St. Mary's Co. Gov. News Briefs


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Planning Commission Cancels Meeting

Monday's scheduled meeting of the St. Mary's County Planning Commission has been canceled. The commission's next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m.

Planning Commission meetings are generally held the second and fourth Mondays each month in the Commissioners Meeting Room inside the Chesapeake Building in Leonardtown.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING—Budget Public Hearing

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Commissioners of St. Mary's County will hold a Public Hearing on April 18, 2017, at 6:30 p.m., at Leonardtown High School, 23995 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown, Maryland 20650 to consider adoption of:

— Ordinance to Grant a Property Tax Credit to Certain Elderly Individuals and Veterans

— FY2018 Recommended Budget

Citizens are encouraged to attend and participate in the public hearing.

Written comments may be submitted on or before April 28, 2017, to: Commissioners of St. Mary's County, P.O. Box 653, Leonardtown, MD 20650, or to csmc@stmarysmd.com.

Copies of the proposed Ordinance and the FY2018 Recommended Budget are available in the Department of Finance, St. Mary's County Governmental Center, 41770 Baldridge Street, Leonardtown, Maryland 20650, and under "Public Hearing Notices" at www.co.saint-marys.md.us/.

Any reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities should be requested by contacting the St. Mary's County Public Information Officer at 301-475-4200, Ext. *1342.

Note that as a result of the evidence and comments made at the public hearing, amendments may be made to the proposed Ordinance or the FY 2018 Recommended

Budget.

COMMISSIONERS OF ST. MARY'S COUNTY

St. Mary's County Requests Proposals for Business Incubator Management

St. Mary's County has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the amount of $1,350,000 for an entity to manage the new county business incubator. The incubator, currently under construction, will be located at the St. Mary's County Regional Airport.

The Commissioners of St. Mary's County recognize a stronger and more resilient economy is one which is less reliant on the defense spending attached to Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS PAX River). Therefore, the county is seeking to diversify the county's economy away from defense spending and more towards an innovation-based economy. The successful operation of an incubator is a critical component in the growth of new technology firms in St. Mary's County.

The business incubator will be a facility which nurtures start-up firms during their early months or years. It will be managed by professionals with expertise in entrepreneurship and growing small firms. The firms will receive affordable office space, management training, mentoring, marketing support and access to capital resources.

The services provided through the business incubator will primarily be for start-ups or early stage companies pursuing commercialization of technologies patented at NAS Pax River, or the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, as well as businesses pursuing research and development of unmanned and autonomous systems (UAS). The incubator will also be open to other technology entrepreneurs as space allows.

"I am extremely excited that we've crossed this milestone in getting the RFP out," said Chris Kaselemis, St. Mary's County Economic Development Director. "I am confident that the incubator will be a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurial enterprises which will expand and diversify the economy of St Mary's County."

Funding for the business incubator will come from the Technology Transfer Office of NAWC-AD, who has allocated the funding to the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), which has expertise in establishing incubators and helping small firms and entrepreneurs. The Technology Transfer Office has an agreement with TEDCO to provide the funding to St. Mary's County to establish the incubator.

Proposals are due by Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. For more information go to:

emaryland.buyspeed.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?bidId=MDSMG31032270

ST. MARY'S COUNTY BOARD OF APPEALS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the St. Mary's County Board of Appeals will hold a Public Hearing on April 13, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Hearing Room, Chesapeake Building located at 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown, Maryland to take testimony and receive evidence in the following matters pursuant to the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the St. Mary's County Board of Appeals:

In the Matter of the Appeal of Pamela & William Johnson Case # VAAP-16-0957

The public is invited to attend. Property owners with standing may testify and offer evidence and thereby become parties to the proceeding. The administrative record is available for inspection in the Office of the County Attorney, 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown, Maryland. Copies of the Rules of Practice and Procedure are available on the web page of the St. Mary's County Board of Appeals.

Aspiring Entrepreneurs can Cash In at Crab Pot Contest

PaxSpace, Inc. (www.paxspace.org) and the Southern Maryland Innovation and Technology (SMIT) Initiative (www.meetup.com/Southern-Maryland-Innovation-and-Tech/) will host the 3rd annual Crab Pot Business Pitch Competition.

Crab Pot is a pitch contest for individuals living or working in Southern Maryland or businesses that have a presence in Southern Maryland. Made popular by television shows like ABC's "Shark Tank," pitch contests provide an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to present their ideas to a panel of judges or investors in front of a live audience.

The competition kicks off with a Speed Round to be held on April 13 starting at 6 p.m. at Elements and Mixology, 46540 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park, MD. Contestants will have 90 seconds to present their innovative idea or product. Audience members will select five finalists. The finalists will compete at the Crab Pot Business Pitch Competition on at 6 p.m. on May 11 at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, 22156 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park. There is no cost to enter the contest but advanced registration and participation in the Speed Round are required. Winners of the competition receive cash prizes, business consulting services and of course, a bushel of crabs! Visit www.paxspace.org/crabpot to learn more.

Crab Pot creates a wonderful opportunity for the community to recognize and celebrate the region's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. Past contestants have pitched 3-D printed prosthetics, commercialization of U.S. Navy technologies, new mobile apps and many other innovative ideas. Both the Crab Pot Speed Round and Competition are open to the public and free of charge. Registration to watch the Speed Round or the Competition is requested at SMIT Meetup, but not required. The Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties Departments of Economic Development, Energetics Technology Center's (ETC) Techfire Incubator, Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation and the Technology Transfer Offices at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and the Naval Surface Warfare Center—Indian Head as well as other sponsors have made Crab Pot possible.

PaxSpace is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) makerspace located in Hollywood, MD. PaxSpace provides training and resources for community members to collaborate and create innovative projects. SMIT is a regional initiative designed to ignite and fuel technology entrepreneurship by fostering an inclusive and collaborative ecosystem in Southern Maryland.

For more information visit www.crabpot.org/crabpot or email crabpot@paxspace.org.

Plan for Summer Fun by Purchasing Discount Amusement Park Tickets

With summer just around the corner now's the time to plan a trip to your favorite amusement or theme park! St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks can help by offering discounted admission tickets.

Beginning Monday, April 3, discounted tickets for amusement and theme parks located in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia will go on sale at the Recreation and Parks office, inside the Patuxent Building, 23150 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown. Tickets can be purchased between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis. Cash and credit cards will be accepted for payment. Personal checks will not be accepted for ticket sales. Tickets will be available through October 27.

Discounted amusement and theme park tickets are being made available by the Department of Recreation and Parks, in cooperation with the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association.

For more information go to www.stmarysmd.com/recreate/tickets or call 301-475-4200, ext. *1800 or *1801.

Town Hall Meeting to Address Program Updates and Realignment

The Department of Aging & Human Services, along with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and St. Mary's County Health Department will host a town hall meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, from 10 a.m.—noon in the commissioners' meeting room inside the Chesapeake Building. The meeting room is located at 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown.

The meeting will address program updates at DHMH and the transition in behavioral health program operations from the Department of Aging & Human Services to the St. Mary's County Health Department and what these changes will mean for the community, including individuals already served by the affected programs.

The meeting will be open to the public. For more information, please contact the Department of Aging & Human Services at 301-475-4200, ext. *1050.

Animal Shelter Feasibility Study to be Conducted

Public input sought on direction of animal control in county

On March 1, St. Mary's County Government awarded a contract (SMC-17-EST-90074) to Rauhaus Feedenfeld & Associates, LLP to perform an Animal Shelter Feasibility Study. The Public is invited to participate in this study and provide input at a meeting on April 20, 2017 at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners Meeting Room inside the Chesapeake Building. The address is 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown, Maryland.

Topics to be explored with each identified stakeholder group include:

— Do you see management of animal welfare in the community as a public function, private function or a combination of public and private?

— What are your areas of agreement with the current shelter's mission and operation?

— Are there areas of concern with the current shelter's mission and operation?

— What is your level of comfort with funding greater cost of operating a "Low Kill/No Kill" shelter vs. the current approach employing euthanasia?

— What is your level of comfort with current policies relative to "Bully Breeds"?

— What is your level of comfort with funding the cost of developing a Trap Neuter Release (TNR) program for feral cats?

Women Honored for Quality of Life Contributions

Each March the St. Mary's County Commission for Women celebrates Women's History Month with a banquet. This year's event celebrated three local women for their contributions to the quality of life in the county.

Former St. Mary's County Commissioner President Barbara Thompson was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her 20+ years of giving back and active service in countless community organizations. Her experiences admirably fit the national theme "Trailblazing Women in Business and Labor".

Lillian Cavanagh, a Great Mills High School senior, was presented with the 2017 Tomorrow's Woman Award for her leadership in Relay for Life of St. Mary's County. Other nominees included Rachel Bruce, from Chopticon High School; Sydney Guy, from St. Mary's Ryken High School; Makayla Hudziak, from Great Mills High School; Taylor Jackson, from Great Mills High School and The Forrest Career and Technology Center and Tanasia Miles, from King's Christian Academy.

Patricia Brady was the recipient of the 2017 Woman of the Year Award for her tireless advocacy to the homeless, veterans and others needing assistance in our community. Other nominees included Martha Davie, Masae Grace Fuller, Virginia Himes, Jennifer Hollingsworth, Lisa Horton, Barbara Ives, Myssi Newton-Williams, Louise Snell, Stevie-Marie Starks, Bonnie Trader, Jessica Vallandingham, Shirley Vatter and Delores Harris Wilson.

"They're all winners in our books and our community is so much better off with them in it," said Commission for Women President Norma Pipkin of the nominees.

Proceeds from the banquet go toward education materials and the Jane Hale Sypher Scholarship at the College of Southern Maryland.

For more information, contact Norma Pipkin at 301-863-5022.

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