At the last official meeting of the 2006-2010 St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners, Commissioners Mattingly, Raley and Dement said their warm farewells. Current board President Jack Russell and Third District Commissioner Larry Jarboe have been re-elected and will join Todd Morgan, Cindy Jones and Dan Morris in swearing in Dec. 6.
The board welcomed State Senator James Robey’s presentation on behalf of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement awarding re-accreditation to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Robey said earning the award is “not an easy task,” adding those who achieve it, “want to be the best.”
Sheriff Tim Cameron proudly accepting the award and said he was honored to oblige the photo opportunity with a board that had been so supportive.
The board approved a $408,000 grant from the Governor’s Office for Children which will fund youth and family-centered programs through the Human Services Dept. Interim Director Cynthia Brown said the department had anticipated a reduction and were able to absorb the work of unfilled positions without affecting services to the public. For information on what types of programs are supported in the county, click here.
County-owned land off Rt. 235 in southern St. Mary’s will become the site of a new ag-based business, as the Home Grown Farm Market, LLC. could begin construction as early as spring 2011. Economic and Community Development Director Bob Schaller explained after obtaining the building permit, the farmer-managed operation will utilize 18 of 44 acres, leaving several fields on the property for potential use by Recreation and Parks.
Schaller championed the idea of co-using the property and Commissioner Mattingly commented that once up and running, “This project will benefit both the farmers and the citizens.”
Recreation and Parks got approval for funding of the Three Notch Trail’s sixth phase that spans 11 miles between Mechanicsville and New Market. Commissioner Jarboe cast the only nay vote, calling attention to potential problems from encroachment. “This section of the trail has the most issues,” he said.
Rollins acknowledged some complications and explained construction of the project is not in the Capital Budget until 2014, leaving time for individual, affected property owners.
Public Safety was authorized to seek more than $1 million from the Emergency Numbers Board to update aging 9-1-1 equipment. Director Dave Zylak said St. Mary’s currently has “the oldest system left in the state.”
The board signed off on a .66 acre transfer of land to the now privately run St. Mary’s Nursing Center and approved a revised list of METCom projects for borrowed monies backed by the county.
The commissioners visited the Medevac Hanger at the county airport and recognized the life-saving service’s fortieth anniversary.
The first meeting of the 2010-2014 Board of County Commissioners will be in the Chesapeake Build
<!–
–>
