St. Mary's Co. Gov. News Briefs


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NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

On behalf of the Commissioners of St. Mary's County, the St. Mary's County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) will hold a Public Information Meeting on June 7, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. at the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department—Station 3 (Braddock Hall) @ 46900 S. Shangri La Drive, Lexington Park, Maryland to provide information and obtain input regarding the design of FDR Boulevard—Phase 3.

The DPW&T and engineering consultant A. Morton Thomas and Associates, Inc. are preparing design plans for the extension of F.D.R. Boulevard, from MD Route 237 (Chancellors Run Road) to Pegg Road. This phase of the project is approximately 1.8 mile in length and is being designed to limit traffic speeds through the residential areas with the use of traffic calming features, such as: narrow travel lanes, roundabouts, raised medians and pedestrian refuge areas. The project will also include sidewalks, landscaping, crosswalks, lighting and bicycle lanes/shoulder

Please contact the Department of Public Works & Transportation at 301-475-4200 ext. *3525 for more information, or if you cannot attend the meeting and would like to provide comment. Any reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities should be requested by contacting the St. Mary's County Public Information Office at 301-475-4200, Ext. *1342.

— John J. Groeger, P.E., Interim Director

Citizen Members Sought for MetCom Task Force

The Commissioners of St. Mary's County are seeking two interested volunteers to serve on a Task Force to offer proposed amendments to the Code of St. Mary's County Chapter 113: Sanitary Districts. The Task Force would convene once/twice monthly between June and October 2017 according to a published meeting schedule.

The Task Force would review the following documents: St. Mary's County Code Chapter 113; MetCom Task Force June 2010; Recommendations of the Water/Sewer Connection Policy Study Group April 2014; Water & Sewer Financing and Connection Policy April 2016; Comprehensive Water and Sewerage Plan; and other key documents. The Task Force will synthesize the information and recommend any amendments to the Commissioners of St. Mary's County and Metropolitan Commission in November 2017. Considerations of recommendations by the Task Force may be utilized as part of the legislative proposal for the Joint Legislative Meeting of the Commissioners of St. Mary's County and the Legislative Delegation in preparation for the 2018 Legislative Session.

Applicants should live and/or work in St. Mary's County. Appointees will serve for six months and should plan to attend all meetings, as scheduled.

Appointees are subject to the provisions of the St. Mary's County Public Ethics Ordinance. Proceedings of the Task Force are subject to the provisions of the Maryland and St. Mary's County Open Meetings Acts. Records of the Task Force are subject to the provisions of the Maryland Public Information Act.

Applications are available on the county's website at www.co.saint-marys.md.us/voluntr/. All applications must include a resume and be submitted no later than Thursday, June 1, 2017.

Interested citizens can download an application from the county's website or call Diane Gleissner at 301-475-4200 ext. *1700.

Commissioners Invite Public to Flag Day Event

Flag Day 2017 festivities, co-sponsored by the Commissioners of St. Mary's County and the Leonardtown Commissioners, will take place on Wednesday, June 14 at 6 p.m.

The event will take place on the Governmental Center Lawn in Leonardtown. If inclement weather should occur, the ceremony will be moved inside the Leonard Hall Recreation Center, adjacent to the lawn.

The event will feature a procession by various color guards and veterans groups from around the county. A formal ceremony and Pause for the Pledge of Allegiance follows the procession.

For the first time, at the conclusion of the formal program, members of the American Legion Post in Avenue, Maryland, will hold a flag retirement ceremony. Legion members will demonstrate the dignified and proper method of disposing of worn, torn and/or tattered flags.

The Seventh District Optimist Club will be on hand to provide refreshments and free hand-held American Flags will be distributed to everyone in attendance.

For more information, contact the St. Mary's County Public Information Office at 301-475-4200, ext. *1340.

Elections Office Phone Number Change

The phone number for the St. Mary's County Board of Elections has changed.

The new number for the office is 301-475-4200, extension *1625.

State Awards Grant for Upgrades to Leonardtown Playground

Wieck's playground at Miedzinski Park in Leonardtown will soon be the beneficiary of much needed upgrades thanks the State. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has awarded a $200,000 FY18 Community Parks and Playground grant to help pay for playground improvements. The Commissioners of St. Mary's County and Commissioners of Leonardtown received word of the award earlier this week.

Money from the grant will be used to replace aging play structures, install safety surfacing and enhance ADA accessibility at the playground. The Leonardtown Commissioners, with the county as the sub-recipient, will receive the money to assist with the work.

Wieck's playground was one of 23 Community Parks and Playgrounds Program grants handed out this year statewide. In all, $2.5 million in grant money was handed out to municipalities in Maryland.

St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks will assemble a committee of Recreation and Parks Advisory Board members and several of the park's original Project Playground volunteers to work with staff on the project. The public will also have an opportunity to share their thoughts at an upcoming planning meeting. The goal of the project is to make the necessary safety and ADA upgrades while maintaining the park's history and the playground's "fantasy" theme.

For more information on this or other county parks and amenities, contact the Department of Recreation and Parks at 301-475-4200, ext. *1800 or visit www.co.saint-marys.md.us/recreate/facilities.asp.

St. Mary's County to Host Track and Field Meet

St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks will host an invitational track meet on Sunday, June 4 at Leonardtown High School, 23995 Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown. The meet will run from 1–4 p.m. Registration will be open from noon–1 p.m. This fun event is for youth ages 8 to 14 years as of December 31, 2017.

Participants may enter at least one field event and two track events OR two field events and one track event. Spikes are not allowed. Every competitor will receive a ribbon. The event is free.

EVENTS: 100 Meter Dash, 200 Meter Dash, 400 Meter Dash, 800 Meter Run, Mile Run, Standing Long Jump, Softball Throw.

For more information about this event, contact Kenny Sothoron, at 301-475-4200, ext. *1830.

St. Mary's County Government Launches Animal Shelter Survey

St. Mary's County Government is seeking input from citizens to determine options regarding a proposed animal shelter.

Citizens and interested stakeholders can go to www.stmarysmd.com/shelter/ to take part in a special online animal shelter survey. Responses will be used to develop plans and decide next steps in the process.

Participation in the survey is voluntary and no identifiable participant information (i.e. name, address, phone number, etc.) will be collected.

Economic Development Commission to Meet Quarterly

The Commissioners of St. Mary's County (CSMC) have approved an amendment to the St. Mary's County Economic Development Commission's (EDC) by-laws changing its meeting schedule from monthly to quarterly.

The EDC was established to explore ways to diversify the local economy. A Comprehensive Economic Development Study (CEDS) was completed in 2016. The findings of the study and the EDC's recommendations were then incorporated into a plan called the Strategic Plan to Build an Innovation Driven Economy. The Strategic Plan was approved by the CSMC in January, 2017. To ensure its continued relevance, the Plan must be updated every five years.

The EDC has met routinely over the past two years to complete the CEDS and guide the development of the Strategic Plan. Now with the Plan approved, the EDC will meet quarterly with the Department of Economic Development regarding the Department's efforts to implement the Plan's recommendations. Special meetings of the EDC can be called throughout the year as needed.

The EDC's future meeting schedule is as follows: August 16, 2017; December 13, 2017; April 18, 2018; August 15, 2018

The EDC's meetings are open to the general public. The meetings start at 6:00 p.m. and are held in the CSMC Meeting Room in the Chesapeake Building located at 41770 Baldridge Street, Leonardtown, MD.

For more information about the EDC, the Strategic Plan or the change to the Commission's meeting schedule, contact Robin Finnacom, Deputy Director, St. Mary's County Department of Economic Development at 301-475-4200, ext. *1407 or via email to robin.finnacom@stmarysmd.com.

Pesticide Container Recycling Available this Summer

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is sponsoring its summer collection of empty plastic (HDPE) pesticide containers according to specific guidelines. The nearest location to St. Mary's County which accepts out-of–county pesticide containers is the Frederick County Landfill, 9031 Reich's Ford Road, Frederick, MD 21704. Collection dates there will be June 20, July 18, August 22 and September 19 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

MDA inspectors will supervise the collection to ensure only triple rinsed or pressure rinsed, clean, plastic HDPE pesticide containers are collected. Information on the inspection checklist for the empty pesticide containers and the recycling program can be viewed at:

news.maryland.gov/mda/press-release/2017/05/08/maryland-recycles-pesticide-containers-for-25th-year-collection-dates-open-in-june/ or by contacting Rob Hofstetter, special programs coordinator, Pesticide Regulation Section, Maryland Department of Agriculture, at 410-841-5710. Pesticide containers collected will be chipped and transported to an approved recycling facility for processing.

For more information about recycling in St. Mary's County, please contact the Department of Public Works and Transportation Recycling Program at 301-863-8400 or on the web at www.stmarysmd.com.

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