The Havre de Grace City Council recently accepted a donation of $100,000 from Louis and Phyllis Friedman toward the renovation of the city's Opera House.
The council also has approved a proposal for a memorial to Ernest Burke, a Havre de Grace native who served in the first African-American Marine unit in World War II and played in the Negro professional baseball leagues in the 1940s.
The Friedmans, who own several Stack & Store Self-Storage facilities in the region, have made a number of charitable donations in the region, including sponsoring a meeting room at Havre de Grace's new library and the brain injury rehabilitation center at Baltimore's Sinai Hospital.
"You don't know how incredible this town is," Phyllis Friedman told the council, which met on July 5, saying she and her husband have watched Havre de Grace's renaissance and see themselves as stewards of their resources.
Mayor Bill Martin, who presented the Friedmans with a city flag and a challenge coin, told them the city is "probably second to none in its volunteer spirit" and he wants Havre de Grace to "last longer than the Roman Empire," calling the Opera House a landmark that will continue being part of the community into the 21st century because of "your generous donation."
Council President Steve Gamatoria also said: "Your generosity to the city is really second to none."
Council members Dave Glenn and Randy Craig also thanked the couple, with Craig saying he thinks the Opera House will provide "a great cultural impact to the community."
In May, Havre de Grace voters approved a ballot question authorizing the city to borrow $2.1 million to complete renovations on the 145-year-old Opera House on Union Avenue, whose supporters launched a $3.2 million restoration effort last year.
Ernest Burke memorial
The council also agreed to move forward with a memorial recognizing Burke, in response to a request from resident Camay Murphy in partnership with Bill Watson of the city's Public Art Committee.
Burke was born in Havre de Grace in 1924 and served in the first African-American U.S. Marine unit in World War II, according to a resolution the council approved.
After returning home, he played third base and pitcher for the Baltimore Elite Giants, a professional baseball team in the former African-American League in 1946.
"We know it's an important thing to do as we look at the diversity in our community, but we also want to look at the man whose statue or memorial is going to be erected," Murphy told the council.
Martin said the memorial is just part of many public art projects he hopes the city will undertake, as Watson noted plans are underway for a maritime heritage sculpture at the Concord Point Park.
"We are hoping the whole city is going to blossom with public art," Martin said. "We are really hoping that the maritime sculpture at Concord Point Park is going to take off."
Also at the July 5 meeting, the council approved a resolution agreeing to tell the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak that work on the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge will have a minimal impact on the adjacent Jean Roberts Park.
The City Council's next meeting, on July 18, will at be Hutchins Park, the second of a series of "on the road" meetings Mayor Martin proposed earlier this year.
The mayor and council met at the Bulle Rock Residents Club in April and also plan to meet at the Decoy Museum in mid-September.