[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6380326,"mediaKeyId","2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566","parentId",2132473,"title","Southern Maryland ag commission proposes regional Ag Business Park and Food Innovation Center; legislation would allow land acquisition","audioSeconds",914,"startMs",3854000,"endMs",4768000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566&start=3854&end=4768","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566/thumbnail_3854000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6380326/St-Marys-County/Maryland/Southern-Maryland-ag-commission-proposes-regional-Ag-Business-Park-and-Food-Innovation-Center-legislation-would-allow-land-acquisition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380326-06118b90c5b67a9cbe7b43c022bd75c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197445&Signature=Q9bL8uL~6qTVnNtzkirf58DzOUe8Sg8P8vCOjb49YTb4wwkP8Per1eh0Tt--LstjLGGT5uzYqk6A~GoEImavsuz-OiUG1-~l7QX-JRPmgMVulovEOg7VYWXiWI9X0k5ieeTjMPIYP-FyRX2Y7yEhu659roZEMB-FG~AB-nGZsM4qKkxGiFOFD4GXOzwLAGKXIXCjzChPwj9S-sanCOCt5JjOlSYs3B-j4S-cO-0QodiACF2H7CDYL1c-FYKuAwqzBuaL8vNDkO0wD8oVzdf5ve7lfytzhT5BM2RUvXJXlZbp2aI~jpuL7FrWLiF4YxGaLyD5R8LsQyOcNNRMOHQdCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","St. Mary's County, MD","date","2025-01-21T01:06:21Z","article","The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADAC) briefed the county commissioners on May 5 on a proposed Ag Business Park and Food Innovation Center intended to scale local farm production, processing and distribution across the five-county Southern Maryland region.

Dr. Christine Bergmark, SMADAC executive director, and farmer and board member Eddie Bowling presented the proposal and said the project would be funded primarily from cigarette restitution (tobacco settlement) funds administered through the Tri-County Council, supplemented by federal and foundation sources. \"The funds are existing they exist through 2025, and we would hope that we would continue to receive some of those funds,\" Bergmark told commissioners.

SMADAC outlined project components: land/central site acquisition or a distributed series of sites; a new-farmer incubation program; a food-distribution center and refrigerated warehouse; a food-innovation center (commercial kitchen space for value-added products); regional meat-processing capacity; aquaculture processing and storage/warehouse services. SMADAC's business model envisions the commission acquiring land and building infrastructure, then leasing space and services to private and nonprofit operators. SMADAC said net project projections show the center as financially sustainable over time and estimated that full operation could create about 62 jobs and return roughly $5.4 million to the farm community annually once operating, figures presented in the commission's business-plan slide deck.

SMADAC noted a recently passed state bill (SB 909) that would permit the Tri-County Council/SMADAC to acquire property with the cigarette restitution funds and to name an entity to hold title (for example, one of the counties or the Maryland Food Center Authority). The bill must still be signed by the governor. Bergmark said the commission will issue an expression of interest (EOI) for potential sites in the five-county region and then a request for proposals; an optimistic timeline presented suggested site selection by September if the process proceeds on schedule.

Commissioners asked logistical questions about site selection, regional equity, potential satellite locations and the role of the Maryland Food Center Authority. SMADAC representatives said the site could be anywhere in the five-county region and emphasized mission control and farmer ownership/benefit. Farmer and board member Eddie Bowling said the project is designed to return value to producers rather than generate investor profit: \"We're not looking for a return of investors for ourselves. We're looking for a return of investors to the people that's growing the product and for the agricultural community of Southern Maryland.\" The presentation included answers about community outreach, work with Amish and Mennonite growers, equipment-sharing programs and agritourism initiatives.

Commissioners and SMADAC staff discussed concerns and next steps. County leaders asked the board to send a letter of support to the Tri-County Council and the local delegation; administrators confirmed the county would prepare a letter. SMADAC said it would put an EOI on the street for roughly 45 days and then follow with an RFP and site selection process. The commission also said other federal (USDA rural development) and foundation funding sources have expressed interest but that significant capital will be required to build facilities and that staging may be adjusted by need (for example, meat processing may precede distribution center construction).

No formal county vote was recorded on site selection during the presentation; commissioners requested follow-up briefings and asked that the county send a letter to the Tri-County Council and delegation in support of pursuing the concept and legislative authority.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5/5/2015 Commissioners of St. Mary's County","oneSentenceSummary","SMADAC presented a proposal on May 5 to develop an Ag Business Park and Food Innovation Center using cigarette restitution funds, seeking to provide incubation, processing, distribution and value-added facilities for Southern Maryland farmers.","taxTitle","St. Mary's County, Maryland","taxId",51086,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6380331,"Commissioners approve FY2016 homeless services grant applications totaling $164,029; presenters emphasize housing-first approach for veterans",260,3016000,3276000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566&start=3016&end=3276","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566/thumbnail_3016000.jpg","/articles/6380331/St-Marys-County/Maryland/Commissioners-approve-FY2016-homeless-services-grant-applications-totaling-164029-presenters-emphasize-housing-first-approach-for-veterans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380331-3ce4c5d68f985069b68e24ff273b5f8d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197445&Signature=M6tShHlA7h7zICtwkz5W03AINJfQ2-r4D1Bi-mlyYUVnNBx31p-Pc3ElPHCm0xz2F22EVNFfW0170a0GyO15BPnFfT5VW2pVUgdmuc377CdoropJuY8bx2nOzZkUqsAPFCJ27z0VZg1GVWE6luXRh~HmOLepEs06Hgd45DOXSTfeWKZTlMzsU7VPELkCIKWpC9EgebQgxbufMWC4kJUese~iGY4UGZFpcdhlPSHWZC90mlvx4QLMvE~MgXYvrsWUyEn8b-o2f4Jk5HI49CRl9diAIozAzTGu6tepXWwNzzQNngUWwZxcidBTfJPRCIEBl5DJPtUZHOKkeBPEI3oyQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Commissioners of St. Mary's County voted May 5 to approve consolidated FY2016 homeless services grant applications to the Maryland Department of Human Resources totaling $164,029.

The application bundles $81,506 for emergency and transitional housing services, $67,241 for a homeless women's crisis shelter and $15,282 for a homeless prevention program, department staff said. Lori Jennings-Harris and Cynthia Brown presented the application and were joined by Lanny Lancaster, executive director of 3 Oaks Center, and Don Kidd from the Department of Social Services.

\"We have changed from a shelter mentality to a housing-first mentality,\" the presenter said, describing county efforts to place homeless residents — especially veterans — directly into permanent housing rather than shelters. The presenter said that two years earlier the county counted 68 homeless veterans and, with support from Supportive Services for Veterans Families grants and HUD VASH vouchers, reduced that number by 41 percent.

Presenters described the county's veteran-targeted approach as a replicable model for other homeless populations and noted ongoing coordination among the county, nonprofit providers and federal partners. They said the county maintains a coordinated local overdose-prevention work group that shares data and that the county eliminated wait lists for treatment in related programs.

A motion to approve the homeless services grant application (project IDs cited in the motion: MD1658, MD1657 and MD1655) was moved by Commissioner Perez and seconded; the motion passed by voice vote. Commissioners thanked providers and discussed ongoing efforts to pursue housing vouchers and other long-term resources.

Clarifying details from the meeting: consolidated grant totals ($164,029) broken down by program line items; presenters indicated a 41% reduction in counted homeless veterans following supportive services and VASH voucher deployment; staff said subrecipient agreements for homeless services will be brought back to the board in several weeks.

Next steps: county staff will submit the consolidated FY2016 application, and, after award notifications, bring subrecipient agreements to the commission for execution.","The commissioners on May 5 authorized submission of consolidated FY2016 homeless services grant applications to the Maryland Department of Human Resources totaling $164,029 for emergency/transitional housing, a women's crisis shelter and prevention services.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6380335,"County approves $3.75 million in substance-use treatment, prevention and recovery subrecipient agreements",1153,1627000,2780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566&start=1627&end=2780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566/thumbnail_1627000.jpg","/articles/6380335/St-Marys-County/Maryland/County-approves-375-million-in-substance-use-treatment-prevention-and-recovery-subrecipient-agreements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380335-8d24dcc87fc925cb4973a9dbf0d5522f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197445&Signature=CZ-TjeuUVFt9e2J8R~~xmNX~gRMPtHIg2J5rzUdFi6wf3ewdMbfqr-jCJsl2cChd41o7nOSbGItbEtdQ-Fn1OQSrbCQhbjyo3VZ4fpESAYzn2ZAePf7mohZPkcHkkbbH5YZ3ueR4CQliNN-KLPBPfyJukadFavm9gvZT6awqtF9k7bIb1VXkCG-amCPmwmcGXoPcPm5qAv5sNoY3GXyziXxjjxJXLGkEBYUQJBMAZOVPxDfwlBdPNywkO7CQ05oMUBVWxlt-elu0xj5uAo4dnNNqGDRcLeapsYTW473g77bBtTHPNdfGSGfPqfZm60PaCR3RJEFX6az2Zkk4g0QVhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Commissioners of St. Mary's County on May 5 approved a set of subrecipient agreements totaling $3,746,369 to fund substance-use treatment, prevention and recovery services across the county.

The awards, presented by Lori Jennings-Harris of the Department of Aging and Human Services and program staff Matt Riesdorf and Kathleen O’Brien of Walden Sierra, fund residential and outpatient treatment, recovery support services and prevention programs including work in schools and community coalitions.

County officials said the package bundles state and federal treatment and recovery grants. \"Walden Sierra provides the majority of our treatment services,\" Riesdorf said in the meeting, describing three treatment grants, recovery-support grants and a residential role for Walden Sierra. He said a new provider, Step Into Recovery, will provide outpatient services under the agreements.

Kathleen O’Brien, chief executive officer of Walden Sierra, described how treatment programs track relapse and service needs. \"On the treatment side, it's not considered recidivism because it's not a criminal justice issue. It's considered a public health issue for treatment, but we do keep track of how many relapses there are and what kind of level of treatment they've had and what else is needed to intervene,\" O’Brien said.

Commissioners and presenters discussed the shift in funding and delivery for outpatient services. Presenters said an administrative service organization model and fee-for-service reimbursement will replace some grant funding, requiring providers to establish billing and administrative systems. County representatives said Walden Sierra is already accredited and prepared to make that transition but that smaller nonprofits nationally have faced cash-flow and billing challenges.

Speakers also addressed prevention and coordination. Riesdorf and health-system partners described school-based prevention work, community mobilizing efforts to reduce underage access to alcohol and a regional overdose-prevention group that includes the sheriff’s office, the hospital, Walden Sierra and school officials. Presenters said same-day access to treatment has eliminated the wait list in St. Mary's County and that inpatient, outpatient and recovery housing are now available as part of a coordinated continuum.

A motion to approve and authorize the commission president to execute the subrecipient agreements (project numbers cited in the motion: MD1659, 1697, and US1655 with Walden Sierra; US1623 with St. Mary's Hospital; and MD1697 with Step N2 Recovery Services LLC) passed by voice vote.

Clarifying details captured in the meeting packet and discussion include the total award amount ($3,746,369), description of recipients (Walden Sierra, St. Mary's Hospital, Step Into Recovery), and presenters' statements that Walden Sierra provides residential services for drug court and recovery-support services. Presenters also said the county eliminated the treatment wait list and performed roughly 4,000 assessments last year (as stated in the meeting). The packet lists the subrecipient project numbers cited in the motion.

Commissioners thanked providers and asked for continued coordination with state task forces and regional partners to preserve residential capacity and to maintain prevention and early-intervention work in schools. The meeting record shows the motion carried; no roll-call vote tally by name was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps noted in the meeting: execution of the subrecipient agreements and continuation of data-sharing and coordination with state and regional opioid response initiatives. The presenters offered to provide more detailed outcome and length-of-stay data on request.","The Commissioners of St. Mary's County on May 5 approved subrecipient agreements totaling $3,746,369 to fund substance-use treatment, prevention and recovery services delivered by Walden Sierra, Step Into Recovery and St. Mary's Hospital.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6380323,"Votes at a glance: St. Mary's County commissioners meeting, May 5, 2015",716,2737000,3453000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566&start=2737&end=3453","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2132473-522f4523cb0dcef5c9fda3cb09bfa566/thumbnail_2737000.jpg","/articles/6380323/St-Marys-County/Maryland/Votes-at-a-glance-St-Marys-County-commissioners-meeting-May-5-2015","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380323-2aaf4a72d937f73dc6ea61f666f8b48f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197445&Signature=Bkp5x2EZQbLy868Zl58E2xIb4OVO2Q7BDbZXf6GKxCWEvnWgclqu46RUP0rnJs8yootKujDE~NXVu2UTl~86B-PFqKHclmRkqeizhtNma27Ig3Tu8yLSAopajoKURetisit4~I8pL2OugEaE3MbsMMS70Why22h3M6Kt1gfVnIrclLEiQ~J2h16JknY7zyWMWyIYGxl0nPNxlRI-VfJylPj2ne9LI1d-P6c7iEAv3f4k--QnR9SSge2YVQnvI8OZpyOJGD0Lp0fW9LMan1d~eIxX~MAiiGM8wpteseP5Q4QEZ3woVF7MWvYQ0kU4WvGxsGeYHayEFfnaT3JNN~ynAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The following motions and formal actions were recorded during the May 5, 2015 meeting of the Commissioners of St. Mary's County. Where the transcript did not include a roll-call tally, outcomes are recorded as approved or failed by the meeting voice vote.

1) Subrecipient agreements for substance-use grants
Motion (read into the record): Approve and authorize the commission president to execute subrecipient agreements related to project numbers MD1659, 1697 and US1655 with Walden Sierra Inc.; project US1623 with St. Mary's Hospital, St. Mary's County Inc.; and project MD1697 with Step N2 Recovery Services LLC.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote. (Motion text in transcript; execution to follow.)

2) Revised notification of grant award (FY2015 state grants)
Motion: Approve revised notification of grant awards project numbers MD1501–MD1504, MD1506 and MD1514 from the Maryland Department of Aging for programs including senior nutrition, ombudsman and vulnerable-elder supports; authorize related budget amendment decreasing county realignment and adjusting reserves as specified in packet.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.

3) Potomac Building water-damage budget amendment
Motion: Approve budget amendment for the Potomac Building Water Damage Project OT1520 using $52,909 from appropriation reserves for insurance reimbursement and related expenses; authorize the commission president to execute the amendment.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.

4) Employment-contract approvals
Motion: Appoint Jeanette Cudmore as chief financial officer for St. Mary's County Government and authorize the commission president to sign the employment contract; authorize the commission president to sign five revised employment contracts for specified county leadership positions.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.

5) FY2016 homeless services grant application
Motion: Approve homeless services grant application project MD1658, MD1657 and MD1655 for the Maryland Department of Human Resources for specified program lines ($81,506; $67,241; $15,282).
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.

6) Schedule public hearing on 2015 local amendments to Maryland Building Performance Standards (MBPS)
Motion: Authorize the Department of Land Use and Growth Management to schedule a public hearing on proposed local amendments to the Maryland Building Performance Standards and related local amendments.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote; hearing to be scheduled in advance of the July 1 effective date for code updates.

Notes: Where the transcript records only a voice \"Aye\" vote and no roll-call tally by member name, this summary records the motion as approved. Full executed documents and subrecipient contracts were described as forthcoming; some items require additional postings or follow-up reports from staff.","Summary of formal actions taken by the Commissioners of St. Mary's County on May 5, 2015, including grant approvals, a budget amendment for water damage, employment-contract approvals and scheduling of a public hearing on local building-code amendments.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Southern Maryland ag commission proposes regional Ag Business Park and Food Innovation Center; legislation would allow land acquisition

Commissioners approve FY2016 homeless services grant applications totaling $164,029; presenters emphasize housing-first approach for veterans

County approves $3.75 million in substance-use treatment, prevention and recovery subrecipient agreements

Votes at a glance: St. Mary's County commissioners meeting, May 5, 2015