Today’s meeting began with Invocation and Pledge followed by the approval of the Consent Agenda. The Consent Agenda included three consent letters. First is a letter requesting an administrative change on a bond for the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum to list them as the grantee. Second is a letter to the Maryland Aviation Administration identifying Allison Swint as our Airport Manager. Third is a letter expressing support for the Ecological and Biogeochemical Benefits of Shoreline Restoration for Resilience grant project in Piney Point. After that we presented a proclamation for National Parks and Recreation Month!
Moving into County Administrator time, our first item of business was review of upcoming meeting agendas—there will be no meeting next week, July 19th, due to Election Day—GO VOTE! Second we approved a grant application for the FY2023 Child Support Grant for the Sheriff’s Office—if awarded, the grant will be for $522,259 Federal with $317,987 of county funds. This recurring grant provides 66% of the funds for the Child Support Unit. Third we approved acceptance of $201,539.07 for the Family Services Court Grant. Fourth we approved the acceptance of $259,000 in grant funds for the Adult Recovery Court Program and the Family Recovery Court (with $186,211 of County Funds). Fifth we approved a funding grant award of $270,000 (plus $30,000 in County Funds) for Program Open Space for the Nicolet Park Playground Replacement Project. Sixth we approved an MOU for the Neighborhood Connect Broadband Funding Program for $2,014,101 with a county match of $173,700. This next phase helps to complete the “Middle Mile” projects in our county. Seventh we heard about a grant opportunity for COVID-19 Vaccines awareness from the Maryland Department of Aging for the county’s Department of Aging and Human Services for $12,152—this motion failed because it seemed to be an inefficient and unnecessary use of tax payer funds. Eighth we approved a list of potential projects to submit to the Tri-County Council—regional councils in Maryland were awarded $10 million in grant funds for economic projects and we are submitting our recommendations. Our recommended list includes septic enhancements at the North County Farmer’s Market, funding for the Regional Agriculture Center (RAC), Lexington Park Development District Implementation Plan, and development of an FAA-approved Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) route over the Chesapeake Bay. Ninth we approved a Defense Communities Infrastructure Program (DCIP) grant application for $1,790,530 in Federal Funds with $767,370 in County Funds—if approved, this project will extend Tulagi Place to a Traffic Circle on Willows Road and build additional sidewalks on Willows Road. Tenth we approved an application to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development for a Façade Improvement Grant Program for Lexington Park. Details are still being worked out for how the program would operate and the specific criteria, but it could provide a 50% match for businesses doing façade improvement projects and the county could receive up to $50,000 in grant funds for this program.
During Commissioner Time I spoke about the upcoming Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department Carnival, River Concert, Summerstock, and Early Voting (Go Vote!). We then entered into Closed Session to discuss Personnel.
This evening we will reconvene at 6:30pm for a Public Forum. It will be viewable on Channel 95 and the County’s YouTube channel. Everyone is welcome to come and speak about any topic or issue that interests them!
