To kick off 2011, the St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners decided Tuesday, Jan. 4 to save time and resources when it comes to paying the county’s bills. Commissioner Todd Morgan brought the notion for efficiency to the forefront, with the other three present commissioners agreeing that the routine, checks and balances-based effort of paying budgeted bills could be streamlined.
The board, less Commissioner Jarboe, opted to reduce the redundancy and the paper waste from printing multiple copies of bills to be reviewed each week by delegating the overall process of “ordinary business” to staff, as Commissioner President Jack Russell put it. Any non-standard, unbudgeted bills will still be reviewed by Russell, the signee, and the BOCC.
The board seemed pleased to authorize grant funding which will support crisis services for homeless women offered through the Three Oaks Center, the Department of Aging’s popular Senior Rides program and the county’s public transportation operation, STS.
In coming weeks, the board will explore major growth and land use issues, as well as learn more about St. Mary’s’ expanding school system.
Several county officials sat in on the Elms Advisory Committee meeting Jan. 5, eager for more information on a proposed solar photovoltaic electric generating facility to be built on roughly 20 acres on the state-owned park in southern St. Mary’s. View a map of the Elms property by clicking here.
Maryland’s Dept. of Natural Resources has viewed the property as a potential power plant site since it was acquired in 1974. Niles Primrose, briefing the committee on behalf of DNR, explained that the 4-megawatt, renewable energy facility would consist of around 16,000 3-by-6 foot, fixed, south-facing panels and one prefabricated structure with the entire area secured with a fence.
The area targeted by the unnamed developer threatens no critical areas or wetlands, nor species or habitats. Internal DNR reviews indicated mitigating requirements for forest clearing and an archaeological study of the land, where now, only abandoned buildings exist.
Primrose stated this would be, “the first utility scale solar [facility] in the state,” and said the developer is currently in discussion with SMECO for grid tie-in and a power purchase agreement.
As of yet, no lease arrangements have come to the table between the developer and DNR. The project is subject to the scrutiny of several state agencies, including the Public Service Commission, at which point public input will be sought. Primrose said it would be, “a minimum of 6 months before anything hit the ground,” and indicated the process may be even lengthier. He explained, that if this project moves forward, “the balance of DNR land will remain open for hunting [and] open to [additional], future power plant proposals.”
The developer has expressed interest in integrating an educational component into the project, which, as Superintendent of St. Mary’s Schools Dr. Mi
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