Minutes Kent Narrows Development Foundation Board of Directors Meeting January 24, 2024  Board Members Participating Jody Schulz, Chair Joel Pomerantz, Vice Chair Patricia Worns, Secretary (via Zoom) Victoria Hoffman, Treasurer Jakel Boulay Justinl Kiernan Bill Oertel Kelly Phipps Jason) Ruth Jeff Smith (via Zoom) Absent with Notice Mike Foster Commissioner Liaison Commissioner Phil Dumenil Queen Anne's County Staff  Heather Tinelli, QACI Director of Economic and' Tourism Development  Guests  Lindal Friday, QAC Chamber of Commerce Scott Davies, resident, Narrows Pointe Community Gary Hofmann, Sheriff, Queen Anne's County  CalltoOrder Public Comment  Chair] Jody Schulz calledt to ordert the regular meeting of the Kent Narrows Development Foundation at Lindal Friday distributed the new Chamber Directory. The cover photo was taken at Godfrey's Farm. The Chamber is doing anl Expo on! March 61 from 3:00p.m. to 7:00p.m. att the Kent Island Fire Department. Pat Worns made ai motion to accept the KNDF meeting minutes of December 19, 2023. The Board  9:01 a.m. Ther meeting was conducted: inj person and via Zoom.  Minutes RESOLUTION unanimously approved. Financial Report (Victoria Hoffman)  The following balances are from financial reports ending 12/31/2023: Shore United Checking Account: $122,618.00  QAC/KNDF: 5701 Fund, due from QAC: $246,394.79 (does noti include interest income for  August).  1    KNDF Amenities Fund, due from QAC: $67,191.36. Noj projects that would contribute additional  monies tot this fund are inp progress orp planned. Chesapeake Charities Fund: $7,9.23.31 Land Maintenance! Fund Balance $22,572  Grant Funds: $96, 200 Safety First Grant; $1,500 Easter Shorel Heritage  Total net assets: $447,127.66  Gigii is compiling ai report on KNDF payments tol Denison inl December. Shei is meeting with the County tor review thel Mowing/ Landscaping needs for the County inl FY 2025, to clarify additional adjustments Victoria and Gigi worked on setting nexty year's budget, with ag goal ofe establishing a spending plan for the amenities fund. Gigi recommended setting up: al Rainy-Day Fundi to cover unexpected events. Thel Kent Narrows tax year ist the same ast the calendar year; the County and State fiscal years run from July 1-June Victoria pointed out that thei interest fromt the: 5701 Fundl has increased over the years. Joe questioned the FDICI Insurance on our deposits. Ity was notedt that there isal letter int the file from Toddl Mohn that states The Commissioners have approved funding a feasibility study for ani indoor sports arena.  that will be needed for 2024 and 2025.  30.  that the funds thatt the county holds for thel KNDF are protected.  Commissioners Report Reports from County Departments Heather reported on goals they have for 2024.  Thel Ferry Feasibility Study isi moving along. Stakeholder surveys will go out soon and she would like KNDF to be represented int the survey. They are finalizing the survey on' Thursday. The department is finishing upt the firsts stage oft the strategic plan update that looks ata available commercial properties and industry trends. Whati industries fit the County and how dot they fiti into its Comprehensive Plan? A forum willl bel held regarding the Economic Development Incentive Fund (EDIF) on' Tuesday, January 30, att the Kent Island and Centreville libraries. There 1s $1.21 million int the fund; the EDIF Commission will bel hearing feedback from those who received funding from that source the past. Jeff Smith suggested that the Economic & Tourism Development Office have more ofap presence at the upcoming Concourse d'Elegance. More discussion occurred related to getting an STR report and  exploring other data service providers. Director's Report  Update: Chesapeake! Heritage and Visitors Center Project  The worki is almost finished; all the plantings are in, and parking is openf for employees andi meeting attendees. Thet temporary branch center at Queenstown Outlets will remain open and staffed until the end Construction is being planned fori improvements tot the CHVCI building. Thes schedule is not available yet.  oft thel lease period, May 31,2024.  2    Storm and High-Water Event: January 9-10  On Tuesday, January 9, Kent Narrows and the region were affected by a storm that brought! heavy rains, highy winds, and] higher-then-usual tides, resulting in flooding and wind damage tos several businesses. Tuesday atl high tide was 4:25 p.m. Tuesday and then again' Wednesday morning at 3:28a a.m. Several businesses suffered water-related damage. Traffic ont the Bay Bridge was halted due tol high winds late Tuesday afternoon with full wind restrictions, and opened around 8:44 p.m. with limited wind restrictions. Thes storm and bridges situation caused motorists toi fill hotel rooms here. Many local workers were unablet tos gett to their workplaces and sO several retail businesses, except for the hotels, were closed on Wednesday morning. Most were open by lunchtime on' Wednesday. Properties that were recently improved fared well through the storm. KNDF documented the storm event with photos. Ab boat andt trailerl have been sittingi int thes small parking lot onl Piney Narrows Road under the west side of thel bridge. The Sherriff was contacted: and ticketed the boat. Sherriff's Office and] DNR worked together tot track down the owner. Thet towing company assigned to thel lot cannott tow: ands store al boat ofthats size. The County will work with the Sheriff'sOffice tol have the boat removed. Thel loti iss state-owned property, Thel Kent Narrows' Travel Guide (Spring 2024) was updated. The web edition was posted on Kentnarrowsmd. com, and 3000 copies oft the print edition are scheduled for delivery byt the end ofthe week. AI major updatei is planned int time for the boating season. The push card that provides fishing information on the area willl be finished by 2/2i in time for the Great American Outdoor Showi in Harrisburg, and will be updated againi inl late fall once the DNR regs are finalized, KNDF: registered to attendt thel KNDF and QAC promotional and informational materials willl be made available att thel Maryland Fish and] Hunt Booth. Therei is no registration fee required. Many outfitters and charter Boatsi from this area willl have booths att the ten-day long event. KNDF isi responsible for travel costs tol Harrisburg, whichi includes two overnights, and the cost ofanyl literature or giveaways provided. Although thisi isa a consumer show, outdoor writers cover the event. MAPTECH's newly released Embassy Cruising Guide features Kent] Narrows ont the cover.. An eight-page feature on] Kent Narrows appears ont thei inside, along witht the KNDF: ada and those from local businesses. District Landscaping Contracts and Agreements on Areas tol bel Maintained KNDF has requested meetings with county officials and with Denison to review needs for the remainder ofFY 24 andl FY 25s sot that Commissioners can be provided with ab budget estimate. Gigi notedt that the landscaping andj plantings immediately adjacent tot the CHVC building must be addressed, as they were noti included as part oft thel Bramble contract. Gigi remarked that the original Dennison bid for the CHVC Thel Maryland General Assembly isi in session and there are several bills inj play that may affect the Kent Narrows area. Those bills arel being monitored.. Al hearing willl bel heldi in the Senate on SB 95 (HB186) Maximum Hotel Rental' Taxl Rate -Alteration on 1/24at1 1:00 p.m. (Carozza)) Eastern Shore Code Counties. SB 14Tourism Enterprise Zones appears tor need more clarification, counties are not included Al handout from the QAC Department of Planning and Zoning was reviewed: and several new text amendments were introduced. TACO24-01 wasi introduced to add provisions to allow for non-water dependent structures on State or private wetlands within the Critical Area while meeting specific standards. The amendment: adds ac definition ofr non-water dependent projects andj piers. On. January 9,  Abandoned. Boat  leased by the county.  Kent Narrows Print/Web Materials Updated  Promotional Support for Charter and Head boats  property maintenance was not part of what KNDF committed to do.  Legislation  int the current language.  3    2024, the County Commissioners conveyed the amendment tot thel Planning Commission fori investigation and recommendation. Two other texta amendments werei introduced: TACO24-02: and 24-03 To adda camping cooperative as aj permitted use and bulk standards toi include minimum site area and setbacks in the Suburban! Residential (SR) Zoning District. Adds a definition of camping cooperative. To amend provisions for piers to1 require a Board of Appeals approval of an application fora a variance tos seek a length greater than 1501 feet. Currently, this requires ac conditional use approval by thel Board of Appeals. Gigi reported that Financial Disclosure forms are due back to Tina Miles by) January 31,2024 Pat Woms was confirmed by the County Commissioners att their meeting onl December 6. She wills serve a three-year term beginning January 1,2024. The application porthole will remain open for additional people toa apply, and applications will bei forwarded tot the nominating committee: for consideration. One candidate has been interviewed: and the committee may be making a recommendation att the next meeting. Jody revisited the water taxi discussion from the last meeting and requested that the follow-up effort with the Water Taxi supplier be elevated and made aj priority by the County. Commissioner Dumenil suggested that the supplier bei invited tot the next KNDFI meeting sot that County officials can bei informed oft the potential forap partnership for making something happen here in] Kent Narrows in 2024. Commuter Bus Route Serving Kent Narrows may be discontinued  OLDE BUSINESS Administrative  Nominating Committee Report  Water Taxi  NEWI BUSINESS  Inl December, thel MTA proposed a commuter bus route reduction that would affects service to and from thel MTDA-served commuter lotsi in Queen Annes County and the lota at Kent Narrows which typically serves over 30 commuters: five days av week. This was due toap proposed funding reduction. In. January, that reduction was partially reversed so some routes will continue but service will still be reduced. MDTA isp proposing that eight routes be eliminated; one of these routes, the 2401 bus, serves Kent Island. The MDTA willl hold five public hearings between! March 18 and 27, with testimony being accepted until Thel Board discussed with KNDFI liaison Commissioner Phil Dumenil initiatives and projects that will require the Commissioners' attention in 2024. For these initiatives to move forward, itis critical that the Thel Board discussed thosel high-priority projects that are neededi int thel Kent Narrows areai for the upcoming budget year FY 25. Commissioner Dumenil suggested Commissioners, certain County Officials, and Coastal Ventures, LL.C., bei invited tot the next KNDF meeting to discuss water  April 29,2 2024. NEWI BUSINESS  County Commissioners be ana active part oft the conversation.  transportation enhancements inl Kent Narrows.  RESOLUTION  Victoria Hoffman made a motion tos send a memo toi the Commissioners, from the Board that addresses thej following: Enhancing the public access tot the water from Kent Narrows by, water taxi and tour boats; parking; short termi rentals; repairing the jetty, retaining wall; andi identifying ways for KNDFto work with the County to enhance and access better real-time travel research tos support more informed  decision making. Justin Kiernan: seconded. The Boardi unanimously approved.    Business Round Robin  Victoria reported that under Maryland law, as of] January 1, most Maryland employers must offert their employees some: sort of retirement savings. While allt the details are not clear, she advised employers to visit thel Marylandsaves. com website for details and compliance standards. Heather agreed toi investigate Jody paid tribute to Tom] Davis who recently passed. He mentioned: how knowledgeable he was and that Jody requested sharing the Chesapeake Bay Media piece on] Kent Narrows Oysters that was produced Kelly Phipps commented that the Concours d'Elegance att the Yacht Club has a designated beneficiary for their events and this year Queen Anne's County Mental Health was the beneficiary and receiveda  itf further and supply additional info.  his absence created: ay void. Sympathy was expressed. through an advertising buy by QACTourism. donation of over $30,0001 from the event. Presentation: Sheriff Gary Hofmann  The Sheriff distributed al handout with the local and countywide statistics.  He updated the board on the effortt tor remove the abandoned boat. The registered owner was identified. He explained thati ift the Sherifft towedi it, the Sheriff's office would have top pay the bill tol have the boat disposed of, which could cost upwards of$17,000. County Roads department will removei itifiti isn't  claimed. He noted thei following: get away.  - Thel Bay Bridge serves as a crime prevention barrier for the County, asi it makesi it difficulti to - Thel biggest area for crimei int the County is related tot thefts at the Outlets in Queenstown. - Thel Kent] Narrows areai is one oft the safest areas int the County. In 2023, nine assaults were reported - two were inp parking lots and the rest werei inl hotels. Seven physical disturbances were reported countywide in 2023, and 18 verbal - The office is allocated 86 deputies, the primary law enforcement int the County. - Thel Police. Accountability Boardi isi making sound decisions. County. That] program is highly successful.  - The Sheriff's Department has charge of the school resource officersi ine eachj public school int the  RESOLUTION Thei meeting adjourned at 11:04a.m. Respectfully submitted, Georgeanna (Gigi) Windley, Executive! Director Kent Narrows Development Foundation Certification: this Foundation onl February 27,2024.  Patricial P. Worns, Secretary, KNDF  Joe Pomerantz. made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The Board agreed.  Ihereby certify thatthisisat true and correct copy oft thel Minutes that were adopted by thel Directors of  5