Spy Staff

Annie Richards Named as new Chester Riverkeeper

January 15, 2021 by Spy Staff 1 Comment

Annie Richards

Annie Richards joins the ShoreRivers team as the new Chester Riverkeeper in January. As Riverkeeper, Richards will be the primary voice for the Chester River and its tributaries, working through the core, science-based strategies of advocacy, enforcement, outreach, and water quality monitoring to achieve cleaner waterways. ShoreRivers Riverkeepers regularly patrol their rivers and tributaries, advocate for strong clean water laws, engage with our communities, and serve as guardians for these living resources.

Richards comes to ShoreRivers with a lifetime of experience on the Chester and in local communities. For ten years, she served as an educator, captain, and fundraiser at Echo Hill Outdoor School. While there, she helped manage their fleet of historic Chesapeake Bay workboats and provided students of all ages with outdoor education centered on Chesapeake ecology and the unique resources found along the Chester. Richards also has proven skills in nonprofit development, campaign management, and grant writing.

“I am thrilled to be joining the ShoreRivers team, and to advocate for a river that I have called home for so much of my life,” says Richards. “I am dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chester’s natural resources and to cultivating a stronger, healthier, more accessible waterway for all.”

Richards has a BA in English Literature with a minor in Anthropology from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. She lives just outside Chestertown with her husband and son.

Richards joins ShoreRivers as Tim Trumbauer, the previous Chester Riverkeeper, moves with his family to Maine for a new adventure. An Eastern Shore native, Trumbauer reflects, “For the past seven years I have worked at ShoreRivers, I have been lifted by the dedication, creativity, and indomitable spirit of my colleagues, volunteers, and partners. The time has come for me to let the next great Champion of the Chester begin her legacy. My family and I are relocating to the mid-coast region of Maine, where, rest assured, I will continue my passion for improving water quality.”

Mid-Shore Community Foundation Honors Chestertown’s Larry Wilson and Others with 2020 Awards

November 20, 2020 by Spy Staff Leave a Comment

Due to COVID-19, the Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s 2020 Annual Awards and Report to the Community was held as a virtual format this year.

The annual event highlights recent activities and recognized individuals and organizations whose contributions have made a positive and substantial impact on the community.

This year’s honorees include: JoAnn Asparagus-Murray, Childlene Brooks, Anne Clucas and Debbie Molchan of St. Vincent de Paul, Jeff Horstman of ShoreRivers, Sandy Brown of Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Megan Cook and Emily Moody of CarePacks, Clay Washington of Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center, Larry Wilson of Sumner Hall, Ruth Clendaniel of Dorchester Retired Educators Association, Cesar Gonzalez of Cambridge Community Radio, and Sara Rich of Choptank Community Health System.

Site Prep has Begun on the Garnet House

September 28, 2020 by Spy Staff 1 Comment

Site preparation has begun on the first home being built by Kent Attainable Housing at the College Avenue property that was the site of the original Garnet High School. Kent Attainable Housing is a new non-profit that is breaking the cycle of poverty by building affordable homes to help low-income, working families become homeowners. Mayor Chris Cerino, stopping by to check on the groundbreaking, shared, “This is a very exciting project that is a win-win for this community. It’s a fantastic example of strategic infill development for the Town, the neighborhood will benefit from the improvement of a vacant lot, and this is an amazing opportunity for a limited income family to move into their own home.”

Ronnie Edelman, David Biehler, Muriel Cole, Chris Cerino, Lani Seikaly and Ed Minch. (Participant photos were taken separately by Zane Carter and merged photographically to comply with socially distancing guidelines.)

The new dwelling will be a two story, three-bedroom home designed by Dave and Ed Minch in the style of Chestertown’s colonial vernacular architecture. The pre-fabricated house will be delivered to the property the third week of October, and then volunteer teams will complete the exterior of the home. ShoreRivers has donated a river-friendly landscaping concept and native plants which volunteers will plant. The family matched with the house will receive homeowner and financial education to prepare them for home ownership.

The first Garnet High School

Built in 1916, Garnet High School was named for Henry Highland Garnet, a prominent Black abolitionist who was born into slavery in Kent County. Although this site is on the Historical Society of Kent County’s African American walking tour, there is no marker to let you know where it is. To commemorate its historic significance, Kent Attainable Housing is collaborating with the Good Seed project and Stories of the Chesapeake to place an interpretive sign near the sidewalk.

Garnet High School graduated its first class of five students in 1925. One year later the legendary Elmer T. Hawkins became a teacher there and later succeeded George T. Grant as principal, a position he held until Garnet High School closed in 1967. That year marked the end of segregation in Kent County, and Hawkins became principal of Chestertown Middle School.

Photo by John Guthrie

The father of Carolyn Brooks, a Kent Attainable Housing Board member, was a graduate of Garnet, and his 1947 high school yearbook summarized the history of the school, calling 1916 “a history-making epoch. The people of the county felt the need for a high school keenly, and the folk of Chestertown were desirous of better facilities. So under the leadership of Mts. Emma Miller (County Superintendent of Colored Schools from 1911 to 1922), each community taxed itself a certain sum of money which was to be used to purchase ground. Mrs. Miller contacted Mr. William Hubbard and the land upon which the school now stands was bought.” The yearbook narrative went on to say that a bill for approval was introduced into the State General Assembly which, after a hearing, appropriated the funds needed.

More information about Kent Attainable Housing can be found on their website at KentAttainableHousing.org.

Town Hall Mourns Passing of Margo Bailey and Joan Merryman

September 2, 2020 by Spy Staff 2 Comments

Joan Merryman

The Town of Chestertown is greatly saddened by the passing of two great women who served the Town for many decades, Margo Bailey and Joan Merryman. Margo Bailey was elected to the Chestertown Council in 1991 and served as a Councilwoman until she was elected Mayor in 1993. For the next twenty years, she served the Town in that capacity and fought tirelessly for her many passions, especially the environment. Joan Merryman was hired by the Town in 1980 and for the next thirty years, was a steady presence at the front desk and as a stenographer in all Town meetings, and was known for her wry sense of humor.

Margo Bailey, here with Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot

National and Local Outlooks Vary Widely in Chestertown Spy Survey #10 – Right Direction vs Wrong Track

May 27, 2020 by Spy Staff Leave a Comment

A large number of you participated in this week’s Chestertown Spy Survey. Thank you! Some points of interest were noticed.

In just the past 24 hours, a national survey asked voters across the country whether they believe we are headed in the right direction or going down the wrong track. The Rasmussen poll indicates that 34% of people surveyed believe we, as a nation, are headed in the right direction. During the past several weeks, there has been a steady fall in the percentage of voters believing the country is headed in the right direction.

What got our attention is that locally, the readers responding in The Spy survey suggested that those believing the country is headed in the right direction amounts to just over 20% of the total. That level has not been seen since 2016 in a national survey.

People’s attitudes are quite different about the local community with over 70% believing at the local level we are headed in the right direction.

Encouraging at the local level. Not so much nationally.

Chestertown Spy Sunday Survey #9 – What Would You Do?

May 17, 2020 by Spy Staff 3 Comments

Spy Sunday Survey#9 – What Would You Do? Seems everyone has an opinion about what should be restricted activity and what should not. Governors, mayors and other officials have been trying to find the right balance all week long. If you were in charge, what would you do?

Take 2 minutes, and you decide.

Take the Chestertown Spy Survey #9 here

Rotary and Rotaract Flags for Heroes 2020 is Flying High with Andrew Meehan

May 12, 2020 by Spy Staff Leave a Comment

The flags are up on Washington College’s parcel at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Morgnec Road and passersby may find themselves humming “You’re A Grand Old Flag.” The Flags for Heroes campaign, organized by the Chestertown Rotary Club and Washington College Rotaract Club, in affiliation with Mid-Shore Community Foundation, is an opportunity for community members to honor their personal heroes – a veteran, member of the armed services, law enforcement officer, firefighter, health care worker, family member, teacher, or friend, who has made a positive impact on their lives. For a $50 donation, individuals or businesses can sponsor a 3-by-5-foot American flag that will stand 8 feet tall. The list of sponsors and their heroes will appear in local publications for Memorial Day Weekend. Corporate sponsors who contribute $250 will also be prominently acknowledged for their support on the project’s website. Contributions are tax deductible.

“The Chestertown Rotary Club is proud to join with the Washington College Rotaract Club to sponsor this patriotic and thrilling public display of American flags to honor our men and women in uniform, first responders, and other heroes who help serve our communities and nation,” says Brian Moore, President of the Rotary Club. “Since we started this project five years ago, it has been enthusiastically embraced and generously supported by our community.

Since its inception, almost $20,000 in proceeds from flags sponsorships have been donated to local veterans’ groups and other worthy causes. Special thanks to our generous corporate sponsors and local media partners who continue to step up each year, and to Washington College which has once again allowed us to use the parcel, which is ideally situated on perhaps the most travelled intersection in all of Kent County.”

Andy Meehan, who chairs the project, notes: “Our intent is to honor Memorial Day and to help inspire our fellow citizens to reflect upon what it is truly about. We must never forget that Memorial Day is first and foremost a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of our Nation. The project is also an opportunity for folks to pay tribute in the form of our national emblem to family members and others who have been a hero in one’s life. In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, we hope the flag display will have particular significance and serve as a reassuring and poignant symbol of community and country. Indeed, the theme of this year’s project is “Honoring Community & Country. Over the years I have encountered many wonderful people who have amazing stories to tell. They are grateful for the chance to honor their heroes in a dignified fashion, personified by the field of flags, and memorialized in the list of honorees and their sponsors published in the Kent County News, and on The Kent Pilot, The Chestertown Spy, and WCTR websites.”

The flags are retained by the Chestertown Rotary Club for use on future projects. Proceeds will be designated for local veteran and other worthy causes. For more information or to sponsor a flag for your hero by check or credit card go to www.chestertownrotaryflags4heroes.com Sponsorships must be received by May 15 for publication purposes.

The Pulse Poll Results: How Chestertown is Spending their Time

April 1, 2020 by Spy Staff Leave a Comment

The Spy asked about how you are likely to spend time these days. We can only conclude, our readers are online, well read and well fed with a desire for reading even greater than the lure of tv movies. And, all of this is in between the likelihood that 93% of you suggested you’d be taking walks.

Most interesting, were all the other things you shared with us that you are doing. A word cloud captures the most mentioned activities…the larger the word, the more frequent the mention.

Word Cloud

The Results

Chestertown Spy Questionnaire: Take the Pulse

March 27, 2020 by Spy Staff Leave a Comment

Every day, The Spy learns more and more about how people are coping with the current situation. To share the good thoughts of our readers, we are launching. a periodic survey of the readership to Take the Pulse. There are just a couple of short questions that take less than a minute to answer and submit. Results will be shared in a few days.

Please take the Take the Pulse questions here

Sultana Foundation Withdraws Offer to Buy ‘Shipyard’ Property

February 25, 2020 by Spy Staff 1 Comment

The Sultana Education Foundation has withdrawn its offer to buy the “shipyard” property it has leased from the Town of Chestertown since 1997.

However, the foundation said it would like to revisit the issue if the town decides to offer the property for purchase or lease.

In a Feb. 24, 2020, letter to the town council and Town Manager Bill Ingersoll, Drew McMullen, the foundation’s president and c0-founder, said the organization saw no purpose in having its offer outstanding as the town considers the best use for the property and whether to declare it surplus and available for purchase.

Drew McMullen, president of the Sultana Education Foundation.

“SEF applauds the Towns efforts to determine the best and highest use of this property. Understanding this process is likely to take months, if not longer, we see no utility in having our offer outstanding as this process moves forward,” McMullen wrote. “When and if the Town makes a determination to offer this property to the public for purchase or lease, SEF would welcome an opportunity to revisit this issue.

“In the meantime, SEF would be grateful for the opportunity to remain at the 346 Cannon Street lot as a tenant based upon the terms of our current agreement,” he wrote. “If at a future date the Town wishes SEF to vacate the property, we would appreciate as much advance notice as possible so we can avoid a disruption to our operations.”

“Since SEF’s founding in 1997, we have committed ourselves to improving educational, cultural, and economic opportunities for the citizens of Chestertown,” McMullen wrote. “At the core of our operating philosophy is the premise that our organizational interests are directly linked to the vitality of Chestertown and Kent County. If a higher and better use for the Town Yard property can be found, we ultimately believe this is in our best interests as well.

The foundation had offered to buy the parcel it leases at 346 Gannon Street in an Oct. 23, 2019, letter to the town. Ingersoll deferred the issue for the town’s newly elected council to consider in January.

McMullen encouraged the town at its Jan. 6 council meeting to find the best use for the shipyard.

“If there’s a way for the town to go out and make hay with this property, over and above what we can do with it, you should do it,” he said at the Jan. 6 meeting. “We are not saying we have any right to this property whatsoever. We just have a need for it, I’m not sure anyone else does.”

At the Jan. 27 council meeting, a group of citizens asked the town to consider a mixed-use development on the 2-acre parcel at the corner of Cannon and Mill streets, where the town’s maintenance yard and the Sultana’s shipyard are located.

“It’s time to rethink the use of this property,” said Barbara Jorgenson of the MilCan Neighborhood Association at the Jan. 27 council meeting. “In fact, we need to look at our own comprehensive plan which does anticipate the redevelopment of this property.”

“Town Yard and Sultana Boat Yard: During the recent comprehensive rezoning, the zoning of the Town Yard parcel was split to create a C-2 Downtown Commercial area on the downtown half of the parcel, and RB Professional Office on the Mill Street half of the parcel,” says Chestertown’s 2015 comprehensive plan, page 37. “It is anticipated that the Town Yard will be moved within the next five years to a new location more appropriate to its industrial function, such as Talbot Boulevard. This will create the opportunity to build a mixed-use development with residential, office and commercial uses.”

The Sultana Education Foundation has leased the publicly owned property from the town for $1 a year since 1997 to support its educational programs.

McMullen, at the Jan. 6 meeting, said the use of the shipyard has changed since the Sultana was launched in 2001 to more of a maintenance facility and to serve as a staging and storage area for their paddle programs. He said 40 to 50 canoes and kayaks are stored there.

“We actually serve as many students in our canoe and kayak programs now as we do on the [Sultana],” he said Jan. 6. “It’s a very helpful place to store and work on that gear.”

He said the location of the shipyard was also ideal for its proximity to the Holt Center on Cross Street, which serves as SEF headquarters and main teaching facility.

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