On Wednesday, January 5, 2022, the Board of Public Works will be considering several items that impact your Districts 1A, 1B, and 1C. Specifically:
District 1A
A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit a total of $123,580.80 from Program Open Space funding allocated to Garrett County for the following projects:
Yough Glades Elementary School: $74,080.80 for new playground equipment and safety surfacing consistent with National Playground Safety Standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act (Item 4A.1 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda)
Oakland Glades Park: $49,500 to resurface the existing tennis and basketball courts and add a pickleball court (Item 4A.2 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $85,000 of Program Open Space statewide funds for the acquisition in fee simple of 55.39+ acres (Wilhelm property) in Garrett County. The property is adjacent to Savage River State Forest and contains approximately 1,200 feet of Pine Swamp Run, a native brook trout stream that is part of the Savage River special catch and return fishing area, one of Maryland’s top brook trout fishing destinations. Acquisition will provide additional access from Pine Swamp Road, expand recreational angling opportunities, provide reforestation opportunities, and protect water quality and stream habitat. The property will be managed by the Maryland Forest Service (Item 9A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
A request to provide a $221,478.65 grant to Garrett County from Rural Legacy Funds for the acquisition of a 106-acre conservation easement in the Bear Creek Rural Legacy Area (Margroff Enterprises, Inc. property). Acquisition of this easement will protect productive agricultural and forest land and provide permanent protection to 3,600 linear feet of stream buffers to unnamed tributaries of the South Branch of Bear Creek. The easement will be held by the County. Easement value: $1,875.02/acre (Item 10A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
A request to enter into grant agreements for grants totaling $9,900,000 to the Board of Trustees of Garrett Community College, Inc., d.b.a Garrett College for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of renovations and an expansion to the 800 Building on Garrett College’s main campus, which will become the Community Education and Performing Arts Center. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 4 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
District 1B: A request from the Department of Natural Resources to grant $72,000 of Program Open Space statewide funds for the acquisition in fee simple of 30 +/- acres (Smith property) in Allegany County. This mostly-forested property contains a headwater tributary to Fifteen Mile Creek and will be managed by the Maryland Forest Service as an addition to Green Ridge State Forest. Acquisition of this property completes a vast north-south forest corridor along Polish Mountain for species migration and enhances long-term water quality that protects downstream populations of native fish, plant and animal species. Acquisition will also allow for future expansion of trail networks into Pennsylvania (Item 8A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda);
District 1C
A request from the Department of Natural Resources to commit $188,000 from the Program Open Space funding allocated to Allegany County to renovate the baseball field at Allegany College (Item 1A of the Department of Natural Resources’ Real Property Agenda); and
A request to enter into a grant agreement for a $750,000 grant to the Greenway Avenue Stadium Capital Improvement, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of infrastructure improvements at Greenway Avenue Stadium. There is no matching fund requirement for this grant (Item 5 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
