The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County held their regular business meeting in the Chesapeake Building Tuesday, July 12, 2022, with the invocation and pledge, followed by approval of the consent agenda.
The Commissioners recognized National Parks and Recreation Month with a Proclamation.
The Sheriff’s Office received approval for a request to submit the FY2023 Cooperative Reimbursement Agreement Application for the Child Support Grant from the Maryland Department of Human Services for Child Support Enforcement for $522,259. The grant provides funds for expenditures related to staffing, maintenance, training, and equipment needs for the Child Support Unit.
The Commissioners approved two requests from the Circuit Court. The first was to accept the Adult Recovery Court Program and Family Recovery Court Award from the Maryland Office of Problem Solving Courts for $295,000 to fund personnel, drug testing, training and other related costs. The second approved request accepts the Family Services Court Grant Award of $201,539.07.
The Department of Recreation & Parks received approval for a request to receive the State FY2022 Program Open Space Grant Award for the Nicolet Park Playground Replacement Project.
The Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding for the Neighborhood Connect Broadband Funding Program as requested by the Department of Information Technology. The funding includes $2,014,101 federal funds, $173,700 county funds and in-kind services of $173,700 from the local cable provider and will go toward Middle Mile projects throughout St. Mary’s County.
The Commissioners did not approve a request to receive a COVID-19 Vaccines (VAC-5) grant award from the Maryland Department of Aging for $12,152.
The Department of Economic Development presented a list of 12 projects for consideration for funding by the Maryland Department of Commerce Rural Economic Development Fund. The projects will boost economic development, stimulate private sector investment, and grow jobs. The Commissioners approved the list of proposed projects and authorized the list to be forwarded to the Tri-County Council for consideration through the Rural Maryland Economic Development Fund. The Tri-County Council must submit a complete list to the Department of Commerce by Sept. 2, 2022.
The Commissioners approved a 2022 Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) proposal from the Department of Economic Development. The proposal includes an extension of Tulagi Place in Lexington Park to address the congestion along the MD-235 corridor and take northbound traffic away from Gate 2, improving access to NAS Pax River. The project also includes sidewalks from the Tulagi extensions down Willows Road and Shangri-La for improved pedestrian access to the base and a bike lane extension to allow bicycle access to the base. The total project cost is $2,557,900. The DCIP grant request is $1,790,530.