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January 23, 2021

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Ecosystem Eco Portal Lead News News Homepage News News Portal Highlights

Annie Richards Named as new Chester Riverkeeper

January 15, 2021 by Spy Staff 3 Comments

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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.”

Filed Under: Eco Portal Lead, News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Gilchrest Backs Trump Impeachment; Md. Lawmakers Call on Harris to Resign

January 12, 2021 by Maryland Matters 4 Comments

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Two dozen former Republican members of Congress ― including Wayne Gilchrest ― are encouraging their successors to “protect American democracy by impeaching President Donald J. Trump.”

The letter was sent Monday and circulated by the nonpartisan watchdog group Project on Government Oversight.

“For more than 200 years, the peaceful transfer of power has been one of the pillars of American government. Sadly, this tradition has been severely tarnished,” the former members wrote. “There is no excuse for nor defense of a President of the United States to actively orchestrate an insurrection on a separate but coequal branch of government. Surely, the Founders would be sickened by the thought of such actions. As members of the branch that was under attack—not just politically but physically—you must remove the president from office.”

“Congress must send a strong and clear message not just to this president but future presidents that this type of behavior will not be tolerated or accepted,” the letter continued. “Frankly, the message also needs to be made clear to the American people that there is no place in politics for political violence.”

Other signers of the letter include former Virginia representatives Denver Riggleman and Barbara Comstock and former Pennsylvania representatives Charlie Dent and James C. Greenwood.

Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-Md.). Harris Facebook photo.

Gilchrest represented Maryland’s 1st District as a moderate Republican. He lost the Republican primary to now-Rep. Andrew P. Harris in 2008 and went on to endorse Harris’ Democratic opponent Frank Kratovil Jr., who won the election and served one term before losing to Harris in 2010.

Harris has held the seat since.

Gilchrest changed his party affiliation to Democrat in 2019.

The letter was sent on the same day that 71 Democratic members of the Maryland House of Delegates and 13 state senators signed a letter condemning Harris’ comments about unfounded election fraud and calling for him to resign.

In the early morning after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Harris joined other colleagues in continuing to object to the certification of election results from Pennsylvania.

“Rather than recognizing that your words and behavior in office have damaged our democracy, have threatened our Constitution, and have undermined the nation you are sworn to, your response to the attack on our Capitol was to continue to use the same words and behavior,” the lawmakers wrote. “To vote with too many of your colleagues to undermine a free and fair election. To give comfort to the enemies of democracy within our borders and around the world.”

The morning after the vote, Harris defended his response in a public statement.

“I have routinely and consistently rejected violent protests, whether in the case of yesterday, or last summer. Democrats are calling for unity, yet also calling for the expulsion of Members who objected in yesterday’s Electoral College count. Today, some Marylanders are even calling for my resignation, which I will not do,” Harris said. “My colleagues and I held legitimate Constitutional concerns about how the November election was conducted in certain states and felt compelled to highlight those concerns during the formal vote count.”

By Danielle E. Gaines

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights Tagged With: andy harris, donald trump, impeachment, resignation, wayne gilchrest

State of the Town: Chestertown Mayor Cerino Reports to Council (with transcipt)

January 5, 2021 by James Dissette 2 Comments

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During Monday’s town council meeting, Mayor Chris Cerino delivered his yearly report to the Town as required by the town charter.

Traditionally the report on the State of the Town is a detailed portrait of each year’s challenges and accomplishments, and as one can imagine, this year’s report checks off every box from the impacts and responses to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic to addressing social justice issues and all the complexities of governing a community in between.

As a service to the community, The Spy offers the Mayor’s report. During the recitation of the report during the council meeting, Cerino also offered recommendations for the future along with a slide show of the year’s positive highlights. They may be found on the town website when posted here.

This afternoon, the Spy received the text of Mayor Cerino’s Report to the Council:

State of the Town of Chestertown 2020

STATE OF THE TOWN: The Charter of the Town of Chestertown states, “The Mayor, during the first quarter of each calendar year, shall report to the Council the condition of municipal affairs and make such recommendations as he (she) deems proper for the public good and welfare of the town.” Herein is said report.

This past year was one that the residents of Chestertown will never forget. Economically and financially, it appeared that the Town was inching closer to a recovery from the lingering effects of the Great Recession of 2008-9. For the first time in over a decade, the number of building permits issued by the Town increased substantially and property valuations were stable or rising. The Mayor and Council’s efforts to hold operational expenses down were starting to have positive impacts on the General Fund. Then, during the early weeks of 2020, a foreboding global pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China arrived on the shores of the United States and impacted American society on a scope and scale not seen since 1918.

With the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis, almost everything usually highlighted in the State of the Town Address seems trivial compared to the life-threatening impacts of this infectious disease. Public safety became the most important community concern and Governor Hogan, the Maryland Department of Health, and the Kent County Health Department led us through the pandemic with firm directives on protective safety procedures and restrictions on public gatherings. As a result, the Town Council changed their meeting format from in-person sessions at Town Hall to on-line Zoom meetings, with live streaming video footage posted on the Town website. Chester Gras was the only large event that was held in 2020, followed by the cancellation of nearly every other traditional Chestertown festival. Major events that had to be cancelled in 2020 included Earth Day, PRIDE Weekend, the Chestertown Tea Party Festival, the National Music Festival, Legacy Day, the Jazz Festival, the annual September block party on Cross Street hosted by DCA and Main Street, the HP Festival, Santa’s arrival and the Christmas Parade over Thanksgiving Weekend, Downrigging Weekend, Cars on High, and Dickens Weekend. Additionally, the Visitors Center was closed to public visitation for most of the year.

Another extremely serious matter addressed by the Council in 2020 was social justice and the impact of three centuries of systemic racism on the community. Vaulted into the national public consciousness by several tragic events in the spring and summer involving the senseless murders of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement, the Town Council engaged in several public discussions about how to address this issue at the local level. These conversations resulted in several important actions and resolutions adopted the Council in the fall of 2020.
The first decision was to sponsor and participate in the painting of the Black Lives Matter mural on the 200 Block of High Street and the We Can’t Breathe mural on the 200 North Block of College Avenue. The Council unanimously voted adopt these murals as government speech and added the phrase “Chestertown Unites Against Racism” to both street paintings.

The second decision was to pass Resolution 03-2020 Regarding Black Lives Matter in Chestertown, Maryland (October 5, 2020). In Resolution 03-2020, the Mayor and Council officially apologized for Chestertown’s historic role in the slave trade and for the lives, wealth, and freedoms that were stolen from enslaved people. It acknowledged and honored the positive contributions of African Americans to Chestertown and strongly affirmed that all citizens have equal rights, equal access to goods and services in our businesses, equal rights to be treated fairly by law enforcement and the criminal justice system, equal rights to start and maintain businesses, and equal access to housing and employment. The Resolution also committed the Town to establish a Human Rights Commission, but the Ordinance to create the Commission was withdrawn at the Mayor and Council meeting of December 7, 2020.

The third action was to pass Resolution 05-2020, which on October 19, 2020 authorized the creation of an Equity Advisory Committee that will assist the Town with Chestertown Unites Against Racism, a comprehensive 16-month plan that features a variety of initiatives addressing systemic racism in Chestertown. The plan focuses on the three pillars of Education, Legislation, and Unification. Portions of the plan have already been set into motion and implementing the remaining action items will be a continued focus of the Mayor and Council throughout 2021.

On a fourth matter of importance, the Mayor and Council had a Zoom meeting with MDE and UMMS Shore Regional Hospital on November 20, 2020 to discuss the ongoing remediation efforts to clean up the remnants of a 30-year-old heating oil spill on the Hospital’s Brown Street campus. The meeting was precipitated by an unauthorized shut-down of the pump and treat system at the Hospital for almost two months that was discovered in the back of 300 plus page report. Prior to that, a six-month trial shutdown of the system had been approved by MDE and scheduled to start in the summer of 2020. However, after the unauthorized shutdown, MDE fined the Hospital and the trial shutdown was postponed indefinitely – likely until the spring of 2021. As a result of this systemic failure, the Hospital released the former consultants working on the remediation plan and hired a new firm to oversee the cleanup efforts: Gannett Fleming. During the Zoom meeting, Gannett Fleming gave a comprehensive analysis of the spill and how they intended to move forward. The Town provided its own history of the spill and documented long periods of time when the Mayor and Council had not been informed of actions that potentially jeopardized the Town’s well system. The historic records show that at least 85,000 gallons of heating oil have been recovered from the site to date, and the Town has suffered the loss of a shallow water well that was never replaced or compensated for by the Hospital or MDE. The November meeting was the first dialogue where all parties had met at one time for over seven years. The result was a promise of complete transparency with the Town by UMMS, their consultant, and MDE in the future.
What follows are the more usual annual items found in a typical State of the Town Address:

• FINANCIAL: The FY2020 audit for the Town of Chestertown was completed on October 29, 2020 by Lindsey & Associates, LLC of Towson, Maryland. The audit showed the Town to be in strong financial condition with total net assets over liabilities in all departments of $19,034,763, up from $18,485,728 in 2019. Property tax rates had been raised from $.37 to $.42 per $100 in FY2018 and from $.42 to $.43 per $100 in FY2020 in hopes that the increase, along with improving property values, would provide the municipality with adequate revenues to cover expenses for a meaningful number of years. In addition to the increased revenues, overall expenses decreased by $232,835. The Town continues to retain the Homestead Property Tax Credit percentage of 5%, which limits the increase in a homeowner’s property tax bill to 5% in any given year, no matter how much their assessment has increased.

• NEW CONSTRUCTION: Somewhat ironically, 2020 was a banner year for new construction permits in town. Five new single family detached homes and eight new townhouse units were approved last year with a total reported value of $2,439,000. Commercial construction values reported on the permits for the Boss building, the YMCA, and Dunkin Donuts totaled $20,502,500. In the downtown Historic District, major reconstruction has continued on the 200 and 300 blocks of High Street. The total value of all permits, large and small, commercial and residential, totaled $34,064,282. No doubt the efforts of the Town in creating a 1,400-acre Enterprise Zone have begun to bear fruit.

• STAFFING: The Town has 38 full time employees and 3 part time positions. Our employees do an amazing job of providing services to all 5000+ taxpayers living on 25 miles of roads and streets. During a typical year our part-time employees work at the Visitors Center, where we greet thousands of tourists coming to see Chestertown every year.

• REQUESTS OF THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: The Mayor and Council continued to follow a formal process of asking the Kent County Commissioners to consider two major requests:
1. TAX DIFFERENTIAL/TAX REBATE: For the seventh consecutive year, the Town asked the Commissioners to provide a meaningful tax differential or tax rebate to the Town of Chestertown to compensate taxpayers for planning and zoning services, police coverage, and street maintenance. Within Town limits, these services are paid for by the Town’s tax base, yet Chestertown residents still pay the full county tax rate as if the County funds these services in our community. Kent County is one of only two counties in the State of Maryland that does not provide a tax differential or tax rebate to its incorporated towns, though at one time they did. The Town once again urges the Commissioners to stop the double taxation of Chestertown residents and provide a tax differential or tax rebate to them.
2. HOTEL TAX FOR AIR BnBs: Another meaningful loss of revenues to the Town (and to the hotels and registered Beds and Breakfasts in Chestertown) is the loss of hotel tax fees that many Airbnb’s are not paying to Kent County. Not only are they avoiding these fees, but they are also taking business away from businesses that do. The Town passed Ordinance 04-2020 Establishing Chapter 138 Registration of Non-Owner Occupied Short Term Rentals in April, which requires anyone running an Airbnb to register with the Town and pay the Hotel Tax to Kent County. This tax is then reimbursed to the Town of Chestertown.
• CHESTERTOWN MARINA: In April 2020, the Town received a hoped-for final USDA grant in the amount of $445,000.00 for the renovations at Chestertown Marina. This grant enabled the Town to fully pay off an outstanding line of credit for improvements to the property and reimburse the general fund in the amount of $187,000.00 for additional expenses incurred during the construction process.

Marina Manager: The Town of Chestertown had the extreme good fortune of hiring Paul Coleman to serve as the new Marina Manager after Samantha Branham, the previous manager, took a new job on Kent Island. Samantha did a fantastic job of working with new and returning boaters, establishing protocols for running the facility, and training a young and welcoming staff. Paul seamlessly took over those duties and received rave reviews for his demeanor and knowledge of the job. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been waiting lists for slips during Tea Party, Jazz Festival, and Downrigging Weekends for 2020. Despite the cancellation of these popular events, there were still numerous weekends where the Marina was completely full, with many boating clubs visiting our port for the very first time. We commend Paul, as well as dockhand Annie Page Brocker, for their hard work and dedication.

 CHESTERTOWN BUSINESS CAMPUS: On the other side of town, Dixon Valve is doing spectacular things on the Business Park Campus. The Campus itself is a 79-acre parcel annexed by the Town in 2016 as part of Chestertown’s 1,187-acre Enterprise Zone. The first of their buildings was a 148,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art warehouse. Their second building, right next door, was a 70,000-square-foot corporate headquarters that fully opened this spring. Next came the 100,000-square-foot BOSS Manufacturing Building, which is currently nearing completion. This fall, there was a groundbreaking for the new Kent County Family YMCA, a 57,000-square-foot facility now under construction on the corner of Scheeler Road and Haacke Drive. This impressive “Y” will undoubtedly be a significant addition to Chestertown and Kent County.

 LUISA D’A CARPENTER PARK at Washington Park: The Town received funding from a DNR Community Parks and Playground Grant in the amount of $138,000 for improvements at Luisa D’A Carpenter Park. Improvements included a basketball court, street lighting, a pavilion, a paved parking area, and significant landscaping. The project was finished this summer and a ribbon cutting was held on September 5, 2020.

• RAIL TRAIL: Phase IV of the Rail Trail has been fully approved by the Maryland Rail Administration for construction and a new grant from the Maryland Bikeways program was received for this last section of trail with a match that will be much more acceptable to the Town’s finances. This project will be put out to bid in early 2021, with the hope of completing the buildout this summer.

• KENT ATTAINABLE HOUSING: Kent Attainable Housing has built a 1,500-square-foot, single- family home for a deserving low-to-moderate income family on College Avenue. The family selected to occupy this new residence will be moving in soon.

• FARMERS AND ARTISANS MARKET: During the early days of COVID, the Town worked with the Farmers and Artisans Market managers to find a safe place that allowed proper distancing for vendors and customers. Fountain Park did not provide the distancing required by the Health Department. The first breakthrough in bringing back the Market came when the owners of East Coast Storage at 848 High Street generously allowed the Market to move to their location on a temporary basis. This worked beautifully for several weeks until a new plan was proposed to close the 200 and 300 blocks of High Street to traffic, creating the separation needed to reopen the markets downtown. This new arrangement was made permanent in December 2020 as it adds a festival-like atmosphere to Chestertown every Saturday. Many of the ideas for COVID-related modifications came from Julie King, who as Manager of the Market has done a truly outstanding job.

• LONG RANGE STATUS OF THE HOSPITAL: The status and existence of our local hospital is a continual concern to the Council. The local “Save the Hospital” group still meets and expresses their concerns about the disappearing functions of the hospital center.

• CURB APPEAL, GARDEN CLUB: This was another banner year for Curb Appeal and the Garden Club. Even though Covid-19 stopped so many things from happening in Town, Curb Appeal and the Garden Club still had the Town looking spectacular.

• REDISTRICTING OF THE COUNCIL WARDS: The Council formed a Ward Redistricting Committee in January 2020 that started its work on Zoom. This made the task of decision making more difficult than expected and their work will continue at full tilt when the 2020 Census results become available in March of 2021. The goal of the Mayor and Council is to finish the redistricting in time for the November elections in 2021.

GOALS FOR 2021:
o Work closely with the Kent County Health Department to ensure that residents and businesses throughout Chestertown follow all safety protocols to protect the health of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic
o Assist in any way possible with educating community members about the COVID-19 vaccine, and help as needed with getting residents vaccinated
o Keep taxes at the same rate if possible while maintaining our chartered service responsibilities
o Continue to stress and ensure that racism cannot continue in our community
o Complete the Redistricting of the Town’s four voting Wards
o Work with the Kent County Commissioners to discuss reinstatement of a tax rebate or tax differential for Chestertown
o Work with the County to generate Hotel Tax revenues from Air B-n-B’s and other forms of room rentals that elude this fee
o Continue our work with businesses, business associations, industries, and institutions to improve the local economy and keep storefronts filled
o Aggressively market Chestertown Marina and work with downtown business owners to develop cross-marketing strategies that encourage visiting boaters to patronize their stores
o Support all events, festivals, and celebrations that bring our Town to life. Hopefully these events will return to enliven Chestertown’s weekends by late summer or early fall of 2021
o Protect the Town’s drinking wells at all costs
o Repave or repair streets as part of a comprehensive, long-term plan
o Complete Phase IV of the Rail Trail to Foxley Manor
o Work with Chestertown’s Main Street program to add directional signage throughout the community
o Work with Washington College, ShoreRivers, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, and community stakeholders to design, engineer, and identify funding sources for the planned waterfront walk along the Chester River on College-owned lands between Wilmer Park and the mouth of Radcliffe Creek
o Work with the medical community, Eastern Shore delegation, Kent County Commissioners, and local residents to advocate for the retention of services at our local Hospital
o Pursue funding for construction of a true Community Playground at Wilmer Park in Chestertown
o Work with the Recreation Commission and adjacent property owners to create a design and funding strategy for improvements at Ajax Pocket Park
o Work with leadership in the Chestertown Police Department to chart a course for the future that ensures maximum coverage for public safety that is financially sustainable

IN MEMORANDUM:
In 2020, the Town and Kent County had approximately 40 deaths attributed to COVID-19. The vast majority of these fatalities were attributable to outbreaks that occurred in two of the community’s nursing homes at the start of the pandemic (March/April/May). The Mayor and Council send out prayers and condolences to the many families that lost loved ones.
The community also lost three individuals who served the Town government itself in a dedicated fashion. Their impact will not be forgotten. Those lost were Margo Bailey, who served first on the Town Council and then as Mayor of Chestertown for 20 years; Marty Stetson, three term Councilman from the 4th Ward; and Joan Merryman, our incredible administrative assistant who served the Town for 30 years.
THANKS TO TOWN STAFF
Lastly, while the Mayor and Council often get the most press relating to Town affairs, it is the Town’s employees that keep everything operating smoothly on a day-to-day basis and serve as the face of the Town government for the majority of our constituency. This includes the staff at Town Hall, the street crew, the utilities department, and the Chestertown Police Department. Thank you for your dedication to Chestertown, your professionalism, and your determination to continue to provide essential services to our residents during a very challenging year.

This video is approximately 20 minutes in length.

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Editor’s Chat: Talbot Spy’s John Griep on COVID, Talbot Boys and Town Promenade in 2020 Review

January 2, 2021 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

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While John Griep has been a journalist for his entire adult life, it is hard for him to think of any year that comes close to what Talbot County experienced in 2020. From the pandemic to the Talbot Boys controversy, his community (he’s a Mid-Shore native) has been challenged in ways never imagined before. Given these unique circumstances, while adding to the fact that the county turned “Blue” with Joe Biden’s victory and the controversy of a proposed downtown Easton promenade, the Spy thought it would be a good idea to chat via Zoom with its public affairs editor, to review the last twelve months.

This video is approximately sixteen minutes in length.

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Gathering Storm: MD’s Counties Prepare for Tough Year with MACo’s Michael Sanderson

December 23, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 1 Comment

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The good news for many this week is the anticipation that a $900 billion stimulus package will be signed into law. Beyond the continuation of unemployment benefits and direct paymentS of $600 for every American earning less than $75,000 a year, this relief bill adds critically needed funding for vaccine development and distribution, school and small business assistance, and rent help for many.

The bad news is that the bill lacks any support for state and local governments.

Mayors and governors have not been silent about their budget shortfalls nor the consequences of inaction. But in order for the December aid bill to pass, the estimated $1 trillion dollar need for local government was removed.

That news didn’t sit well with Michael Sanderson, the Maryland Association of Counties’ executive director. While he didn’t hesitate to praise lawmakers in approving this much-needed support, the lack of funding for the State’s counties he represents is troubling.

In his Spy interview yesterday, Sanderson outlines his major concerns, which center on anticipated tax increases, public-sector layoffs, and spending cuts to public programs if the federal government doesn’t take action in early 2021.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. For more information about the Maryland Association of Counties please go here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Mid-Shore COVID Vaccine Rollout: A Chat with Shore Health’s Lead Pharmacist Kevin Chapple

December 17, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 3 Comments

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Perhaps never before has the tagline of “make sure to ask your pharmacist” been more relevant to our community than after hearing the news that a coronavirus vaccine shipment had arrived on the Eastern Shore on Tuesday. And in the case of Mid-Shore, the pharmacist to ask is Kevin Chapple, who is the Regional Shore Health’s director Of pharmacy for the system’s five coverage.

In our Zoom chat from yesterday, Kevin and the Spy talk about the rollout plans for the vaccine at their Chestertown, Easton, and Cambridge hubs over the next year. We also talk about who should take medication and the health system’s capacity to manage this historic campaign to protect the region from the worldwide pandemic.

This video is approximately ten minutes in length. For more information about Shore Regional Health and COVID please go here
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Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights, News Portal Lead

Frontline Health Care Workers Get First Round of COVID-19 Vaccines

December 16, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Fifteen University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) frontline health care workers from throughout the hospital system’s five-county region were vaccinated today with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Those vaccinated included employees from emergency departments throughout the Shore, COVID units and infectious disease departments, as well as respiratory therapists, nursing staff, environmental services team members and security personnel.

University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) began vaccinating its frontline health care workers on Monday. The vaccine is being administered in a tiered system that prioritizes frontline team members involved in patient care.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine granted emergency authorization in the United States on December 11, nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 300,000 Americans.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health were the first in the U.S. to test the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, studying its safety, efficacy and dosing, and hosted clinical trials. Vaccine experts from around the world have determined that the new vaccine is safe and effective.

UMMS received an initial shipment of 975 vaccine doses and has fairly allocated doses across its 13-hospital System, with additional vaccine delivery expected later this week. UM SRH intends to administer of its allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine to team members this week.

Vaccines are being distributed according to the Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine — developed by the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) — as well as ACIP’s Ethical Principles for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine. These guidelines ensure the vaccine is allocated ethically across our populations of health care professionals, including students, faculty and other essential workers, while still in limited supply.

“For many months, we have been looking forward to the day when vaccines would be available to protect our health care workers and very soon for the community at large,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System. “As we begin vaccinations, and finally begin the process of ending this pandemic, I’m thankful to our UMMS and UM School of Medicine colleagues who have been working tirelessly to care for our community and lead in the development of innovative treatments and vaccines.”

Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM SRH, said he is proud of the way the UM SRH team has tackled the continually evolving challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During these past nine months, and well before that, the dedication, perseverance and skill of our Shore Regional Health family has always been incredible to witness,” Kozel said. “This vaccine is the hope we have all been waiting for — not just for our frontline health care workers, but also our communities. The recent authorization of this safe and effective vaccine paves the way for our System to begin vaccinating our frontline staff. We are proud to be among the first in the country to receive this life-saving vaccine so we can continue to care for the communities we love and who trust us to provide exceptional care.”

William Huffner, MD, chief medical officer and COVID-19 incident commander for UM SRH, said he is proud of the UM SRH team effort in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and looks forward to turning the page on this moment in our nation’s history as more people are able to be vaccinated in the coming days and months ahead.

“This vaccine is a critical part of our ability to successfully combat this highly infectious disease,” Dr. Huffner said. “We have been looking forward to this day for months. Protecting our communities is what we do. Now, with the vaccine, we can ensure we are further protecting our frontline teams’ ability to do just that.”

The first UM SRH team member to receive the vaccine was Rosa Mateo, MD, an infectious disease specialist with UM SRH. Dr. Mateo oversees the COVID care units at UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton. Dr. Mateo believes in the science behind the vaccine.

“I have been fighting COVID-19 for more than nine months now and I’ve been waiting for this day since the pandemic started,” Dr. Mateo said. “We finally have the tool we’ve been waiting for to finish the fight against COVID-19. I’m excited to be the first team member to receive the vaccine. I did this not only for myself, but for my family, my co-workers and all the patients that may need to visit us from our communities. This vaccine will help us get back to our normal lives, before the pandemic started.” 

UM SRH looks forward to being able to vaccinate employees across its five-county region in the days and weeks ahead, as more vaccine supply becomes available. For the latest information and updates on UM SRH COVID-19 response efforts, visit umshoreregional.org/coronavirus.

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights, News Portal Lead Tagged With: coronavirus, covid, frontline, health care workers, Shore Regional Health, umms, vaccine

Sweet: Main Street Gifts High-Tech Mobile to Town

December 10, 2020 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

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Chestertown is about to receive a new, high-tech mobile stage made available for Main Street and other non-profits. 

One of the bright spots in Monday’s Town Council meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding presented by economic development and Main Street coordinator

The memorandum describes the transfer of ownership to the Town of a Stageline SL75 mobile stage.

Funding from two grants—the Maryland Heritage Area Authority ($54,335) and the Robert F. Schumann Foundation ($35,000)—helped Main Street Chestertown purchase a high-tech mobile stage for the Town and its nonprofit organizations to use for events and presentations. Main Street contributed $10,000 and the Mayor and Council committed $5,000 toward the purchase. 

“The stage features a hydraulically-raised roof and hydraulic stabilizers.  Along with the basic stage, Main Street purchased key accessories such as expansion wings, backdrop and side panels and two sets of stairs,” Macintosh says.

Offered for use by non-profits and Main Street functions the mobile stage will exclude commercial functions.

Earlier plans to “christen” the stage and officially present it to the Town during Earth Day festivities were dashed by the COVID crisis, as were more recent plans to host Santa on the stage for his chats with children.

“We look forward to one day being able to unveil it for the first time for the public and use it at an event!”

This video is approximately two minutes in length.  

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Council Member Tolliver Withdraws Chestertown Human Rights Commission Motion

December 8, 2020 by James Dissette 2 Comments

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In a surprise reversal during Monday night’s Town Council meeting, Ward 3 Councilman Ellsworth Tolliver withdrew his motion to support Ordinance 07-2020 to create a Chestertown Human Rights Commission.

“The only thing I have to say about it is that because the ordinance has gotten so far from what it was intended to be, I’d like to make a motion to withdraw it until a later time when it could be put together in the way it was first intended,” Ellsworth said.

A four-month effort by the Council, the ordinance was grounded in Tolliver’s September Resolution “Chestertown Unites Against Racism” and its “commitment to establish a human rights commission” to address racial injustice.

The initiative went through several rewrites to expand the definition of protected rights to include age, race, disability, religion and sexual orientation.

At that point, Tolliver voted against sending the ordinance to committee.

The next several weeks brought about agreement between Tolliver and the Council and the final version of the expanded ordinance was expected to pass during the December 7 meeting.

But that was not to be. Reviewing the ordinance over the last few weeks, Tolliver decided that it no longer represented the original intention.

The motion was withdrawn in a 3-1 and one abstention vote by the Council.

Further consideration of a Human Rights Commission remains to be seen. As Barbara Jorgenson pointed out in an email to the Spy and Council, the issue was not tabled as mentioned by Mayor Cerino— has been withdrawn.

After the vote, Cerino accepted public input.

Barbara Reeder called in urging the Council to withdraw the motion to pass the HRC. She said that it was counterproductive and the Town’s pledge to unite against racism doesn’t need to be supported by a human rights commission.

“It’s going to take the town working hand in hand in glove to work with the community of color and giving them a leadership role to identify meaningful, collaborative issues to further the original purpose of the Human Rights Commission.”

Reeder listed points she feels would serve the town better, including: increase the number of people of color on all boards and commissions; publish a history of the Chestertown African American Community; dedicate more in-town property for more affordable housing; establish and support minority owned businesses, and enroll town officials in a racial awareness program.

This video is approximately five minutes in length.

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Helping Businesses with COVID Aid in Kent County: A Chat with Economic Development’s Jamie Williams

December 4, 2020 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

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More financial assistance for County businesses will be available this winter with help from the Kent County Economic Development Department and Kent County Commissioners.

The COVID Business Stimulus Grant will begin accepting applications between 8am on Tuesday, December 8 and 5pm Monday, December 14. Applications may be filed online at the Kent County website.

According to Jamie Williams, Director of Kent County Economic Development Department, the Stimulus Grant will be the last funding resource until future Federal and State funding determinations are made.

Since the beginning of the pandemic closures in March, the Economic Development Department and the County Commissioners have worked in tandem to provide relief funding for county businesses. Those include revolving loans for businesses with less than four employees, CARES grants to reimburse businesses for COVID-related alterations, and a Restaurant Relief Grant with funds from the State and County.

“We had some new businesses that opened during the pandemic, and they have not been eligible for any of these grant programs up until now, and we will give priority to businesses that have not received any funding thus far.”

Here, Jamie Williams talks about how the Economic Development Department, Kent County Commissioners, and Federal CARES funding have assisted County businesses.

She also offers an overview of how County tourism has been affected by the pandemic, and it’s not all bad news.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. To apply for the Business, Stimulus Grant, applications will be available online at 8am Tuesday, December 8 here.

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

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