St. Mary's County approves $362,250 to complete Mattapani Farmers Market entrance work and commercial kitchen

The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners on May 1 approved an agreement to provide $362,250 to Homegrown Farm Market LLC to pay for required entrance improvements and later work to build a commercial kitchen and restrooms at the Mattapani Farmers Market.

County staff said the funds will be released in two stages: first to complete State Highway Administration (SHA) entrance and shoulder work — including repacking the road shoulder and adding an acceleration/deceleration lane and guardrail — and second to fund the market’s commercial kitchen and restroom construction. Under the agreement, the county will release the first tranche 15 days after the contract is signed and will allocate additional funds for the kitchen after the SHA work is finished.

Donna Sasser of the Department of Economic and Community Development introduced the two co-managing partners for the project, Junior Trosback and Barry Roche, who told the commissioners the market is drawing more vendors and shoppers and that the commercial kitchen would likely open in a subsequent season after the road, well and septic work are complete. County staff said bids for the well have been received and septic bids were pending.

Sasser said the total county contribution is $362,250 and that approximately $87,000 (phrased in the meeting as “another 87 or so $1,000”) would be allocated for the kitchen/restroom portion after the highway work is completed. That figure was presented verbally and treated as approximate in the meeting.

Market representatives described current operations: Saturdays 9 a.m.–1 p.m. year-round, expanding in July to Tuesday (9 a.m.–1 p.m.), Thursday (3 p.m.–6 p.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m.–1 p.m.) through the first week of November. Commissioners and staff said the kitchen will likely open the next season after required infrastructure is finished.

The motion to approve the agreement was moved and seconded by commissioners as recorded at the meeting; the vote was taken and the motion carried. Commissioners directed the president to execute the agreement and staff to proceed with disbursement and contract amendments to the market’s contractor.

The county and market representatives noted the SHA requirement triggered the schedule: the state will require the shoulder be dug out and repacked to current standards before granting final approval for the entrance work. The county’s grant will cover that state-required work first, then the market’s on-site utility and building work.

The approval is intended to clear the highway-entry requirement and allow the market to expand vendor services and the planned commercial kitchen once remaining bids and site work are completed.