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Commissioners reallocate park funds to cover $270,000 shortfall for Piney Point Lighthouse erosion project
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Summary
After higher-than-expected bids, the Board of County Commissioners approved transferring roughly $270,000 from a Chaptico Park project to the Piney Point Lighthouse shore-erosion control contract so construction can proceed this year; one commissioner voted no.
St. Mary's County commissioners on Aug. 26 approved a budget amendment moving surplus funds to cover a $270,000 shortfall on a shore-erosion control project at the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Park, allowing the county to award a construction contract this fall.
Phil Rollins, representing the Department of Recreation and Parks, told the board the low construction bid was $692,247 and that the county needs a total of $727,427 to include contingency and project management. He said the county has approximately $457,000 available from two interest-free state shore-erosion loans and is therefore short about $170,000 against current loan funds; the county’s recommended approach was to swap funds from a Chaptico Park parking-lot project that came in under budget rather than seek additional state loan paperwork that could delay construction until spring.
Rollins said the work — four nearshore armor-stone breakwaters, 725 feet of breakwater, 1,200 square feet of beach fill and marsh plantings, plus 215 feet of revetment — is aimed at preventing continued shoreline loss that threatens the historic lighthouse. He said the low bidder will use barges to deliver material, minimizing traffic impacts on Lighthouse Road.
Commissioner discussion acknowledged the bid was roughly 50 percent higher than the original engineer estimate and explored whether rebidding in a slower construction market might yield lower bids. Rollins and staff said the gap likely reflected higher unit estimates for rock and material and that rebidding posed a risk of further erosion while the county waited. The county's finance director and staff described a funding swap that uses 3 Notch Trail transfer-tax funds to fund the shore project and backfills the transfer with park-impact fees from the Chaptico Park budget; park-impact fees could not be applied directly to the shore project.
Commissioner discussion resulted in a 4–1 vote to proceed. One commissioner said rebidding would be appropriate under normal circumstances but supported proceeding because the shoreline is actively eroding. The motion authorized the commission president to sign the budget amendment transferring surplus funds from RP-0805 (Chaptico Park) to RP-0502 (Piney Point Shore Erosion) to cover the $270,000 shortfall.
Construction was described as weather-dependent; staff said, if awarded now, work could begin and possibly finish during the current construction season.
