Draft six‑year capital budget highlights 3 Notch Trail phases; staff proposes funding missing California sections

St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks staff on Nov. 5 presented a draft FY2011–16 capital budget that continues funding for the 3 Notch Trail and a slate of park, museum and waterfront projects and asked the advisory board for guidance on whether the county should use public funds to fill several undeveloped trail segments in the California/Lexington Park corridor.

The draft budget would fund design and engineering for a 5‑mile section of the 3 Notch Trail (Phase 6) from Route 5 near Wawa north to New Market (FY2011 design budget shown as $212,000 in staff materials and construction funding in a later year). Phase 5 — the section from John Baggett Park to Route 5 — was identified for imminent bidding and construction. Staff said completing those sections would create an about‑11‑mile connected segment between John Baggett Park and Charlotte Hall.

Staff also raised three undeveloped links in the California/Lexington Park area that were expected to be built by private developers but have stalled because of the economy: a First Colony segment, a section in front of Kmart, and a potential link tied to a proposed St. Mary's Marketplace shopping center. Staff asked whether the advisory board wanted to recommend the county pursue these “missing links” as county projects using local, state and—where possible—federal funds rather than waiting for private development to resume.

Board members asked for visuals and additional detail before a final decision. Staff said it would include the California segments as a priority item in the draft CIP submission to the Finance Department by Dec. 1 while preparing maps that identify the existing trail segments and the gaps.

Other capital items discussed in the draft FY2011–16 CIP included: - Chaptico Park phase development (design and later construction of basketball courts, picnic areas and additional fields). - Program Open Space (state parkland acquisition funds) placeholder and a $1.3 million county balance that staff warned could be swept by the state if not encumbered. - Park road, parking and access improvements (paving Cecil Park road; hard‑surface paths at Nicollet Park). - Museum projects at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and St. Clement's Island Museum; Drayton African American Schoolhouse preservation. - Lancaster Park parking addition (up to ~100 spaces) to address weekend parking pressure. - Elms Beach Park improvements (restroom, pavilion, parking), and Wicomico waterfront restroom replacement and River Springs pier replacement using state waterway funds.

Staff identified funding sources in the draft as a mix of county capital funds, Program Open Space (state) and potential federal Transportation Enhancement funds for trail construction. For the 3 Notch Trail Phase 6 staff indicated that the FY2013 construction estimate included nearly $2 million with an expectation that at least half of those costs would be covered by federal transportation enhancement funding.

Staff stressed permitting and stormwater reviews could extend plan approval timelines and that several projects would require coordination with other agencies, including the Board of Education on school‑adjacent athletic fields. The advisory board requested maps of completed segments and gaps and asked staff to return with visuals and refined cost estimates for the California/Lexington Park missing links before finalizing CIP priorities.