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

Allegany County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $5,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Allegany County to replace the existing stairs between the parking lot and athletic fields at Rawlings Community Park (Item 1A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $100,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the East Baltimore Historical Library for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the East Baltimore Historical Library. In addition, the request to grant the waiver to exclude the property owner as a beneficiary was granted There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 22 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).; and
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit a total of $213,182from Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Garrett County for the following projects:
  • Broadford Park: $187,900 to increase ADA accessibility at the existing bathhouse and install new lights for the youth baseball field (Item 5A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Mountain Fresh Pavilion: $6,300 to purchase and install all-season garage doors to increase public access during inclement weather (Item 5A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Wooddell Park: $7,700 to install new basketball court lights (Item 5A.3 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
  • Friendsville Community Park: $3,550 to construct batting cages (Item 5A.4 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
  • McHenry Lions Club Park: $7,732 to install fencing and construct a parking lot for the bicycle track (Item 5A.5 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Baltimore County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $700,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Baltimore County for new playground equipment at Banneker Community Center (Item 2A.4 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $6,000,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Stevenson to design and construct the environmental abatement and demolition of buildings on the Rosewood property, including any appropriate site surveys and investigation and design and construct site development and utility improvements, including, but not limited to, roads, sidewalks, parking, stormwater management, and utility connections and disconnections on the Rosewood Property.  There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 8 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $850,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding allocated to Baltimore County to replacing the bridge and overlook, and construct a new picnic area, multiuse paths, trail extensions and landscaping at Diamond Ridge Family Park (Item 2A.3 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $530,629 in Program Open Space funding allocated to Baltimore County to acquire 3.79 acres of property on Woodley Avenue to create a town center park in the Reisterstown area (Item 2A.8 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request to provide a $960,001.51 grant to Baltimore County from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 118.62-acre conservation easement in the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area (Morris property).  Acquisition of this easement will protect productive agricultural and forest lands, as well as provide approximately 2,000 linear feet of forested stream buffers to Piney Run and unnamed tributaries.  Piney Run flows to Western Run, which empties into Loch Raven Reservoir, a source of drinking water for the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. This easement will be held by DNR and The Land Preservation Trust, Inc.  Easement value: $7,663/acre (Item 10A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Montgomery County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $100,000 grant to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of bike trails at Fairland Recreational Park, including improvements to the park’s grounds.  There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 3 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $90,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Pleasant View United Methodist Church  for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the historic Quince Orchard Colored School. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 9 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Prince George’s County

• A request from the Maryland Department of the Environment for new grant funding up to $7,747,811 to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) for the WSSC Sewer Basin Reconstruction Program. This project includes the repair, replacement and rehabilitation of sewers and manholes located on or near state, local and county road rights of way throughout Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.  The sanitary sewer basins included in this agenda item are: Beaverdam, Northwest, Parkway and Piscataway, which are all located in Prince George’s County (Item 9 of the Secretary’s Agenda); and
• A request from the Maryland Department of the Environment for new loan funding up to $15,000,000 to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) for the Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)Bio-Energy Project. This project entails the ongoing design and construction of bio-energy facilities at the existing site of the WSSC Piscataway WWTP to receive sludge from the other WSSC WWTPs.  The project includes a high-temperature thermal hydrolysis solids treatment process to precondition sludge prior to anaerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion facilities, and facilities to provide a dewatered Class A Biosolids.  In addition, a combined heat and power facility will be constructed to capture the biogas from the digesters to be used for the production of steam and electrical power for the plant.  Anticipated project outcomes are, production of Class A Biosolids for beneficial uses, and recovery of renewable energy from biomass and reduction in energy, chemical and sludge disposal costs (Item 8 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

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