Letter to Editor: Recreation Commission Wants Public to Take Survey
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Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown
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The Chestertown Environmental Committee’s film and lecture series continues this Thursday, February 4, 6:30 pm at Sumner Hall, with a talk by Eric Buehl, Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist with the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program. His presentation will focus on water quality around the Mid-Shore region with an emphasis on what homeowners can do to reduce impacts to water quality, including the use of rain barrels, rain gardens, native plants, and the proper use of pesticides.
The U of M Sea Grant program serves the counties of the mid and upper Eastern Shore including Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Cecil. Eric is part of the Watershed Protection and Restoration Program team of five Specialists that provide technical assistance and outreach to all levels of government, non-profit organizations, and communities seeking solutions to a variety of water quality issues.
Eric’s background is in stormwater management, habitat and water quality restoration project design and implementation, and land surveying. He has been with the University of Maryland since the fall of 2014 and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Wesley College in Dover, Delaware and an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management from Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland. Before joining the University of Maryland, he was the Land Conservation and Restoration Coordinator with a small environmental non-profit in southeastern Delaware. Originally from Indiana, Eric resides on the Talbot County side of the town of Queen Anne with his wife and two daughters.
The Chestertown Environmental Series lectures and films are held the first Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm at Sumner Hall, 206 South Queen St. The series is curated by Margo Bailey, and is sponsored by the town of Chestertown. For more information, and a short video about restoring the Chester River, go to https://www.chestertown.com/environment.
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Well, no one in Kent or northern Queen Anne’s counties won the $1.5 billion PowerBall lottery, but there is another opportunity for a substantial financial windfall that would benefit the entire community. The deadline for your input is January 28.
As part of its “Small Business Revolution” marketing program, created to publicize its services for small businesses, the Deluxe Corporation is sponsoring a competition among American small towns. Called the Small Business Revolution on Main Street, the program will award a $500,000 makeover to one small town (population less than 50,000). The Town Council last night approved our participation and Mayor Cerino has submitted his nomination.
Please click here or go to https://smallbusinessrevolution.org to learn more about the program. Then write an essay no longer than 500 words about why Chestertown is perfect for this program and submit it through the online form.
There is no limit to how many people can nominate the same town, and the greater number of original essays we submit, the greater our chances. Please share this email with anyone else you believe will bring a good perspective or creative approach to the nomination. The more the competition organizers hear from different segments of our community the better: business owners, artists, writers, poets, teachers, watermen, retirees, pastors, students of all ages, professors, environmentalists, farmers, … everyone!
Call me (410-778-2991) or email any questions or suggestions or if you want some help with your message. And please let me know when you have submitted your nomination so I can keep track of our progress.
As a community, we have come together to support Mayor Cerino’s request to the Governor for Chestertown Marina funding. We came out in force to argue for restoring services and maintaining in-patient beds at our local hospital (and will continue to make that case as Shore Regional Health develops its strategic plan for the near future). Let’s come together for this $500,000 program, which could supercharge our economic development and marketing efforts in wonderful ways.
Fill out the form here
Thanks for taking a moment before January 28 to nominate Chestertown for a Small Business Revolution on Main Street.
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The public is invited to attend the next Chestertown Recreation Commission meeting Monday January 25th from 6pm – 7:30pm at the Chestertown Town Hall to offer their thoughts about the future of Bailey Park and the possibility of building a community playground at the park. CRC is a commission designed to create and implement recreation opportunities for the good people of Greater Chestertown, MD.
Bailey Park (off of Rolling Rd. behind the Kent County Middle School) has a lot of room for growth. It currently has a 2 acre dog park but now we need to hear about the other recreation needs this park could address. This event will be held as an open discussion.
Contact the CRC if you cannot attend but would like to offer ideas: [email protected]
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The Mayor and Council of Chestertown will accept sealed bids until 4:00 P.M., November 30, 2015, for the purchase of the Chestertown Police Station. Located on 333 South Cross Street, Chestertown, MD, the Police Station is an 1800 square foot historic brick building that was moved onto a parcel of 4,193 square feet in 1991. Before that the building stood on Cross Street in front of the Kent County Court House, where it served first as a stable in the 1800s and later as a magistrates court for the County in the 1900s.
The property is zoned C-2 (Downtown Commercial) which allows a multitude of uses including office and retail. The property will be sold as is with the minimum acceptable bid for land and improvements being $275,000.
Packets on this property will be available by calling the Town Hall at 410-778-0500 or by emailing [email protected]. Bids must be accompanied by a certified check in
the amount of five percent (5%) of the total bid. The certified check for the winning bidder will be nonrefundable. The balance of the bid will be due at settlement which shall occur within ninety (90) days of November 30, 2015.
The Mayor and Council of Chestertown reserve the right to reject any or all bids.
By Authority of
Chris Cerino
Mayor of Chestertown
The property was appraised at $300,000 by William Creager. William Creager Certified General Appraiser
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Chestertown celebrates its newly designated Arts & Entertainment (A&E) District on Saturday, October 17, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a lively mix of fun and creativity. Sponsored by the Town of Chestertown, the Greater Chestertown Initiative and the Downtown Chestertown Association, the event will feature studios throughout the A&E district providing pottery, glass, and woodworking demonstrations. Performance artists will grace the streets with poetry, dance, readings, and music. Chalk art will color the pavement. And many of Chestertown’s unique shops will stay open late to welcome guests throughout the event.
The festivities will include a 4:30 p.m. ribbon cutting led by Mayor Chris Cerino at the foot of High Street.
Maryland’s 23 Arts & Entertainment (A&E) Districts help develop and promote community involvement, tourism and revitalization through tax-related incentives that attract artists, arts organizations and other creative enterprises. They were designed to stimulate the economy and enhance quality of life.
For updates on the evening’s activities, visit the Greater Chestertown Initiative page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChestertownInitiative.
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Milford Murray has been awarded the first Open for Business in Chestertown interest free loan to expand his M&M Shuttle Company. Murray has been a resident of Chestertown since he was three years old, and has been a professional truck driver for most of his adult life. “I am very, very thrilled and happy to get this loan to pursue my business. I always had a dream of having my own shuttle service and now the dream has come true. Many thanks to the folks who made this happen.”
Open for Business interest free loans are sponsored by the Greater Chestertown Initiative (GCI) and funded by anonymous donors who have committed substantial funds to help create, expand or relocate businesses to downtown Chestertown over a five-year period. As the interest free loans are repaid, the money will remain in the Open for Business fund allowing the loan program to benefit businesses well beyond the five-year period.
Murray says in his application that “M&M Shuttle Service provides a much needed service providing door-to-door transportation for passengers going to airports in DC, Baltimore, Virginia, and Philadelphia, the train station in Wilmington, the New Carrolton Metro Station as well as locations in and around Kent County. If a company like M & M Shuttle can demonstrate its ability to provide reliable, affordable, and versatile transportation, it is likely to benefit some of the area’s largest employers and the county’s overall tax base not to mention providing employment to local residents and revenue to local businesses.”
The Greater Chestertown Initiative (GCI) and the SFW Foundation established Open for Business to aid economic development in Chestertown by providing financial assistance through interest free loans to eligible businesses. Carla Massoni, who chairs the Open for Business application and review process, encourages entrepreneurs to apply for a loan to start a new business, expand an existing business or relocate operations to Chestertown. Residency in the county is not required of the business owners; however, the business must be physically located in Chestertown. You can find out more about the application for an Open for Business loan online at openforbusinessinchestertown.com.
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The Town of Chestertown has named local resident Kay MacIntosh to serve as Economic Development & Marketing Coordinator of the newly created Arts and Entertainment District. MacIntosh, who currently serves as Director of Media Relations at Washington College, will start her new job on October 19.
A&E Districts are granted by the Maryland State Arts Council and the Department of Business and Economic Development to spark economic growth and revitalization through tax incentives for artists and creative enterprises. The program was created in 2001 and there are now 24 such districts throughout the state, including those in the Eastern Shore towns of Berlin, Cambridge, Salisbury, Denton, Snow Hill, Elkton, and Stevensville.
Chestertown’s A&E District includes 51 acres in the historic downtown and waterfront area. The designation encourages arts-related businesses in the district through two tax benefits: Property owners who renovate a structure to make it better suited for an artistic or creative enterprise receive a 10-year exemption from property taxes on the value of the improvement. And artists who create and sell their art in any state A&E district will not have to pay state income tax on those sales.
Arts leader Lani Seikaly, former board president at the nonprofit Chestertown RiverArts, worked with other organizations and Zoning Administrator Kees de Mooy to complete the A&E District application. She says the program ultimately supports growth in all sectors, not just the arts. “The idea is really to leverage the arts to improve the overall economy and quality of life in Chestertown,” she explains. “A vibrant arts and culture scene makes more people want to live and work here. And it brings in more visitor dollars as well.”
As Coordinator, MacIntosh will develop branding and marketing strategies for the A&E District, seek and administer grants that benefit the district, help attract businesses to Chestertown, coordinate the implementation of the Public Arts Master Plan, and help plan and market major local events. She will represent Chestertown at state and regional economic development meetings and work closely with Kent County’s tourism and economic development officials. Another role will be to revive Chestertown’s participation in the national Main Street Program, which helps communities improve the appearance and economic viability of their traditional downtown business districts.
The new position is funded by the town and a matching grant from an anonymous donor. Chestertown Mayor Chris Cerino says the experience of other towns indicates that having a person dedicated to the needs and opportunities of the A&E District is essential to maximizing its benefits. “The Council and I are thrilled to have someone with Kay’s talents and enthusiasm leading the charge. It’s a real plus that she already knows so many of the key players who will be collaborating with her. I know she will get a lot of support from the arts and business communities.”
MacIntosh, who moved to Chestertown from Baltimore in 2002, says she looks forward to promoting Chestertown as a great place to live, work and visit. “I’ve had a wonderful experience at the College, and I will continue to work with some of my friends and colleagues there in this new job. I love this community and the generous, creative people who give it such cultural vitality. I think it’s about to rise to new heights as the plans for the waterfront, the development of Stepne Manor, the Public Arts master plan, and other initiatives come to fruition, and as the College begins an exciting new chapter under Sheila Bair’s leadership. I’m grateful and excited to be able to play an active role in the coming months.”
MacIntosh earned a history degree at Randolph Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College) and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. She worked two decades as a weekly newspaper editor (Bar Harbor, Maine) and magazine editor (Baltimore Magazine and Style), before coming to the Eastern Shore. She is a member of the board of Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s, an academic and cultural enrichment program for low-income children. She and her husband, Bill, have two adult sons.
The community is invited to come out and celebrate the launch of the Arts and Entertainment District on Saturday, October 17, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Festivities will include a ribbon cutting, music, open galleries, demos by artists, food, drink and more throughout the district.
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Fountain Park should be rocking this Saturday, with the return of Vic Vacuum and the Attachments.
Kent County’s own Mike McBride, on electric bass, leads the band in a set of classic rock. The setlist is likely to feature tunes from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Petty and Jimi Hendrix. The band is a favorite at Rock Hall Fallfest.
McBride has been playing music since his high school days, when he and a group of friends won a battle of the bands in Fountain Park in the 1960s. Later, he played folk music with guitarist Bill Matthews, who introduced him to the guitar styles of Merle Travis, Mississippi John Hurt and others. In addition to guitar and bass, he also plays mandolin.
In the 1970s, he moved to Nashville where he toured with country outlaw Johnny Paycheck and recorded with the legendary studio band Barefoot Jerry, master fiddler Vassar Clements, mandolin virtuoso Jethro Burns, and country stars David Frizell and Shelly West, among others. He can be heard on six platinum records and six gold records, with more than 15 million total sales.
Joining McBride for the concert are Carl Peters, guitar and vocal; Joe Martone, keyboards and vocal; and Dale Trusheim on drums. Peters was a member of Blind Willie and Nasty Habits, two blues-rock bands that gigged regularly around Delaware.
Martone has played with nationally known acts including Chuck Berry, the Drifters, the Coasters, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
Trusheim has played for years around Maryland and Delaware, and was the original drummer with Fat Shadow, Cowboy Jazz and the Wazoos.
Trusheim is also responsible for the band’s name. A few years back when he and McBride were preparing for a gig, Trusheim said “I always wanted to be in a band named ‘Vic Vacuum and the Attachments.'” When McBride stopped laughing, he decided to use the name, and it stuck.
The concert begins at 7 p.m and runs till about 8:30. Audience members should bring something to sit on. Only limited seating is available. In case of rain, the concert will move to Emmanuel Episcopal Church at 101 N. Cross St., across from the park.
Music in the Park is sponsored by the town of Chestertown with support from the Kent County Arts Council and community contributors. To help make these free programs possible, send donations payable to the Town of Chestertown, and designated for Music in the Park, to 118 N. Cross St., Chestertown, MD 21620.
Rain location: Emmanuel Episcopal Church – 101 N. Cross St. across from the park.
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Chestertown is looking for the right candidate for the newly created position of Economic Development and Marketing Coordinator. This position was developed in tandem with the application for a Maryland Arts and Entertainment District designation, which was awarded to the town and “will serve as the Town’s point person for economic development and marketing initiatives, primarily fordowntown businesses (existing and those wishing to locate here) in the Chestertown Arts and Entertainment District (“AED”).
Attached, please find the pdf of the job description and information about how to apply.
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