The BPW considered and approved the following requests and recommendations at its meeting on July 7, 2023:

Allegany County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit a total of $210,445 from Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure funding for the following projects:
  • Lonaconing Little League Ballfield: $183,445 for new playground equipment and safety surfacing (Item 1A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
  • Luke Legacy Park: $27,000 for new park lighting with electrical hookups and a swing set (Item 1A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A recommendation from the BPW Counsel to amend the existing grant agreement between the State and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad to award a FY 2024 $350,000 grant for expenses related to the grantee’s operation and maintenance activities (Item 19 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

Anne Arundel County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $2,000,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the new campus project. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 9 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Baltimore City

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $1,000,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Baltimore’s Washington Monument and the surrounding squares of Mount Vernon Place. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 3 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement between the State and the Mack Lewis Foundation, Inc. dba the Mack Lewis Boxing Gym for a $250,000 operating grant (FY 2024) (Item 15 of the Secretary’s Agenda);
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $30,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Directors of the Greenmount West Community Center Foundation, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Greenmount West Community Center. 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 $250,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the East Baltimore Community Action Coalition facility. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 2 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request to amend a grant agreement between the State and the Beloved Community Services Corporation, dba Justice Thurgood Marshall Center for a $250,000 operating grant (FY 2024) (Item 6 of the Secretary’s Agenda); and
• A request to amend a grant agreement with the Signal 13 Foundation for a $250,000 operating grant (FY 2024) (Item 18 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

Baltimore County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $2,500,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of facilities on the Towson Campus. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 5 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
• A request to provide a $1,068,952.75 grant to The Lands Preservation Trust, Inc. from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 136.02-acre conservation easement in the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area (Fenwick property). Acquisition of this conservation easement will protect productive agricultural and forest lands and approximately 2,700 linear feet of forested stream buffers along unnamed tributaries to Western Run, Deadman’s Run, and Oregon Run, which all ultimately drain to Loch Raven Reservoir. The Reservoir is a source of drinking water for the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. This easement will be held by the Department of Natural Resources and The Lands Preservation Trust, Inc. Easement value: $7,454.81/acre (Item 5A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request from the Maryland Department of Health to approve a $14,260 grant to People Encouraging People, Inc. to assist with the renovation of a property located at 509 Kintop Road, Glen Burnie. The property will be used to provide housing for three individuals with psychiatric and/or co-occurring substance use disorder disabilities. The total cost of the renovation is $16,777.00 (Item 14 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Dorchester County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $75,000 grant to the Mayor and City Council of the City of Cambridge for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of a new fence around the Cambridge Cemetery. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 8 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Howard County

• A recommendation to enter into a grant agreement between the State and the African Art Museum of Maryland, Inc. to award a Fiscal Year 2024 $50,000 grant to the museum for operating expenses (Item 4 of the Secretary’s Agenda).

Montgomery County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement for an $11,000,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Olney Theatre Center for Arts, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Olney Theatre Center. 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 $150,000 grant to the Board of Directors of the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, Inc. Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes program. Specifically, the grant will be used to purchase a townhome at 11735 Little Seneca Parkway, Clarksburg. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 10 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Prince George’s County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement with the College Park City-University Park Partnership for a $7,900,000 operating grant (FY 2024) (Item 8 of the Secretary’s Agenda);
• A request from the University of Maryland College Park to approve the purchase of a 3-parcel 22.23-acre property from the American Center for Physics, Inc. for $35,500,000. It includes a 5-story, 107,274 square foot office building in good condition. The property is located in the easternmost portion of campus, north of the University’s Discovery District, in the center of 120 acres of land already owned by the University, east of the WMATA/CSX railroad tracks. This is an area where the University has implemented its economic development mission through a series of public-private partnerships (Item 6 of the University System of Maryland’s Agenda);
• A recommendation from the BPW Counsel to approve a grant agreement between the State and the Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education, located in Bowie, for a $50,000 operating grant for FY 2024 (Item 9 of the Secretary’s Agenda);
• A recommendation from the BPW Counsel to approve a new grant agreement between the State and the Prince George’s County Chapter of the Links, Inc. for the fiscal year 2024 $25,000 operating grant (Item 17 of the Secretary’s Agenda);
• A recommendation from the Department of General Services to grant a one-year extension to the Board of Directors of the Mt. Ephraim Community Non-Profit Development Corporation from the automatic termination of $100,000 in capital grant funds for the Grantee’s Daycare Center. The Grantee did not meet the seven-year deadline before the authorization was terminated because the project was delayed (Item 12.2 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
• A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $300,000 grant to the Board of Directors of Uplift Foundation for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Uplift Foundation facility. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 42 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

St. Mary’s County

• A request to enter into a grant agreement with Historic Sotterley, Inc. for a $350,000 operating grant (FY 2024) (Item 11 of the Secretary’s Agenda); and
• A request to provide a $1,566,521.96 grant to The Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 413.57-acre conservation easement in the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area (Greenwell property). Acquisition of this easement will protect productive agricultural and forest lands and approximately 30,000 linear feet of forested stream buffers along Cole Run and associated tributaries before its confluence offsite with the Patuxent River. The easement will be held by the Grantee and the Department of Natural Resources. Easement value: $6,687/acre (Item 4A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Talbot County

• A request from the Maryland Environmental Trust to ratify the donation of a perpetual conservation easement on 339.18 acres in Easton (Still Waters, LLC property on Miles River Neck Road and Marengo Road) (Item 7A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).

Washington County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $112,500 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Washington County to upgrade the athletic fields at Marty Snook Park and Regional Park (Item 2A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
• A request to grant a one-year extension to the Board of Directors of the Robert W. Johnson Community Center, Inc. from the automatic termination of $50,000 in capital grant funds for the Community Center. The Grantee did not meet the seven-year deadline before the authorization was terminated because the project was delayed (Item 12.1 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).

Worcester County

• A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $288,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Worcester County to renovate two existing basketball courts at Pocomoke Middle School (Item 3A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda).