Easton Utilities named John E. Hines, P.E., as the Vice President of Electric and Utility Projects. This new position will be responsible for the planning, engineering, project/construction management, energy supply, and real-time operations for the broad range of projects requiring Easton Utilities’ services. 

“I plan to focus on upholding our safety culture to protect our teams, supporting infrastructure investments necessary for reliability, researching smart energy solutions, and delivering operational excellence,” said Hines.  

In this new role, Hines will continue to oversee all aspects of Easton Utilities’ electric operations including generation, distribution, and maintenance, along with managing the expanding facilities and vehicle fleet utilized by the entire organization. In addition, he will be responsible for providing overall leadership and long-term strategic planning necessary to execute Easton Utilities’ mission of “enhancing the quality of life in our community”. 

Hines began his career at Easton Utilities in 2004 as an Electrical Engineer . Prior to joining Easton Utilities, he held roles including Lead Electrical Engineer and Project Manager for companies in the mid-Atlantic region specializing in power generation and delivery in grid-based and islanded power systems. 

“John not only has technical knowledge and business acumen, but he is a visionary with a high standard for performance by his teams,” said John J. Horner, President and CEO of Easton Utilities. “He empowers others to strive for excellence and is a critical component of our leadership team.”

Hines holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in business strategy from The Pennsylvania State University. He has been a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland since 2002. Hines is a graduate of Shore Leadership (2022) and is active with the Miles River Yacht Club, where he has served in various positions, including Commodore. Hines is a native of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, but has lived in Easton since 2004 with his wife and two daughters.  

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Visit eastonutilities.com for more information.

The holiday season is alive and well in downtown Easton! Throughout November and December, downtown will be filled with festive fun for the entire family.

It all starts November 30th with Shop Small Saturday kicking off the holidays. Downtown businesses will showcase the latest styles and gifts for the season. Shop Small Saturday remains the perfect time to find fantastic presents while supporting locally owned businesses that make the community unique and special.

Easton Utilities will bring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s phone booth and Santa Claus back to the Talbot Town Shopping Center from November 29th through December 24th. Young ones can share their Christmas wish list with Rudolph by phone and take a picture with the Jolly man himself.

Make room on your calendar for the Festival of Trees and Carols by Candlelight, which also begins November 30th. Magnificent, decorated Christmas trees with the theme “Holiday Traditions” will be displayed at the historic Tidewater Inn on 101 East Dover St. The trees are available for sale over Thanksgiving Weekend from November 30th to December 3rd and benefit Talbot Hospice.  The Carols by Candlelight celebration will be on South Harrison Street. Choral groups, choirs, and bell ringers will perform and all spectators will receive a complimentary candle and songbook. Enjoy hot cocoa and holiday treats provided by our local restaurants and stores. The celebration starts with Santa lighting a special Christmas tree.

Celebrate the Holidays with the Starlight Shopping Event in Downtown Easton on December 5th, 12th, and 19th! Easton’s downtown shops and restaurants will be open until 7 p.m. jam-packed with refreshments, snacks, and great holiday gifts to purchase. Enjoy live music, free carriage rides from Tanglao Carriage Drivers picking up at 11 S Harrison St, and a scrumptious gourmet hot cocoa trail to keep warm during shopping. Visitors who spend $50 in any business downtown during Starlight Shopping in December can receive a free signature Discover Easton Ornament with proof of purchase.

For All Seasons will once again host their Holiday Village with Frosty the Snowman event at Anchor Church (620 Goldsborough Street) on December 6th, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Stroll through their holiday village and enjoy free family activities, including professional photos with Frosty and friends, holiday crafts, complimentary cocoa, cider, and winter treats, and a continuous showing of Frosty’s Winter Wonderland on the big screen.

Bluepoint Hospitality’s Holiday market returns to the historic Ebenezer Theater from December 6th to December 24th. Visitors can expect a curated selection of holiday essentials for gifting and entertaining, from ornaments to fine wine, as well as complimentary photos with Santa on December 7th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Bluepoint will also host a free screening of the animated Christmas adventure The Polar Express on Sunday, December 8th at the Ebenezer at noon.

Easton Choral Arts will present Gloria! On Friday, December 6th, at 7:30 p.m. and December 8th, at 4:00 p.m. This concert will radiate the joy and splendor of the Christmas season. At the heart of this program is Vivaldi’s iconic Gloria, a timeless masterpiece that has warmed the hearts of countless audiences for centuries.

Easton’s annual Holiday Parade will take place on December 7th and kick off with a visit from Mr and Mrs. Claus at 5:30 p.m. at Thompson Park, followed by the yearly tree lighting at 6 p.m.  Get a picture with the jolly couple before they rush downtown to headline the parade at 6:30 p.m. The parade route begins at Talbot Town, heads south on Harrison Street, turns onto South Street, then heads north on Washington Street, and ends at Talbot Town. With over 65 vehicles, marching bands, and floats, this parade will surely showcase the very best of Easton during the Holiday season.

Delight in a Breakfast with Santa, a buffet tailored for children and their parents at the Tidewater Inn on December 8th at 9 a.m. The buffet will offer favorites like omelets, a waffle station, eggs benedict, as well as Bloody Marys and Mimosas for adults. Buddy the Elf will also make an appearance as the Master of Ceremonies. The Tidewater will also host their second annual Gingerbread Challenge on December 12th. It will be an evening of spirited competition, delectable treats, and the chance to claim the sweet champion title.

The classic musical The Sound of Music will be at the Avalon Theatre starting December 12th and running until December 22nd. A community experience wrapped up in a holiday celebration with a score of unforgettable songs, The Sound of Music promises to delight audiences of all ages!

Tom Maglio, the Marketing and Events Manager at Easton Economic Development Corporation, expressed his excitement for Easton’s festive happenings, “Downtown Easton is always beautiful, but this holiday season so many people are coming together to make downtown into a perfect backdrop to make memories. We have some truly spectacular restaurants and unique and plentiful local shops, all set to a picturesque backdrop to create the sort of experience those perfect holiday memories are made of.”

For more information on all these great downtown Easton holiday events, please visit our website www.DiscoverEaston.com and click on the Holiday in Easton tab.

Easton Economic Development Corporation was launched in 2013 to drive economic vitality, smart redevelopment, and business creation in the historic Town of Easton, Maryland, to foster a healthy quality of life for all generations. The Easton EDC works to catalyze Greater Easton’s continued prosperity as a diverse and healthy “smart town,” leading innovation where the land and water meet.

The members of the Board of Public Works — left to right, Treasurer Dereck Davis, Gov. Wes Moore and Comptroller Brooke Lierman — listen Wednesday to Attorney General Anthony Brown, who was speaking by video, describe a settlement with the ex-developer of a state property in Baltimore. Photo by Josh Kurtz.

Political leaders said the steep settlement payment the Board of Public Works authorized Wednesday to the former developer of the abandoned State Center redevelopment project in Baltimore is a worthwhile investment and an opportunity to protect the state from potentially greater damages.

The board, consisting of Gov. Wes Moore (D), State Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) and state Treasurer Dereck Davis (D), voted unanimously to pay $58.5 million to State Center LLC, ending a complicated and years-long dispute over the fate of the 25-acre state-owned office complex in Midtown Baltimore.

Officials described the settlement as a chance to take a fresh approach to redeveloping the strategically located property and putting to rest a controversy over a stalled project that has vexed four governors.

“This was not simple,” Moore said. “This has been a long-term challenge. I’m excited about what it’s going to mean for the future of Baltimore City. I’m excited about what it’s going to mean for state residents. I’m excited about what it’s going to mean for Maryland.”

The payment — with $40 million to be delivered to the developer next month and another $18.5 million to be doled out by July 1, 2025 — will settle all claims from a 2016 lawsuit against the Board of Public Works (BPW) and several state agencies. The suit was filed when then-Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in 2016 announced the state would go to court to terminate the proposed $1.5 billion redevelopment project. State Center LLC then counter-sued.

The redevelopment plan had been floated and debated since 2005, during the administration of then-Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R), and the BPW first approved the project in 2009, under Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). State Center, which runs parallel to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard through the spine of the city, consists of five ugly high-rise office buildings built in the middle of the last century that housed several state agencies.

The long-stalled State Center complex in Baltimore has been the subject of false starts, lawsuits – and a $58.5 million settlement Wednesday. Photo by Bruce DePuyt.

Addressing the BPW by video Wednesday, Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) said the state could have been on the hook for more than $200 million in damages if the developers’ case against the government had gone to trial — due in part to “changed circumstances” from recent court decisions on other property disputes.

“This is really a risk-benefit assessment, as are all settlements, of course,” Lierman said. “This could be a much, much higher number if we were to litigate and potentially lose — even partially lose.”

Lierman also took a swipe at Hogan, saying “the high-dollar amount [of the settlement] illustrates the wrong-headedness of the previous administration’s approach.”

Davis, the state treasurer, who routinely asks sharp questions about proposed state settlement payments, said he had no hesitation supporting this one, in part because of the state’s potential legal exposure.

“I think I’ve been a pain about most settlements, but in this case, I’m in favor of what’s been done here,” he said.

Mostly, though, officials sought to emphasize how the settlement now frees the city and state to begin shaping a new vision for the parcel, which Lierman, a Baltimore City resident, repeatedly called “prime real estate,” near academic institutions, cultural centers, medical facilities and residential neighborhoods.

Moore said several state and city agencies will begin meeting regularly, to come up with a plan for the property. Hogan originally envisioned turning the land over to the city government, but that transfer was halted by the litigation. Even so, city officials have hired a planning consulting firm to help them develop a mixed-use plan for the land.

“Today is simply just not about a legal matter,” Marvin James, chief of staff to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), told the BPW members. “Today is about your commitment to investing in Baltimore City.”

Due to the decaying conditions at the State Center buildings and the expectation that the property would eventually be redeveloped, at least 3,300 state workers have already been moved to offices in downtown Baltimore over the past three years. Fewer than 5,000 government employees remain, spread out over seven state agencies, though they, too, will eventually relocate.

Earlier this month, four State Center office buildings were closed for a few days, and workers told to telework, after elevated levels of legionella, a highly contagious strain of pneumonia, were found in one of the buildings, WBAL-TV reported.

by Josh Kurtz, Maryland Matters
November 20, 2024

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected]. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and X.

Community Grand Opening Celebration with Giveaways Scheduled for Saturday, November 16

Dollar General is excited to announce its new DG Market at 3795 Ocean Gateway in Trappe is now open!  The new DG Market store features an expanded selection of fresh meats, fruits and vegetables, as well as the same categories, brands and products customers trust Dollar General to carry. To celebrate, the Company plans to host a grand opening event on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 8 a.m., which will include $10 complimentary gift cards to the first 50 adult customers and DG tote bags to the first 100 customers.

“We are excited to provide Trappe residents with our new DG Market format and look forward to welcoming customers to our new location,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development.  “At Dollar General, we believe the addition of our new Trappe store provides positive economic growth for the community through the creation of new jobs and career growth opportunities; increased accessibility to affordable products; the generation of tax revenue and access to Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants. We strive to provide a pleasant shopping experience to customers and looking forward to being a strong business partner and good neighbor.”

Dollar General plans to create new jobs in the Trappe community as the store is expected to employ approximately 10-15 people, depending on the individual needs of the store. Individuals interested in joining the DG team may review available positions and apply online at www.dollargeneral.com/careers. The Company provides employees with competitive wages, world-class and award-winning training and development programs and benefits including day-one telemedicine eligibility as well as health insurance coverage options, 401K savings and retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave and adoption assistance to eligible employees.

DG strives to be a good neighbor and is committed to the communities it proudly calls home, evidenced by unwavering support of literacy and education initiatives through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.  The addition of the Trappe store opens the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $254 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 21.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dgliteracy.com.

Rivers & Roads Consulting is pleased to announce the addition of Margaret Knudsen to the team as a Consultant. With over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, grant writing, and community development, Margaret brings a wealth of knowledge and an impressive record of driving organizational impact through strategic planning and resource development.

Margaret joins Rivers & Roads from her role as Executive Director of Cambridge Main Street, where she transformed the organization’s financial outlook and community presence. Her strategic fundraising efforts secured over $200,000 in new revenue, bolstered by significant grants and corporate sponsorships. Under her leadership, Cambridge Main Street’s operating budget more than doubled, allowing the organization to expand its services and solidify its role within the community.

“Margaret’s expertise in grant writing and her strategic approach to community revitalization make her an invaluable addition to our team,” said Sam Shoge, Partner at Rivers & Roads Consulting. “She has demonstrated time and again her ability to secure resources that fuel meaningful, long-term growth. We look forward to seeing her make a similar impact here as we work to empower communities across the region.”

At Rivers & Roads, Margaret will apply her grant writing expertise to help clients identify and secure funding that supports impactful projects. Her ability to build relationships with donors and stakeholders, combined with her proven track record in crafting compelling grant proposals, will provide clients with a strong foundation for success.

Reflecting on her new role, Margaret shared, “I am thrilled to join Rivers & Roads and bring my experience in nonprofit management and grant writing to an organization so dedicated to community development. It’s rewarding to work with a team that shares my commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities. I look forward to helping our clients secure the funding and resources they need to make a lasting difference.”

In addition to her work at Cambridge Main Street, Margaret has a diverse background that includes roles such as Public Relations Director at HealthCorps, where she secured national media coverage and developed community-centered social media strategies. A member of the Grant Professionals Association, Margaret continues to be a valuable asset for organizations in need of strategic guidance in securing and managing grant funding.

About Rivers & Roads Consulting

Rivers & Roads Consulting is as a regional leader in community, economic, and real estate development consulting. With a keen focus on driving transformative change, our firm collaborates closely with mission-oriented nonprofits, forward-thinking local governments, and ambitious entrepreneurs to architect and execute initiatives that invigorate communities and stimulate sustainable growth.

“Fran does not let any challenge hold her back—she is a fierce advocate for her clients and she gets results,” Girard said. “Her dedication to public service is truly extraordinary, and we are deeply grateful.”

Qlarant announced today that Christine Leister, CPA, CGMA has been promoted to become the company’s Chief Financial Officer. She is a finance, accounting, and business management executive with over 30 years of progressive experience in government contracting. During her career, she has been involved with service providers, product manufacturers, construction firms, and healthcare industries.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to lead our outstanding Finance team here at Qlarant,” said Leister. “I’ve been lucky to have been a part of a number of impressive organizations during my career, but Qlarant is quite unique. The people and mission-driven culture here make our role in Finance feel that much more vital. It’s not just about keeping the business on track and thriving, it’s about supporting both the business and the Qlarant Foundation’s important work.”

Prior to her promotion, Ms. Leister was Director of Accounting at Qlarant for over 3 years. Before joining Qlarant, she held the position of Controller with multiple firms including Federal Resources where she was involved in a period of major growth going from $72M to over $500M in revenue. She also held the positions of Chief Financial Officer for Jerome Parks Companies in Annapolis, Maryland and President at CCE LLC.

“I look forward to working with all of our leaders in achieving the vision of strategic growth that’s been developed,” said Leister. “We have strong financial and professional controls which makes it not surprising that we’ve been around more than 50 years. Qlarant is truly a company of ‘Best People. Best Solutions. Best Results.’ It is a fantastic place to work and I look forward to continuing my career here.”

“We are excited to promote Christine Leister to our leadership team,” said Qlarant CEO Dr. Ron Forsythe, Jr. “Over the course of her career, she has been a major part of enabling companies to take the next step in their growth. We’ve come to rely on her knowledge and perspective during her years with Qlarant and we look forward to what’s coming next for her and the company.”

Ms. Leister holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Delaware. She is also a certified Global Management Accountant and Public Accountant.

About Qlarant: Qlarant is a not-for-profit, nationally respected leader in fighting fraud, waste, and abuse, improving program quality, and optimizing performance. The company uses subject matter experts and innovative data science and technology to help organizations see risks, solve problems, and seize opportunities. Qlarant provides customized solutions for state, federal and commercial industries across the nation. The Qlarant Foundation— the mission arm of the organization—has provided over $6 million in grants to charities throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. Qlarant employs nearly 500 people and has a 50-year record of accomplishment improving the performance of some of the Nation’s most important programs. Headquartered in Easton, MD, Qlarant has offices throughout the country. Qlarant is a five-time winner of the Best Places to Work award. For more information, visit www.qlarant.com or contact [email protected]