MD Public Works Awards Grants to So MD
The October 12, 2022 Maryland Board of Public Works had some good news for Southern Maryland in the form of numerous grants and awards, but only a single best-management cost-share award to a Calvert County farmer.
Patuxent River Naval Air Museum and Visitor Center in St. Mary’s County received $100,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the museum. No match is required.
Also in St. Mary’s County the Huntersville Rural Legacy Areare ceived a grant of $852,262 for partnership with the U.S. Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) funds to acquire conservation easements to protect forests, natural and archeological areas, farmland, and historic sites. Portions of the Area are designated by the Smithsonian Center for Natural Areas as critical wildlife habitat in need of protection. The Board approved the designation of the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area in 1998
The Mattapany Rural Legacy Area in St. Mary’s County received a gran: of $493,984 to match the U.S. Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) funds to acquire conservation easements to protect the Area’s rich
farmland, forests, wetlands, historic sites, and wildlife habitat. Conservation within the Area will provide water quality benefits to the Chesapeake Bay and the St. Mary’s River watershed. The Board approved the designation of the Mattapany Rural Legacy Area in 2006. The expansion of 17,065 acres is designed to include environmentally significant land bordering the St. Mary’s and Potomac Rivers, as well as around the Naval Air Station Patuxent River’s Webster Outlying Field. The entire expansion area is eligible for Navy REPI funding.
St. Mary’s County also received a commitment of $295,000 for its share of Program Open Space funds which will include $25,000 for the 2027 Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Plan and $270,000 for the John Baggett Playground to replace the existing outdated playground with new playground equipment and safety surfacing consistent with National Playground Safety Standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and install fencing.
Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share Program included only one Southern Maryland grant out of the 33 individual grants funded under the Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share Program. Of the total $754,378.94 funding for assistance for the implementation of best management practices that reduce soil and nutrient runoff from Maryland farms, Calvert County farmer and Calvert County Commissioner Earl F. “Buddy” Hance who received $34,800.
Calvert County also received funds for its Rural Legacy Areas include a grant of $1,371,909 to acquire conservation easements to protect farmland and forests, and provide habitat for resident and migrating species. The Area forms a greenway along the Patuxent River, a State Scenic River. Riparian buffers will protect the sensitive wetlands and forests of four watersheds. The Area is also historically significant, including the historic town of Lower Marlboro that was active in the War of 1812 and was also an important port town until the 1930’s. Conservation of property in this Area will support
the local resource-based economy.
The Public Works Board also approved funds for the North Calvert Rural Legacy Area, which was designated in 2004. This expansion of 1,747 acres in three separate locations – one along the border with Anne Arundel County; another along Lower Marlboro Road (Rte. 262); and a third to the south of the existing RLA in Huntingtown. These expansions are intended to add greater protection for Hall Creek, and other smaller tributaries of the Patuxent River, and will increase the size of the green corridor in northern Calvert County and extend to almost connect to the Calvert Creeks RLA in the southern part of the County.
Calvert Creeks Rural Legacy Area received a gran: of $1,062,012 to acquire conservation easements on historic farmland, forests and significant natural areas in the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The Board approved the designation of the Calvert Creeks Rural Legacy Area in 1998. The eexpansion of 15,817 acres to cover a significant portion of the Patuxent River shoreline as well as large parts of the Hunting Creek watershed, which is a conservation focus area for the County. Part of the expanded boundary creates a green corridor along the length of the County and nearly connects the North Calvert RLA and the Calvert Creeks RLA from Dunkirk to Solomons. Another expansion south of Prince Frederick further protects Parkers Creek watershed and lands owned & managed by American Chestnut Land Trust, as well as the Battle Creek watershed.
In Charles County the Nanjemoy – Mattawoman Forest Rural Legacy Area received a grant of $1,166,098 to acquire conservation easements to protect farmland, forests, natural areas, and historic properties within the Nanjemoy and Mattawoman watersheds. The resources protected in this RLA include the fisheries of the Mattawoman Creek – one
of the steadiest and busiest recreational fishing destinations in Maryland. This area includes properties on the Potomac River, Mallows Bay, Nanjemoy Creek, and Mattawoman Creek, and is within the U.S. Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) preservation boundary. The Board approved the designation of Nanjemoy-Mattawoman
Rural Legacy Area in 2021.
The MD Board of Public Works also enter into a $120,000 grant agreement with the Board of Directors of the Living Water at St. John’s Chapel for St. John’s Methodist Church Restoration in Calvert County. The funds are for acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the St. Johns Chapel. The total project is estimated to cost $230,000 and an anticiated $110,000 is anticipated to come from local funds.
That board also granted $60,000 to the Calvert Elks Lodge, No 2620, in Calvert County for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Calvert Elks Lodge, including the HVAC system.”
In Charles Count the board granted LifeStyles of Maryland Foundation, Inc. Southern Crossing $550,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Southern Crossing project. The total project cost is $2,310,000 with $1,760,000 anticipated from local sources.
RXBSA Properties, LLC, the Indian Head Grocer Initiative in Charles County received $300,000 for acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of a grocery store facility. The total project is estimated at $5,099,277 with $4,799,277 to be provided from local funds.
The Hughesville and Laplata campuses of the College of Southern Maryland each received construction grants. The Hughesville Campus received $ 200,000 toward construction of a Hughesville Health Sciences Center. The new building will be centrally located to the three counties served by CSM and provide education for nursing and other health science professions. This will be the second building on CSM’s Hughesville campus.
Counties in Southern Maryland will help address transportation issues to and from campus by creating a mass transit hub nearby. The new building will correct the poor location of the current program (in La Plata, which serves predominantly Charles County residents) and lack of space in the current building.
CSM anticipates that the new building will allow for higher enrollments in nursing, a key job growth area. In addition, a dedicated purpose account has been set up with $483,000 for a total encumbrance of $683,000. The total project is estimated at $25,364,000. In 2020 $14,048,000 was put toward this project, in 2018 $8,962,000, and in 2017 $1,671,000.
The CSM Laplata Campus will receive $2,421,000 to renovate its Health Technology Building into a contemporary Student Resource Center to house Admissions offices; Advising offices, Advising lab, and Advising conference room; Career Center office and conference area; Testing Center offices; Testing labs; and the Welcome Center and lounge. One representative each from the Financial Assistance, Bursar, Student Affairs, and Registrar departments will also have offices in the new facility.
The total cost of the project will be $4,050,000. In 2021 $1,629,000 was allocated. Funding is based on a total project cost of $5,400,000.
