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January 28, 2022

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

News Maryland News

Shore Lawmakers Get Bipartisan Support to Bring Data Firms to MD

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A bipartisan bill sponsored by Senate Minority Whip Steve Hershey and Prince George’s Sen. Doug Peters, a Democrat, could make Maryland more competitive with surrounding states that have successfully used tax incentives to lure data center companies.

“This is a tax exemption bill that we feel is necessary to begin attracting multi-million dollar data center facilities to Maryland,”  Hershey, R-Queen Anne’s, said before the Senate Budget and Tax Committee on Wednesday. “We are not asking to dig into the Maryland coffers to give anything away, we’re simply asking the committee to make a thoughtful economic decision.”

The bill would offer data centers exemptions to Maryland’s personal property and sales and use tax, provided they invest $5 million within three years of filing for the exemption — and hire at least five personnel earning 1.5 times the state’s minimum wage. 

The investment requirement drops to $2 million in the Tier I counties of Allegany, Baltimore City Caroline, Dorchester, Garrett, Kent, Somerset, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester–because these counties have unemployment rates the exceed 150 percent of the state average.

“Other states have recognized the valuable economic impact these facilities bring to local economies and have changed their tax policies to incentivize these companies to come to their states,” Hershey said. “Maryland is not leading, we’re not even in the game.”

He said the demand for new data centers is increasing and that other states have seen economic rewards from providing tax incentives to data center firms. The bill would also allow a local jurisdiction to reduce the percentage of its own personal property tax to attract data centers.

Former U.S Congresswoman Barbara Comstock of Virginia also testified before the committee and spoke of her state’s tax revenue windfall from data centers.

She said in 2012 Virginia updated its incentives for data centers and tax revenue in Loudon County alone soared from $50 million in 2012 to $350 million in 2020.

She said there has not been a year where the taxpayers lost any money.

Hershey commended the efforts of the Kent County Economic Development Office for requesting the bill, which will have a statewide benefit.

Kent Economic Development Director Jamie Williams said the tax incentives would be the first step in attracting data centers.

“The need for data storage and processing increases daily,” she told the committee. “It’s not a matter of if these data centers will be built, it is a matter of where.”

Kent County Commissioner Bob Jacob said that new data centers would greatly benefit from the county’s recent $7 million investment in an open fiber-optic network. He said the 150-mile network was recently completed without state funds.

He told the committee that Loudon County, VA had increased its commercial tax base 15 percent while increasing funding for education.

“They did it with the attraction of data centers and it was possible in part from the sales and use tax exemption,” he said. “Maryland would like an opportunity to share in a small portion of that industry.”

Dee Anna Sobczak, CEO of Kent FIBER Optic Systems, said the need for data centers is growing 40 percent a year–and will continue at the current pace for the next decade.

She said data centers draw other tech companies that want to be near them.

“There are many areas in the state that are prime for data centers, but without the incentives, they will never come,” she said. She said it was hard for Maryland to be competitive with tax-free Delaware and Virginia, “the data center capital of the world.”

There are currently 35 other states offering tax incentives to attract data centers, she said.

Hershey’s co-sponsor, Sen. Doug Peters, said Prince George’s County is also well suited to host data centers.

“This bill is important because we need to be competitive like neighboring states in order to attract data center clients to Maryland,” he said in an email to the Spy. “Prince George’s County is perfectly positioned to house these data centers in its numerous industrial complexes.” 

Del. Jay Jacobs, R-Kent, has a cross-filed bill in the House of Delegates that has also won bipartisan support. A hearing is scheduled for March 6.    

“Our Legislators should act on this bill quickly to ensure companies can invest in Maryland communities on an equal footing with competing states,” said Chestertown Ward 2 Councilman Tom Herz, who campaigned on the benefits of data centers tapping into Kent’s fiber network. “Doing so will spur economic growth in both our rural counties and urban centers.”  

There was no testimony in opposition to the bill.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here. 

 

Ted Landskroener: The Last of the Greatest Generation, the War Years

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Ted Landskroener has worn many hats in 96 years: husband, father, company president, bank board member, and volunteer fire company advocate. Yet for Ted, the first great challenge of his life was the one he shares with millions of veterans who joined the Greatest Generation to vanquish Hitler and Hirohito in World War II.

Born in Saginaw, Mi. on October 31, 1923, Ted was a child of the Great Depression. His parents moved the family east where the Landskroeners settled in first in Bethlehem, Pa. and then in central New Jersey, where Ted grew up.

Ted was one of many Navy aviators who trained for the Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland, where millions on both sides would have face certain death had the U.S. decided against the use of atomic weapons. In this interview, Ted recalls the magazine cover of the sharp dressed Navy flier that caught his eye.  He decided then if he had to risk his life, it might as well be as a Navy pilot.  Ted shares his memories of finding his way into the air unit, learning to fly and land on makeshift aircraft carriers–and the constant unmentioned fear of the future in time of war. 

Ted also shares his memories of hearing that President Truman had dropped the second atomic bomb on the City of Nagasaki and the loss of lives that saved his own.

Lawmakers Putting Brakes on Kirwan Funding

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Del. Jay Jacobs, R-Kent, and Senate Minority Whip Steve Hershey

Lawmakers inaugurated the opening of the 2020 Maryland General Assembly on Jan. 8 expressing sticker shock over the funding mandates in the Kirwan Commission recommendations that promise to transform education at a cost of $32 billion over the next decade.

The formula requires cost-sharing by the counties, and Baltimore City and Prince George’s County would each have to fund over $300 million annually–requiring property tax increases or cuts in public services that the jurisdictions are reluctant to support.

The annual cost is expected to reach about $4 billion a year, of which $1.2 billion is the cost-share to the counties.

And while legislators have promised to help Prince George’s and Baltimore City, no such overture was extended to rural counties of the Eastern Shore.

“The tax base just isn’t there,” said Del. Jay Jacobs, R-Kent.

Tiny Kent County, the smallest in the state, has seen stagnant population growth and declining school enrollment for decades, which three years ago forced the consolidation of five elementary schools to three.

Kent County would need to pay an additional $1 million annually through 2030–and it would have the same impact on Kent that Baltimore City and Prince George’s are facing, Jacobs said.

“For Kent County it’s a very expensive proposition,” Jacobs said. “[Kent] will have the highest cost of the counties in District 36…almost double the other counties I represent.”  

Jacobs said the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan has already funded record spending on education, now at over $6 billion annually. He said the “Kirwan recommendations are Thornton on steroids.”

The 36th District consists of Caroline, Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne’s counties.

The Kirwan formula requires a greater cost share for counties with a higher population of at-risk students.

“There are no two counties alike under Kirwan,” Jacobs said. He said the $9 million Kent will have to pay over the next decade is only matched with $2.5 million in state funding. 

“Queen Anne’s County won’t have to pay anything,” Jacobs said.

Kent Commissioner Ron Fithian said the mandate would require property taxes increases of “nearly 40 percent.”

The sticker shock to Baltimore City and Prince George’s has moved the General Assembly to give the plan a haircut, said Senate Minority Whip Steve Hershey.

“The initial funding formulas came out and a lot of counties got hit very hard on the money they would have to raise to meet the Kirwan requirement,” Hershey, R-Queen Anne’s said. “The commissioners have told us that there’s no way they can come up with that kind of money.”

“Baltimore City and Prince George’s both got hit with over $300 million and they’ve said they can’t come up with the money either.” 

Hershey said Prince George’s County would need to cut its police force to meet its funding mandate without raising taxes.

“There are some big jurisdictions out there that have said ‘no way, put on the brakes, we can’t afford this,’” he said.

He said it came as a relief that Senate President Bill Ferguson promised not to “raise the sales tax, property tax or income tax in order to fund this.”

“At the end of the day we’re going to get a phased-in Kirwan,” Hershey said. He said there will be a “three-year Kirwan” that will pass to address some of the major issues.

 “But it’s not going to be anywhere near the bill that’s been talked about,” he said “It’s going to be a price tag that Maryland believes it can fund on its own.”

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Chestertown Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here.

Former Shore Health Chair Violated Volunteer Bylaws, UMMS Report Says

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The University of Maryland Medical System Board of Directors, the parent board of UM Shore Regional Health, has established new governance guidelines that protect the system from conflicts of interest that forced the resignation of former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and other board members this spring, according to an UMMS Special Committee Investigative Report released Friday.

The special committee appointed the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP to conduct the investigation.

“There is no question the past conduct undertaken by certain former corporate officers and board members was extremely problematic and damaged the reputation of the system,” said a statement from UMMS Communication Director Michael Schwartzberg that was released with the report. “Undoubtedly, there were structural, governance and operational flaws at the System’s Board and executive level.”

The 34-page report identified “self-interested transactions” between nine board members and executive management–where board members and/or their family members benefited financially.

“Ineffective” and “incomplete” conflict-of-interest policies enabled board members to solicit executive management for contracts, the report said.

John Dillon, former chair of University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, received a contract in 2012 to provide fundraising and public relations services to UMMS at a rate of $13,000 per month. The contract was approved by letter of agreement, with then UMMS CEO Robert Chrencik, and renewed every year through 2019 without using the system’s competitive bidding process–and without proper approval of the board.

There was also “no evidence of any discussion of, review of, vote on, or approval of the arrangement by the Board,” the report said.

Although Dillon had disclosed his earnings from the agreement every year, many board members and some senior executives “insisted” they were unaware of existence of the agreement.

The report questioned whether Dillon had received compensation for duties that were consistent with board membership that is normally on a volunteer basis.

Dillon’s duties, based on the 2018 renewal of his contract, were to raise money for a new medical center, perform community outreach and advise on “hospital acquisitions and the expansion of the Medical System.”

But some in senior management vouched for Dillon that his duties were “far above” that of a volunteer board member. Dillon disclosed that he spent 25 hours a week on his contractual obligations, but the committee concluded that there was little difference between Dillion’s contractual duties and that expected of a volunteer board member.

The committee also determined that Dillon’s agreement violated UMMS’ volunteer services bylaws because it was not properly approved by the board.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here.

WC Alumni Grapple With Admin Over “Foreigner” Cancellation in Virtual Town Hall

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At the close of a virtual town meeting with alumni on Wednesday, Washington College President Kurt Landgraf said he would make the same decision again to cancel the performance of The Foreigner–in order to be respectful of the most diverse student body in the college’s history.

“I take full responsibility for what occurred here,” Landgraf said. “I believe we did the right thing; and frankly, if I had to do it all over again today I would still do the same fundamental things that were decided.” 

‘What we did was fair, equitable and respectful to our student body and reflective of the values of Washington College,” he said in the virtual town hall.

The decision was made while Landgraf was out of town on Thursday, Nov. 6. — when the cast and crew were notified moments before the dress rehearsal that public performances scheduled for Nov. 8 and 9 had been canceled. 

Many WC alumni have called the cancellation a blatant case of censorship after it was announced in a letter signed by Provost Patrice DiQuinzio and Dean of Students Sarah Feyerherm.

In responding to outcries of censorship over the cancellation, Landgraf said the college was “unequivocal in its support of free speech.” He said free speech was the foundation of a liberal arts education. 

“We are absolutely unwavering in our support of that,” he said.

But he gave greater weight to being “respectful of all our students… to recognize that our student body is more diverse than it ever has been.”

Sitting with Landgraf, Theatre and Dance Acting Chair Laura Eckelman pushed back on criticism that shuttering the play was censorship and said she made the decision after consultations with the administration–and students who were passionate in their objections to portrayals of the KKK in the play.

She said the decision was made “out of a desire not to further injure those members of our campus community who already feel the most marginalized and who already face in many ways the most challenges both on and off campus.”

“In this case, canceling the production felt like the best thing to do,” she said. “I do not see it as an act of censorship but as a course correction and us being more attentive to the members of our community that were likely to be hurt.”

An ’00 graduate challenged Landgraf and Eckelman that the decision was not a case of censorship.

“Let’s stop debating whether or not this was censorship,” the ’00 graduate said. “By the word’s definition, this was censorship…just because the department was consulted doesn’t mean this wasn’t censorship, whether or not you think it was done for a good reason, this was censorship…so let’s just establish that it was censorship.”

The ’00 alumnus asked why The Foreigner was canceled when so many other performances in the past have touched on controversial issues.

“How are we going to protect the arts going forward,” he asked. “How are you going to establish where that line is so that people going forward don’t have to wait to find out if their play is going to be canceled.” 

Eckelman responded, “We haven’t made any decisions yet what that would look like because this is all still very fresh…we are planning to explore what might be the best practice in the future, so the short answer is we don’t really know yet.”

A ’17 alumnus said the decision to cancel the play was “cruel” to the student director.

“This was the culmination of her college career,” the ’17 alumnus said. The ’17 alumnus also said this was not the first experience with censorship on campus. 

“I personally experienced it while working at the ELM newspaper [and] not from anyone on the ELM or a faculty advisor, but from the administration. The canceling of this play does not reflect good intent, it reflects an implicit racial bias and a lack of willingness to confront our past, especially in a place like Kent County.”

Doug Rose, an ’86 alumnus and winner of the Sophie Kerr Prize, asked why the cast and crew were not included in discussions to cancel the play and why they were not invited to the town hall discussion.

“Where are the students in this discussion, why are we keeping them away from these important discussions,” Rose asked.

 Eckelman responded that it was a “time-pressured environment…they were in dress rehearsals.” She said she brought the cast and crew into the conversation “at the earliest opportunity.” 

“I respectfully refute your statement that the students haven’t been involved in the conversation,”  Eckelman told Rose. “We met with them on the evening of the cancelation and we met with them again a couple of days later.” She said she’s been in contact with the students by email asking for their feedback.

Rose was not satisfied with Eckelman’s answer and noted that every other constituency on campus was part of the discussion, except the students involved in the play.

“You took the time to talk to a lot of other student groups, other faculty, other staff, other administration, but no one bothered to talk to the people in the production itself until the cancelation order came in,” he said.

“Again, a lot of that had to do with the constraints of time…it’s hard to communicate just how pressured all of that was in terms of time constraints,” Eckelman responded.

Eckelman also made note that the student director was upset with the decision, but articulated 15 minutes later that it was the right thing to do.

Later in the day, Communications Director Wendy Clark told the Spy in an email that there was no guarantee future cancellations wouldn’t occur, even after a new vetting process had been established to consider the content of performances.

“It’s impossible to answer this unequivocally, since we can’t predict the future,” she said in an email.“The college never intends for any public event to be cancelled. We make these decisions only when absolutely necessary. We will continue to make efforts—better efforts—to anticipate potential challenges of content, logistics, or other event-related issues, but some situations will always be unanticipated, and we cannot control that.”

Yesterday the National Coalition Against Censorship strongly condemned the decision to cancel The Foreigner.

“Apparently the very presence of the KKK in the story, no matter how strongly the story condemned them, was upsetting,” the NCAC said. “A university should certainly listen to the voices of the campus community. It should provide opportunities for open conversation around controversial material – in this case, offering talk-backs after the performances would be a simple option. However, a college should no more allow the voices of some students the power to censor a student’s work, than it should allow objections to books taught in class to determine the syllabus. Were such objections to take precedence to academic freedom and educational objectives, there are many plays, films and novels that would have to be banned on campus because of the upsetting villains they present: there are Nazis in The Sound of Music, racists in To Kill A Mockingbird, and a character blinding horses in Equus, to take some of the plays more frequently performed on campus and in schools. Should the college also ban Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and should its film history classes ignore the controversial but historically significant Birth of a Nation? And how would Washington College students deal with history itself, the violence of which far exceeds the caricatured villainy of The Foreigner?”

The statement was co-signed by National Coalition Against Censorship, Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)

And in a Facebook post yesterday, Jack Gilden ’87, called for new leadership at the college.

“There is but one urgent question that arises from yesterday’s conference call: How does the school continue as a ‘liberal’ arts institution when, antithetically to its own mission, it cancels student work and improperly controls what the community may experience? By continuing on and moving forward with the same leadership the stain of this malpractice will touch everyone in our community. If the students, faculty, alumnus and board do not stop this immediately then all of us are tacitly censors, too. Why? Because we have the power to change course or endorse what happened by keeping the present leadership. When you have a pilot who can’t fly, a bus driver who can’t drive, or a doctor who can’t diagnose or treat, you fire them. They don’t understand the job. A liberal arts president and educators who use and defend censorship tactics do not understand the job. The school needs a new president, provost, dean, and theatre arts leader as soon as possible. Continuing on this path, with this group, labels the school, right now and into the future, The Censorship College. Is that what we want for Washington College? Is that who we are? Change is gravely important and necessary right now.”

WC’s Landgraf Acknowledges Mishandling of “Foreigner” Cancellation, Student Safety Came First

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Washington College’s decision to cancel public performances of The Foreigner two weekends ago has upset the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors, and President Kurt Landgraff has acknowledged that the cancellation was mishandled. ca

Landgraff told the Spy yesterday that the last-minute decision to cancel the performance was made without his knowledge when he was out of town. But he said he supported the decision in the interest of the well-being of the students.

“This was not about the play,” he said. “It was about protecting the students.”

He also said the decision to cancel was made by Laura Ekleman, currently the acting chair of the theatre department, with support from the administration. This is in contrast to the Spy’s earlier reporting when several sources told the Spy that Washington College Provost Patrice DiQuinzio made the final decision to cancel the play — over the objections of the theatre department.

And while some believe the college will try to put on a performance in the spring, Landgraf said there was no guarantee of one. He said his focus would be on a discussion to better communicate and present sensitive content in the future — to avoid the same morass that occurred with The Foreigner.

Landgraf said he supported the decision because it was clear students needed to be protected after a racial incident was reported on campus. Landgraf said a white pickup truck was seen on campus with the occupants shouting racial epitaphs. He said the Chestertown Police Department was investigating the truck captured on video.

But in a call to CPD Tuesday, the Spy learned that there is no formal investigation into any incidents. CPD Acting Chief John Dolgos said it was brought to his intention but there was no formal request by the college for an investigation. He said he would start an investigation if requested.

In requesting clarification from the college, Communications Director Wendy Clark told the Spy, “Public Safety contacted CPD to let them know the nature of the incident, the type of vehicle involved, and whether they had had any similar reports anywhere else. He said that as part of that conversation, acting Chief John Dolgos told him that although the behavior was bad, it was not illegal, and so the CPD would have no crime to investigate.”

In a follow up call to CPD, Chief Dolgos said he spoke with WC’s Director of Public Safety Brandon McFayden, and they both agreed that behavior did not rise to the level of a crime.

In search of a remedy for the morale of the cast and crew, some Washington College alumni are banding together to take the cast to dinner and organize a performance of the show to run at Kent County High School, the alumni would pay the school $1,000 for use of the facility for up to three days.

Backlash: WC Cancels Performance of The Foreigner

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Updated: Last week’s decision by Washington College Provost Patrice DiQuinzio to cancel a student directed performance of The Foreigner, a widely performed comedy by acclaimed playwright Larry Shue, has set social media ablaze with outcries of censorship from alumni, former faculty and members of the arts community.

“Quashing a play, a book, a parade, a speech is indeed censorship,” said Skip Middleton, a 1987 graduate of the drama department at Washington College and a Kent County native. “There’s zero difference between censorship by a school board, a government, or a student body.”

In a letter to faculty and staff last week, DiQuinzio and Student Affairs Vice-President Sarah Feyerherm said the play’s depictions of Ku Klux Klan villains “In white hoods and robes” were “deeply upsetting to some.”

The administration had the final say and overruled the drama department.

Update: In a brief call after this story ran, WC President Kurt Landgraf and Communications Director Wendy Clarke denied that the decision was unilateral on the part of the administration. Clark said the drama department also agreed that the performance should be canceled.

The performance was a senior project for the student director, who was not included in the discussion to cancel the performance.

On Tuesday, the student director and the acting department chair sent out emails to Student Affairs and Public Safety to inform the student body about the play’s “sensitive content.” The play was also advertised on the college website with a content warning, “This play features portrayals of xenophobia and prejudice.”

Middleton said the best way to handle the depictions of prejudice could have been a focus session after the performance.

Instead, the cast and crew learned at Thursday’s dress rehearsal that the public performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday would be canceled. The dress rehearsal went on but it was closed to members of the public.

DiQuinzio and Feyerherm wrote that the cancellation did not “diminish the months of hard work, collaboration, emotion, and thoughtfulness that students invested in the production—nor does it lessen all that they have learned through those efforts.”

This did not deter Middleton in his rebuke of the decision. He rattled off 20 names of alumni “making their living in a non-censored world, in the Arts, who hold the WC Community and Admin to a higher standard than this… While I don’t speak for all of them, they are most likely not impressed…”

Middleton said the decision so close to Veterans Day diminishes those whose service “is built primarily on defending the First Amendment.”

He said the play had been on the schedule for quite a while and the decision sends a bad message across the institution, the arts community and among prospective students.

“How do you tell a current student, or a prospective student, or alum, community members and the like that a play has been canceled due to the sensitivity of the message?” he said. “How do you tell the cast and their parents, that the play cannot go on? How do you spin this regionally when you’re trying to gain headcount in the student body to shore up a suffering institution?

Attempts to reach Washington College Provost Patrice DiQuinzio went unanswered by the time this story ran.

Performances of The Foreigner on college campuses are not unusual.

University of Southern Maine
Indiana University
Virginia Tech
State College of Florida
Eastern Illinois Community College
McHenry County College

Feature image by Morgan Lewis, Flickr

Former Congressional Staffer Challenges Harris in GOP Primary

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Maryland’s First District incumbent, Congressman Andy Harris, will face a millennial less than half his age in the 2020 primary.

It’s no doubt risky business for a young newcomer to take on an incumbent in the same party, especially when there is little that separates the candidates on the issues. And both parties have traditionally resisted challenges to incumbents.

But at 30, Jorge Delgado III, of Ocean City says he’s adept enough to national politics to know that “the system is broken.” He says the GOP needs more youth and diversity in its ranks in order to reach across the aisle where the Democratic ranks have swelled with a young and diverse insurgency.

“I took a gamble, but I believe I’m in it for the right reasons,” he said. “I’m focused on the future and expanding the conservative movement for the next generation of young conservative voices.”

After graduating from Auburn University in 2011 with a degree in international business and finance, Delgado joined Colorado Republican Congressman Scott Tipton as an intern and later worked for GOP Congressman Cory Gardner, also of Colorado.

“When you called your congressman you called me; if you were a veteran with a casework problem with the VA you called me, and if you had an IRS issue I dealt with it; I dealt with all these issues,” he said.

When Gardner won a Senate seat in 2016 Delgado was promoted to regional director of Garnder’s Denver headquarters, where he worked on water and energy issues — and represented Gardner before the White House Business Council.

In 2016 Gardner became chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and called Delgado to Washington to be his aid on the committee. Delgado later became Gardner’s economic policy adviser.

Born and raised in Maryland, Delgado said he ventured out to find work with Republicans from other states because Maryland has only one Republican district.

“I had to expand my radius,” he said. “But after traveling over 190,000 miles a year I wanted to return home and be with my family in Worcester County and represent the Eastern Shore in Congress.”

This summer Delgado left his position on Gardner’s staff to challenge Harris.

Delgado said he will “run a positive campaign that deals with pocketbook issues and the issues facing the Eastern Shore.”  

There are some contrasts with Harris on water conservation and seismic blasting used in energy exploration.

“We are an energy-independent nation and we can harvest our resources without harming marine life and harming the livelihoods of our commercial fisherman,” he said.

Delgado said he’s looking forward to a debate with Harris.

 

Updated — MD 213 in Centreville Closed Through Monday Afternoon

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The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is continuing the closure of MD 213 (Centreville Road) between Main Street and Little Kidwell Avenue in Centreville through early afternoon Monday, October 21. Over the weekend, crews successfully moved the new MD 213 Bridge over Old Mill Stream Branch into place.  Before the road can be reopened, crews must complete paving and striping at the bridge approaches, work delayed due to heavy rainfall.

The detour route includes Commerce Street, MD 304 (Railroad Avenue) and US 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway).  Drivers traveling south along MD 213 may also use MD 305 (Hope Road) to US 301. Local traffic will have access up to the point of the closure.

MDOT SHA apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks drivers for their patience.  Drivers are urged to stay alert when approaching the detour and work zone area.  For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, click on Road Ready, MDOT SHA’s electronic construction brochure. For a look at real-time commute conditions and updates, please visit md511.maryland.gov.

 

Contact: MDOT SHA Office of Communications – (410) 545-0303

 

Pro Development Advocates and Conservationists at Odds on Third Kent Island Span

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With locations for a third Bay Bridge narrowed to three, Kent Island is said to be the most likely option, where Queen Anne’s and Anne Arundel Counties are already connected by two spans.

Gov. Larry Hogan said last month that he will consider Kent Island as the only option.

The state already has the right-of-way there and Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Jim Moran said it’s the only logical location to relieve the traffic backups that are “killing Queen Anne’s County.”

He said since the second span was built in 1973, highways east and west of the bridge have been expanded or added.

“All roads lead to Rome and Rome can’t take it anymore, the volume is just too much,” Moran said, at a Maryland Transportation Authority open house at Kent Island High School, Oct. 9. “The backups are here.”

“I’ve begged the state on multiple occasions to give us some hope,” he said.

Moran said he did not see another span at Kent Island as a third crossing but rather a replacement.

“This is a replacement bridge to handle the amount of traffic and future traffic we have running across that artery,” he said.

He said without a remedy, development and tourism on the Shore would suffer if people choose elsewhere to spend their money.

Moran also said there is solid support from at least four of QAC’s five commissioners to bring a third span to Kent Island.

Conservation Groups Fear Negative Impacts from More Traffic and People

ShoreRivers Riverkeeper Tim Trumbauer said “increased growth and development associated with more traffic and more people will have a negative impact on water quality.”

He said other solutions such as electronic tolling and more transit options should be favored over a new bridge.

Trumbauer said traffic could be reduced by “creating more vibrant communities on the Eastern Shore [where] people won’t have to commute as much.”

Queen Anne’s Conservation Executive Director Jay Falstad said his organization will oppose the third span to stop development that runs “counter to the goals of just about every county” on the Shore.

“There is not a road in America that hasn’t ultimately lead to more growth,” he said. “Anytime you bring in a new highway, or expand an existing highway, it ends up bringing in a lot more growth and development.”

He said the Shore is looking more at preservation than development.

“They’re trying to keep agriculture a principle part of the economy,” he said. “Filling up farmland with new houses is going in the wrong direction and the most costly form of land use is rural subdivisions.”

Del. Steve Arentz said that his personal opinions would not interfere with the will of voters.

“I still have to represent my voters and what the want in my district.” He said he would not support a span to Kent County because of the overwhelming opposition there. And that the jury was still out on whether he would support another span to Kent Island.

“When Queen Anne’s County as a group comes out and tells me they support a bridge in Queen Anne’s County, that will help me with my decision, I’ll probably follow the voters.”