CWDI Meeting Notes – September 10, 2026, submitted by Sharon Smith, CAN
CWDI held its monthly Board of Directors meeting in Council Chambers at 4pm. The meeting was very brief.
The meeting was attended by board members Angie Hengst (Chair), Tim Crosby, Michael Wiersinski (new member?), Gaver Nichols, Al Hughes, and Carol Baker. Also, Jerry Jones, county manager, and Tracy Wolf via Zoom.
The original Port Transfer Agreement is being amended to recognize the use of a marketing firm, MacKenzie. The agreement with the hotelier, Pinnacle, is progressing and dare I say, is getting closer to being finalized.
A meeting was held with the state DNR regarding the fishing pier. Money has been approved by the state to demolish the old pier and design the new pier. It is a state project, which will require an agreement on maintenance and upkeep once built. No time line was given.
A “really good meeting” was held with Partners recently.
To deal with the high cost of infrastructure for the site, the costs will be broken down project by project to allow a more pay-as-you-go approach.
A review of the current financial statements reveals that net income stands at $-115K, reportedly due to a planned sale of land that did not happen. Once again, CWDI is over budget for legal services supplied by Miles & Stockbridge. I pointed that out at a board meeting a few months back and suggested CWDI find a less expensive firm.
The board approved a motion to obtain fractional CFO services from Sailey Partners, LLC to fill the void left by Frank Narr’s departure.
The board approved a grant submittal to MD Department of Housing and Community Development for $2.4 million to extend sidewalk lighting and planter boxes.
During public Q & A, I raised a question discussed online; rather than residential development did the board ever consider an entertainment venue? The Freeman Arts Pavilion (open-air) Selbyville, DE, seats 4000 guests, occupies 5.3 acres and reportedly creates $25 million in economic value every year. This would also be of wonderful value to local residents who have had to endure the extremely long development time for Cambridge Harbor to come to fruition. Mr. Crosby replied that the land designated as “public space” could be used for entertainment, but less than 5.3 acres, and Freeman is a non-profit and pays no real estate taxes. Ms. Hengst assured me that MacKenzie would be made aware of our receptiveness to this use.
