The Board of Public Works (BPW) — a three-member panel including GovernorWes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, 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 grant agreements for grants totaling $300,000 to the Board of Directors of Roberta’s House, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Roberta’s House, including the rooftop space. 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 $25,000 grant to the Board of Directors of B.E.A.R./Belair Edison Area Revitalization, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the B.E.A.R. Community Outreach Center. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 10 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request from the Maryland Department of Health to approve a $2,278,902 grant to Baltimore Medical System, Inc for the planning, design, construction, repair, and renovation of a property located at 5525 Eastern Avenue. The property will be used to create outpatient care stations at the facility, including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, and behavioral health services (Item 16 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $100,000 grant to the Board of Directors of 4MyCiTy, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the 4MyCiTy Community Onsite Composting facility. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 1 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $30,000 grant to the Board of School Commissioners for Baltimore City Public Schools for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Francis Scott Key Elementary and Middle School playgrounds and outdoor space. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 11 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $2,500,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of facilities for the Lifeskill and Education for Students with Autism and other Pervasive Behavioral (LEAP) program (Item 13 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Baltimore County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $855,400 in Program Open Space funding allocated to Baltimore County to acquire 108.94 acres of wooded, undeveloped land for a new park on Dogwood Road in Windsor Mill (Dogwood Resources property) (Item 3A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $500,000 grant to Baltimore County, Maryland, a body corporate and politic for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of a trail between the Baltimore Highlands Light Rail station and the Patapsco Regional Greenway. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 14 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $550,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding to design and construct an artificial turf field at County Home Park (Item 3A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request to declare the property located at 610 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore (the Pikesville Readiness Center which includes 14 +/- acres and 6 buildings) surplus to the state (Item 41 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
  • $400,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of streetscape improvements along Eastern Boulevard (Item 7 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and

• • $1,000,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the South Marlyn Avenue project, including property acquisition, to support pedestrian improvements. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 8 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Calvert County

• A request from the Maryland Department of the Environment for new grant funding up to $225,000 to Calvert County for the North Beach Flooding Pump Equipment Upgrade project. This project is intended to mitigate residential flooding, reduce the threat of inundation of stormwater, and protect the community. The proposed project consists of upgrading a flood pumping station within North Beach to ensure that the flood water flows to low to non-risk areas of the community (Item 11 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

Cecil County

• A request from the Maryland Department of the Environment for new grant funding up to $7,624,832 to the Town of Perryville for the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Enhanced Nutrient Removal Refinement project. The project entails the planning, design, and construction of improvements to the existing Perryville WWTP. The project will increase plant efficiency, reducing nitrogen and phosphorus discharging into Mill Creek and ultimately to the Chesapeake Bay (Item 12 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

Frederick County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit an additional $21,725 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Frederick County to construct a new linear trail from Main Street through a forested area in Myersville (Item 4A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $93,000 of Program Open Space statewide funds for the acquisition in fee simple of 1.77 +/- acres (DMAC Homes, LLC property) in Frederick County. This partially forested property is adjacent to Monocacy Natural Resource Management Area and will be managed by the Maryland Park Service. Acquisition will contribute to preservation of a contiguous block of forest that provides Forest Interior Dwelling Species habitat, protect water quality in the Lower Monocacy River Watershed, and simplify boundary management (Item 9A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Garrett County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit a total of $211,899 from Program Open Space funding allocated to Garrett County for the following projects:
  • Piney Reservoir: $63,000 for additional funding to resurface the existing parking lot and construct an accessible fishing pier with wheelchair bays, ramps, and low railings for increased public usage (Item 5A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Veterans Park: $15,030 to construct a new fountain as well as provide landscaping services at Veterans Park (Item 5A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Rotary Park: $9,000 to purchase and install security cameras (Item 5A.3 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Broadford Park: $22,500 to purchase and install ADA compliant inclusive seating (Item 5A.4 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Meadow Mountain Trail: $13,500 to purchase and install benches and bicycle racks along the twelve-mile trail (Item 5A.5 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Broadford Park: $52,869 to purchase and install security systems, repair the dugouts and renovate the ballfield (Item 5A.6 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Northern High School: $36,000 to resurface the tennis courts and replace the nets and poles (Item 5A.7 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $25,000from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding to purchase and install lighting systems to enhance community events and extend public usage at the Deer Park Town Center (Item 5A.8 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $450,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Garrett Community College, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Garrett College Ballfield. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 12 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Montgomery County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $1,000,000from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Montgomery County to design and construct a pedestrian entry, driveway, parking lot, playground, soccer court, basketball court, exercise area, picnic shelter, plaza with seating area, walking path, and grill at Strathmore Local Park (Item 7A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $150,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Jewish Foundation for Group Homes properties. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 9 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
• A request from the Maryland Department of Health to approve a $47,228 grant to Family Services, Inc. to assist with the planning, design, construction, repair, and renovation of a property located at 13310 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. This project will provide Residential Rehabilitation Program services to eight difficult to discharge patients of state psychiatric hospitals. The total price of the project is $62,970 (Item 15 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 funding up to $25,000,000 ($22,500,000 loan + $2,500,000 grant) to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission for the Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant Bio-Energy project. This project involves the design and construction of bio-energy facilities at the existing site of the WSSC Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant in Prince George’s County to receive and process sludge from the other WSSC wastewater treatment plants. 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. Odor control, process water treatment, generators, and boilers are also included in the project. The anticipated project outcomes are production of Class A Biosolids for beneficial uses, recovery of renewable energy from biomass, and reduction in energy, chemical, and sludge disposal costs (Item 13 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

Somerset County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $90,000from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Somerset County to purchase and install a new HVAC unit for the Westover Gym (Item 8A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

St. Mary’s County

• A request to transfer the following five properties from the State to the Historic St. Mary’s Commission:
  • 1.18 acres on Point Lookout Road (The Old State House);
  • 66.25 acres located at 18171 Rosecroft Road (Chancellor’s Point property);
  • 2.176 acres located at 47414 Old State House Road (the Farthings Ordinary and Dove Pier property);
  • One acre located at 16599 Point Lookout Road (The Brown House property); and
  • 7.34 acres located at 18625 Hogaboom Lane (Duerfeldt House property).
• The properties have been managed, maintained, and used by the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission (HSMCC) since their acquisition by the State. HSMCC was previously known as the St. Mary’s City Commission and was a part of the Department of Economic and Community Development. Since the Department of Economic and Community Development no longer exists, the Brown House property and Duerfeldt House property deeds will be from the Board of Public Works as Grantor.
• In 1997 HSMCC was made an independent unit of the Executive Branch operating within the office of the Governor. Recently HSMCC became aware that the referenced properties, although used and managed by them and under their control and jurisdiction, were never titled to the Commission, and have requested that the titles be transferred. The title issue was discovered in January 2022, when HSMCC tried to award a grant and there were issues because the property involved was not titled to the Commission.

Talbot County

• A request to enter into grant agreements for the following non-matching grants to the Board of Directors of St. Michaels Community Center:
  • $700,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of improvements to the St. Michaels Community Center (Item 2 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
  • $500,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of improvements to the St. Michael’s Community Center, including the repair and replacement of the roof and HVAC equipment (Item 5 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Washington County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $40,455.53 of Program Open Space stateside funds to Washington County for the acquisition of a 9.28-acre Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program(CREP) easement (Kline property). Acquisition of this CREP easement permanently protects water quality by requiring approximately 1,800 linear feet of forested stream buffers to Downey Creek. As part of the transaction, the landowner will be donating 1.38 acres of the property into the easement for 10.66 acres of total protection. The easement will be held by Washington County and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Easement Value: $3,735 per acre (Item 11A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request to provide a $441,792.70 grant to Washington County from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 114.75-acre conservation easement in the Mid-Maryland Rural Legacy Area (Walnut Hill, LLC property). Acquisition of this easement will protect valuable agricultural and wood lands as well as protect 1,165 linear feet of vegetative buffers along unnamed tributaries to historic Antietam Creek. The easement will be held by the County. Easement value: $4,483.62/acre (Item 13A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Worcester County

• A request to provide a $227,389.75 grant to Worcester County from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of an 88.74-acre conservation easement in the Coastal Bays Rural Legacy Area (Truitts Landing Farm LLC (II) property). Acquisition of this easement will protect valuable agricultural and wood lands as well as add to a block of 9,500+/- acres of contiguous protected lands that extends to the Chincoteague Bay and includes the E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area. The easement will be held by the County Commissioners of Worcester County. Easement value: $2,302.00/acre (Item 12A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).