The first-ever Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium public meeting brought good news in the form of grants or minigrants to many organizations around the tri-county area.
SMHAC Executive Director Roz Racanello announced at the Oct. 4 meeting at the College of Southern Maryland Prince Frederick Campus that her organization was able to fund 11 minigrants and five major projects in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.
Racanello explained that the mission of SMHAC is to “enhance the economic activity of Southern Maryland through combining quality heritage tourism and small business development with preservation, cultural and natural resource conservation and education.”
She said SMHAC is funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority and also with funds from the three counties.
This year, Racanello said SMHAC gave out a total of $349,700 in grants.
The minigrants for Calvert County were announced by Calvert County Board of County Commissioners’ Vice President Pat Nutter, who said they would be going toward the Solomons Island Riverwalk; Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard; Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Dowell; Calvert Marine Museum; the Friends of the One Room School House; the American Chestnut Land Trust; and the town of North Beach.
Racanello said in Charles County minigrants went toward Charles County Tourism, the Charles County Historical Society and the College of Southern Maryland.
SMHAC secretary Kim Cullins presented the minigrant awards to St. Mary’s County, for which she’s a marketing specialist.
“These minigrants might be a little bit of money, but they do really big things,” said Cullins, continuing that they would go toward the St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks and Division of Tourism.
The larger grants will go to one project in Charles County, one project in Calvert County, two projects in St. Mary’s County and SMHAC itself for a new website and branding.
The Charles County Board of County Commissioners received $70,000 for the Acquisition of Port Tobacco Green, a site that is on the National Register.
In St. Mary’s County $90,000 went toward preserving the lighthouse and keeper’s quarters at Piney Point Lighthouse, Museum and Historic Park and another $57,000 went toward renovating the skipjack, the Dee of St. Mary’s, which Racanello said will ultimately be used for both tourism and school groups.
Lastly in Calvert County, $6,500 went toward the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum War of 1812 Traveling Trunk, used mostly for educational purposes for fourth and fifth graders.
“If school children don’t know or care about history, all of these sites will be empty in 10 to 12 years,” Racanello said.
JPPM Director of Education Kim Popetz said via phone that the idea for the War of 1812 traveling trunk stemmed from the popularity of another traveling trunk on American Indian history.
Popetz explained that teachers are able to keep the trunk for three weeks and only pay a $50 fee if they pick it up from JPPM in person.
She said the $6,500 grant will go toward helping to pay for bringing in an outside business to write curriculum for about 10 lessons plans to go with the trunk.
“We’re absolutely thrilled,” Popetz said.
lbuck@somdnews.com
