WCTR News

It’s that time of year for interested parties to sign up to be in the Rock Hall Hometown Annual 4th of July Parade. The march starts at 10am on Thursday, July 4, 2024. Line up begins at the Lagoon around 9am. Registration forms are due by June 24. Once you sign up, you’ll receive a confirmation by mail.

Kent County recently received its StormReady certification from the National Weather Service (NWS), making Maryland the eighth state to have all of its local jurisdictions be certified as StormReady. The program was started by the NWS in 1998 and uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle all types of extreme weather—from tornadoes to winter storms. To qualify as StormReady, a community must: establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center; have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts to alert the public and create a system that monitors weather conditions locally.

Mayor John Carroll and the Galena Town Council this week passed the ordinance to their FY-25 budget in an unanimous vote. The spending plan divides funds into general, sewer and water categories to the tune of just over a million dollars. The budget includes tax revenue of $258,000, alongside $76,678 in receivables for utilities. There are no increases in taxes or fees.

The Town of Rock Hall Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m. so citizens will have the opportunity to provide comments regarding a revision to the definition of Accessory Dwelling Units. The hearing will be conducted in person at St. John’s Catholic Church Hall at 5621 South Main Street, Rock Hall. The public hearing will be followed by the regular meeting of the Planning Commission at which members will make a recommendation to the Mayor and Town Council.

The goal for the Kent County School Board is to have a new superintendent in place by the time current Superintendent Karen Couch’s departure effective June 30. Right now, three candidates are being considered; Mary Boswell-McComas, LeTrecia Gloster and Dawn Lucarelli. They met with the search team and stakeholders recently and got a tour of the school system.
The search now moves into what’s considered phase four in order to pick a finalist.

The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners are actively seeking someone to fill a vacancy on the Historic Stevensville Arts & Entertainment Advisory Board. The deadline for applications is June 28, 2024. The board was created to develop, promote, and support artistic and cultural centers that provide unique local experiences, attract tourism, and spur economic revitalization and neighborhood pride.

Recently, a Petition for Judicial Review of the Chestertown Historic District Commission’s (HDC) approval of partial demolition of the armory building (509 S. Cross Street) was filed with the Circuit Court for Kent County by three town residents. The town received the petition this week and the filing the petition begins a sixty-day period for the Town to respond by filing the proceeding’s record of documents, including a transcript of the hearing.

The Chestertown Utilities Commission is taking sealed bids from qualified engineering firms until July 1 at 3:00 pm for the Water Plant Engineering Redesign Project. The work on the 1.5-acre site includes site design for Phase II of the upgrades to the plant. Bidding firms are being asked to show evidence of completed work on similar projects.

The third annual Saturday In The Park is happening on Saturday at Wilmer Park in Chestertown. The day kicks off with a guided kayak tour of Radcliffe Creek from 10 a.m. to noon departing from the kayak launch at Wilmer Park. Full activities begin at noon. Music will kick-off at the main stage while volleyball, cornhole, bocce, and other field games start up.

Rock Hall officials have some tips for residents during hydrant flushing season. Prior to local hydrants being flushed, you may want to obtain water for your everyday use including drinking, cooking, etc. When the flushing is taking place, water quality may temporarily be reduced. Using water for tasks such as dishwashing, laundry, or showering may result in the discoloration/staining of your clothes or household items Once the hydrants in your area have completed their flushing, it will not be long until your water is ready for normal use again.