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POWSA
P.O. Box 1231
Mechanicsville, MD 20659
Page created: October 24, 2001
Content last modified: April 2002
Last modified: April 12, 2006
- School System
- Golf & Tennis Privledged
- Water Privledged
- Location! Location! Location!
- Recreation
- Golf Clubhouse
- Horticulture & Neighborhood Roads
- Civic Association (POWSA) Membership
Private schools nearby include Holy Angels-Sacred Heart School, Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy, and Mother Catherine Spalding School.
Our nighborhood parents interact with the Parent Teacher Association and the St. Mary's County School Board.
The Wicomico Shores Public Golf Course is located just off our main road, Aviation Yacht Club Drive. As you enter the neighborhood from Route 234 onto Aviation Yacht Club Drive, on your right-hand side, you will find our wonderful Wicomico Shores Public Golf Course just before our lighted tennis courts.
The Wicomico Shores Golf Course and Tennis Courts are now managed by St. Mary's County Department of Recreation & Parks.
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The waterfront is located just off our main road, Aviation Yacht Club Drive. Driving past the golf course, at the end of Aviation Yacht Club Drive, turn right at the stop sign onto Army Navy Drive to reach our homes along the water as well as the Wicomico Shores Public Waterfront Park.
At the Waterfront Park, you can enjoy the Public Boat Ramp, Pier, Fishing & Crabbing, Beach (No Lifeguard), Kiddy Playground, and Picnic Tables.
The Wicomico Shores Waterfront Park and Boat Ramp are now managed by St. Mary's County Department of Recreation & Parks.
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Where homes are located, almost all of Wicomico Shores streets are now paved and maintained by St. Mary's County. Chief Court (recently renamed Stephanie Lane) is the last street to be paved, and it is planned for paving and County maintenance with the expansion of the Special Taxing District, Third Phase.
There are a number of lots in two large sections which are unable to be built due to an inability at this time to access the public water & sewage system designed with capacity specifically for these lots. Where these lots are located, the private streets have not been maintained for sometime, and access is available only on foot using long abandoned landmarks.
Property Owners of Wicomico Shores Association, Inc. (POWSA) is the name of our civic association.
If you would like information on becoming a member of our neighborhood civic association, POWSA, then click here.
Additionally, from the left-hand menu links at the top of this page as well as our home page, you can view the following:
- POWSA Newsletters
- POWSA Upcoming Events
- POWSA Board Activities
- POWSA Committees
- POWSA Bylaws
- POWSA Budget
- POWSA E-mail Addresses & Contact Info
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from the Chronicles of St. Mary's
Quarterly Magazine of the St. Mary's County Historical Society - Summer 2000
In 1664, the Beaver Damm Mannour was referenced as a propriety manor. An undated survey for 7680 acres "In Calvert County" was recorded in 1666. The manor was "Lying in the woods..." In 1790 Beaver Damm manor was laid out into 49 lots by George Fenwick and these lots were sold the same year. It is not yet confirmed, but Wicomico Shores appears to be on land that belonged to (#13) Three Courses Tract with 154 acres, (#20) Locust Thicket Tract with 140 acres, as well as a small portion of Mitcham Hills, which was founded in 1662 and not part of the Beaver Damm Mannour tracts.
In the early 1960's, a group of financial investors, executives, and retired
World War II military officers, headed by Maj. Terrill Brazelton established
Wicomico Shores; called Aviation, Yacht and Country Club. The area included
about 900 acres that eventually were subdivided into 1565 lots to be sold to
the public.
They designed and built the present 18-hole golf course, a swimming pool, tennis courts, riding stables, an aircraft landing strip on the now-overgrown flat area northwest of the golf course, and a rudimentary road, water and sewer system. They contracted with a sales organization to sell lots. Ownership entitled the purchaser to use the club facilities, which they called amenities.
In 1968, the development was purchased by Robert R. Rodenberg, a Washington,
D.C. man of many financial and commercial interests, including having founded
the Baltimore Colts professional football team in 1948. Wicomico Shores Yacht
and Country Club became the new name.
The present clubhouse was built to replace one in a now-private home to the lower southeast side of the 18th golf green. Both the golf course and waterfront facilities were improved, and sales of lots to the public were greatly increased through advertising, outdoor barbecues, seafood buffets and other promotions at the clubhouse overlooking the beautiful Wicomico River.
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Little was done to improve the roads, water, and sewer facilities for property
owners, however; and through inefficient sales practices such as duplicate
sales of the same lot, poor record keeping, and generally bad management;
by 1975 the developer faced extreme financial problems and bankruptcy.
Homeowners had become increasingly discouraged by deterioration of the area,
poor utilities service, and being assessed dues for use of club facilities
which salesmen originally had misstated as being cost free for "charter members".
Bankruptcy of the developer would mean lot owner loss of investment and enjoyment
of homes and club facilities.
The St. Mary's County Government also failed property owners by not requiring the developer to post secured escrow funds for roads and utilities, improperly recording deeds, and generally ignoring the long-developing condition.
Thus, at a clubhouse meeting on September 6, 1975, a committee was elected to form a representative group which came to be named the Property Owners of Wicomico Shores Association. POWSA was officially established by property owner vote on November 15, 1975.
POWSA's primary purpose in simple terms, was to represent property owners' interests by working with Federal, State, and County officials, and financial and commercial organizations to protect and enhance property owner investments and enjoyment.
As conditions deteriorated, in June 1976 after unsuccessful attempts to obtain additional financing, the Wicomico Shores developer filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore All land sales were halted, following sales of 905 lots and the building of 26 homes. For the next six years until 1982, the Wicomico community operated under Conservator William Chapman, appointed by the Federal Bankruptcy Court. Although the golf course and club remained in operation, and limited waterfront activities continued, no improvements were made to the road, water and sewer systems, and service became increasingly worse.
Following many unsuccessful attempts by the Bankruptcy Court to find a financial
investor, on June 24, 1982 a syndicate of private local investors known as
Wicomico Inc., conditionally purchased the golf course, clubhouse and waterfront
facilities, along with hundreds of individual lots in a package deal.
The company operated the golf course and clubhouse on a paid membership basis; Wicomico Shores property owners were welcomed. Although unhappy with having to "pay to play", many property owners used the facilities. But the company had little interest in maintaining the roads and utilities systems, except to administer the small Wicomico Water Company. During this period, 75 more homes were built; reaching a total of about 100.
The State of Maryland threatened
condemnation of the obsolete and overloaded sewer system, which was polluting the
Wicomico River. St. Mary's County responded by halting issue of home building
permits. We had approximately 100 homes built at the time the freeze took effect.
In March 1985, lot owners asked POWSA to petition the County to consider assuming responsibility for the rebuilding and maintenance of community roads, water and sewer systems. This would lift the freeze on home building permits. Officials eventually suggested use of an established Special Taxing District procedure by which St. Mary's County would study, design, engineer, finance and construct roads and utility systems, and recover costs from served property owners over a period of 20 years through additions to tax bills. POWSA immediately began working with property owners and County officials to rebuild and extend these critical systems. This was the beginning of a long and difficult project by POWSA on behalf it's property owners. Then, Wicomico, Inc. withdrew its property holdings from the formation of the Special Taxing District.
By 1986, Wicomico Inc. became overwhelmed by the road, water and sewer problems
and dissatisfied with their investment prospects. Following extended negotiations,
Wicomico Inc. donated the golf course, clubhouse and waterfront facilities to St.
Mary's County for access by all County citizens, under management of Parks and
Recreation. Transfer of these amenities was announced in the Enterprise Newspaper
on December 3, 1986. Wicomico Inc. retained ownership of hundreds of lots
throughout the community.
Donation of the Wicomico Shores golf course and other recreational facilities to St. Mary's County was not completely in favor. Objections centered on County acceptance of approximately $73,000 in liabilities and payments owed by the donating corporation. It was pointed out, however; that the property was worth about $1.5 million. Then Director of Recreation and Parks, John Baggett stated that golf course revenue in 1986 was $271,000.
The County began municipal golf course operations in March 1987. Original season pass cost was $500 per individual, or $9 weekday rate. The County has operated at profit from the start. Course maintenance and improvement have been excellent up to the present time. Fishing, crabbing, and waterfront beach use are open to the public, and the tennis courts are available.
Beginning with a property owners association petition in March 1985, and followed
by years of meetings, engineering studies, cost analyses, and political delays;
Wicomico Shores property owners in June 1988, approved creation of a Special
Taxing District to finance the cost of roads, water and sewer systems in
Section I. St. Mary's County planners considered this to be Phase I of a system
that would eventually be expanded to serve single family homes in the entire
Wicomico Shores community.
Design changes, land purchase for sewerage settling basins, environmental and health matters, building permits, and construction contract planning, further delayed the project until approved by St. Mary's County Commissioners in August 1992. Construction of the roads, water and sewer systems was completed in the summer of 1995, at a total cost of approximately $4.5 million, to be paid over 20 years by residential tax add-ons.
In 1995, 59 lot owners on Golf Course Drive voted to create a Special Taxing
District to extend the roads water and sewer systems to their properties. The
County Commissioners at first approved creation. Then, following engineering
and cost studies, and construction planning, the Commissioners in 1998 rescinded
approval, which involved internal political disagreements. Political disputes
were later resolved, and Phase II of the roads and utilities systems were
extended to Golf Course Drive in the summer of 2000.
It is uncertain the status of Phase III, but St. Mary's County had begun working on materials needed to expand the roads and utilities systems in Wicomico Shores.
While the threat of Quixotic's Concept Plan for high density is on going, more
detailed information is available both from the "High Density Proposal" link at
the Wicomico Shores home page and
by clicking here.
As of December 2001, Quixotic has concept approval for an additional 514 single family homes within the Wicomico Shores neighborhood of approximately 400 homes. The neighborhood's first appeal to the April 26, 2001 approval for 264 homes as "minor infill" was withdrawn to focus neighborhood resources against the proposed condos. The neighborhood's second appeal to the August 13, 2001 Planning Commission decision was withdrawn on the basis of legal advice. While some of the neighborhood is upset as the neighborhood felt certain it would win the appeal, others in the neighborhood feel satisfied that no condominiums or 'retirement condominiums' will be built within the neighborhood.
In March 2001, Quixotic, a developer new to Wicomico Shores, sought 264 additional
single family home lots and zoning changes. The 264 single family homes were approved
by the St. Mary's County Planning Commission on April 23, 2001, on the basis
of infill. Of most concern, Quixotic proposed a mixed-unit development for
Wicomico Shores, which included:
- 140 condominiums (between holes 7, 8, 9, & 1)
- 385 condominums units for "retirement development"
- commericial market
- additional 9 hole golf course
Quixotic, shortly before the May hearing date, withdrew its request for the consideration of the golf course condos, golf course addition, and commercial area. The withdrawal of such Conditional Use request was made "without prejudice" which means that Quixotic may refile such request in the future.
In June 2001, Wicomico, Inc. and it's sister company, Chaptico Land Development Co., agreed to sell land to Quixotic for Quixotic's proposed development. The high density development (condominiums, "retirement" condominiums, and commercial area) proposal violates existing zoning for Wicomico Shores.
In August 2001, Quixotic withdrew their planned condos, etc in favor of additional single family homes. The Planning Commission approved another 250 conceptual single family homes in the neighborhood. The legal basis for this approval was "minor infill." The neighborhood filed an appeal.
Quixotic requested a postponement so their lawyer could attend, which was granted by POWSA.
The planned purpose of appealing was negotiation leverage with Quixotic to bring benefits to the neighborhood. Lisa Kapanoske was able to have Quixotic's Ed Middleton drop 75 of the proposed concept single family home lots, but the remainder of the POWSA Board did not find this adequate.
On November 29, 2001 a few hours before the scheduled Public Hearing, POWSA Chairman Lisa Kapanoske learned four home owners were not notified by certified mail as required. Additionally, it was learned possible jurisdiction conflicts existed: the hearing scheduled before the Board of Appeals should instead be before County Commissioners for review and then (if applicable) Circuit Court. Finally, it was also learned the original paperwork requesting the appeal was incorrectly filled out. POWSA's lawyer recommended POWSA's Lisa Kapanoske dismiss the appeal, and a letter was quickly prepared for dismissal.
There will be many more Planning Commission reviews between these initial concept approvals and development.
