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.

Baltimore City

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $100,000 grant to the Board of Directors of The Zeta Sigma Foundation, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Zeta Sigma Foundation Community Center. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 6 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $1,000,000 grant to the Maryland African American Museum Corporation for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.  There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 4 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $170,000 grant to the Board of Directors of The Heart of America Foundation Corporation A/K/A Heart of America Foundation and Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Heart of American facility at Curtis Bay Elementary School.  There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 7 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Baltimore County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $169,000 of Program Open Space statewide funds for the acquisition in fee simple of 5.16 +/- acres (Jackson property) in Baltimore County.  This entirely forested property is adjacent to Gunpowder Falls State Park along Harford Road and will be managed by the Maryland Park Service as an addition to the park.  Acquisition will expand public recreational opportunities, conserve an area of contiguous forest, help protect water quality in the Lower Gunpowder Falls Watershed, and improve boundary management (Item 10A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Caroline County

• A request by the Department of Natural Resources to commit $25,000 in Program Open Space funding allocated to Caroline County to complete the County’s 2027 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan, consistent with State planning requirements (Item 1A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request to provide a $450,772.01 grant to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 103.58-acre conservation easement in the Agricultural Security Corridor- Eastern Shore Heartland Rural Legacy Area (Towers I property). Acquisition of this conservation easement will protect tilled agricultural fields and woodlands. The property has more than 3,100 linear feet of a forested riparian buffer on Marshyhope Creek, a tributary of the Nanticoke River. This easement acquisition will serve as a partial match for North American Wetlands Conservation Act funds, pursuant to a Grant Agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. The easement will be held by the Department of Natural Resources and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Inc. Easement value: $4,056/acre (Item 12A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Dorchester County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant Program Open Space statewide funds for the following acquisitions in Dorchester County:
  • $272,132 for the acquisition in fee simple of 115.17 +/- acres (Dorchester Lumber Company, Inc. and Dickinson Brothers, Inc. properties).  This entirely forested property will be managed by the Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service as an addition to LeCompte Wildlife Management Area. Acquisition will improve boundary line management, expand public recreational opportunities for hunting and birding, and provide a buffer for Forest Interior Dwelling Species habitat in an area recognized by the National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area (Item 7A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • $236,000 for the acquisition in fee simple of 78.64 +/-acres (Dorchester Lumber Co., Inc. property).  This entirely forested property is located off Route 50/Ocean Gateway and will be managed by the Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service as an addition to Linkwood Wildlife Management Area.  Acquisition will improve boundary line management, enhance access, and expand public recreational opportunities for hunting (Item 8A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
  • $74,000 for the acquisition in fee simple of 37 +/- acres (Dorchester Lumber Co. property).  This entirely forested property will be managed by the Maryland Forest Service as an addition to Chesapeake Forest Lands. Acquisition will expand public recreational opportunities for hunting, improve boundary line management, and allow these forested parcels to be managed as working forest lands to produce sustainable forest products, helping to sustain the local resource-based economy.  (Item 9A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Frederick County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit a total of $120,000 from Program Open Space funding allocated to Frederick County for the following projects in Myersville:
  • Grindstone Run Park: $75,000 to purchase and install nature-themed playground equipment and amenities (Item 2A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
  • Harp Park: $45,000 to construct a concession stand, baseball dugouts, and an infield storage shed as well as to install new athletic field fencing and team benches (Item 2A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Harford County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $400,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Harford County to renovate and upgrade the existing restroom building at Flying Point Park (Item 3A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Howard County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $419,997 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Howard County for additional funds to construct two turf fields, three pavilions with restrooms, one stand-alone pavilion, additional parking facilities, lighting, bleachers, and an announcer’s box at the 101-acre Troy Regional Park (Item 4A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Montgomery County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $44,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Organization for Advancement of and Service for Individuals with Special Needs (OASIS), Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the OASIS Farm facility, including repairs to the building’s roofs and improvements to the facility’s parking lot.  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 from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $800,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Montgomery County for funding to realign Hillandale Local Park’s entrance and reconfigure the roadway and add parking, a shared-use trail, a hard-surface trail loop, restroom facilities, a full-size soccer field, a playground picnic shelter, and two basketball courts (Item 5A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Prince George’s County

• A request to enter into grant agreements for grants totaling $1 million to the Board of Directors of Bishop McNamara High School, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the La Reine Science and Innovation Center. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 1 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

St. Mary’s County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $270,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to St. Mary’s County to replace and install new playground equipment, safety surfacing, and fencing at Nicolet Park (Item 6A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Other 

• A request to provide a $733,700.90 grant to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy County from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 123.01 +/–acre conservation easement in the Agricultural Security Corridor – Eastern Shore Heartland Rural Legacy Area (Collier property). Acquisition of this conservation easement will protect these highly productive agricultural and forested lands and more than 4,000 linear feet of a forested riparian buffer on Miles Creek, a tributary of the Choptank River. The easement will be held by the Department of Natural Resources and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Inc. Easement value: $5,578/acre (Item 11A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request from the Maryland Stadium Authority for approval to award the Guaranteed Maximum Price Package #2 for the Razing and Replacement of the Department of Legislative Services Building. This award will cover several construction packages, including those for masonry, waterproofing, fireproofing, drywall, framing, and ceilings (Item 15 of the Secretary’s Agenda).