St. Mary's County public forum draws overflow crowd objecting to Mount Wolf Road stabilization center site

A county official said a recent public forum in St. Mary's County drew an overflow crowd opposed to a proposed mental health stabilization center planned near Mount Wolf Road and that the project may be moved from that site.

"We had a public forum last week, and it was a overflow crowd and primarily the traffic to Pascual Scribe Stabilization Center that was proposed from Mount Wolf Road," the county official said, adding that attendees were "very outspoken." The official said, "It's not a done deal," and urged residents to attend meetings if they opposed the site.

The official acknowledged the county's need for more mental health services but said the location was the core concern. "I think that public forum, even though it got a little testy, was excellent because it was an opportunity for people to be passionate about what they feel is an injustice going on in their neighborhood," the official said.

The county official also said they had heard that the chief operating officer of the company proposing the center "makes over a million dollars a year," and added, "So I'm not interested in giving county land for this. I mean, I do like to see it, but this is a money making business." The official did not identify the company or provide documentary evidence of the compensation claim during the remarks recorded in the transcript.

No formal motion, vote or county decision about the site was recorded in the transcript provided. The official said the proposal "may be moving on from that site," indicating the location under discussion could change, but did not specify alternate locations or a next step in the county approval process.

The official also noted the county was holding its final FY26 budget work session and thanked library staff for outreach, and praised participants at a law enforcement appreciation event.

Minutes or subsequent agenda items will be needed to determine any formal actions by the St. Mary's County Commissioners regarding site selection, land use, or requests to donate county land for the stabilization center.