CUMBERLAND – June 18, 2026

For the second time in six weeks, the Board of Public Works has approved a slate of Western Maryland projects championed by Senator Mike McKay — this time nearly $2 million spread across all three counties he represents: Garrett, Washington, and Allegany.

The approval comes just weeks after McKay secured $450,100 for parks, ball fields, and public lands in early May, bringing the total he’s delivered to the region this spring to more than $2.3 million.

“The money doesn’t stop coming home just because session ended,” said Senator McKay. “A few weeks ago it was parks and ball fields. Today it’s a brand-new library, a college ball field, a piece of our history, and hundreds of acres of public land. Western Marylanders send plenty to Annapolis — my job is making sure a fair share keeps coming back.”

In Washington County, $675,000 will fund the design of a brand-new 24,500-square-foot library in Williamsport, replacing a building that has served the community since 1936. The grant is the first step in a multi-year project, with additional construction funding to follow in 2028 and 2029.

In Garrett County, $550,000 will go to Garrett College for its ballfield — covering acquisition, design, construction, and equipment — with no local match required.

In Allegany County, the Board approved $616,000 in Program Open Space funds to acquire 204 acres added to the Warrior Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The mostly forested tract sits in a rare shale-barrens habitat and protects water quality in the Town Creek watershed while expanding public hunting, hiking, and outdoor recreation.

Also in Allegany County, $100,000 will fund exterior and interior rehabilitation of the Michael Cresap Museum in Oldtown — a circa-1765 fieldstone home of a Revolutionary War captain and co-founder of the town, and one of the oldest standing structures in the region.

“A new library for our kids, a ball field for our athletes, more land for our hunters and hikers, and the preservation of a building that’s been standing since before the Revolution — that’s a good day for Western Maryland,” McKay added. “And it’s the second good day in a row. These aren’t projects somebody in Annapolis dreamed up. They’re things our communities asked for, and I made sure they got across the finish line.”

The Board of Public Works approved all four items at its June 18, 2026 meeting.

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