A video of the Winterfest Tree Lighting.
Santa (10:05)
Countdown to the tree lighting (10:35)
A second youtube video featuring the town of Chesapeake City with Mayor Dean Geracimos.
C&D Museum (0:34)
Pell Gardens & wedding venues (3:00)
Serenity Salon & Spa (3:45)
Great youtube video featuring the Town of Chesapeake City with Mayor Dean Geracimos.
The Bayard House Restaurant. (7:50)
Chesapeake CityLearning Center. (14:34)
Chesapeake Inn Restaurant and Marina. (19:55)
Chesapeake City (southern section). The town was originally named the Village of Bohemia — or Bohemia Manor — but changed in 1839 after the C&D Canal was built separating the town into north and south sections. Courtesy of Mid-Atlantic Aerial
View the 2016 State of the Town Address
Rising Sun Herald Article: Chesapeake City Streetscape project in the works
Those new brick sidewalks in Chesapeake City are just the beginning.
A multi-phase Streetscape project, funded with an existing Sustainable Communities grant, is in the works for the town.
“The construction will be done in phases,” said Chesapeake City town manager Sandra Edwards. She also said that the project will be extended over several years and will cost $500,000-$800,000.
new trash receptacles and more. “We’re going to do it little by little unless we win the lottery,” said Edwards.
The objectives and the plan were recently outlined during a public meeting. The objectives are beautification, streetscape enhancements, drainage and accessibility improvements, and to use the Community Legacy funds. A great deal has to be considered. The town already has a large number of mature trees on the streets. The evaluations of the existing water main and storm systems have to be conducted. There will also need to be grading improvements, and Second Street work has to be coordinated with the state because it is a state highway. The town engineering firm, KCI, provided drawings of sample benches, bike racks, curbing, sidewalks, and more. They also provided sample lighting fixtures and street signs.
As was stated, First Street will be the first phase of work. That has been ongoing. The second phase is Bohemia Avenue from Pell Gardens to the Second Street Intersection. The third phase is Bohemia Avenue from Second Street to the Third Street intersection.
Phase one includes the brick sidewalk and granite curb, elimination of parallel street parking, and a crosswalk and ADA compliant ramps at the intersection of First State and Bohemia. Phase two includes brick sidewalk and granite curb, re-striping of parallel and street parking, and a crosswalk and ramps at intersection of First and Second streets. There will also be more street trees, lighting, benches, garbage cans, and more. A potential portion of this project will be restoring the roadway with grading. Phase three includes sidewalk and granite curb, parking changes, crosswalk and ramps at intersection of Second and Third streets, There will also be more street trees, lighting, benches, garbage cans, and more.
Phase one will cost $75,000. Phase two will cost $210,000 and an additional nearly $50,000 if the regrade is added. Phase three will cost $384,000 and will increase to $495,000 if the regrading is included in the project.
C& D Canal Waterfront Museum Now Open on Weekends!
Several years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers created a stunning historical tribute to the infamous C&D Canal. Starting from its origins as a canal dug by the hands and engineering ingenuity of over 1500 men, the museum bears witness to the millions of east-west passages that have gone through the historic canal and the stories they tell. Housed in its original early 1800s canal structures, this gem of a museum with moving exhibits and video offers a amazing look at the history, beauty and wildlife on what is still the third most active canal on the planet.
The museum is continually open to the public on weekdays but has not been accessible on Saturdays and Sundays until last year when the Chesapeake Inn, Schaefers Canal House and the Bayard House restaurants helped the town of Chesapeake City make weekend hours possible by providing staffing for the museum. The town of Chesapeake City wanted to add to tourists’ enjoyment of the area when they visit the charming historic town. Weekend visitors can take a tour of the museum from the hours of 11 am until 4 pm every Saturday and Sunday from now until the last weekend in October.
Last year, the museum was open for 20 weekends and enjoyed over 1,000 visitors from all over the world. This year the museum’s availability has been extended to 30 total weekends. Recent sign-ins in March to the Museum’s Log Book included people from Vietnam, Laos, Morocco, Chile, and Germany!
Don’t miss it. Bring the kids. Bring the grandparents. Bring yourselves. Children love the beautiful ship models, videos, and the ancient fossils from the first canal dig; Seniors get excited over the engineering, the ingenuity and the nostalgia. It’s a terrific family destination.
Weekend visitors can find the C&D Canal Museum at the intersection of Second Street and Bethel Road just west of the Chesapeake Inn. Parking areas marked with Canal Museum signage are located just outside the main gate.
Admission to the museum is free. ADA Accessible. MORE INFO: 410-885-5298 www.ChesapeakeCity.com
2016 St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Rising Sun Herald article: Chesapeake City excited about beautification projects
A brisk wind couldn’t blow away Sandra Edwards enthusiasm for spring projects.
Edwards, Chesapeake City’s town manager, is excited about beautification projects that are coming to the town.
Grant funds paid for ninth grade environmental science classes to be part of a year long action project which came through a grant written by staff at Fair Hill Nature Center. Those funds, $5,000 for Bo Manor students, will have a big impact along Chesapeake City’s 2nd Street.
Plantings, rain barrels, and major park work are coming. Rain barrels will be placed in the area of the town hall and near Pell Gardens. There will be abundant plantings of native species. “It will be more visually appealing,” said Edwards.
Ferry Slip Park will also get a butterfly garden. Local propagator Vic Priapi served as a consultant and provided recommendations on what will be planted. Special attention was also paid so that plants that attract bees won’t be placed in the park for safety reasons.
Town public works crewman David Pardee was ripping out old pines in Ferry Slip Park last week. That will make way for new platings, river birch trees, and more. About 200 students will alternate doing work on the town on April 7 and 8.
A portion of Ferry Slip Park includes horseshoe pits. Edwards said there has been discussion about whether those pits will stay or go. “We are leaning toward keeping them. Maybe we will promote it more,” said Edwards.
In other business from Chesapeake City:
As the weather turns nice, more visitors will be in the town. “The nice days we have had tons of people using the trail – hiking and biking,” said Edwards. The town is also getting docks and other areas ready for visitors.
Although it’s not a town event, the Chamber project ice skating rink won’t be back in winter. Weather and staffing are some of the reasons it won’t return. “We’ll come up with something else,” said Edwards.
