Newsletter from June 5, 2017 — GOOD NEWS ABOUT CRISFIELD:

Hello, good people!
Some of you may be wondering why you haven’t heard from me since January.  That’s because in February I was struck by a terrible virus that affected the back of my lower body to my feet leaving me unable to walk. After two weeks in the hospital, eleven weeks of inpatient and outpatient rehab, and now exercising at home on my own, I am recovering steadily and anticipate a complete recovery. Many of you who knew about it have prayed for me and reached out to me, and for that I thank you. As I have been getting better and better, Crisfield has too. I have gathered the following GOOD NEWS to share with you, and there will be more in about a month or two after some pending projects are finalized. Prepare yourself. This is LONG but GOOD!

TANGIER SOUND PROPERTY AT PUPPY HOLE:

• The property previously developed by Ryan Homes and held by Wells Fargo sold at auction on May 24 for $261,000 plus 10% buyer’s premium (= $287,000) to a buyer from Georgia. The property, which includes over 7 acres on Tangier Sound, 37 boat slips and pier, a swimming pool, and pool house, has been at a standstill for over ten years. Development of this property will be a major boost for Crisfield.

GREEN SPACE AT CITY DOCK:

• Things are moving ahead at the City Dock with the $100,000+ Green Space Project, the last part of the $1.3 million restoration there. According to City Manager, Rick Pollitt, there will be “natural plantings, historical markers, benches to enjoy the sunsets, picnic tables, and a small gazebo for music entertainment and such. We hope to have much of the project completed by early July.”

4th SATURDAY BAY STROLLS:

• Sponsored by the Somerset County Arts Council, WBYC radio, and the City of Crisfield, this new initiative is providing live music by local artists and great food at the City Dock the 4th Saturday of each month through October. The first event was May 27, and visitors and locals alike enjoyed the opportunity to gather, shop, and eat along West Main Street up to the City Dock.

WELLINGTON BEACH:

• Wellington Beach is ready for the season and looking good due to new sand, benches, and flags. It is one of Crisfield’s assets that both local people and visitors enjoy. The beach is being taken care of by a new organization called the Crisfield Community Beach to Bay Conservation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. They are also taking care of the VFW cemetery and part of the cemetery in town among other things.

CRAB DERBY COOKING CONTEST RECIPE BOOK:

• The Crisfield Chamber of Commerce has published a new cookbook of fifty years of winning recipes from the National Hard Crab Derby contests. Entitled From Crab Pot to Table Top, the cookbook contains recipes for nearly 400 dishes and includes appetizers, soups, salads, crab cakes, and main dishes, plus more. You can stop by the Chamber office at 906 West Main Street for a copy or call the office at 410-968-2500 for details or to purchase. At a price of $15, this will make a nice gift as well as a personal copy for home use.

CRAB & CRUISE:

• The Crab Place (crabplace.com) has expanded its Crab & Cruise events this year to 18 events, with one almost every weekend through September. Promoting these events to their 80,000 member email customer base, 85,000+ fans on Facebook and 83,000 followers, Crab Place continues to sell out 90% of its events. Each event brings 250 people to Crisfield, totaling over 4500 visitors for the season. The Crisfield events have themes such as Motown, Rhythm & Blues, Classic Rock and Roll, and Oldies Rock and Roll. In October, they will also hold their annual Crab & Cruise in Tampa, plus they are exploring having Crab & Cruise events in other cities in the future. Whether these events are in Crisfield or in other locations, they are an opportunity to promote Crisfield and attract tourists here.

TAWES MUSEUM:

• The Heritage Foundation hired a new part-time Executive Director, Claire Otterbein, as well as a Salisbury University student from Crisfield, Casey Goldsborough, for the summer as an assistant. Both started in the past week. The Heritage Foundation has been without an Executive Director for two years, and this will enable the Foundation to make giant leaps forward to add additional programs and bring people to the museum and to Crisfield.

TOURIST FEEDBACK:

• Community leader Phil Riggin shared a conversation he had with two tourists from Oklahoma whom he met at the City Dock one day recently. They shared that they intended to spend one day in Crisfield, but were so enchanted that they stayed five. They visited both Smith Island and Tangier and also ate in local restaurants and visited local shops. They found everyone friendly and enjoyed the food and the service. The goal of the Five Year  Action Plan for Crisfield is to bring more people to town and have them have an enjoyable experience as these tourists did.

CIRCLE INN:

• Mary Nelson, co-owner of Water’s Edge Cafe in Crisfield, recently purchased Circle Inn Restaurant. Circle Inn was owned and operated by Anita Tyler Roughton for 32 years. It is interesting to see two business women in Crisfield making an exchange, something rare here. Circle Inn will continue with basically the same menu, but will be open for breakfast and lunch only – 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

NEW HAIR SALON:

• Crisfield has a new hair salon called Evolutions Too. It is located across from the Fire Department and is open part-time.

TIDEWATER EXPRESS:

• The cargo and freight company, Tidewater Express, moved back to Crisfield earlier this year.

OCEAN CITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION:

• On February 17, City officials met with the Executive Director and President of the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) to learn how their development corporation operates and how it benefits Ocean City. This was intended to provide a comparison to what the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition (GCAC) could do to benefit Crisfield once endorsed by the Mayor and Council.  According to the presentation, the City of Ocean City invests $100,000 each year into OCDC for operations and provides office space. In return, the work of OCDC has resulted in a 9 to 1 return on investment in tax dollars for Ocean City each year. The County also puts $100,000 into operations and enjoys a 15 to 1 return on investment. The state also sees a 2 to 1 return. These returns come from the use of state grants for facade improvements and other measures that increase Ocean City’s tax base. OCDC does all this through applying for grants from only one state grant program. Crisfield has the opportunity to seek grants from many other sources including state and federal agencies and foundations because of our potential and demographics. The Mayor, City Manager, and two city council members attended the meeting along with City Manager Rick Pollitt and Mayor Kim Lawson. Several members of the GCAC Board were also in attendance representing GCAC including Charlotte Scott (also a member of City Council), Keith Campbell, Jay Tawes, Dan Nelson, and Adam Thompson. This meeting was set up by City Manager Rick Pollitt to help the council better understand how a community development corporation works and benefits the city’s tax base and tax revenue, if supported.

CITY AND GCAC MEETING:

• City Manager Rick Pollitt will be facilitating a meeting on June 6 between representatives of the City and of GCAC to discuss finding ways to move forward. Representing the City are Mayor Kim Lawson and Council Vice President LaVerne Johnson. Representing GCAC are Secretary Darlene Taylor and Treasurer Jay Tawes. This is an important step toward working together. GCAC is seeking support from the City for the Five Year Action Plan so that GCAC can seek funds for implementation.

CARVEL HALL:

• Tom Spangler and Kevin Hill of Spangler Strategic Advisors, LLC have signed an Option Agreement with the City of Crisfield on March 29, 2017 and have one year to purchase Carvel Hall for $200,000. During the year prior to settlement, SSA expects to spend roughly $200,000 for environmental and physical audits of the property. If the purchase goes forward, they expect to redevelop the exterior and interior of the 70,000 SF building area and 23 + acres of land area as well as resolve all contamination issues remaining following the use of the property previously for cutlery making. They have previous experience in developing brown field sites like Carvel Hall, and have identified 5 potential uses for the building once any remaining environmental issues and renovations are complete.  SSA projects as many as 68 fulltime or part-time jobs at the facility related to renewable energy generation, specialty nutrient blending, electronics assembly, machining, and UAS assembly and tests. City Manager, Rick Pollitt, said after meeting with SSA last week that, “Things are going extremely well with close collaboration between their team and the Maryland Department of Environment.” After being closed for almost 20 years, this will be a real step forward for Crisfield and a boost to job opportunities here.

WIND TURBINE UPDATE:

• The City’s wind turbine is now spinning and generating energy savings for the wastewater treatment plant located nearby. City Manager Rick Pollitt said on Friday, “The most recent electric bills indicate a two-thirds reduction in electricity costs.  The project is virtually complete and should be turned over to the City in a matter of a couple of weeks.”

PHOENIX SOLAR:

• Meanwhile, Phoenix Solar is leasing a portion of the Carvel Hall property from the City for storage of solar farm materials, which are being trucked in every day. This is a new, small, but much needed revenue stream for the City.

COMMUNITY LEGACY GRANT:

• The City of Crisfield, assisted by the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition and the Long-Term Recovery Committee, is resubmitting the grant proposal that was submitted last year for Community Legacy funds to build an affordable home in Crisfield. It is believed that last year’s proposal was not funded due to unspent funds by the City from a previous grant and because Community Legacy funds went mainly to established programs. However, this year the City has been encouraged to re-submit last year’s proposal. Jennifer Rafter, the City’s new part-time grant writer is finalizing the proposal for $145,000 and will submit it on June 8. The proposal calls for the City to build a historic style home on a city-owned lot. Once completed, the home will be sold to a low to moderate income resident, and the proceeds will be used to build another home. Kim Hopkins, Construction Manager for Long-Term recovery, will oversee the project. The City has the opportunity to submit this proposal every year, and if funded, the City could build or repair 50-100 homes in the next ten years by building and selling each one and reinvesting the proceeds.

JOB TRAINING CENTER:

• The Somerset County Developmental Center opened a Training Center near Food Lion for developmentally disabled individuals. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held earlier this month.

So, as you can see, there’s lots happening…! Going forward, my plan is to send you a newsletter near the 1st of each month and focus on the 10-12 most significant things that have happened in Crisfield, IF I can contain it to that. Crisfield is definitely on the move, so don’t be surprised if the news about Crisfield stays LONG and GOOD. 
Best, Charlotte