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Board hears capital-budget changes: many parks projects deferred pending state bond authority
Summary
Staff reported that, because the county’s request for additional bond authority lacks clear state support, multiple park projects were deferred from FY11–13 to later years or removed from the six-year plan.
Recreation and Parks staff told the board that several capital projects in the department’s six-year plan have been moved back or removed because St. Mary’s County’s request for additional bond authority appears unlikely to receive support from the state delegation.
Phil (Recreation and Parks staff) said the county’s capital program assumed the ability to borrow roughly $25–30 million over several years; county management and analysts say the county has capacity and a double-A bond rating, but staff said the delegation signaled limited support for additional bonding this cycle. As a result, many projects previously scheduled for FY11–13 were shifted to FY14 or later, and some projects were removed from the CIP.
Examples of changes noted by staff: Chaptico Park design and construction was moved from FY11–13 to FY14–16; tennis court improvements were shifted to FY14 with the plan to consolidate several years of repair into one year; the Elms Beach Park improvement project and a proposed Indian Bridge Park project were removed from the six-year CIP; small museum projects (Drayton African American Schoolhouse and Saint Clement’s Island Museum improvements) were deferred; parking and access work was moved out several years.
Staff said they will pursue every available funding source, including program open-space funds, recreational trails grants (small grant amounts cited), federal transportation funding, and targeted smaller grants; they cautioned that program open-space funds are limited in the near term.
Why it matters: The timing of capital improvements will affect neighborhoods and park users; staff said maintenance and renovation projects (tennis and basketball courts) were prioritized over construction of new parks because postponing maintenance increases long-term costs.
Next steps: The Board of County Commissioners will hold budget work sessions beginning Dec. 22; Recreation and Parks staff invited board members to provide comments to pass along to the commissioners during the capital-budget process.
