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Sustainable Maryland Community Certification Report

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This is the Sustainable Maryland Certification Report of Middletown, a Sustainable Maryland silver certified applicant.

Middletown was certified on October 11, 2022 with 400 points. Listed below is information regarding Middletown’s Sustainable Maryland efforts and materials associated with the applicant’s certified actions.

Contact Information

The designated Sustainable Maryland contact for Middletown is:

Name:Cindy Unangst
Title/Position:Staff Planner / Planning and Zoning
Phone:301-371-6171
Email:cunangst@ci.middletown.md.us
Address:31 West Main Street
Middletown, Maryland 21769

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Middletown was approved for in 2022 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • Community Action

    Community-Based Public Art

    10 Points

    Program Summary: With support from the Tourism Council, Frederick County’s five Main Street Programs collaborated on a project to bring public art to each of its five Main Streets. The Frederick Main Street partners sought out an Artist to design, fabricate, and install five the public artworks at each of the Frederick Main Streets. The art must show our commonalities, but also be unique to each location. The commonality is our agricultural heritage and the artist was inspired with the overall feeling of these small towns being in relationship with the adjoining fields and natural resources, and the lushness of the county, and especially the Middletown Valley. The Main Streets included in the project are located in the following municipalities: Frederick, Brunswick, Thurmont, Middletown, and New Market. Each sculpture is clay with rebar supporting the overall shape, and the shapes give clues to the location. Main Street Middletown’s sculpture mimics the surrounding hills and valleys – or the bowl that feeds us. The design is full of natural references including flowers, frogs, birds, and butterflies depicted in colorful mosaics. One of the reasons Parran Collery was selected was her emphasis on public involvement in the creation of each piece. However, when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, we were at a loss for how to get this public involvement. Main Street Middletown board member, Jean Lapadula came up with the idea to hand out individual clay kits with paints and tools and devised a way for families to pick up kits in a COVID-safe manner. This enabled the project to move forward on schedule, not just for Middletown, but each of the other communities. It also provided many families with a fun activity in the early summer of 2020. Parran Collery also created a video with instructions on how to decorate tiles. The clay kits were provided by the artist and were pre-packaged with the 4-inch square slab of clay, a wooden tool for shaping the clay, and two paper flowers that would form the template in which to cut out the flower shape. Main Street Middletown distributed the 100+ kits and 95% of the tiles were used in the final sculpture. There was no expense to the Town for the sculpture which was installed in Middletown in the fall of 2020. The Middletown public works department were instrumental in assisting Ms. Collery before and during the installation. The art is located near the vicinity of outdoor seating for one of the Town’s most popular restaurants and is visible from MD 17/Church Street.

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Community Action

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Due to the success of Middletown’s Green Talks in 2018, the Frederick City Sustainability Committee asked the Town whether we would be willing to partner with them in doing a Green Lecture series in 2019. Of course, the Town was willing to do so, and the Frederick County Sustainability Commission and the Frederick County Public Libraries joined as partners as well. The 2019 Green Lecture Series was a year-long program of speakers and interactive events focusing on different aspects of sustainability including edible landscaping, stormwater management, how recycling really works, and the importance of native bees. Due to the increased advertising of the series thru all the partners, they were an even larger success than the Green Talks the year prior. Before the pandemic hit in early 2020, we were only able to hold two Green Talks after which we were unable to continue the Green Talks at the local libraries. The January talk drew about 26 people, and the talk was well received; regrettably, we forgot to have people sign in. Now in 2022 we were excited to continue these informative talks for our residents. Unfortunately, our first Green Talk which was to be held on June 25th at the Middletown Library and featuring Dr. Leisnham from the University of Maryland who planned to talk about identifying mosquitoes and how to reduce their populations without using harmful pesticides, had to be rescheduled and then cancelled again due to personal reasons. We still hope to hold it sometime this fall. All Green Talks are advertised on the town website, the Green Team website and Facebook page, and there are multiple emails sent to the town’s list serve which includes 1,700+ email addresses.

    Green Team Action Plan

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Back in the summer of 2015, the Middletown Green Team conducted a community survey to residents of Middletown which was available on the town's website and was also sent out a few times via the town's e-mail list serve. The results of the survey had showed that most residents were interested in attending the farmer's market, attending local food fairs, and attending a native plant sale. There was also interest in cleaning up the trash in town. Most residents use the yard waste service provided by the town and think there should be recycling containers in the parks. From this survey an Action Plan was put together outlining the next three years. This Action Plan is revisited every year and updated to continue to strategize on actions the Town can take to meet its sustainability goals. It was last updated in April 2022. The Sustainability Committee also lists goals annually that are included in each monthly meeting agenda.

    Sustainability Resource Center

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Sustainable Resource Center was created in the Spring of 2016. Located in the Municipal Center, the SRC contains a bookshelf with education brochures and handouts on sustainable issues focused on Sustainable Maryland Certification (Farmer's market, recycling, waste management, storm water management, yard waste recycling, water conservation and park and fitness facilities). An online SRC is available on the town's website and is maintained by town staff. The online resource center is continually updated every year as town staff come across information that is deemed important to provide to town residents. Information is also routinely updated on the town's Facebook page, its listserve and Middletown Quarterly Newsletter sent to all town water users. . In addition to the town’s website sustainability resource page, the Town has a new website created by a member of the Sustainability Committee – www.greenmiddletown.com. It includes an amazing amount of information on sustainable issues and has even been visited by students across the country and across the world in New Zealand! The SRC bookshelf is probably utilized once a week. According to the town's website site statistics, the online resource center is visited close to 800 times a month. The online resource center is found on the town's website (www.middletown.md.us) under Middletown Green Team and the resource center website's url is the following: https://www.middletown.md.us/index.asp?SEC=9A612328-1AC7-464D-8759-C14848DFBD6B&DE=AE64E6B4-54C7-4ACE-AFAE-A44A94CE1F97&Type=B_BASIC. . The greenmiddletown.com website had over 1,500 site sessions over a one-year time period. The sessions were nearly divided between desktop devices and mobile devices although the desktop devices had many more page views.

    Green Team

    10 Points

    Program Summary: A Green Team was established by the Town of Middletown to help facilitate the implementation and fulfillment of the Sustainable Maryland Program. The Green Team is a group of local residents, business owners and town staff that have offered their skills, expertise and ideas to lead the Town to gain certification approval. To achieve certification, the Green Team took direction from the responses citizens provided through the recent community survey, which was available on the Town's website and sent to residents via the Town's list serve, and they identified projects that will meet the community's needs and interests, and have worked towards implementing those projects. The Green Team has since become a standing committee of the Town and is now the Sustainability Committee. The committee meets monthly on the third Tuesday of the month from 5-6:30pm in the Municipal Center. During the pandemic we met via Zoom and beginning in March 2022 we are meeting both in person and via the Town's Lifesize software virtually. There were a few times in 2021 when we met outdoors in a local park.

    Hold a Green Fair

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown's first Green Expo was held April 23, 2016 in Middletown Memorial Park. Enthusiastic Green Team volunteers helped recruit vendors and organize activities. The town provided $1500 for the Expo and donated a rain barrel and a compost bin to be raffled. There was no charge to the more than twenty-two participating vendors. Despite a persistent cool drizzle, +/- 300 townspeople attended the event. Since that first Expo in 2016, the Expo has been an annual event and continues to grow. In 2022, the Expo returned to Memorial Park after a couple years of being held elsewhere in conjunction with Main Street Middletown's Annual Coloring the Street events. The event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID, and then a virtual Expo was held in 2021. For the virtual Expo, all of the past participants were asked if they wanted to participate by submitting a video or other information that could be shared with the public via the Green Team’s Facebook page. We had thirteen organizations featured on our Facebook page in April that year. This year’s Expo was a great success with at least two dozen organizations participating on a beautiful Saturday just after Earth Day. Attendees learned about native plants, recycling, bluebirds and other birding information, native plant landscaping and sustainable farming practices from several vendors. We hosted the DNR Scales and Tails program, as well as two electric vehicles. The local forestry board gave away native tree seedlings, and attendees were able to drop off textiles, metals and old paint cans for recycling. The day kicked off with a devotion, Earth Day proclamation, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new community compost bin located in the park. Here is a link to photos taken during the event: https://www.greenmiddletown.com/green-expo The budget for the event was $700, but $665 was actually spent. Money spent was on changes to the large banner that advertising the event, the DNR Scales and Tails program, as well as a musician to play acoustic guitar during the event.

  • Community Based Food System

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Community Based Food

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Middletown Food Bank is located in a municipal-owned building and is run by volunteers. Its mission is to provide the hungry in the Greater Middletown Valley area with a variety of nutritious food while treating its clients with dignity and respect. The food is always of the highest of standards ensuring that the food given will provide augmentation to the monthly needs of the clients. Thousands of children and young people do not have ready or reliable access to the food they need to lead healthy, active lives and the Food Bank is there to help. The food bank is located on Main Street and is open from 1:00-3:00pm on Wednesdays, and from 9:00am - Noon on Saturdays. The Town of Middletown provides the building for the food bank and pays all the utility bills. The Town added solar panels to this building in 2019 using money from an MEA grant. The Food Bank is advertised on the Town's website, and leftover food from town-sponsored events, as well as uneaten food from the Middletown Elementary School lunches, is taken to the Food Bank.

    Establish Local Farmers Market

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown's rural location allows for many farmers to be involved in the town's farmer's market. The market has greatly expanded in the past few years and now, in 2022, boasts more than two dozen vendors offering vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat, native perennials, cut flowers, doggie treats, fruit and vegetable garden transplants and herbs, local honey, candles, soaps, baked goods, food trucks, handmade crafts and much more. In 2022 the market typically has 20-25 vendors participating weekly. Although the number of people visiting the market each week isn't tracked, it generally is greater than 200. Sales figures are also not tracked. The other notable accomplishment of the Middletown Farmer’s Market is that it was the winner of Frederick County’s Best Farmer’s Market award for the past two years! The market is advertised year-round with signage (installed by the Town) within the town limits, and is located in the parking lot of the Christ Reformed United Church of Christ near the center of town. Every year, the market is scheduled to be open on Thursdays from 4:00-7:00pm from May through mid-October. Market manager, appointed by the church, is Josh Lewis; his contact phone number is 301-524-1035. The town provided the farmer's market with the signage in town and Annette Alberghini, our office manager, promotes the farmer's market on the Town's website and on the community calendar. The farmer's market has more special events planned this year than ever before, and the town's website is continually updated to provide the special event information. The special events are also recognized at Town Board meetings and the Middletown Main Street website. New in 2022 are Third Thursdays when the downtown businesses stay open late from 5:00-7:00pm May through August in conjunction with the Middletown Farmer’s Market. There are different themes each month. May’s theme was Art on Main and the store fronts proudly displayed Middletown High School students’ artwork. The Middletown Farmers Market is an outreach program that falls under the Discipleship Board of the Middletown Christ Reformed Church of Christ, which is why the market is held in their parking lot. As an activity of the church, the market is covered under their insurance. Likewise, the market does not have its own bank account, and the church handles the market's finances. As such, the market is not organized as a non-profit organization. Generally, vendors are charged a fee of $50 to participate for the entire season. There are less than 6 vendors who only come occasionally, or for a certain part of the season, that are permitted to pay a $5 weekly rate. Those monies are then given to the church where they are deposited into the same account as all other Discipleship Board funds.

    Community Garden

    15 Points

    Program Summary: A member of the Middletown Rec Council, Pam Dietrick, took the initiative to start a community garden and a children's pizza garden in the town's Wiles Branch Park twelve years ago. Each season about nine gardeners plus children participate and generally it's about six families. The gardener’s supply everything they need, although in 2018 the town installed a permanent water source at the garden, so the gardeners don't have to haul water anymore, or rely on rain to replenish the rain barrel on the site. Flyers are sent out to the schools to drum up interest. The community gardeners are usually people who live in apartments or from the Glenbrook subdivision; Glenbrook has an HOA, and the homeowners cannot plant on their property. The gardeners are a diverse set and have planted in their countries, love planting in the garden, and use their own veggies or sell them at the farmer's market. They are very innovative and do a great job considering their limited resources. The town supplies the land area for the gardens and publicity. The first year that the gardens were established, the Town Public Works Department did the work of preparing the land for the gardens. The plots, which measure 10 feet x 10 feet, are free to residents, and in 2022 there are 12 people/families using the 30 plots. One plot is being done by the Middletown Brownie's. They did it last year as well. There are two people doing a natural habitat garden on their plots, and another one plants flowers for the butterflies and bees along with vegetables.

  • Energy

    Renewable Energy

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Solar Array - Constructed in the fall of 2015 and commissioned on April 22, 2016, the Town of Middletown has a live 836 kilowatt solar array on 6.4 acres of municipal land. This photovoltaic solar installation is directly adjacent to the East Wastewater Treatment Plant delivers 1,143 MWh of electricity annually to fully power Middletown's water and wastewater facilities. 100% solar energy is used to power Middletown's water and wastewater treatment facility, which provides 300,000 gallons of clean drinking water a day to Town residents. The solar project was financed using a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), a third-party contract that enables Middletown to generate low-cost electricity without "out-of-pocket" expense. Frederick, MD's Empower Energies and Reading, PA-based RER Energy Group were co-developers of this project with Sol Systems serving as financing partner. Middletown's solar strategy will keep costs low and predictable for the next twenty years and is expected to save the Town $10,000 per year. Solar panels for food bank building. Middletown was awarded a $25,000 grant from MEA in 2017 for a 7.2 kW solar PV system to be installed on the town-owned food bank building. The panels were installed in the fall of 2019 by Standard Energy Solutions. The annual production is 8.417 MWh with a performance ratio of 80.8%. The Town does not sell any RECs associated with either the solar array located adjacent to the Town’s East Wastewater Treatment Plant, or the solar panels on top of the food bank building on West Main Street. The Town does not purchase renewable energy credits.

    Maryland Smart Energy Community Program

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The Town of Middletown has taken strides at accomplishing many sustainable and energy saving initiatives, with hopefully more to come. When the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) launched the Maryland Smart Energy Communities (MSEC) program to encourage local governments to adopt certain policies that commit to long-term sustained energy savings and renewable energy development Middletown began its effort to get on board. This effort puts in place plans to achieve sustainable goals and assist in establishing in those policies in electricity, renewable energy and transportation. The Town of Middletown became a Maryland Smart Energy Community by adopting a Resolution declaring the Town of Middletown’s intent to take a leadership role in reducing electricity consumption and generating renewable energy, partner with the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), and enrolled as a Maryland Smart Energy Community. The Resolution includes an energy policy for Town buildings and operations that establishes a 15 percent electricity reduction goal and a 20 percent renewable energy generation goal. The resolutions stated that the Town would establish an Energy Action Plan for municipal facilities and operations to fulfill the requirements of the Maryland Smart Energy Communities (MSEC) program. The Town of Middletown received a $25,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration in 2019 to install solar panels on the town-owned food bank building. The solar installation has an installed capacity of 7.2 kilowatts, and produced 8.473 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy in 2019.

    Residential Electric Vehicles and Public Charging Stations

    5 Points

    Program Summary: As a benefit to the community and the motoring public along our Main Street, the Town installed an electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot of the Municipal Center in spring of 2019. In 2020, Potomac Edison installed a public electric vehicle charging station in the Town’s Elm Street Parking Lot which had been renovated in 2019 to add lighting, planting beds and associated tree, shrub and flower plantings. Once that installation took place, the Town removed the town-owned charging station in the parking lot of the Municipal Center which had been free to the public. There are also plans to add a charging station to the Town’s North Church Street parking lot adjacent to the Potomac Edison Substation in the coming months. The Potomac Edison-installed charging station https://pluginsites.org/potomac-edison-charging-station-in-middletown-md/ is a Level 2 charging station available to the public in historic downtown Middletown. The Middletown EV charging station is a dual-port ChargePoint and is located in the municipal parking lot at 119 Washington Street and is part of the Potomac Edison owned and operated EV charging network. The cost is $2-$3 per hour and the station is maintained by Potomac Edison. Staff often sees the EV charging station in use, and there have been no issues brought to the attention of staff or the Town Board regarding the EV charging station. The Town periodically sends messages out to its list serve about the presence of the EV charging station.

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Energy

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The Town of Middletown has 2 innovative demonstration projects. 1. Municipal Center boiler replacement. In the Spring of 2019, the Town replaced the central fuel oil furnace in the Municipal Center with a much more efficient natural gas-powered system that not only will be less expensive for heating the building, but also better for environment with a cleaner gas. 2. HVAC replacement in Municipal Center. The HVAC system in the Municipal Center was replaced in 2017. The more efficient system has been a cost savings to the Town.

  • Greenhouse Gas

    Municipal Carbon Footprint

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Over the past year, the Town of Middletown, through the Sustainable Maryland program worked with University of Maryland students and Environmental Finance Center (EFC) staff to complete a Municipal Carbon Footprint for the Town. The Town provided copies of all its energy bills for its municipal buildings and gas and mileage for its municipal vehicle fleet. A copy of the report, compiled by EFC, is attached for documentation as is the spreadsheet with the energy use baseline for future evaluations. The Town will begin pursuing the recommendations outlined in the report with guidance from the Town’s Sustainability Committee. The Town has been working for a number of years in acquiring the town street lights from Potomac Edison in the hopes to eventually replace the bulbs with LEDs. The Town of Middletown uses propane to heat two of our facilities, and thru the spring of 2019 used heating oil to heat the Municipal Center. A new heating system was put into place during the summer of 2019 in the Municipal Center which will use natural gas beginning in the fall. All other facilities are heated with electric. Two of the Town’s eleven vehicles use gasoline, and all others use diesel fuel. Due to COVID, the Sustainability Committee has not been able to act on any of the recommendations included in the municipal carbon footprint report for the Town.

  • Local Economies

    Main Street Maryland and Main Street Affiliate

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown became a designated Main Street community in 2009, and shortly thereafter, a 501c3 organization was created called Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. to implement the program in the Town of Middletown. We are accredited on an annual basis and the accreditation from 2021 was just announced in June 2022. Accreditation means we adhere to the National Main Street 4-Point Approach that includes: organization, promotion, design, and economic development. The state of Maryland includes a 5th Point of Clean, Green, and Healthy. Led by a volunteer Board of Trustees and a Main Street Manager, we work closely with the Burgess and Commissioners. Promotions are advertising campaigns, social media campaigns, and special events to encourage people to come to Middletown. Design focuses on the visual appeal of our Main Street district and emphasizes the preservation of historic buildings. Economic Development focuses on business retention and business expansion. For Clean, Green, and Healthy, we focus on keeping our organization and events green. From June of 2019 to the end of the year, we continued running our program the same as usual. Once the pandemic hit, Main Street changed gears – as we all did. With the State of Emergency in place, we began to send out a series of emails – all to keep the Main Street Middletown businesses informed of what was occurring, where business loans and business relief was available. There were some days where MSM sent out several emails, just to help keep the businesses informed. Events were cancelled, previous grants were reallocated to address COVID concerns, more grants were applied for to pay for advertising our downtowns in COVID safe ways, and we made it through. Because Middletown is an accredited Main Street program, we were privy to a few grants that other Maryland communities were not – such as the Maryland Strong Economic Recovery Initiative. Main Street Middletown was able to secure over $185,000 in direct business relief, on top of our emergency grants of $1000 per business. We were able to secure over $50,000 in funds to go towards additional advertising. Late 2021 found us moving back towards our more traditional Main Street activities – hosting in-person business mixers, planning events to bring people downtown, and continue to work on the rehabilitation of 19-21 West Main Street. In December of 2021, Main Street Middletown was the subject of MD Department of Planning’s monthly in-depth blog. In May 2022, Main Street Middletown, the Town of Middletown, and the developers of Memorial Hall were awarded a Frederick County Economic Development “FRED” Award for the creation of the Middletown Revitalization Zone and the rehabilitation of Memorial Hall.

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Local Economies

    30 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown has four innovative projects under this category 1. Yard waste program - Since 1991, Middletown has provided paper yard waste bags to its residents free of charge. It started with the town's public works men collecting yard waste - mainly grass clippings - and taking it to an organic farmer. The yard waste bags are picked up once a week from April thru December by the town's trash hauler. Acceptable yard waste includes yard and garden trimmings, grass clippings, leaves, brush and branches. The yard waste is taken to the Frederick County landfill where it is turned into mulch. Also, Christmas trees are collected on designated Saturdays in January. The Town also provides for two bulk trash pick-ups a year (usually one in the spring and one in the fall). The Town's maintenance staff bring the pallets of yard waste bags into the Municipal Center almost on a weekly basis during the mowing and leaf-raking seasons where the town residents come to pick them up. The program costs the Town $16,000 a year. 20,000 bags are ordered twice per fiscal year, and last calendar year close to 30,000 bags were picked up by town residents. 2. Prescription Drug Drop Box - The Town of Middletown, in cooperation with the Frederick County Health Department, Frederick County Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency, participates in a prescription drug take back effort. To help provide safe disposal of unused medicine, the Town has installed a Prescription Drug Disposal Site at the Middletown Municipal Center. The drop-off container is located just inside the rear access door from the parking lot. During business hours (M-F, 8am-4pm) residents can safely dispose of their expired and/or unwanted household medicines and prescription drugs. This disposal site is so highly used that the deputies have to empty it every other week! The drop-off box is advertised in the town newsletters, on the town's Facebook page, and on the town website. Staff has also heard that the local pharmacies inform customers about the disposal site as well. 3.Lunch Out of Landfills – Lunch Out of Landfills (LOOL) educates K-12 students about the environment and economic impacts of food waste and empowers them as change agents through daily lunch waste sorting. Liquids, compostable food waste, recyclables, trash, and in some cases recoverable food and drinks, are separated and weighed daily to track weights and percentage of waste diverted from landfills or incinerators. LOOL started on December 6, 2021 for all students at Middletown Elementary School with volunteers from the Middletown Green Team helping the students learn how to separate their waste. The food waste is picked up weekly by Key City Compost where it is taken to their facility to be composted. Food recovery began on December 20, 2021 with almost 50 items (about 10 pounds) of food claimed for donation to the local food bank. The recovered food is stored in coolers at the school and picked up twice a week by members of the Green Team and then delivered to the food bank which is grateful to have the extra food, and especially the extra milk cartons. 4. The Town of Middletown is furthering its efforts to revitalize the historic downtown by creating the Downtown Revitalization Zone (DRZ) Incentive Program with specific incentives to attract investment in Middletown’s timeless, older buildings. The Zone mirrors the Main Street district to further illustrate the Town’s commitment to keeping the historic downtown thriving as the core of our community. The Burgess & Commissioners have prioritized economic development and revitalization of these buildings to keep Middletown a vibrant, thriving town. The potential benefits of this program include revitalization of vacant buildings, increased jobs, increased property tax revenues, preservation of building facades, and voluntary programs geared to historic preservation of our historical and architecturally significant buildings. Qualifications: • A pre-application meeting with Middletown staff, Middletown’s Main Street manager, and at least one elected official is required to discuss all aspects of the program. • The revitalization project must be an existing building within the Downtown Revitalization Zone (see attached map). • A minimum of $250,000 must be invested in the revitalization project (excluding purchase price). • The façade of the building must be preserved, and a Concept Plan must be provided that demonstrates consistency of downtown character in size, scale, and materials. • Execution of a Development Agreement to detail the obligations of both parties and specify the standards and conditions that will govern development of the property. Incentives: • Reduction in water and sewer tap/equivalent dwelling unit fees and improvement fees • Deferred payments of water and sewer tap/edu fees • Parking requirements • Expedited navigation through Planning Commission/Board of Appeals • Waive all Planning Commission/Board of Appeals fees (over $3,000 savings) • Kick-off meeting with Middletown staff, Main Street manager, and at least one elected official

    Organic Waste Composting

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The Town’s Sustainability Committee teamed up with Key City Compost to provide a community composting bin beginning on March 1, 2022. It started as a 90-day trial with the bin located by the trash dumpster at Memorial Park. The hope was that the folks using the park for picnics would put their food waste in the bin, along with folks who don’t have a compost bin in their yard, like those who live in the nearby apartments. The bin is roughly the size of a recycling bin and is picked up once a week. The bin project is funded by the Town, with the idea coming from the Sustainability Committee. A ribbon -cutting ceremony for the new compost bin was done at the start of the Green Expo event in late April. The students at Middletown Elementary School began a program called Lunch Out Of Landfills in December 2021, so those 3rd – 5th graders are very familiar with putting food scraps in a compost bucket instead of in the trash. The program spread to the 6th graders at the Middle School in February 2022. The hope was that those students are telling their parents that they should be composting at home as well. After the 90-day trial, the Town Board decided to continue the program due to its success. The sustainability reports from Key City Compost are posted on our website at: Solid Waste Management | Green Middletown. The Town also offers discounted compost bins for residents and non-residents to purchase for $40 instead of the Home Depot price of over $100. They are available on a first-come basis. The Town has sold more than 25 compost bins since October of 2019 with none being sold the first 18 months of the pendemic.

    Local Business Roundtable

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Main Street Middletown hosts quarterly business mixers, or business exchanges. These meetings are hosted by the Main Street Economic Development Committee and hosted at different businesses within the Main Street District. However, from the end of 2019 and into 2020, just as we emerged from the hardships faced through the SHA Streetscape, the COIVD 19 National Pandemic hit. Immediately, our core form of communication relied heavily on our monthly newsletter to the businesses. We converted into an emergency style of communication, and on some days in April 2020, we sent more than one newsletter to continually provide the Main Street Middletown businesses with the most up-to-date information on where to find and how to access relief. We held monthly business mixers via Zoom. We were told too, that our Zoom mixers provided a “bit of hope” and sunshine as a way for everyone to meet and exchange stories. Our first in-person business mixer was held outdoors in September 2020 at Tapia’s on Main. It was a celebratory mixer with discussion on how everyone was hanging on, signage, best practices on social distancing, additional hurdles, grant funding and advertising. Ideas generated from these discussions included producing a form of signage – so we created two unity signs – Middletown: Heritage of Hope – so each businessperson could hang this small sign in their windows – that we all have Hope, we all have hopes for wellness, well-being, health, and better times. It seemed to help us feel connected. October 2020 was held outdoors at the Main Cup for our annual Business Appreciation Day – we handed out mugs to everyone and instead of awarding one business “Business Partner of the Year” like we have done since 2012, we named everyone Business Partner of the Year. We created the Middletown U-Knighted Signs to show unity as we move through the rest of COVID – as people were starting to feel upbeat versus worried (which we had used the Hope is Our Heritage signage at the beginning of the pandemic). We used U-Knighted since the mascot of the Middletown has school is the Knight. So, this took on a special meeting for Middletowners. The photo taken at that mixer shows that upbeat place where we were happy to feel that things were taking a positive spin. Main Street Business Mixers are business, instructional, collaborative, and supportive. They are meant to be a time to exchange ideas. The nature of the Business Round Tables in Middletown is also to promote camaraderie, seek out opportunities for B2B marketing, and partnerships. It allows owners to get together on a regular basis and exchange ideas among themselves. Certainly, if there were a specific topic of concern, or an area we needed to address, then these meetings would take on a different tone, be a different nature, and agendas and minutes would be appropriate. However, the place we find our community in right now is incredibly positive. When the SHA Streetscape project was occurring the business mixers were more frequent and angrier. Main Street was the conduit to get the State Highway Administration to talk to the business owners all at one time. During COVID, our virtual meetings were about supporting each other. As far as Main Street Middletown’s experience, we found that the mixers were upbeat, but the next day – we would receive individual calls for people who had specific concerns or needs. Nobody really wanted to air specific or individual concerns in a public forum. Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. not only upped our advertising for the downtown community, but we also converted grants to cover those costs that would have gone to other projects. We created a local grant out of our funds in the amount of $11,200 which went to 13-businesses. We brought in over $230,000 in the Maryland Strong Economic Recovery Initiative through the State with 85% of those funds going directly to businesses (the remaining 15% went to pay for a social media tutorial/best practices, and advertising), as well as several other grants to keep our nonprofit growing. We hired locally known and respected commercial photographer, Jamie Turner to provide each Main Street business headshots and high-resolution photos to help beef up their websites and social media as we all transitioned increasingly to an online presence. The February 2021 Mixer was a night at Jennifer Riley’s – this was an attempt to get a different segment of businesses to attend since some can meet more easily in the evening than in the morning. This tended to also be a little more social with a wine and cheese reception. However, nighttime meetings on a cold, wet, rainy weeknight did not go over so well. We did talk about the grant funding (because while it had been approved/awarded, the $$ had not come in). But we had already scheduled the social media training – so that was going on at the time of the February mixer. Local elections were coming up and Commissioner, Rick Dietrick was able to come and field a lot of questions that businesses may have had about town items. The Christmas mixer in 2021 at Oak and Steel was to discuss the upcoming year. At the end of 2021, we still did not know if we would be able to bring back in-person events. So, there was still a focus on traveling to outdoor events and doing smaller events (like Oak and Steel had paint nights that were limited to ten people). Not only did we survive the pandemic, but Main Street Middletown also saw four new businesses move into our district: The Vine: Maryland Plant Outlet; Mid-Maryland Farmer’s Market (food and locally made crafts open year-round), Production Payroll Services, and Oak and Steel. In addition, we saw the completion of the rehabilitation of the historic Valley Register building, and in 2021, the sale of Memorial Hall. Most recently, the Memorial Hall rehabilitation project was nominated by Main Street Middletown for a Frederick Economic Development “FRED” Award, which they took top honors in the category of best rehabilitation project. Main Street Middletown continues to also add to the local economy through the rehabilitation of 19 West Main Street which was put on hold during the pandemic.

    Establish Local Business Directory

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The Town of Middletown has long recognized the symbiotic relationship between the Town and its citizens and the Local Business Community. The Town advertises all of these businesses on its web site https://www.middletown.md.us/ that is updated regularly. The Burgess and Commissioners have long promoted the businesses within our small Town and in recent years established Middletown as a Main Street Maryland community. Presently, the Town has 3 venues to reach out to the citizens who may support the local businesses: a Town Website; a Town Calendar and the Main Street Middletown website Business Directory https://mainstreetmiddletown.org/business-directory/ , all free to anyone who is interested. The Town maintains its own website and a redesign of the website took place a few years back. An integral part of that site is a categorized listing of the Towns' Businesses which is continually updated as new businesses come into Town. The Town used to have a Community Directory which was published for more than 15 years as a resource to the Town’s residents. Due to the Town wanting to conserve paper, and due to the fact that it is easy for most folks to find information on the town’s website, the Community Directory is no longer printed. Although Main Street Middletown does not promote the directory per se – it does promote the Main Street district. In 2021 instead of sending out a mailer through the US Postal Service’s EDDM (Every Door Direct Mailer) program with a list of upcoming events for the Town, a mailer was sent out with a listing of the downtown businesses. Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. does spend a significant portion of their funding on advertising the business district in a more generalized way – through social media, digital ads, print ads, radio, and even TV. These ads focus on coming to Middletown to engage in our rich cultural history, shop our stores, dine in one of our restaurants, and enjoy the beauty of our downtown. In FY 2023, over 20K was budgeted to spend on advertising to people outside of Frederick County and approximately 17K to spend advertising in county. For FY 2023, Main Street Middletown will promote the downtown district in the following publications: Maryland Road Trip, Gettysburg Experience, VA Travel Tips, Hagerstown Magazine, Visit Frederick, 72-Hours of the Frederick News Post, Best of the Best Contest Frederick News Post, Frederick Magazine, Digital Ads via Manning Media, Frederick Housewives Social Media Pages, WFRE Radio.

  • Natural Resources

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Natural Resources

    50 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown has eight innovative projects under this category. 1. Improvements to Broad Street - Broad Street received a sustainable upgrade, and has new sidewalk, curb, gutter and stormwater management. The stormwater management features include Filterra stormwater biofiltration systems. Broad Street is a primary route for children walking to the primary school, and the $1.7M project was initiated because of infrastructure needs. The project started on August 9, 2021 and was completed on June 20, 2022. The eight Filterras, which are a component of the stormwater management program, are maintained twice a year, once every six months, at a total cost of $6,000/year by a company called Stevens Maintenance Inc. 2. Pollinator resolution - In November 2017, the Middletown Burgess and Commissioners passed a resolution supporting pollinator populations by modeling pollinator friendly practices and by educating its citizens about pollinators, including disseminating information about the ways residents can help, due to currently unsustainable threats to the survival of these pollinators. The resolution and additional educational resources are available on the town's website and the Green Team website https://www.greenmiddletown.com/pollinator-conservation . 3. Mayor’s Monarch Pledge program - In March of 2021, Burgess Miller again signed the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge which is a program of the National Wildlife Federation to help provide suitable habitats for monarch butterflies. The pledge commits the town to taking 14 actions to help save monarch butterflies and other pollinators, including educating people about how they can help monarchs. The Town has issued a proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat and has engaged with the local golf course and others to revise maintenance and mowing programs so help save their habitat. 4. Establishment of pollinator garden – In the spring of 2021, the Green Team planted a pollinator garden at one of the local parks. Signage was added to call attention to it from folks visiting the park. Additional plants were added in Spring of 2022, and it looks amazing! Even when the milkweed wasn’t even a foot tall, the plants hosted dozens of monarch caterpillars in 2021! Along with additional plants, a gravel path was added in 2022 to keep the grass from invading the garden. A garden maintenance plan was put in place for 2022 to keep the garden weeded and maintained. 5. Gift Tree Program – The Middletown Gift Tree Program was established in 2021 to provide the opportunity for others to be involved in contributing to our heritage through sponsoring trees that are planted within Middletown’s parks and open spaces as a living tribute. The living memorial can be a gift to honor someone who is special, or in remembrance to a dearly departed family member or friend. Previously named the Memorial Tree Program, it was renamed so residents would know that the program isn’t just for loved ones who have passed away. So far there are three such gift trees that have been planted in Middletown. 6. Tree identification walking trail – The Trees of Wiles Branch Park Walking Tour storybook was completed in September 2020 in conjunction with GIS work done with a consultant with a cost of about $3,000. The staff planner who is co-chair of the Green Team, along with a devoted resident, spent time researching and identifying the trees to be used. The self-guided walking tour is intended to practice tree identification skills and learn fun facts about each of the fourteen tagged trees in the park. The link to the storybook is here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8d7cd5748b0b4255a62cea9518050c36. 7. PLANT awards – The Town of Middletown has been awarded grants for the past few years thru the Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee (MUCFC) towards our tree planting efforts. When receiving grant funding thru MUCFC, municipalities are required to then apply for a PLANT award. We have been receiving the award since 2018. The PLANT Award is recognition for communities who care for their trees. There are four categories for the PLANT award: the Bronze award is for single project activities or one-time events vs. an ongoing program activity; the Silver is for formative programs; the Gold award is for developmental programs; and the Green award is for Sustained programs. Tree City USA recognition automatically qualifies communities as Green level. Middletown has received the Green level for two years now. 8. Zero Waste Maryland – The East Wastewater Treatment Plant treats 234,400 gallons of wastewater each day. With pollutants removed, this treated water is then used to irrigate the nearby Richland Golf Course. The water re-use project started in 2004 and the water is transferred to the golf course via a wet well and pumps. The initial cost was $175,000 and the cost was split between the Town and the golf course operator. A ground discharge permit was needed for this project from MDE. Middletown’s wastewater reuse supports the State of Maryland’s “Zero Waste Maryland” initiative, which seeks to reduce, reuse, and recycle all waste generated in Maryland by 2040.

    Tree City USA

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown became a Tree City USA designated municipality in spring of 2020 and has continued to receive the designation in the years since then. The designation involves meeting four standards including the creation of a Tree Board, implementation of a tree care ordinance, having an annual budget of at least $2 per capita for tree planting and maintenance, and observing Arbor Day with an annual ceremony. WDVM came out to interview Middletown’s Staff Planner and Co-chair of the Sustainability Committee in June 2020, and the video is available for viewing on the Forest Conservation page of the Green Middletown website under Articles/Websites at: https://www.greenmiddletown.com/forest-conservation It was very exciting in 2022 to hold an Arbor Day ceremony on the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Arbor Day in the US. More than 40 folks showed up to help plant 100 trees on town property that day including Potomac Edison employees, Lions Club members, high school students and employees of a local company called Qiagen. Middletown partnered with Potomac Edison’s “Green Teams Tree Planting Program”, and received funding from them as well, in order to purchase not just the 100 trees that were planted on Arbor Day, but also to give away 100 trees to residents on a first come, first served basis with a maximum of two trees for each property owner. The trees were picked up by the residents as part of the Green Expo Day and were required to send us a photo of their planted tree(s). Needless to say, the residents were thrilled with the 6-8 foot trees, and two hundred more trees were added to the Town’s tree canopy coverage! Middletown was also the recipient of the Tree City USA for two years now. The Growth Award is presented to Tree City communities that demonstrate higher levels of tree care and community engagement during the calendar year for activities in five categories that combine to build sustainable community forestry programs over the long term.

    Bee City USA

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Middletown’s Burgess and Commissioners unanimously voted on June 27, 2020 to become a Bee City USA®, joining many other cities and campuses across the country united in improving their landscapes for pollinators. The Burgess and Commissioners’ action is the culmination of months of effort by the Middletown Sustainability Committee to accomplish this certification. Burgess John Miller said, “Our Town Board let it be known that we understand the importance of sustaining pollinators and want to make the city more pollinator friendly. We are grateful to the Sustainability Committee for bringing the opportunity to our attention.” “We are thrilled that the Town Board shared our vision for Middletown to join the Bee City USA movement,” said Mark Carney, who played a leading role in the campaign. Middletown became the first municipality in Frederick County to be designated a Bee City USA, in 2020. The Middletown “Green Team” (Sustainability Committee) supports the vital role that pollinators play in our environment and want to help sustain them. One special task of the designation is to continue to educate the public about the importance of pollinators. There is a huge list of resources shown on the Green Middletown website with a page designated just for Bee City: https://www.greenmiddletown.com/bee-city. Included on the page is a link to a video about Middletown becoming a Bee City municipality that members of the committee put together. The Town has designated the Sustainability Committee, the facilitating committee for Town’s efforts to engage the community in promoting pollinator conservation. The Sustainability Committee meets monthly on the third Tuesday of the month at the Town’s office and invites all residents of Town to offer their ideas for pollinator-friendly initiatives. The more people and organizations involved, the sooner pollinator declines will be reversed. The Town has two Bee City USA Middletown designated signs in town – one on Main Street and one in the central park which is where the new pollinator garden was established.

    Develop a Pet Waste Program

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Town of Middletown allows dogs in all of the town parks and walking trails. As far back as 2008, the Town implemented a pet waste program beginning with dog bag waste containers being placed in Wiles Branch Park. In 2016, the program consisted of twenty-four dog bag waste stations installed in all of the town parks and along all of the walking trails within the town. Six of the dog bag waste stations are located within the new dog parks which opened in January 2016. Since 2016, four additional dog bag waste stations have been installed within the Town, so that in 2022 there are now 28 dog bag waste containers. The Town's Public Works crew maintains the stations. The intent of the dog park is to provide a clean, safe and secure off-leash area where well-behaved dogs can socialize, exercise and play. The small and large dog parks are located in Wiles Branch Park and are available thru a registration program. The membership year runs from July 1st of the current year thru June 30th of the next year for a fee of $10 per household for up to 3 dogs with $4 for each additional dog thereafter. All dog owners must provide proof of a valid Frederick County or out of district license and a current rabies tag, for each dog being registered in order to receive a Wiles Branch Dog Park access key card.

    Develop a Water Conservation Outreach Program

    10 Points

    Program Summary: During the 2002 drought that the entire State of Maryland experienced, residents and businesses were confused with the numerous types and locations of water bans throughout the area. The Burgess and Commissioners of Middletown created the Water Conservation Public Alert System to keep the public informed as to the current status of the Town's public drinking water system. Since that time, the Town keeps the public informed by the code status is posted on the town website; notice is sent out to the Town’s list serve; and a code status change is announced in the local newspaper. The Town used to have water faucet signs that were erected at the entrances to the town with a color-coded water drop (a blue water drop represents Code Blue, a yellow water drop represents Code Yellow, and a red water drop represents Code Red); they have since been removed as most people get their information on-line these days. That being said, if the Town were to be entering a period of drought, the water drops would be installed again to alert residents. The Town also established an ordinance that places restrictions on water use and includes penalties for violating water restrictions. One such restriction is that the watering of lawns or grassy areas of property is prohibited at any time between the hours of 9:00am and 6:00pm during the least restrictive periods of water use under the water conservation public alert system (Code Blue). In 2003, the Town of Middletown put into place a Water Conservation Program Action Plan. Action Plan items included: water conservation information fact sheets to be included in the quarterly water bills, advertising in the local paper about the importance of water conservation, working with the local schools to schedule regular water conservation classes throughout the year, and setting up a section on the Town's website devoted to water conservation information. When looking at the number of hits to our water conservation page on the website, it is very impressive! The summer newsletters sent to every property owner in town always includes information related to water conservation efforts. The Town promoted and subsidized its rain barrel program for many years until we ceased to have a distributor to purchase the rain barrels from. Between 2008-2016, town residents purchased more than 375 rain barrels! This was one way that the Town promoted water conservation. We are continually looking for a new provider for the rain barrels.

    Stormwater Management Program

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The Town of Middletown completed a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program Analysis to determine the most likely sources of contamination to local impaired waterways (Appendix E). The MS4 Program Analysis indicated the two most likely sources of contamination in the Town are associated with residential properties and commercial activities. For this reason, the primary Target Audiences in the Town have been defined as residential property owners and commercial business owners. Due to the Target Audiences types the Public Education and Outreach Plan (PEOP) was developed based on residential and commercial good-housekeeping practices. The Town reviews and updates PEOP content on an annual basis. GOALS: LONG-TERM PROGRAM GOAL: To achieve improvement in the Target Audiences’ knowledge regarding their impacts on the stormwater system and what they can do to prevent these issues from occurring. SHORT-TERM (ANNUAL) PROGRAM GOALS for the CURRENT reporting period: ? Define the most likely sources of contamination from residential uses/ commercial activities and develop specific educational materials and outreach opportunities based on those uses and activities. A. The plan for achieving this goal is to examine residential property types and age demographics to try to define a typical residential target audience member. B. The plan for achieving this goal is to examine commercial activities to try to define a typical commercial target audience member. ? Review and update the Town’s MS4 map and associated land uses as necessary. ? Review and assess the Town’s Target Audience. ? Review and assess the effectiveness of the Town’s public illicit discharge reporting protocol. EXPLANATION OF HOW THE TOWN MET THE SHORT-TERM PROGRAM GOALS: ? The Town has defined the most likely sources of contamination from residential/commercial uses and has attempted to reach out to most likely sources of contamination. ? The Town’s MS4 map was updated. ? The Town’s Target Audience was assessed based on Zoning Designations and existing local land uses; the Target Audience remains residential properties and commercial activities. ? The Town provides educational items to the Town’s Target Audience via the Town’s Stormwater Management tab on the website, https://middletown.md.us ., and through permitting activities. Stormwater educational material and informational items about the Town’s Stormwater Management Program can be found on the website under Town Government – SWM. ? The Town’s public illicit discharge protocol has been implemented twice since the beginning of the Permit Term and has been functioning as expected. SHORT-TERM (ANNUAL) PROGRAM GOALS for the NEXT reporting period: ? Continue to define the most likely sources of contamination from residential uses/ commercial activities and develop specific educational materials and outreach opportunities based on those uses and activities. ? Review and update the Town’s MS4 map and associated land uses as necessary. ? Review and assess the Town’s Target Audience. ? Review and assess the effectiveness of the Town’s public illicit discharge reporting protocol.

    Provide Incentives for Watershed Stewardship on Private Lands

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The Town of Middletown partnered with Potomac Edison’s “Green Teams Tree Planting Program” to offer Town residents up to 2 Free 5-Gallon Native Trees to plant in their yard this past Spring. Recipients were required to live within the Middletown town limits to request trees. Polluted rainwater and snowmelt run off the Town’s roadways, streets, sidewalks and roofs into our local streams and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. This polluted water is typically collected in the Town’s storm water system before being discharged into a local waterway. Under the Clean Water Act of 1972, Middletown is a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Permittee and the owner/operator of a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). As such, the Town is mandated to manage, implement, and enforce programs for controlling stormwater discharges. Planting native trees both in public parks and private residences is a great way to reduce stormwater flows and meet our federal mandate. Trees beautify our neighborhoods, increase property values and add to our community’s quality of life. More recently, trees are recognized for their importance in managing stormwater runoff. Their leaf canopies help reduce erosion caused by falling rain. They also provide surface area where rainwater lands and evaporates, while their roots take up water and create conditions in the soil that promote infiltration. Increasing the Town’s tree canopy will result in millions of gallons of reduced stormwater runoff every year. To promote the Spring Tree Giveaway and encourage residents to participate, the Town planted a matching tree in one of the Town parks for every tree planted in a resident’s yard. All 100 free trees were registered for in less than a month and the residents were thrilled when they picked up their free trees, which were much taller than most people expected them to be. Most residents requested two free trees as opposed to just one and were required to send us a photo of their planted tree(s).

  • Planning & Land Use

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Planning & Land Use

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Over the past few years, the Town has greatly increased its walking trails. A walking trail was constructed from East Main Street to Linden Street, and from Linden Street to Remsberg Park. An additional walking trail was added to Remsberg Park in 2019 to connect to the existing trail there. In 2020, waterless bathrooms were installed at Remsberg Park in addition to the completion of an additional parking lot and a handicap drop-off area in the park. Additionally, a walking trail to Remsberg Park from Middletown Parkway was completed which includes a pedestrian crossing across Holter Road. The trails are maintained by the Public Works department and were scoped out by the Town Administrator and the Town Engineer. A consultant, David Guiney, created the maps used for the trail signage. Program Open Space (POS) funds were used to construct the trails; trail costs varied depending on the length of the trails. The Town is working hard to complete linkages throughout the Town for an entire system of walking trails for the benefit of its residents. Here is a funding breakdown for the last few years: FY 2020 – Remsberg Park Walking Trail Extension $65,842 (75% Funded by POS) FY 2019 – Remsberg Park Paving $25,000 (90% Funded by POS) FY 2019 – Trail Signage $5,000 (90% Funded by POS) FY 2018 – Remsberg Park Footbridge & Walking Trail $87,000 (50% Funded by POS)

    Participation in DHCD Sustainable Communities

    20 Points

    Program Summary: Staff submitted the Sustainable Communities Program Application for Designation Renewal on February 15, 2019. An email was received on July 25, 2019 stating that the application to renew the Sustainable Community designation of the Town of Middletown was approved by the Smart Growth Coordinating Committee. The designation has been extended for five years and will expire on February 19, 2024. (see attached copy of email) The Town of Middletown first became a Sustainable Community with approval by the Smart Growth Subcabinet on February 19, 2014. The Sustainability Area Map which includes properties along Main Street and contains the National Register Historic Districts, comprises 692 parcels out of the 1,857 parcels within the Town limits. Notice that the Town was officially designated a Sustainable Community was publicly announced by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development on March 12, 2014. Town staff back in 2013-14, and again in 2018-19, spent upwards of 120 hours working on the lengthy application process. The application was modified in 2019 which made it a little easier to understand what was being asked of us. The chart format that was used was clearer than the previous question and answer format. For the 2019 renewal application, DHCD was asking local governments to report on progress towards their desired sustainability outcomes and to provide a Sustainable Communities plan update. The only cost associated with applying for the designation and creating plan documents was the staff time involved.

  • Historic Preservation

    Establish National Register Historic District

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The historical past of Middletown is easily recognized even to the casual observer in both the Town and the surrounding Region. This evidence of the past is seen throughout Frederick County, but especially in Middletown with its early development as a turnpike town. The 1990 Frederick County Comprehensive Plan recognized the importance of the historic past and in 1991, the County began a four year project to complete a county wide historic sites inventory. This project began in the late 1970's, but lapsed in the early 1980's because of loss of funds. The survey was resumed in February 1991 with the aid of a matching grant from the Maryland Historical Trust, the state historic preservation agency. Among the sites recognized in the Middletown corporate limits during the survey are as follows: Airview Survey District (F 4 38): Airview, an early 20th century private real estate development at the east end of Middletown, has large residences in the vernacular, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and bungalow styles built about 1898 1930. Among the houses is an outstanding example of the Queen Anne style, the George Gaver House (1898 99), at 701 E. Main Street, and the first documented concrete block house in Frederick County, “Gray Haven” (1906), 709 East Main Street. The development was a direct result of the opening of the 1896 trolley line which linked Middletown and Frederick. A link to the Airview Walking tour is found here: https://mainstreetmiddletown.org/eastmainairviewhistoricdistrict/ Middletown Survey District (F 4 39): Middletown’s Survey District is centered on the intersection of Main Street and Church Street and includes the original 1767 planned town west of the intersection, the early 19th Century additions of Keller, Wise, and Grove, and the late 19th and early 20th Century extensions of East Main Street and the Prospect Street development. The later additions were partly influenced by the 1896 Frederick and Middletown Electric Railway and other factors such as the building of a school with necessary street access. The architecture of the different sections is clearly distinguishable, with the log, stone, and brick buildings of the pre 1850 period concentrated in the original section and along Jefferson Street through Keller’s Addition. Late 19th Century commercial buildings are clustered along Main Street in the original section. The eclectic residential styles of the 1890's through the 1930's are apparent in the East Main Street and Prospect Street areas. Middletown is an excellent representative of turnpike town development, with the added influence of the electric trolley, which opened the Middletown Region to wider contact with other parts of the County and the larger interstate region. Middletown is also significant for its role as a hospital center after the 1862 Battles of South Mountain and Antietam and as the 18th and 19th Century religious center of the middle and upper Middletown Valley. The two National Register Districts in Middletown are still listed in the National Register of Historic Places as they still retain a high level of architectural and historical integrity. There has been no known review by the National Park Service (NPS) or the Maryland Historical Trust, or demolition of any buildings that would trigger delisting. Working with the Town Administrator and the Middletown Revitalization Committee, Paula Reed & Associates was hired to inventory, research, investigate, and complete the nomination forms, which was then reviewed by the MD Historical Trust and the NPS. Ms. Reed, as well as the Town’s Main Street Manager, meets or exceeds the qualifications to perform this work as specified in the Federal Register. There is also a local historic district, however the Town of Middletown does not have a local ordinance that would require property owners to come before a Historic District Commission to review proposed changes to their buildings that could potentially harm the architectural integrity of the two districts. Since there is no political will to create such an ordinance, Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. has become the voice and advocate for maintaining the historic nature of the downtown. As a nonprofit, there is no carrot, only gentle persuasion and the love of local history that is shared by so many people in town. Preservation work is voluntarily undertaken by citizens. The Main Street program is an off-shoot from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the preservation of Middletown’s downtown’s unique architecture is one of the main program areas. To promote the positive aspects of historic preservation, a book was created about the architectural styles found in Middletown, just along the National Road. The professionally photographed book shows many benefits of preservation.

    Establish Local Historic Property Tax Incentives

    15 Points

    Program Summary: In addition to the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit and the Maryland Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit, the Town of Middletown also has a Middletown Tax Credit available to commercial property owners. For improvements made to commercial structures within the Town, the new assessed value of the improved property is taxed at 20% the first year, 40% the second year, 60% the third year, 80% the fourth year, and the full amount in the fifth year after project completion. The Town Administrator and Historic District Commission created the tax credit in 2009 and it is implemented by the Historic District Commission. The Main Cup restaurant took advantage of the local tax credit after it went into effect in 2012. The Town additionally has a Façade Improvement Program, which is a direct financial incentive offered by Main Street Middletown, MD Inc., the Town’s local nonprofit that supports the business district. For properties within the Main Street District that contribute to the significance of the National Register Historic District, Main Street can pay at a maximum, up to 50% of the costs associated with rehabilitating the historic features of the exterior. Rehabilitation of 4 East Main Street, the historic Memorial Hall building, began in 2021. The property owner received $50,000 from the Façade Improvement Program to go towards the rehabilitation of the front façade of Memorial Hall and in December 2021, Main Street Middletown secured another $50,000 in grant funds to assist in that effort. Both the Town and Main Street Middletown received a FRED Award (from the Frederick Real Estate Dealmakers) for Most Creative Adaptive Reuse Deal for the rehabilitation of the Memorial Hall. In 2020, Façade Improvement Program funds were reimbursed to the property owner at 1 West Main Street for the exterior paint job, 1001-1004 Wren’s Nest property for the repair and new paint of more than 22 pairs of shutters, and the continued support of Pyramid Rocks, LLC, owner of the Dr. Lamar House at 200 West Main for their exterior improvements. In 2019, Façade Improvement Funds went to Pyramid Rocks and to the Middletown Valley Bank.