Christmas in April is Accepting Applications for Those in Need
Christmas in April Calvert County, Inc. is accepting applications for homeowners who may need assistance with the maintenance of their homes. This volunteer effort repairs and improves homes of low-income homeowners, particularly those of the elderly, disabled and families with children. Christmas in April Calvert County, Inc. is dedicated to the goal of helping these homeowners live in warmth, safety and independence.
Last year, Christmas in April Calvert County, Inc. volunteers worked on 57 homes. There is no cost to the homeowner approved for the program. For eligibility criteria, to make a referral or to obtain an application, learn more online at www.christmasinaprilcalvertcounty.org .
New Video Highlights Comprehensive Plan Update Process
Learn about the two-year process of updating the county's Comprehensive Plan and rewriting the Zoning Ordinance in a new video overview now available.
Public input is vital as the county works to update the documents guiding the future of Calvert County. Residents will be able to offer their vision for the county, from transportation, economic development and public safety to recreation, natural resources, housing and more. The visions encapsulated in the Comprehensive Plan get translated into policies and law; that law is the Zoning Ordinance.
Check out the video, then learn more and stay abreast of the planning process at www.co.cal.md.us/FutureCalvert .
County Kicks Off Comprehensive Plan Update Project
The Calvert County Department of Community Planning and Building has embarked on a two-year process of updating the county's Comprehensive Plan and rewriting the Zoning Ordinance. Citizens play a vital role in this process .
Plan to attend a highly interactive workshop and take an active role in this process. Share your vision for economic vitality, tourism and recreational opportunities, preserving rural character, bringing growth and vibrancy to town centers and maintaining or enhancing Calvert County's way of life.
The workshop schedule is:
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department
3170 West Ward Road, Dunkirk
Thursday, Sept. 29, 1-3 p.m.
Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad & Fire Department
13150 H.G. Trueman Road, Solomons
Thursday, Sept. 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Calvert High School
520 Fox Run Blvd., Prince Frederick
Doors open 30 minutes before each meeting for an open house. Maps, graphs and other information will be on display. The workshops are structured for participants to hear from each other and for the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance team to hear from citizens in facilitated small group discussions. Learn more and visit www.co.cal.md.us/FutureCalvert.
Recognizing Recycling Superstars
The Board of County Commissioners recognized 11 winners of the first annual Calvert County Recycling Awards last month. The recipients demonstrated recycling ingenuity and results while highlighting best practices that inspire others to join the effort.
Congratulations to: Calvert Library Southern Branch, Asbury Solomons Continuing Care Retirement Community, Calvert Memorial Hospital, Exelon/Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Sneade's Ace Home Center, Chesapeake's Bounty, Planet Aid, Trash Troopers First Lego League Robotics Team, Dowell Elementary School, Mill Creek Middle School and Calvert High School.
"These winners showed how powerful the results can be when you stay focused and committed to a recycling program," said board President Evan Slaughenhoupt.
Dominion Breaks Ground at Patuxent Business Park
Dominion Cove Point LNG leadership were joined by the Board of County Commissioner and other dignitaries during the groundbreaking of Dominion's new building in the Patuxent Business Park.
Upon completion, the 8.3-acre site will include a 42,000-square-foot warehouse with 10,000 square feet of offices, meeting rooms and conference rooms. Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2016 with an estimated investment of $9 million. The project is the first to break ground in the 92-acre planned business campus in Lusby.
PEM Talks 2016 at the Calvert Marine Museum
The 2016 PEM Talks Series will focus on Vanished Steamboats: The Maritime Art of C. Leslie Oursler, the newest exhibit on display in the Mezzanine Gallery at the Calvert Marine Museum. Celebrate the largely forgotten era of steamboat travel on select Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Harms Gallery in September, October, and November. Lectures are free and open to the public.
On Thursday, September 8, Jack Shaum, guest curator for the exhibit and longtime friend of the artist, will speak about Oursler's life and work. An expert on steamboats in his own right, Mr. Shaum vividly evokes the golden age of steam travel through photographs and descriptions.
On Thursday, October 6, Dr. Ralph Eshelman, will discuss how steamboat wharves and landings became the focal point of social and commercial activity on the waterfront. With the move to automobiles and trains and consequent decline in steamboating, the social and commercial fabric of this region changed; however the evidence of this era as Dr. Eshelman will show, remains.
On November 10, Pete Lesher, Chief Curator at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum broadens the focus to steamboats throughout the Chesapeake. The importance of the steam lines to commerce, the economy, and social interactions of people living up and down the Chesapeake Bay is fully explored.
Vanished Steamboats: The Maritime Art of C. Leslie Oursler is on display in the museum's Mezzanine Gallery through the end of December. For more information about the PEM Talks 2016 Series, contact Sherrod Sturrock, Acting CMM Director at 410-326-2042, ext. 32 or email sturrosa@co.cal.md.us.
Residents Asked to Reduce Mosquito Population by Eliminating Standing Water
The best way to prevent mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases is to get rid of mosquito breeding habitats. At the height of mosquito season, the Calvert County Department of General Services Mosquito Control Program is again asking residents to assist in the control of mosquitoes by inspecting their properties for standing water. Any area or container that holds water for a week or more has the potential to produce hundreds, or even thousands, of mosquitoes.
The county Mosquito Control Program team offers the following tips:
• Drain or dump tarps, buckets and flower pots.
• Keep roof gutters free of leaves and other debris.
• Fill in tree stump holes from blown over trees as soon as possible.
• Dispose of cans, plastic containers and anything else that can hold water.
• Cover or drill holes in recycling containers or outside trash cans.
• Turn wheelbarrows, wading pools, children's toys and other similar items over or put them away.
• Store boats covered or upside down.
• Clean and put fresh water in birdbaths or wading pools regularly.
• Make sure your home's windows and doors have proper screening.
• When outdoors wear light colored long pants and long sleeves.
• Use an approved insect repellent according to manufacturers' instructions.
The Calvert County Mosquito Control Program provides countywide integrated pest abatement of nuisance and vector (disease carrier) mosquitoes. For a comprehensive overview of the program, visit online at www.co.cal.md.us/MosquitoControl, and for more information contact Mosquito Control via email at mosquitocontrol@co.cal.md.us or via phone at 410-535-6924.