The first time the Chestertown Spy reported on the future of the vacant John H. Newnam Armory was three months after the community newspaper began operating in June 2009. The essence of that article was that Chestertown’s then-mayor, Margo Bailey, was making it clear to the state of Maryland that the Town would not pay a dollar more than $500,000 for the property after state officials had calculated its market value as $2.4 million. Chestertown eventually took over the property and later transferred it to Washington College for under $400,000.

Since that news, the Spy has published approximately 150 articles, commentaries, or letters to the editor about the Armory’s future. They are articles and opinions about town/gown relations, aspirations about the Chester River waterfront, and visions of a town that finally has a flagship hotel it has so richly deserved and needed for more than 50 years.

But rarely do those those articles note the grim reality that any significant improvement to a blighted site such as the Armory, requires lots of money. Without capital investors, no town or college can achieve its goals without the cash to complete the project.

And so, while the community has dreamed big about the Armory’s future for the past ten years, only some have understood the pure complexity of fundraising for these extremely expensive projects. More importantly, many have underestimated the role of luck in such undertakings.

Nonetheless, it might be an accurate to note that this critically important ingredient called serendipity has finally seemed to arrive after so much wishful thinking. A serious hotel developer with an impeccable track record, a history of doing challenging projects, and a proven capacity to fundraise for them, fell in love with Chestertown and Washington College.

With the arrival of Jay Shah and his professional team and vast network, the concept for the property has turned very real for Chestertown over the last year. Shah and his company, Hersha Hospitality Trust, want to move forward with a plan for a moderately-sized hotel and conference center at the Armory site.

With the endorsement of Washington College and numerous community leaders, Shah and his team have been successful so far on the various approval processes required to begin fundraising. But the one remaining threshold issue has come down to seeking approval from the town’s Historic District Commission to tear down most of the existing Armory building.

After evaluating the opinion of experts in this kind of restoration, the Shah group has concluded that water damage and mold infestation have made the building unrecoverable. Any attempt to rescue the structure would result in a failed campaign to attract investors to the project.

In simple terms, if the Historic District Commission does not permit the demolition of the building, Jay Shah’s team would need to walk away from the project. And for many in the community, that would be really bad luck.

But for some in Chestertown, the passion to save the historical site overrides Shah’s plans to use the facade of the building as a way to honor its history. Over the last few months, advocates to save the Armory have provided testimony to the commission that the structure can be saved and argued for the Town to seek an independent opinion for a structural analysis.

So the stakes are very high.

To help our readers better understand the developer’s background, their proposed Armory plan, and the major issues related to the environmental hazards of the building, we invited Washington College president Mike Sosulski, Jay Shah, and his team colleague Keith Coe to participate in a Zoom interview on the Armory project.

Given the history and complexity of the project, it was the Spy’s choice to present our coverage in three parts. The first reviews the project’s history with President Sosulski and Jay Shah’s background with Chestertown, the second is on the anticipated financial impact including Keith Coe’s perspective; and, lastly, a specific discussion on the building’s environmental damage and associated risk.

Background and History 

Financial Impact

Environmental Concerns

These video interviews range in length from 5 – 10 minute each. 

It is hard to escape the fact that a number of Mid-Shore public schools, particularly those serving economically disadvantaged students, are struggling a bit these days. Struggling to meet new performance tests, attract talented teachers, repair their school buildings, and a host of other issues, ranging from mental health to budget concerns and parental rights, as well as the ongoing challenge implantation of Maryland’s Blueprint for Education reforms.

In short, it’s a tough time for those schools and their teachers. And the Spy remains committed to reporting on those schools as they attempt to overcome these obstacles.

But the other day, we had a rare opportunity to report on the other side of the performance spectrum. A few months ago, Church Hill Elementary School gained a distinction only shared by six different schools in the entire state; it became a Blue Ribbon School.

The Blue Ribbon School program is a national one that recognizes elementary, middle, and high schools for academic performance in closing achievement gaps. And in Maryland, the only schools selected were:

• Northeast Elementary School, Allegany County Public Schools
• Oakdale High School, Frederick County Public Schools
• Stone Mill Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools
• Church Hill Elementary School, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools
• Matapeake Elementary School, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools
• Smithsburg Middle School, Washington County Public Schools

State Board President Clarence Crawford said, “Each of these schools demonstrates the best of Maryland’s school system representing every region of our State. The educators, students, families, and staff that have led their school community to this distinction should serve as models for how we can lean forward on transformation in Maryland and build on the great work being done in all corners of the State.”

The Spy sat down with Susan Davis Walbert, principal of Church Hill Elementary School, to learn more. 

This video is approximately four minutes in length.

 

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For Meredith Girard, executive director of Shore Legal Access, formerly Mid-Shore Pro-Bono, the decision to change her organization’s name was a no-brainer. While Mid-Shore Pro-Bono accomplished much under that title in providing free legal services to the Eastern Shore, it wasn’t entirely clear to those who needed those services what that name meant or that the group covered the eight counties, some of whom were not located on the Mid-Shore.

Previously operating under a Mid-Shore Pro-Bono, Shore Legal Access embraced a new title and fresh branding, reflecting its widened scope and a renewed pledge to serving the eight counties of the Eastern Shore.

The Board of Directors, after adopting a strategic plan in January 2023, prioritized a renaming to mirror the organization’s entire geographical service area and encapsulate its mission and services more accurately.

Having gathered perceptions from partners, clients, and community leaders, the board quickly reached a consensus and selected the name, which outlines the expansive geography it serves and crisply defines its purpose and operations.

While their name and logo have changed, their mission to provide free and affordable legal representation to those who might otherwise be unable to access it has actually grown. Shore Legal Access supports individuals across various financial backgrounds with their civil legal issues, including family law, life planning documents, financial legal matters, criminal record expungement, and housing issues, facilitated by attorneys in every rent court across the Shore.

With Maryland’s legal landscape altering, especially with the legalization of cannabis and the impending changes in expungement rules, SLS is now prepared to assist individuals in navigating through these changes.

Their clinics, in Easton, and now Salisbury, offer access to volunteer attorneys who help with critical life-planning documents. Their network of volunteers, perhaps not widely known, delivers services valued at over two and a half million dollars annually, constituting 10,000 hours a year of free legal services.

The Spy asked Meredith to stop by the Spy Studio the other day to explain the name change and what it means for those in need of these essential services.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Shore Legal Access please go here.