By Erica Quinones
News Editor
With the Sept. 5 signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington College, the town of Chestertown, and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), the town’s long envisioned Riverwalk project has gained momentum.
The Riverwalk concept has been around since the 1990s, according to Chestertown Town Manager Bill Ingersoll.
This concept is an extended waterfront trail along the Chester River that would stretch from the foot of High Street to Wilmer Park, before continuing to the junction of Radcliffe Creek and the Chester River.
As the College owns the properties between the Lelia Hynson Pavilion and Radcliffe Creek, the three parties had to agree on issues of construction, use, and maintenance of the trail as a single commitment. They also had to document a commitment from the College to renew the 1997 easement — a legal right to use someone else’s land for a specific purpose — to Chestertown for the construction, use, and maintenance of the waterfront walkway between High Street and Cannon Street, according to the MOU.
Amongst that stretch of property lies the Hodson Boathouse, the Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall, and the Armory.
As the Armory is empty, when asked if the property would be remodeled due to increased traffic, Director of College Communications Wendy Clarke said, “the Armory is certainly part of the overall development plan, though WC will not likely rehab it as a College facility.”
Additionally, WC has made piecemeal, or gradual, commitments to grant Chestertown the right to build and upkeep the full length of the planned Riverwalk across all waterfront campus properties for 30 years.
In the formulation of their agreement, the MOU defines the responsibilities of all three parties.
Chestertown is responsible for building and maintaining the trail at no cost to WC. The town must also keep liability insurance with WC named as an insured member for all College-owned property hosting the trail. Additionally, the town must collaborate with WC in planning the trail and coordinate construction and upkeep activities to prevent interference with College operations and events.
In addition to the 30-year easement on currently WC-owned waterfront property, the College agreed to include easements on properties that “may convey to or be leased to third parties in the future.”
As part of the town’s responsibility to collaborate on planning the trail with the College, WC has a duty to provide feedback on the plans in a reasonable time. When the trail opens, they also have the responsibility to grant public access to the trails during the same hours as Wilmer Park, according to the MOU.
As part of both the MOU and a separate deal, the College will also honor the late wife of James H. Smith with a memorial.
The honoring of Smith’s wife is part of the property sales transaction between Smith and the College, which enabled the Riverwalk to become feasible, according to Clarke.
The memorial will be located at the point where the waterfront trail crosses Smith’s former property.
Finally, ESLC will help facilitate and coordinate people working on the trail and the College and town in community engagement and outreach, as well as assist in securing funding for the construction and upkeep of the trail.
This final step is the longest, according to Ingersoll.
“Getting the grants and the funding for it is really the hard thing,” Ingersoll said. “We will have to make applications and study our own budgets to build this.”
Now that the MOU has been signed, all parties are fleshing out tentative locations with design details for the trails, which will not be uniform. Rather, their material and width will change depending on their location.
Once they are comfortable in the designs, they will produce an estimated cost and begin applying for grants. From there, Ingersoll said construction of the trail would not take long.
There is also a proposed trail that goes further past the Armory, but it would be expensive to construct as it goes through wetland, according to Ingersoll.
For now, the planned trail from High Street to the river junction will be a place for people to walk, run, or hang out.
“It is regional tourism development. People come here and they want something to do. Second thing, it is recreation. Third thing, it is health. Beauty might be a fourth,” Ingersoll said.