Crisfield explains $1.8 million earmark for new fire station: study, mitigation and infrastructure — land not included

Mayor Darlene Taylor told the council the $1.8 million congressional earmark submitted for a new fire facility is intended to fund design and site-preparation work on city-owned land, not the purchase of property.

"What was in there was a feasibility study to provide engineering and architectural services," the mayor said, listing line items that include $125,000 for a feasibility study, $250,000 for wetland mitigation, $425,000 for bid-ready architectural documents, $210,000 for access from Route 413 and $800,000 for building infrastructure such as water and sewer lines.

Taylor said the goal is to move the department out of a flood-prone, non–ADA-compliant building and into a site that will meet county and state construction requirements. She said the funding assumes the city will build on land it already owns but that the land requires mitigation work to be build-ready.

Council members asked whether the earmark required the new facility to be outside the mapped floodplain. The mayor replied that the application described a need to remove operations from areas that flood — "get out of the flood zone" — and that the city was seeking to site the facility at Carver Hall area, which staff consider not subject to regular flooding.

Taylor also said the earmark request will be administered through the Delaware–Maryland USDA Rural Development office and that the agency in charge will handle next steps for the city to obtain and use the funds.

No vote or formal commitment of city matching funds was taken at the meeting; the mayor listed a planned local match of $452,500 in materials presented to the council.