Solomons master plan wins statewide award

EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

The Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) has selected the Solomons Town Center Master Plan as co-winner of its Outstanding Plan Award. The Garrett County Master Plan shares the honor, which was presented at the Maryland APA award ceremony in Annapolis on Nov. 4, according to a press release.

Conducted every two years, the Maryland APA awards recognize plans, projects and individuals contributing to the improvement of the quality of life for Marylanders. The Solomons Town Center Master Plan award was in the category of outstanding plan in jurisdictions with populations of less than 100,000 residents. The award was presented to the Calvert County Planning Commission and staff.

"I think that it was a very prestigious thing," said Maurice Lusby, chair of the Calvert County Planning Commission. "We're very happy with the way [the Solomons Master Plan] turned out. It had a lot of citizen participation, a lot of diligence by the planning office, particularly by [Principal Planner of the Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning] Jenny Plummer-Welker. I think it is outstanding to be recognized like that."

The Solomons Master Plan had been undergoing an overhaul by the planning commission over the past three years, Lusby said. Numerous public hearings were hosted by the planning commission and a lot of input from the citizens of Solomons directly impacted the vision of the master plan, which was recently finalized.

"I believe that originally when the master plan was done, 20-some years ago (and we last looked at it eight or 10 years ago), the original model was done in such a way that it made the Solomons area reflective of the wants that the people down there desired," Lusby said. "They wanted a nautical type of town that enjoyed the amenities of bay and the river and also the heritage of the seafood industry."

The planning commission and the board of county commissioners extended a special recognition to the citizens of Solomons for their work, the release said.

At the awards ceremony, the Maryland APA also honored Plummer-Welker for outstanding service to the chapter. Plummer-Welker is a past president of the Maryland APA.

"She is extremely thorough in her reviews," Lusby said.

"She did a great deal in listening to what the people in Solomons were trying to say. She offered their views many times to the planning commission so that we could determine what we would suggest to be the plan."

More information about the Maryland APA is available at www.marylandapa.org.

For information on the Calvert County Planning Commission, go to www.co.cal.md.us/business/planning/planningcommission.

For details on the Solomons Town Center Master Plan, go to www.co.cal.md.us/residents/building/planning/TownCenters/SolomonsTownCenter.

Hospice house opening reset for Saturday

The rescheduled grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Burnett-Calvert Hospice House will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the house, located at 4559 Sixes Road in Prince Frederick. An open house and tours will follow from noon to 4 p.m. both Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22. Parking for the ribbon cutting will be at the College of Southern Maryland and shuttle bus service will be available Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, go to www.calverthospice.org, or call 410-535-0892 or 301-855-1226.

Tutoring club partners with End Hunger

End Hunger In Calvert County has announced its partnership with the Tutoring Club of Prince Frederick.

From now until the end of December, the Tutoring Club will make a donation to End Hunger In Calvert County for any new student enrolling by Dec. 31. In addition, new students will receive $50 off their first month of tutoring.

"It's a natural combination, going back to the ‘give a man a fish — teach a man to fish' story," said Director of the Tutoring Club Denny Schroeder in a press release announcing the partnership. "Ending hunger means building a sustainable living base. It starts with taking care of someone, and then empowering them to take care of themselves, to where they can then help others, too."

The Rev. Robert Hahn, chairman of End Hunger in Calvert County, said, "The Tutoring Club's partnership with End Hunger goes beyond the donation; they are helping equip individuals to make permanent solutions for their life. That is the core of what End Hunger in Calvert County is about."

Interested students and parents should contact the Tutoring Club at 410-535-5377. For individuals and businesses interested in learning more or working with End Hunger In Calvert County, call 410-257-5672 or e-mail at info@endhungercalvert.org.

Church to host free Thanksgiving feast

The public is invited to spend Thanksgiving Day at Mt. Harmony Church in Owings, sharing good times and feasting with friends. A turkey dinner with all the trimmings will be served from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Carry out is available. The hall is located behind the church building at the corner of Mt. Harmony Road and Mt. Harmony Lane. Enter through the double doors in the lower parking lot. There is no charge for the feast, though donations will be accepted to benefit the Neighbor Project at Mt. Harmony/Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church.

For more information, call the church at 410-257-2761, or Kirsti Uunila at 410-286-7131.

Local leaders address pressing issues at forum

Health, affordable housing and employment were just some of the top issues addressed at United Way of Calvert County's recent Community Forum on Oct. 21, according to a press release.

The event, facilitated by United Way's Vice Chair Bob McWhirt, called on business, government and non-profit leaders to uncover the root cause of the pressing issues addressed in United Way's recent "Needs Assessment."

The forum got underway with a brief history of United Way of Calvert County's legacy by President and CEO Kelly Chambers.

"For almost 30 years now the United Way has been identifying needs, developing programs, mobilizing volunteers and funding agencies in Calvert County," Chambers said.

Afterwards, she unveiled United Way's new "Agenda for Change" which is a shift from program results to community-level changes.

The United Way Needs Assessment was conducted earlier this year by United Way staff and board, with support from Hugo Blasdel of Solomons. United Way also distributed surveys countywide that asked people to rate a broad spectrum of issues from least to major importance and provide some demographic information as well. The results of the 179 surveys and 55 focus group attendees elicited the following major issues: health insurance, medical care, affordable housing, other housing, employment, job opportunities, school readiness, financial literacy and getting to help.

McWhirt, the vice president of patient care at Calvert Memorial Hospital, followed Chambers to make a case for the importance of the root cause analysis.

"This is nothing new to the engineering world or the medical community; you don't rest until you've narrowed down the real reason a problem exists, and there can be many," McWhirt said.

Every forum attendee was encouraged to join a discussion group in their issue of expertise. Trent Jaklitsch of Jaklitsch Development Group was one of the more than 50 attendees to bring insight and expertise to the table.

Jaklitsch wanted to be involved in the forum because he said, "As a resident, I feel if everyone acts as stewards of the community, the healthier our relationships, our kids, and our businesses are."

Jaklitsch's group was challenged with uncovering the real reason "affordable housing" has become a major concern in Calvert County. Bill Stanton, executive director of Project ECHO, Wayne Boyle, executive director of the Housing Authority, Christa Conant of Christmas in April, Dave Benson, owner of Maryland Country Caterers, and facilitator Bill Chambers, general manager of the ShowPlace Arena and member of the Calvert County Board of Education, joined him in the investigation. They determined much of the root cause came down to "the public and political will."

"From that follows infrastructure, tax changes and other obstacles," Jaklitsch said.

Other root causes that surfaced were: the challenges of the current economy, inadequate support for parents, lack of afterschool activities, sustainable funding to address long-term care, lack of local jobs, health care reform, access to care with a shortage of providers, inadequate public transportation and youth abandonment.

In the months to follow the Community Forum, United Way will compile a more detailed report, showing a further analysis, supported by local data and statistics. Nearly all of the forum attendees have signed up to take place in future community planning efforts. To learn more about United Way of Calvert County's Agenda for Change, call 410-286-0103, or go to its Facebook page online.

Bring a toy, get a smoothie

The Smoothie King in Prince Frederick will be accepting donations for Toys for Tots. A new, unwrapped toy donation will earn a customer a free 20-ounce smoothie. Cash donations are also accepted. The program will run through Dec. 23. The store is located at 428 Solomons Island Road in Prince Frederick (next to Radio Shack).