County staff say commissioners authorized move toward short-term lease of College of Southern Maryland fitness center in Leonardtown

St. Mary's County Parks and Recreation staff told attendees they will pursue a short-term lease to use the Leonardtown Fitness and Wellness Center on the College of Southern Maryland campus, following commissioner direction. Staff described the arrangement as an initial two-year agreement with shared utility costs, no new full-time employees and county-run programming contracted or staffed through existing hourly and part-time options.

"Commissioners gave direction this past Tuesday," Mr. Shepherd said, summarizing the recent decision and the staff recommendation to bring a lease memorandum forward in March. Shepherd said the facility is roughly a "$16,000,000 facility," and described the original construction funding split: "County put in 3, I think 3.5 and then the 12.5 was by the College of Southern Maryland when it was built," noting the complex contains studios, a heated therapy pool and other amenities.

Shepherd said the county would not be asking for additional full-time employees. "We're not asking for any more full time employees," he said, and described plans to cover operating expenses through a cost-sharing approach (utilities handled by the county enterprise fund, program staffing via existing hourly and contract arrangements). Shepherd cited retained enterprise-fund earnings of about $547,000 and said that, with Leonardtown's residential growth, initial participation projections make the pilot feasible.

Staff said next steps include further meetings with college leadership, public-works and IT staff, legal review, and a return to commissioners to sign a lease if terms are finalized. The memorandum will be scheduled for commissioner review in March.

Ending: If the commissioners approve the lease, staff said they will begin program rollout under the two-year pilot and then evaluate whether to extend the agreement based on participation and financial results.