning up the mess of the bay by the pollution and the causes of it. All waterways are under stress by people neglecting the damage that is presently being done which is causing severe climate changes and our chances of surviving the future unless we undo the damages and with the latest technology for upgrading and reassessing the conditions of the systems which deal with that source.
For any developer to consider the situation, the people of Talbot County must expect that there is a cost to doing that for each of us who would live there.
Therefore, we need to remember that we have a natural resource and that it is not unlimited. Now is the time to recognize and do what is necessary correct the conditions before even thinking of adding more to it.
All things change and we need to put our best efforts as individual to take that responsibility seriously. My hopes are for all and the youth who will inherit our leadership