Expect Construction Delays on Mitchell Road Wednesday, March 9
LA PLATA—The College of Southern Maryland has been advised to expect delays on Mitchell Road between U.S. 301 and the main entrance to the college's La Plata Campus on March 9 due to utility work. Comcast will be replacing aerial cable along the north side of Mitchell Road beginning at 8 a.m. and they anticipate completing the work the same day.
The westbound lane of Mitchell Road will be blocked by the construction crew from U.S. 301 to the college's main entrance, and flaggers will control traffic around the closure. Traffic leaving the college will be directed to avoid the area and to exit to the right onto Mitchell Road when departing from the campus.
As work progresses, the road closure will move westward, ending at the college entrance. Efforts to keep traffic from backing out onto U.S. Route 301 will be made and warning signs will be placed at U.S. 301 and Mitchell Road for drivers to avoid the area.
Individuals traveling to the La Plat a Campus on March 9 are encouraged to use Maryland Route 225 (Hawthorne Road). Those traveling from La Plata's U.S. 301 and Route 225 intersection should proceed to the traffic light at Valley Road and Mitchell Road, turn right onto Mitchell Road and use either of the campus entrances on the left. For directions to the campus, view the campus map at
csmd.edu/about/locations/la-plata-campus/. For questions, contact the Public Safety and Preparedness Department at 301-934-7888.
Code Home Public Hearing Coming to Leonardtown
LEONARDTOWN—The Commissioners of St. Mary's County will host their sixth Code Home public hearing, on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department. The address is 22733 Lawrence Avenue, Leonardtown, MD 20650. The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.
A move to Code Home Rule would give county commissioners authority to enact local laws on a number of subjects without having to await action by the Maryland General Assembly. Under Code Home Rule commissioners could not enact any new taxes or regulatory fees.
Code Home Rule gives the commissioners legislative authority throughout the year. Public hearings on legislation would be held in Leonardtown, rather than in Annapolis during the winter. The public could demand a referendum on any new public local law, something which does not currently exist. St. Mary's County is one of six counties in Maryland which has yet to adopt some form of home rule.
St. Mary's County voters would have to approve a referendum to adopt Code Home Rule on the ballot in the November, 2016 general election.
The final Code Home public hearing will take place:
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department
Station 22
29848 Therese Circle
Mechanicsville, MD 20659
More information about Code Home Rule can be found at
www.stmarysmd.com/pio/codehome.asp. Questions and comments can be sent to: CodeHomeRule@stmarysmd.com.
Chas. Co. Receives Disaster Declaration following January Winter Storm
WALDORF—Charles County Government has been informed that they are eligible for federal assistance following the January 2016 blizzard. This aid is available following a major disaster declaration being issued by President Barack Obama. On Feb. 19, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan sent a formal letter requesting a federal declaration for the State of Maryland and affected local jurisdictions, including Charles County, as a result of that winter storm. By granting the declaration, federal assistance will be made available to communities in Maryland through state and local agencies and public safety partners that served them during the storm.
The decision for a disaster declaration comes after the Charles County Department of Emergency Services conducted joint damage assessments with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) last month.
In addition to Charles County and the state, the following local jurisdictions are included in the declaration and are eligible for aid: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's, Washington, and Worcester Counties and the City of Baltimore.
Integrated Health Literacy Program Presentation Scheduled
LEONARDTOWN—The Healthy St. Mary's Partnership (HSMP) has announced an upcoming community presentation on the Integrated Health Literacy Program (IHLP) currently being implemented in Worcester County, Maryland. The HSMP is a community-driven coalition of partners working together to improve health in St. Mary's County. The coalition mobilizes members through four action teams to address the priority health issues in St. Mary's County including Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating & Active Living, and Tobacco Free Living.
The upcoming presentation will be hosted by the Access to Care Action Team on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Mary's County Health Department, located at 21580 Peabody Street in Leonardtown. Health literacy is the ability to obtain, process, understand, utilize and apply basic health information, allowing an individual to make appropriate health decisions. According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Adult Literacy, only 12 percent of adults have proficient health literacy. The study found that individuals with a health literacy level below basic were much more likely to report their health as being poor and less likely to use preventive health services than their peers.
"The Access to Care team is excited to bring this presentation to St. Mary's County to start a discussion on health literacy in our community and the need to start this learning process as early as possible," said Lori Werrell, Director of Health Connections at MedStar St. Mary's Hospital and Co-Chair of the Access to Care Action Team. "When empowered with the knowledge needed to make healthy decisions throughout life, chronic conditions can be prevented or delayed and quality of life can be enhanced for many coping with chronic conditions."
This presentation is open to any community members who are interested in learning more about improving health literacy. Visit healthystmarys.com or call 301-475-4323 for more information or to sign up for the free HSMP e-newsletter. Healthy St. Mary's Partnership membership is free, and all interested organizations and community members are invited to join.
Mother-Son Kickball Coming in April
LEONARDTOWN—St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks will host the third annual Mother-Son Kickball, for boys and moms alike, on Sunday April 3. The Hall of Fame Building at Chancellors Run Regional Park will host this popular event. Each participant receives a commemorative t-shirt and pizza for lunch.
Mother-Son Kickball takes place from 3–5 p.m. The cost is $25 per couple and $7 for each additional son. Everyone who registers before March 14 will be guaranteed a shirt in their size.
Online registration is available at www.stmarysmd.com/recreate or in person at the Recreation and Parks office in Leonardtown.
For more information call 301-475-4200 ext. *1800 or *1801.
Drug Take Back Day March 26
PRINCE FREDERICK—The Maryland State Police in cooperation with CAASA (Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse) and the Calvert County Sheriff's Office will host a Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, March 26, 2016.
The drop off locations are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day in a continuing effort to keep prescription medications out of the wrong hands. Keeping a household free of unused prescription medications is an important step to curtailing the prescription drug abuse issue in Calvert County.
The drop off locations are located at Maryland State Police, Barrack U and the Calvert County Sheriff's Office;