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County committee recommends $561,507 in Program Open Space apportionments, prioritizes LWCF match
Summary
Staff recommended allocating the county's $561,507 POS apportionment across 12 project requests, including Cumberland pickleball courts (recommended $91,000 of $123,000 requested), multiple athletic facility improvements, and a $350,000 set‑aside to match a larger LWCF phase‑2 project.
Andrew Cowan presented the county's recommended distribution of fiscal‑year‑2027 Program Open Space (POS) funds after review by a subcommittee of finance, public works and economic development members.
Cowan said the county received $561,507 in POS apportionment and had 12 requests. The committee recommended partial or full funding for a range of projects: the city of Cumberland requested $123,000 for installed pickleball courts; the committee recommended $91,000. Town Sports Complex and the Flintstone Civic Improvement Association's concession/pavilion upgrades (requested $15,128) were recommended for full funding. Vale Athletic Association requests for site fencing (Holly Avenue and Lyons Field) were recommended for full funding at roughly $7,627 and $8,757. Piney Plant Community park requested $31,500; the committee recommended $25,000. A proposed Phase‑2 match for a larger Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) project was recommended for a $350,000 POS set‑aside to maximize a total project allocation.
Cowan also described three library projects (Frostburg roof, George's Creek roof, and Washington Street Library HVAC) that require a letter of local commitment tied to a state library system grant; staff recommended planning to support those in FY28 so that no local share would be needed in FY27. Cowan said staff will post materials online and return in about two weeks with formal actions.
Next steps: staff to post the full project list online, solicit public comment, and bring formal POS allocation actions to the board for adoption in the coming weeks.
