Message from BDC Chairman, Carl Roberts
Last evening the Bainbridge Development Corporation (BDC) hosted its annual meeting in a virtual format. As you read the Annual Report and other information on our website, you will note that much is going on with the Bainbridge property as we are optimistic that construction will begin in 2021. In addition, working with the Maryland Historical Trust, the buildings of Tome School are being assessed for feasible use as we move forward with a marketing program for this fifty acre site once the planning is complete.
I was thrilled to see all of the interest from the public as over 30 citizens joined the virtual format. In addition to elected officials or their representatives there were many interested citizens who took the time to learn more about were things stand on the site and what are the planned next steps.
The members of the BDC are thrilled to be able to present the public and especially the citizens of Port Deposit with positive news. Keep up to date on our happenings by checking this website periodically as we will keep you informed.
In addition, I want to publicly thank the fifteen members of the BDC for their hard work and commitment to fulfill our mission to return the formal Bainbridge Naval Training property to productive use.
Specific questions or comments should be directed to the BDC Project Coordinator – Ms. Toni Sprenkle, tsprenkle@bainbridgedev.org.
Again, thank you to all who participated in our Annual Meeting.
Chairman Roberts
The BDC released the Tome School Strategic Plan during the Port Deposit Town Council meeting on September 20, 2016. This plan comes as the deliverable from a 2 year project in conjunction with the U.S Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant, which took a close look at unique opportunities and constraints of the Tome School Campus, including historical easements, regional marketplace, market and economic data, environmental issues, land topography, etc.
The BDC has decided to continue to host tours of the National Historic Tome School this spring and summer. Tours are set to begin in April with the first tour date scheduled for April 9th at 11:30 AM. There is no charge for the tour and they are open to any and all individuals. These tours consist of a bus ride around the Tome School campus with various stops for participants to exit the bus and gain a closer look at the granite structures. Photography is allowed but no access to any building or structure is permitted. All participants will be asked to sign a standard liability waiver and policies document, both of which are provided below. The tours are filled on a first come first serve basis, and if/when the bus fills, no more participants would be provided access. In order to keep the tour free of cost, that requires all details to be organized and executed by the BDC, thus the need to limit the amount of individuals who can attend. It is strongly suggested that you wear appropriate clothing for the walking tour of jeans/pants and a t-shirt with sneakers or hiking shoes of some kind. Dresses, skirts, shorts, sandals, heeled shoes or open toes shoes are not recommended. Individuals with inappropriate clothing for the walking tour may be asked to stay on the bus for safety reasons. 