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Calvert County presents FY2026 six-year capital-improvement plan; public facilities, transportation and museum projects highlighted
Summary
County staff presented the FY2026 six-year Capital Improvement Plan, flagging a 293% increase in public-facilities requests (projects moved to FY2026), a 56% rise in transportation requests, and a 6% reduction in the enterprise fund request; projects include sewer and water upgrades, convenience-center work, sidewalks, courthouse renovations and multiple Calvert Marine Museum projects.
Calvert County staff presented an extensive work session on the staff-recommended FY2026 six-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), asking the Board of County Commissioners for guidance and priorities before budget adoption.
Danielle Russell, acting capital and grants management specialist (speaker 11), said the presentation refines project scopes, returns unspent allocations to the general fund and moves several projects into FY2026. The enterprise fund request (sewer/water/solid waste) shows a 6% reduction from the prior plan; public facilities requests rose about 293% because multiple out-year projects were moved into FY2026; transportation requests increased about 56%.
Department of Public Works staff outlined wastewater and sewer priorities including Solomons WWTP upgrades, countywide pump-station infrastructure combining smaller projects for flexibility, and a countywide sewer-collection rehabilitation. Water projects include distribution replacement in Chesapeake Heights and Back Creek water-loop work to improve reliability and fire flow capacity.
Solid-waste and recycling projects included the Barstow convenience-center relocation and Ball Road expansion to add compactors and reduce congestion. Staff said some projects use prior-year funds; design and construction phasing will determine exact outlays.
Public facilities items highlighted included the Calvert Marine Museum boat-shed replacement and a permanent collections-storage building; the museum has secured $500,000 in LBI funding toward its requests. Staff also described courthouse renovations, ADA transition planning (proposed $1,000,000 for consulting and renovations), the 87 Main Street resource hub, and multiple HVAC and roof upgrades across county facilities.
On transportation, staff proposed a $10,000,000 countywide paving line to maintain a target service life (staff said $14,000,000 would be needed to sustain a 12-year life expectancy). Other transportation projects include the Barstow salt barn replacement, Mill Branch Road culvert replacement, Breezy Point Park roundabout design, and sidewalk ADA upgrades (a separate sidewalk program request of $1,600,000 to address aging sidewalks and ADA ramps countywide).
Commissioners asked for prioritized lists of projects and more detail about out-year funding and grant eligibility (staff said MDE and MDOT funding is being pursued for eligible projects). Multiple commissioners pressed on replacement schedules for older water systems and on whether some projects require consultant studies or can proceed using in-house expertise; staff explained prioritization will be based on material type, failure rates and condition assessments.
