Objections to the Lakeside development—in particular, the Planning Commission’s action to protect Talbot’s environment and the public health of citizens—could suddenly be killed off at tomorrow night’s Council Meeting.
On Friday, with no notice, the Council Agenda was set so that the three supporters of Lakeside on the Council—Messrs. Callahan, Divilio and Pack—can vote down the legislation that prohibits connecting Lakeside to the existing Trappe sewerage plant that discharges into the seriously impaired La Trappe Creek. You remember La Trappe Creek from last September’s photos, right? See below, as a reminder of what we’re all talking about here.
Mr. Callahan, who has announced for re-election in November ([email protected], or 410-770-8010) seems to be the swing vote; Pack and Divilio seem never to have listened to a word from anyone but the developer, and aggressively defend Mr. Rocks’ project exactly as proposed, information be damned.
Amendment 1 was introduced by Pete Lesher, and Ms. Price has been a staunch defender, fighting fiercely to assure that Lakeside won’t further impair La Trappe Creek.
Just last Wednesday the Talbot County Planning Commission found that the key legislation on tomorrow night’s agenda (“Amendment 1 to R313”) is consistent with our Comprehensive Plan, as it expressly embodies the decision the Commission made in November that required just such a change in order for Lakeside to proceed at all. Under Maryland law, the Commission’s word is final on Comp Plan matters—but Messrs. Pack and Divilio are prepared to brush it off…and as for Mr. Callahan, we just don’t know.
(A vote on Amendment 1 to R313 should not even be on the agenda tomorrow. Since it is an amendment to our Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan, it is supposed to go first to the Public Works Advisory Board, which does not meet until March 17th. But in the Council’s rush to kill off Amendment #1, they may just dispense with input from the PWAB.)
The meeting begins at 6:00 live in the Bradley Room. It can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/midshorecommunitytelevision, and will also be live streamed here: https://talbotcountymd.gov/About-Us/County_Council/council-meeting-videos.
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