The Board of Public Works (BPW) — a three-member panel including Governor Larry Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot, and State Treasurer Nancy Kopp — reviews projects, contracts, and expenditure plans for state agencies, many of which affect county governments.

The BPW considered and approved the following requests and recommendations at its meeting on September 15, 2021:

Note: This is a list of county-specific items, not a comprehensive list of BPW actions.

Related Coverage: BPW Breakthrough: Panel Seeks, Receives Cost Split to Help Counties

Allegany County

• A request from the Maryland Department of the Environment for new funding up to $2,844,866 ($1,549,998 loan + $1,294,888 grant) to the City of Cumberland for the Decatur Street 24” Crosstown Water Main Replacement project. This project will replace aging water lines in City areas and provide residents with safe and adequate drinking water and fire protection (Item 8 of the Secretary’s Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $1,416,000 grant to Allegany College of Maryland for a renovation project at the Technologies building on its main campus to create modern classroom and lab space and new office areas. As a result, academic departments will be able to merge small programs into more comprehensive degrees. Sustainable features include high-efficiency plumbing and lighting fixtures as well as updated HVAC and electrical systems (Item 32 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Anne Arundel County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $500,000 grant to the Board of Directors of Rockbridge Academy, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the replacement of the Rockbridge Academy roof. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 10 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $25,000 grant to the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Children’s Museum, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of a new amphitheater complex. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 20 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $1,300,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Anne Arundel County for a project at Beverly Triton Nature Park. This includes realigning a 90-degree turn in a county road to enhance safety, constructing a parking lot, park road and trail leading to the beach with ADA parking and drop off and unloading zones, a fishing pier on Deep Pond, a children’s play space, and a bathroom/office structure and maintenance shed.  In addition, the project includes installing lighting and utilities, beach access crossing matting, and trail improvements (Item 1A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Baltimore City

• A request from the Department of Housing and Community Development for approval to provide a $2,500,000 loan under the Rental Housing Works Program, which finances rental housing to be occupied by individuals with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income. The loan will be made to Perkins Phase 1-PSO Transformation Plan to assist in the construction of 103 units for families located at 1401 E. Pratt Street. The project will offer a mix of affordable one- and two-bedroom units (Item 12 of the Secretary’s Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $300,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Bon Secours of Maryland Foundation, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Bon Secours Youth Development Center. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 15 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request from the Department of Housing and Community Development for approval to provide a $2,950,000 loan under the Rental Housing Works Program, which finances rental housing to be occupied by individuals with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income. The loan will be made to Woodland Gardens II Limited Partnership for the new construction of 75 affordable units for senior households in the Park Heights community of Baltimore City. The Project will offer a mix of affordable one-bedroom and one-bedroom with den floorplans (Item 14 of the Secretary’s Agenda).
• A request to enter into grant agreements for grants totaling $4,000,000 to the Board of Directors of the Hippodrome Foundation, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 16 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Baltimore County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to provide a $58,853 grant to NeighborSpace of Baltimore County through the Resiliency through Restoration Initiative (formerly called the Coastal Resiliency Program) to design and construct green infrastructure features at Powhatan Park to address increasingly worse stormwater flooding, improve resiliency to climate change impacts, increase the livability of the community, and lay a foundation for long-term stewardship in an urban community. This program implements on-the-ground natural and nature-based projects in priority areas where nature can help communities become more resilient to flooding and erosion.
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $500,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives facility. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 3 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $60,000 grant to the Board of Education of Baltimore County for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of an electronic sign for Overlea High School. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 2 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $700,000 grant to the Board of Education of Baltimore County for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Parkville High School athletic facilities, including the installation of a turf field. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 8 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $400,000 grant to the Board of Education of Baltimore County for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Kenwood High School athletic facilities, including the installation of a turf field (Item 6 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Caroline County 

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $300,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Caroline County to refurbish the tennis and basketball courts, construct two regulation-sized baseball fields, expand and pave the parking lot, and purchase and install additional site amenities at Martin Sutton Park in Ridgely (Item 1A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Carroll County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $400,000 grant to the Board of Directors of Days End Farm Horse Rescue, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the firehouse at Days End Farm Horse Rescue. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 11 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to certify matching funds and enter into grant agreements for grants totaling $100,000 to the Board of Directors of the Carroll County Veteran’s Independence Project, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Carroll County Veteran’s Independent Project facility. The Grantee has submitted documentation of sufficient funds to meet the matching fund requirement for this project (Item 18 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Cecil County 

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $1,000,000 grant to the Board of Directors of NorthBay Education, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the infrastructure and other capital improvements to NorthBay. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 22 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Charles County

• A request from the Department of Housing and Community Development for approval to provide an $805,000 loan under the Neighborhood BusinessWorks program, which is a Smart Growth tool for revitalization through business creation or expansion in designated revitalization areas. This particular loan will be made to RXBSA Properties, LLC, which has entered into a public-private partnership with the Town of Indian Head, to redevelop the Algonquin Building, located at 4145 Indian Head Highway. The proposed project will revitalize the vacant building, renovate adjacent unkempt properties, and provide street-level retail services and five affordable residential units on the second floor. In addition, the building will be redeveloped into a mixed-use commercial space anchored by a small grocery store (Item 9 of the Secretary’s Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $30,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Historic Willing Helpers Society Incorporated for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Historic Helpers Society facility, including improvements to the building’s parking lot. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 12 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $200,000 grant to the Board of Directors of Hospice of the Chesapeake Foundation, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Inpatient Care Center. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 13 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $1,629,000 grant to the College of Southern Maryland-La Plata Campus to renovate the Health Technology Building to create a contemporary Student Resource Center (SRC). The SRC will house Admissions, Advising, Testing, and Career Center offices, as well as labs and conference areas.  When complete, the new facility will provide “one-stop” service by serving as an informational focal point for students and campus visitors and will house facilities and operational space necessary for coordinating and disseminating student services functions. In addition, this project will resolve issues of insufficient space and fragmented functions (Item 31 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Frederick County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to grant $283,656.78 of Program Open Space stateside funds to Frederick County for the acquisition of a 62.49-acre Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) easement (Kodish property). The owner is also donating an additional 5.16 acres.  Acquisition of this CREP easement permanently protects water quality by requiring approximately 1,700 linear feet of forested and vegetative stream buffers to Linganore Creek and associated tributaries.  The easement will be held by DNR (Item 6A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda.)
• The Department of Natural Resrequested resources to grant $19,000 of Program Open Space statewide funds for the acquisition in fee simple of 2.0 acres (Happ property) in Frederick County. Located within Turner’s Gap/Fox’s Gap Historic District, this forested property is part of a larger tract of mature, wooded area that provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including Forest Interior Dwelling Species (FIDS).  Acquisition will contribute to the long-term preservation of the historic landscape, provide an additional buffer to the Appalachian Trail, and increase recreational opportunities such as hiking and birding. This property lies along Reno Monument Road and will be managed by the Maryland Park Service as an addition to South Mountain State Battlefield (Item 8A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $1,000,000 grant to the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Emmitsburg for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of a water clarifier at the Emmitsburg Water Treatment Plant. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 14 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $3,048,000 grant to Frederick Community College to renovate and construct a 16,000 GSF addition to the 54,014 GSF Linganore Hall. The project will upgrade the Allied Health and Nursing labs, the student learning areas, and the Data Center. It will also move the Testing Center next to Learning Support services and create additional classrooms. In addition, a significant number of sustainability improvements, such as water-efficient fixtures, a new energy-efficient HVAC system, and enhanced indoor air quality, will be included in the project (Item 29 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Garrett County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $608,167 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Garrett County for the following projects:
  • Accident Town Park West: $48,433 to, among other things, install new playground equipment consistent with National Playground Safety Standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and construct a walkway to the playground area (Item 2A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
  • Accident Town Park East: $7,045 to purchase and install a swing set and safety surface consistent with National Playground Safety Standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act (Item 2A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
  • Fork Run Trail: $33,369 to construct a trail bridge across an active streambed and purchase and install interpretive signs and a trailhead security camera (Item 2A.3 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
  • Loch Lynn Heights Athletic Field: $314,820 to purchase and install lighting systems for two soccer fields (Item 2A.4 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
  • Grantsville Town Park: $179,500 to purchase and install an athletic field lighting system, add landscaping and pavilion weather screening, and upgrade the existing restroom (Item 2A.5 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
  • Woddell Park: $20,500 to add perimeter edge paving, fencing, and backboard support padding to the basketball court (Item 2A.6 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
  • Oakland B&O Museum Park: $4,500 to construct improvements to the park grounds and restore the historic railroad caboose car (Item 2A.7 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Harford County

• A request to encumber funds for a $2,817,000 grant to Harford Community College (HCC) to renovate and expand the Chesapeake Center Building that will serve as a “front door” to both HCC and the County. It will include a modern performing arts center, expanded conference space, a visitor’s center, a food service facility, and enrollment services including admissions, financial aid, records and registration, and testing. In addition, the project will upgrade or replace systemic infrastructure, reconfigure improperly sized spaces for modern functions, correct ADA and other code deficiencies, incorporate energy-efficient design concepts, and address other functional deficiencies, design inadequacies, and life safety issues. The project design focuses on optimizing the energy performance of the HVAC and lighting systems (Item 27 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Howard County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $581,900 of Program Open Space statewide funds for the acquisition in fee simple of 21.9 acres (Sharp’s Wild Horse Meadow, LLC property) in Howard County. This mostly forested property buffers a tributary to the South Branch of the Patapsco River and contains Forest Interior Dwelling Species (FIDS) habitat. The property will be managed by the Maryland Park Service as part of the adjacent Patapsco Valley State Park. The acquisition will increase public recreational opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and hunting and will simplify boundary management in this area of the park (Item 9A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Montgomery County

• A request from the Department of Housing and Community Development for approval to provide a $2,500,000 loan under the Rental Housing Works Program, which finances rental housing that will be occupied by individuals with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income. The loan will be made to MHP Manor, LLC to assist in the acquisition and rehabilitation of 96 family units located at 1100 Linden Avenue, Takoma Park. The project will include sustainable features such as high-efficiency windows, plumbing fixtures, appliances, lighting, and mechanical systems (Item 11 of the Secretary’s Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $11,630,000 grant to Montgomery College to demolish Falcon Hall and the Science South Building at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus in order to construct the new Catherine and Isaiah Leggett Math and Science Building. The new building will house and support Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs, as well as general education courses required by all students. In addition, the project will incorporate sustainability opportunities, including managing utility demand and smart grid technology, and utilize automation systems to manage comfort and energy.  The project Green Building goal is a LEED silver rating (Item 26 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into grant agreements for grants totaling $200,000 to the Board of Directors of Friends House Retirement Community, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the senior housing facility at the Friends House Retirement Community. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 21 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Prince George’s County

• A request from the Department of Housing and Community Development for approval to provide a $2,500,000 loan under the Rental Housing Works Program, which finances rental housing to be occupied by individuals with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income. The loan will be made to Homes at Oxon Hill Limited Partnership to assist in the construction of 163 units for the elderly, located at 1313 Southern Avenue, Oxon Hill. The Project will offer a mix of affordable one- and two-bedroom units and include a number of sustainable features (Item 13 of the Secretary’s Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $40,734,000 grant to Prince George’s Community College to construct a 137,844 GSF addition to the 130,156 GSF Marlboro Hall. The project will provide additional educational support spaces for the Liberal Arts, Social Science & Business, Mathematics, and Learning Foundation programs, which help to transition to four-year institutions and workforce development. The project design includes sustainable features such as a new HVAC system, expected to reduce energy use by 45 percent, more efficient lighting, low-flow plumbing features, and stormwater runoff mitigation. Two electric vehicle charging stations will also be installed at the site (Item 30 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $125,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Boys and Girls Club Sports Park in Mitchellville, including improvements to the sports fields, pathways, and parking lots. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 1 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $75,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Maryland Family Life Community Development Corporation for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Maryland Intergenerational Family Life Center. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 23 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $125,000 grant to the Mayor and City Council of the City of Hyattsville for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Hyattsville Police Headquarters facility. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 5 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $3,100,000 grant to the Prince George’s County Office of the County Executive for the planning, design, construction, repair renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of athletic facilities at Prince George’s County public high schools, provided that $100,000 of this authorization shall be used to fund capital improvements to athletic facilities at Surratsville High School including but not limited to a new gym scoreboard and marquee backboards.
  • It is further provided that $300,000 of these funds may not be expended until Prince George’s County Public Schools, Prince George’s County Government, and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission enter into a memorandum of understanding that sets forth a centralized process and protocol for the allocation, scheduling, and permitting for the public’s use of all three entities’ public facilities, including fee schedules, maintenance responsibilities and other necessary conditions for the use of such public facilities. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 9 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Talbot County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $1,015,750.00 of Program Open Space statewide funds to acquire a 117.80 conservation easement (Change Point Land Company, LLC property) in Talbot County. The acquisition will protect water quality, contribute to large landscape protection in the area, enable wetland migration, and provide resiliency to the effects of climate change on the Eastern Shore. This agricultural property includes approximately 8,400 feet of shoreline on Harris Creek and the Chesapeake Bay. This acquisition will require implementation of a Coastal Resiliency Management Plan to allow the natural processes of inland wetland migration to occur. Areas along the shoreline where natural habitats occur, such as marshes and coastal forests, have the potential to reduce the impact of coastal hazards (flooding and erosion) to adjacent coastal communities by dampening waves, stabilizing sediment, and absorbing water. Natural features can also adapt to changing conditions within dynamic coastal environments and thus have the ability to provide climate change resiliency benefits over the long term (Item 7 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Washington County

• A request to provide a $1,438,560.45 grant to Washington County from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 403.18-acre conservation easement in the Mid-Maryland Washington Rural Legacy Area (Bowman Farms, LLC property). Acquisition of this easement will protect productive agricultural and forest lands. The property shares 5,700 linear feet of common border with the C&O Canal National Historical Park, which borders the Potomac RiThe County Commissioners of Washington County will hold the easementCounty. Easement value: $4,222.04/acre (Item 10A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $115,000 grant to the Mayor and Town Council of the Town of Boonsboro for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of its Weir Wall. This grant has no matching fund requirement (Item 17 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $1,175,000 grant to Hagerstown Community College to replace the roof and metal panel systems at the Learning Resource Center. Both systems are original to the building, constructed in 2000, and beyond their useful life (Item 28 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $150,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Washington County to design and construct a new concrete skatepark at Fairgrounds Park in Hagerstown (Item 3A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Wicomico County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $450,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Wicomico County for the purchase and installation of lighting systems for fields seven and eight at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex (Item 4A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).
• A request to encumber funds for a $15,750,000 grant to Wor-Wic Community College to construct a new 40,000 GSF Applied Technology building and associated road and parking lot improvements. The single-lane entrance road will be widened and extended around the new building, the parking lot adjacent to Brunkhorst Hall and the entrance road will be expanded, the North-South campus drive will be replaced by a fire lane/pedestrian way, and the exit road between Brunkhorst Hall and Maner Technology Center will be eliminated. The new building will house Supply Chain Management; Logistics; Transportation; Industrial Technology (HVAC, welding, electrical, plumbing, construction); and Alternative Energy programs and the College’s Information technology department. High energy efficient performing HVAC and electrical systems are included in the project (Item 25 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $350,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Wicomico County to construct a pavilion and add shoreline stabilization and observation decks at Pirate’s Wharf Park (Item 4A.3 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Worcester County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $450,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Worcester County to construct a storage room for recreation center equipment at the Worcester County Recreation Center (Item 5 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

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