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EDA files Preservation Trust Fund application for Project Access kayak park, BUILD grant awaiting decision
Summary
The Middlesex County EDA authorized a Preservation Trust Fund application for approximately $150,000 to conserve Project Access parcels and advanced its BUILD grant application for Broad Creek access, with award notices expected in June 2026.
The Economic Development Authority of Middlesex County voted March 9 to submit a Preservation Trust Fund application for about $150,000 to support a proposed Project Access kayak park and to maintain conservation easements that would limit future development of the affected parcels. The motion, made by Anton Webre and seconded by Gerald Crittenden, passed unanimously.
Chairman John Anzivino and EDA members heard from Joe Heyman that PTF rules require easements limiting impervious surfaces and that the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC) was unable to complete the application. Heyman said the EDA could either finish the application in-house or hire MPPDC consultant Denise Nelson at an estimated fee of $1,000 if needed for a later funding round. Heyman framed the PTF application as reimbursement for the EDA’s conservation easement value.
The board also reviewed broader Project Access work: Anton Webre reported that the BUILD application for Broad Creek/Chesapeake Bay Access was submitted on time and that award notices are expected in June 2026. The application was prepared with assistance from the MPPDC; members agreed to send a thank-you to Clara Vaughn, identified in meeting materials as the MPPDC grant writer.
The decision advances two linked funding tracks for shoreline access: (1) the federal BUILD application, which remains pending with an expected award timetable in June 2026, and (2) the state Preservation Trust Fund application, which if awarded would reimburse easement value and impose development limits required by the grant program. No final awards had been announced by the end of the meeting; Mr. Funkhouser said he will update the board when results are received.
