Metropolitan Commission (METCOM) staff presented the proposed FY 2011 water and sewer capital projects to the Saint Mary's County Planning Commission on April 26, and described replacement work, pump station upgrades, system expansions and system-wide initiatives including a Marley Taylor E&R upgrade, radio-read meters and SCADA improvements. Commissioners pressed staff for clearer links between the Metropolitan Commission’s facilities plan, the county comprehensive plan and the capital budget and requested more detail before making a formal consistency recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

Jackie (METCOM staff) and Chet Frederick, chief engineer, walked commissioners through the sewer and water project lists in the binder provided to the commission. Major items discussed included ongoing manhole rehabilitation and infiltration-and-inflow (I&I) work (project SM1005/SM1006), the Patuxent Park sewer and water phases, multiple pump station upgrades (including Great Mills and Piney Point projects), FDR Boulevard interceptor relining, and Marley Taylor E&R upgrade (project 838S / total estimated cost discussed on the record as about $38,000,000). Staff said the Marley Taylor design was about 65% complete, the construction contract was expected to be awarded in FY11, and the facility was targeted to be online in June 2012. METCOM told commissioners the Navy would fund about 20% of the Marley Taylor upgrade and that state E and R grant support was an estimate still to be determined; the remainder would be financed by METCOM borrowing.

Commissioners asked for several clarifications: a single summary that aggregates funding sources (loans, PAYGO, grants) across the capital program; a table showing when projects first appeared in the capital plan (age-in-program); clearer planning justification text on sheets that merely referenced the facilities plan; and a tally of total projects funded by type. Several commissioners said familiarity with the facilities plan would be necessary to evaluate consistency with the comprehensive plan and suggested a work session or retreat to develop priorities for directing water/sewer spending to village and town centers. Commissioners also discussed METCOM’s office-site expansion (staff said the capital line item is acquisition money; lease negotiations for administrative space are being pursued with a likely 10‑year lease and option to purchase), radio‑read water meter rollout (two‑year project), SCADA and utility billing upgrades.

Planning Commissioner Monnick asked whether the commission needed more time; commissioners and staff agreed staff would supply the additional materials requested and the commission would consider a formal recommendation at its next meeting (May 10). Staff repeatedly emphasized these capital plans are dynamic and will change based on operations needs, funding, and priorities; METCOM staff also noted some projects are driven by operational exigency (electrical or pumping failures) and so may be reprioritized.

The commission did not approve the capital plan at the meeting; commissioners asked staff for the requested supplemental materials and signaled they would vote on a consistency recommendation after they have time to review the additional documentation.