St. Mary's County lays out transportation, water, jail and housing needs during Sen. Cardin town hall

St. Mary's County officials used a town-hall meeting with U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin to press for federal help on a slate of infrastructure problems, saying local growth tied to the Pax River naval base is stretching roads, water and wastewater systems, the county jail and housing resources.

County Administrator John Savage told the senator that transportation projects — led by the Thomas Johnson Bridge/Route 4 intersection and improvements on Maryland Route 5 through Leonardtown — are county priorities because of their importance to the workforce that commutes to and from the Patuxent River naval complex. "We have too much dependence on the workforce coming to and from the base, to not make this a priority," Savage said.

Savage also highlighted a regional-airport runway-extension project, noting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) process has been slow and could require outside assistance. He said aging water and sewer lines and the state mandate for enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) represent overlapping demands: communities must both expand capacity for growth and meet stricter environmental treatment requirements. "Enhanced nutrient removal is a mandate," Savage said, and he told Cardin the county is concerned about whether state and federal funding will be sufficient as costs rise.

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