An unidentified St. Mary's County commissioner urged county leaders to develop clearer hypothermia-warming-center plans and suggested using Fairlead Academy as a temporary site during a recent set of remarks recorded in the meeting transcript.
The commissioner said the current approach is insufficient and urged earlier, coordinated planning. "There is a semblance of a plan in place but it's not that great a plan and we need to do something to address that," he said, adding that planning should clarify roles for volunteers and partner agencies.
He described a concrete incident to illustrate the risk: "The air temperature at the time was 22 degrees," he said, and an individual "was placed in a shelter that evening, but it shouldn't have gotten to the point." The speaker framed that episode as evidence the county needs a more robust response for extreme-cold nights.
The speaker proposed Fairlead Academy as a possible temporary warming center and said the board and allied agencies should examine that and other options "earlier in the year," noting he had been advised to aim for planning in March so everyone would "know their roles." He emphasized the need for community and volunteer buy-in if a temporary site is used.
The transcript records no formal motion or vote on warming centers; the remarks are a call for the board and county staff to pursue planning and outreach. The commissioner did not specify funding sources, staffing details, or operational hours for a warming center; those items were presented as matters requiring follow-up.