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Somerset House seeks council support for Middle Falls stream-restoration grant
Summary
Somerset House representatives asked the council for a support letter for a Chesapeake Bay Trust grant to fund concept and engineering design work for a Middle Falls branch restoration; presenters said Little Falls Watershed Alliance would serve as program manager and contractors would perform restoration work if funded.
Somerset — Representatives from Somerset House presented a draft grant application for Middle Falls branch stream restoration and asked the council for a letter of support. Stephanie Kenny and Charles Schill described plans to hire a professional stream-restoration contractor to design and execute work; Little Falls Watershed Alliance would act as the grant applicant and program manager, while the restoration would be performed by contractors selected through bids.
Presenters said the draft grant would fund a concept and engineering design and that contractor proposals for design work ranged from about $90,000 to $185,000. They emphasized that pollutant sources upstream (they identified the Chevy Chase Country Club area as a significant upstream contributor) limit what can be done solely within the town’s reach, and that the design process would assess pollutant-mitigation options locally.
Council members asked whether the alliance would be paid from the grant (presenters said not at present) and whether other NGOs had been considered (presenters said Little Falls was the primary partner approached because of local familiarity). Council agreed staff should send a support letter; presenters said grant decisions are expected in March.
Next steps: staff to send a support letter and track the Chesapeake Bay Trust decision schedule; if awarded, the project would move into design and contractor selection.
