Church gives blessing, and deed, for streetscape project

Friday, Feb. 15, 2008

Construction of a bypass in the early going reduced the traffic jockeying around the Town Square, and the town now is in the process of retaking possession of the stretches of Washington Street and Fenwick Street long designated as Maryland Route 5.

That includes a portion of Washington Street that goes past St. Aloysius Catholic Church and Father Andrew White School. The town announced this week that it now has the deed to a five-foot wide strip of the church’s land for an ongoing streetscape project.

‘‘We had to go through the archdiocese,” town Administrator Laschelle Miller said this week. ‘‘It’s been about three years in the process for that.”

Most of the sidewalks from the Route 5 and Route 245 intersection down through the square and out to St. Mary’s Ryken High School will be about five-feet wide with trees and lampposts, but the portion in front of the church and K-8 parochial school will be wider with extra room for bicyclists.

‘‘That whole section will be an eight-foot wide path,” Miller said. ‘‘The church is very excited about the streetscape project.”

The entire project will include a four-foot wide bike path, the administrator said, and town utility crews recently have been upgrading lines below the pavement, before the town begins the streetscape work. The town will take title to the streets when the work is done.

State awards funds for parks and recreation

State officials announced this week that St. Mary’s has received $639,315 for four local park and recreation improvements, including an expansion of the Three Notch Trail in California to be partially financed by a $330,000 grant.

Beginning at the Wal-Mart store and extending a half-mile to Chancellor’s Run Road, the trail will offer walking, biking, running and roller-blade opportunities, the state says, and is expected to receive 25,000 visits annually once it is completed.

In addition, a $160,000 grant will finance entrance, roadway and parking area improvements at the 7th District Park in Bushwood.

Also, a $100,000 grant will partially finance walkway and parking improvements at the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park.

Two new tennis courts will be built at Cecil Park in Valley Lee and partially funded by a $49,315 grant.

Greenwell to host ‘Sweet on You’ event

Greenwell State Park in Hollywood is extending this week’s Valentine’s Day celebration into the weekend with a ‘‘Sweet on You” event from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Rosedale Manor, featuring decadent desserts and other tasty treats.

For more information, call 301-373-9775.

Restaurants to feature winning recipes

The libraries in St. Mary’s, Calvert and Charles counties recently held a recipe contest that drew participants from all over Southern Maryland, in conjunction with the Calvert Library hosting a Smithsonian exhibit titled ‘‘Key Ingredients: America by Food,” and the five winning restaurants next week will feature dishes entered in the contest.

Cafe des Artistes in Leonardtown will be featuring from Feb. 19 to 24 Geoya Stout’s recipe for Southern Maryland Shrimp Chowder. The restaurant is located at 41655 Fenwick St. For reservations, call 301-997-0500.

In Lexington Park, The Tides Restaurant at 46580 Expedition Drive will be featuring Michelle Jordahl’s Kale & Corned Ham Soup from Feb. 18 to 24, as well as Shaunesta Marker’s Maryland Crab and Grits. For reservations, call 301-862-5303.

Across the Patuxent River, from Feb. 18-24, Jake & Al’s Chophouse at 258 Town Square Drive in Lusby will feature Dianne Dickey’s Shrimp Stuffed Fillets with Hollandaise Sauce. For reservations, call 410-394-6694.

Saphron, at 135 Central Square Drive in Prince Frederick, will be featuring John Reidesel’s ‘‘Perlo” from Feb. 19 to 24. For reservations, call 410-414-9903.

The West Lawn Inn at 9200 Chesapeake Avenue in North Beach will be featuring from Feb. 19 to 24 Karen Hunt’s Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown Chesapeake Rockfish. For reservations, call 410-257-0001.

During the contest, pastry chef Pam Klink and her husband Rob Klink, chef at the Oceanaire in Washington, D.C., prescreened the recipes to narrow them down to a manageable number of dishes. The chefs at the participating restaurants selected the final winners based on a scoring system of 30 points for taste, 10 points for use of local ingredients and 10 points for representation of Southern Maryland cuisine.

Sailing championsto be on TV Tuesday

St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Women’s National Champions will take another star turn, this time in a Maryland Public Television broadcast at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Feb. 19. ‘‘Outdoors Maryland” will air ‘‘The Sails of St. Mary’s” as its first piece that evening.

Zabko to speakat PRISM meeting

Mike Zabko, CEO of the Southern Maryland Red Cross, will discuss the importance of effective communications during a crisis at the Feb. 21 Public Relations Individuals in Southern Maryland luncheon. The meeting will be held at Constellation Energy’s Joint Information Center, 100 Skipjack Road, Prince Frederick, starting at 11:30 a.m. Box lunches will be provided for $12 and PRISM’s new officers will be introduced. Contact Karen Everett, Karen.Everett@stmarysmd.com, to make a reservation. The meeting is open to the public and perspective members.

Local author to sit in on talk on his book

The Leonardtown library’s book discussion meeting at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Feb 21., will talk about Wayne Karlin’s ‘‘A Wished for Country,” with Robin Bates, an English professor at St. Mary’s College, leading the discussion, and Karlin in attendance.

Marine museumto host sea singer

Upcoming events at the Calvert Marine Museum will include a performance at 2 p.m. next Monday, Feb. 18, in the auditorium by Adm. Caryl P. Weiss, a maritime musician from Annapolis. She will be teaching sea shanties, performing some of her own songs of the Chesapeake Bay, and giving a spoons workshop.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, master woodcarvers will be sharing their skill with visitors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as Howard Rogers from The Raven Studio in Eastport draws on his 45 years of experience and ‘‘Skip” Edwards, Jim Langley, and Tom Lewis demonstrate duck carving, decorative maritime carving and working decoy carving.

During the week of Feb. 25, the museum will feature its annual showcase of artwork by young artists in the museum’s lobby.

Deadline looms for SMECO scholarships

Students who wish to apply for college scholarships offered by Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative must submit their application package by Feb. 29, for a chance at one of four $1,500 scholarships to be awarded to high school seniors in the utility’s service area.

The qualifying seniors must be enrolled or plan to enroll full-time in an accredited college or university, and have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Scholarships will be awarded based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and community and school involvement. As part of the application process, students must submit an essay on ‘‘Why is a College Education Important to Completing my Lifetime Goals?”

To obtain an application, see a school career counselor, call SMECO at 1-888-440-3311, ext. 4312, visit any SMECO office, or print an application available online at www.smeco.coop.

Completed application packages may be taken to any local SMECO office or mailed to SMECO Headquarters, P.O. Box 1937, Hughesville, MD, 20637, Attention: Bernadette Lewis.

O’Brien selected for Leadership Maryland

Kathleen O’Brien, executive director of Walden⁄Sierra in Leonardtown, has been selected for the Class of 2008 of Leadership Maryland, an independent, educational, nonprofit organization designed to inform top-level executives from the public and private sectors, about the critical issues, challenges and opportunities facing the state of Maryland and its regions.

O’Brien is one of 52 statewide leaders selected to participate in the eight-month program.

Following a two-day opening retreat in April participants will attend five two-day and one one-day intense sessions focusing on issues such as economic development, education, health and human services, criminal and juvenile justice, environment, and multi-culturalism⁄diversity. More than 100 experts representing business, government, education, and the nonprofit community will serve as panelists and guest speakers.

Leadership Maryland is one of 34 state leadership programs nationwide.

Fuel costs promptsafety warnings

The use of portable heaters in Maryland homes is expected to increase as winter lingers on, the state fire marshal’s office reports, and colder temperatures coincide with predictions of higher-than-average fuel costs.

State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard has issued a statement reminding Marylanders ‘‘to use caution if considering using alternative forms of heating such as portable heaters. Home heating equipment contributes to many fires across Maryland each year. Using equipment that may be unfamiliar can increase the chance of a dangerous home fire.”

Professionals should inspect chimneys, chimney connectors and other related equipment in fireplaces and wood, coal or pellet stoves, according to the release. A professional likewise should service central heating equipment such as oil burners, natural gas or propane furnaces, annually.

For more information, call 800-525-3124 or go online to www.firemarshal.state.md.us.

jwharton@somdnews.com