Board backs support letter for federal grant and reviews capital budget changes including 3 Notch Trail phasing

The St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks Board authorized Chair Patrick Dugan to sign a letter supporting a federal Transportation Enhancement grant application of approximately $771,000 for Phase 5 of the 3 Notch Trail, the board was told during its Feb. 8 meeting.

Staff said Phase 5 covers the section from John Baggett Park in Laurel Grove to Route 5 near Mechanicsville. The letter will be included in the grant packet submitted through the Maryland State Highway Administration. Board members moved and seconded a motion to authorize the chair to sign the support letter; the transcript records a voice vote of “Aye.”

The board also reviewed a set of capital-program changes the county commissioners had directed after a Jan. 28 budget work session. Major items discussed: - Chancellor's Run baseball field project and Myrtle Point Park were removed from the six-year CIP because commissioners considered them unaffordable in the current fiscal situation. - Chaptico Park: the previously proposed equestrian facilities will be replaced by additional athletic fields; funds were moved forward into FY11 to expedite design and construction. - Mobile entertainment stage: funding of $130,000 was moved up from a later year to FY09; staff reported a $5,000 upward revision in the cost estimate during the rework. - Collections storage for St. Clements Island Museum: county project request reduced from $350,000 to a proposed $150,000 grant to the Friends of the Museum to seek a less-costly delivery approach outside county procurement. - Parkland acquisition reduced from about $3.0 million to $2.5 million because of a drop in Maryland Program Open Space (POS) funding. Staff said POS funding is tied to property transfer taxes and has fallen with the housing market; available POS acquisition funds for FY09 were described as approximately $123,100.

Staff highlighted changes to the 3 Notch Trail phasing after commissioner input: after completing the John Baggett–Route 5 section, the next segment in the six-year CIP was changed to run from Wildwood north to Leonardtown Hollywood Road (Route 245) rather than the previously prioritized northern Mechanicsville section. Staff noted engineering and property challenges on some segments, including about a dozen private easement negotiations required on land where SMECO had acquired an alternate utility corridor.

Board members asked questions about timing and funding; staff said construction for Phase 5 could begin around 2010 if funding is secured and that the project will rely on a mix of federal, state and county funding. The transcript does not show a recorded roll-call tally for the authorization motion; the chair called the motion carried.