Van Hollen, Cardin Secure Over $35 Million in Direct Investments for Western Maryland Included in Fiscal Year 2023 Funding Bill, Vote to Pass it in Senate

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced that they have secured $35,694,377 in direct federal funding for local projects in Western Maryland within the fiscal year 2023 omnibus funding legislation, which they voted to pass yesterday. The projects encompass a wide array of local and regional priorities, ranging from public safety to infrastructure improvements to community and workforce development. Overall, the Senators included over $200 million in federal dollars directly for Maryland within the legislation.

A full list of the funds included by Senator Cardin in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations legislation is here. A full list of the funds included by Senator Van Hollen in the legislation is here. Now that the legislation has passed the Senate, it is expected to be considered in the House later today prior to being sent to the President for his signature.

“These federal investments will directly address real needs in communities across Maryland. That’s why we secured these resources that support important local initiatives to boost economic opportunity, enhance public safety, and expand access to health care along with many other important services. I’ll keep working until we get this bill to the President’s desk so we can deliver these funds to our local partners who are ready to put them to good use making a meaningful impact in our communities,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

“These earmarks advance long-planned and widely-supported projects for our nonprofit and faith-based communities, bolster environmental and green projects, support vulnerable citizens, enhance public safety and expand opportunities for students,” said Senator Cardin. “I am proud to announce these Congressionally Directed Spending projects that meet the direct needs of Marylanders.”

The funding announced by the Senators includes:

• Over $2 million for public safety, including for Allegany County emergency operations center upgrades; equipment for Frederick County’s Crisis Stabilization Center; technology upgrades for Frederick County’s Emergency Operations Center; and emergency radio equipment for the Garrett County Emergency Operations Center
• Over $15 million for infrastructure projects, including for an advanced water purification system as well as other wastewater and drinking water system upgrades for Westminster, Brunswick, and Grantsville; shared-use trails connecting the City of Frederick with surrounding towns and neighborhoods; outdoor recreational trails and facilities in Cumberland; and trails for hikers to explore the Evergreen Heritage Center
• $1 million for economic development through the Frederick Innovative Science Center
• Nearly $8 million for education and workforce development, including for the Asian American Center of Frederick’s Early Childhood Education Project; Hood College’s Data-Driven Research Center and Biomedical Research and Training Center; expansion of STEM research facilities at Mount St. Mary's University; the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics-Hagerstown campus expansion project; a child care center in Frostburg; and a regional science education center and teacher residency program at Frostburg State University
• Over $5.5 million for community development, including to construct a new town hall and community center in Midland; build a new clubhouse for the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County; and upgrade the Frederick Community Action Agency’s Supportive Housing, Food Distribution Center, and Soup Kitchen
• Nearly $1 million for historical and cultural initiatives, including to restore historic ironworker housing at Catoctin Furnace; and create a heritage tourism training program at the site; renovate the Doleman Black Heritage Museum
• $650,000 for health care, including for Garrett Regional Medical Center to modernize its electronic health record equipment

PUBLIC SAFETY

Project Name: Allegany County Emergency Operations Center Upgrade
Applicant: Allegany County
Description: The Allegany County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) coordinates local, state, and federal response to disasters and emergencies in a building that also houses the County’s Backup Public Safety Answering Point. Federal funds will be used to improve security for the EOC and upgrade its Wi-Fi system to meet cyber security and capacity demands during activation.
Project Location: Cumberland, MD
Amount Included: $41,000

Project Name: Frederick County Crisis Stabilization Center Equipment
Applicant: Frederick County
Description: Behavioral health issues currently account for 20% of the emergency department visits to Frederick Health Hospital, but emergency rooms are rarely the most appropriate place to manage a behavioral health crisis. The Frederick County Crisis Stabilization Center is a 23-hour program that will divert people who are in crisis or under the influence of a substance away from emergency departments and into supervised care and sustainable, community-based behavioral health care. It includes a Care Traffic Control Model to ensure that first responders are able to direct patients to available providers, set up routine and urgent outpatient appointments, and track data and outcomes. The Crisis Stabilization Center will make sure that individuals in crisis receive urgent care, but also are connected to appropriate services and providers to address their needs. Federal funds will be used for medical and other needed equipment to set up the Crisis Stabilization Center.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $699,000

Project Name: Frederick County Emergency Operations Center
Applicant: Frederick County
Description: Currently, Frederick County’s Emergency Operations Center functions are carried out in an adapted classroom at the Public Safety Facility, which doesn’t have the capabilities or capacity to accommodate a full team of officials to manage large scale events, disasters, or emergencies. Federal funds will be used to outfit a centrally-located Emergency Operations Center with appropriate technology and equipment.
Project Location: Frederick County, MD
Amount Included: $869,968

Project Name: Garrett County Back-up 911 Radio Communications
Applicant: Garrett County
Description: Federal funds will be used to purchase emergency radio equipment for the Garrett County Emergency Operations Center. This system will support public information alerts and warnings, have interoperability capabilities that will allow for communication with state and federal agencies, and serve as a fully functional backup 9-1-1 Center in the event of a situation or failure at the primary 9-1-1 Call Center. These capabilities are core functions of an Emergency Operations Center and an important part of Garrett’s Emergency Operations Plan.
Project Location: McHenry, MD
Amount Included: $698,848

INFRASTRUCTURE

Project Name: Advanced Water Purification System
Applicant: City of Westminster
Description: The City of Westminster needs to update its water systems to ensure a consistent supply in times of drought. Currently, the City relies on the Cranberry and Hull Creeks and groundwater wells for its water supply, but those supplies are vulnerable to drought. To address water scarcity, the City is launching PUREWater Westminster, the first water reuse facility in the State. Federal funds will support a new advanced treatment facility, which will be able to purify additional water from the Westminster Water Reclamation Facility and direct the clean water to the Cranberry Reservoir, increasing the City’s surface water capacity by 50%.
Project Location: Westminster, MD
Amount Included: $2,945,000

Project Name: East Street Shared-Use Pathway: Liberty Road Bridge Crossing Construction Project
Applicant: City of Frederick
Description of Proposal: The East Street Rails with Trails Shared Use Pathway will provide access from MARC station to the Monocacy River at the Mill Island neighborhood. This project is a key component of the City’s Shared-Use Path and On-Street Bike network expansion, designed to facilitate safe travel throughout the City of Frederick without the need or use of an automobile. The Shared-Use Path system plan consists over 25 miles spanning six corridors and connect Frederick’s downtown MARC Station with the City’s commercial corridors, residential neighborhoods, and parks. Federal funds will support the construction of a pedestrian bridge to carry the East Street Rails with Trails Shared Use Pathway over Liberty Road/MD 26.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $4,000,000

Project Name: Great Allegheny Passage Spur: The Evergreen Trail
Applicant: Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation, Inc.
Description of Proposal: Federal funds will establish a 5 ½ mile Great Allegany Passage (GAP) spur that would enable hikers to explore the 131-acre Evergreen Heritage Center (EHC) as the GAP crosses through the EHC. The Evergreen Trail project will establish a pre-defined 4 ½ mile hiking trail that will connect the GAP to the existing mile long Evergreen Coal Trail which historically transported coal from deep hillside mines to the railroad. The resulting 5 ½ mile natural surface Evergreen Trail will make it possible for hikers and local students to discover dozens of features and exhibits of historical and environmental interest, all accessible from both the GAP and adjacent Western Maryland Scenic Railway.
Project Location: Mount Savage, MD
Amount Included: $250,000

Project Name: Frederick and Pennsylvania Railroad Trail
Applicant: Frederick County Government
Description of Proposal: The Frederick and Pennsylvania Railroad Trail (F&P Trail) is a new, shared-use path in Frederick County that will connect the City of Frederick to the Town of Walkersville to the north. This project will result in the increased connectivity and safe and efficient mobility, both for recreational and commuting purposes. It will provide a safe and efficient way to bike, walk, jog and roller blade between the Town of Walkersville and Downtown Frederick. Funds will be used for engineering and design of phases 2 and 3 of the project from Fountain Rock Nature Center to Heritage Farm Park.
Project Location: Walkersville, MD
Amount Included: $280,000

Project Name: River Park at Canal Place Trails and Trail Connections
Applicant: Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority (CPPDA)
Description of Proposal: In 2018 the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority created River Park, which included completing the North Branch River Trail, whitewater features, access to the river for boating and fishing, and the creation of a variety of trails and trail connections as a destination for hikers and bikers, and for use by local residents. Federal funding for the trail section of the park consists of trail design, engineering, and construction of the on-grade trail system, the wetland trail boardwalk, an overlook on the trail, a small pedestrian bridge, railing, landscaping, interpretative and wayfinding signage, and a paved parking area. The trail will also provide safe passage into the newly designed downtown Cumberland Historic District.
Project Location: Cumberland, MD
Amount Included: $6,000,000

Project Name: Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Plant Upgrades
Applicant: City of Brunswick
Description: The City of Brunswick needs to update its Wastewater and Water Treatment Plants to prevent nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solid pollution into the Potomac River. Federal funds will cover planning and engineering to prepare the project.
Project Location: Brunswick, MD
Amount Included: $550,000

Project Name: Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade
Applicant: Town of Grantsville
Description: The Town of Grantsville’s sewer system serves the Town and three systems owned and operated by Garrett County Public Utilities. The existing treatment process is unable to consistently meet the ammonia requirement and funding will go towards upgrading Enhanced Nutrient Removal treatment and technologies and meeting the existing Consent Order from MDE.
Project Location: Grantsville, MD
Amount Included: $1,000,000

Project Name: Water Main Replacement at Route 27
Applicant: City of Westminster
Description: Federal funds will be used to replace the existing transite water main pipe on Route 27 between Hahn Road and Tuc Road with a new 12’’ ductile iron pipe. This is a hazard mitigation project that will prevent a water main break and potential sink holes.
Project Location: Westminster, MD
Amount Included: $2,150,000

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Project Name: Frederick Innovative Science Center
Applicant: Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc.
Description: The Frederick Innovative Technology Center is a non-profit business incubator and accelerator designed to cultivate entrepreneurship in Frederick and surrounding rural areas. Funds will be used to develop the Innovative Science Center, a hub for science and tech innovators with state-of-the-art lab, office, and community space customized for early-stage bioscience, agriculture technology, renewable energy, and other technology start-ups.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $1,000,000

EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Project Name: Asian American Center of Frederick Early Childhood Education Project
Applicant: Asian American Center of Frederick
Description: The Asian American Center of Frederick is partnering with Latinas Unidas por un Nuevo Amanecer (LUNA) and Maryland Family Network to create a model Family Support Center in a historically-underserved area of Frederick. The Family Support Center will combine a parent support program with Early Head Start, offering a continuum of care from cradle to career for the families it serves. In addition to Early Head Start services, the Center will offer onsite access to mental health services and job training. Federal funds will support the Center and a training program for informal child care providers to become engaged in the formal early care and education sector, helping to expand our child care workforce.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $375,000

Project Name: Establishing the Data-Driven Frederick Research Center at Hood College
Applicant: Hood College
Description: Hood College seeks to establish Data-Driven Frederick as an innovative research center in the George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business. Data-Driven Frederick will collect, aggregate, and publish regional socioeconomic indicators for the greater Frederick community and work with non-profits, governments, and businesses to analyze the data for grants, reports, or decision-making purposes. Students at Hood will serve as researchers and develop sought-after expertise in research methodology, data analytics, and project management. Federal funds will help launch the program and enable research teams of faculty and students to begin to assemble research analyses and data reports for local partners.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $390,000

Project Name: Expanding STEM Access, Innovation and Workforce Development in Rural Maryland
Applicant: Mount St. Mary's University
Description: Funds will be used to support expansion of STEM research facilities at Mount St. Mary's University and provide work-based training, build educator-industry partnerships, and strengthen cross-disciplinary STEM courses, particularly in the fields of computer science, cybersecurity, and physical sciences.
Project Location: Emmitsburg, MD
Amount Included: $4,000,000

Project Name: Frostburg Childcare Center
Applicant: City of Frostburg
Description: Funds will be used to construct the Frostburg Childcare Center within the Frostburg Community Park area. This new space will allow for the city’s first childcare center serving children of all ages, supporting low-income families with children ages 0-3, and offering a Summer Day Camp.
Project Location: City of Frostburg and surrounding communities in Allegany County, MD
Amount Included: $531,718

Project Name: Frostburg State University Regional Science Education Center
Applicant: Frostburg State University
Description: Funds will be used to complete a Regional Science Education Center to provide hands-on space exploration simulations, robotics, and coding programs for primarily middle-school aged children in Allegany County and neighboring school systems. The Center will also display artifacts and personal photographs from space missions conducted by Ricky Arnold, a NASA astronaut and alumni of Frostburg State University. The Center will provide a unique opportunity for students to experience STEM learning and provide an early look at STEM careers.
Project Location: Frostburg, MD
Amount Included: $750,000

Project Name: Hood College Biomedical Research and Training Center
Applicant: Hood College
Description: Building on their strength and growth in the sciences, as well as their partnerships with regional industry, Hood College plans to establish a Biomedical Research and Training Center. In addition to providing STEM training opportunities for Hood College students across a variety of majors and disciplines, the Center will serve students from other regional schools as well as the employees of regional companies. Programming will include weekend or week-long workshops; bridge courses to prepare graduate students for advanced research; and programming focused on the development of specific high-demand skills defined by our industry partners. It will also foster apprenticeships and student internships with regional industry partners. Federal funds will be used to stand up the Center, including technology and supplies for office and lab spaces, curriculum development, research, student and faculty stipends, and training services.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $610,000

Project Name: PIA Hagerstown Campus Expansion Project
Applicant: Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics – Hagerstown
Description of Proposal: The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics campus in Hagerstown is Maryland’s exclusive FAA-certified Airframe and Powerplant training provider, preparing graduates to be Aircraft Maintenance Technicians. Federal funds will support a 10,000 square foot expansion of the campus to house its growing program. The additional space will allow the Institute to increase their current enrollment by 20% and focus on bringing equity to underserved populations by offering flexible educational opportunities for nontraditional students and underrepresented groups. The services housed by the additional space will address the labor needs of the high-preforming and resilient aviation industry while promoting economic growth and diversified training opportunities for underserved populations in the region.
Project Location: Hagerstown, MD
Amount Included: $750,000

Project Name: Teacher Residency Program
Applicant: Frostburg State University
Description: Frostburg State University’s Maryland Accelerates Program is a teacher-residency program that provides a living stipend for students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program and pairs them with mentor teachers at participating local schools so they can serve full time for a school year as a Teacher Resident and earn their Masters in Teaching on an accelerated schedule. This program allows future teachers to develop relationships in the community and encourages retention of teachers in the area, while also supporting staffing needs at the schools during their residency. Since its launch in 2019, 23 students have been enrolled in two cohorts, and a third cohort expanded the program range to include Washington County Public Schools. Federal funds will expand the program for additional cohorts and allow Frostburg State University to engage with other school systems for Teacher Resident placement.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $500,000

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Project Name: Midland Maryland Town Hall
Applicant: Town of Midland
Description: Funds will be used to construct a new ADA compliant Town Hall to replace the current aging and outgrown structure that dates back to the town’s founding in 1900. The building will be equipped with broadband, Wi-Fi, and workstations, as well as a multipurpose room for community activities.
Project Location: Midland, MD
Amount Included: $375,000

Project Name: Pennsylvania Avenue Clubhouse Replacement Project
Applicant: Boys & Girls Club of Washington County
Description of Proposal: The current Boys & Girls Club clubhouse in Washington County has deteriorated to such a degree that it not only is no longer cost-effective to repair and large portions of the 28,000 square foot building now unusable. Federal funds will be used to build a new Boys & Girls Club clubhouse to provide a safe, secure, and optimized space for up to 500 youth per day, a new Teen Center, and career and workforce development programs.
Project Location: Hagerstown, MD
Amount Included: $4,000,000

Project Name: Permanent Supportive Housing, Food Distribution Center, & Soup Kitchen Upgrades Project
Applicant: City of Frederick, MD
Description of Proposal: The Frederick Community Action Agency serves 25,000 meals per year at the Soup Kitchen and provides food for 700 households per month with the Food Bank, ranging from very low-income families who use the foodbank on a regular basis to moderate-income families who are facing a financial crisis and need temporary assistance. Federal funds will support upgrades to the food distribution center and soup kitchen, which will allow for storage and distribution of fresh food and address current operational inefficiencies. Funds will also help construct a community garden to allow for onsite production of healthy produce and professional development to improve staff’s culinary skills. Finally, the project includes the renovation of an adjacent multi-family building that has 14 rooms of permanent supportive housing to serve Frederick’s most vulnerable community members.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Included: $1,315,843

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INITIATIVES

Project Name: Doleman Black Heritage Museum
Applicant: Doleman Black Heritage Museum, Inc.
Description of Proposal: Federal funds will support Phase 1 Pre-construction activities that will allow the Doleman Black Heritage Museum, Inc. to renovate an existing building that has been vacant for nearly 30 years and will serve as its future home. Upon completion, the museum will better display the Museum's extensive collections and include a multimedia studio that will allow residents and students to gain exposure to media production.
Project Location: Hagerstown, MD
Amount Included: $563,000

Project Name: Historic Catoctin Furnace Ironworker House
Applicant: Catoctin Furnace Historical Society
Description: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as many as 80 homes existed to house workers at the Catoctin Furnace, an industrial iron making complex that began operating in 1776 with a workforce composed primarily of enslaved Africans. Today, only 10 homes remain – 6 log and 4 stone, and in 1972, the structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Federal funds will support the restoration of one of these homes, Miller House, which retains much of its historic fabric beneath modern surfaces. The repair and restoration will include the “Heritage at Work” program at Catoctin Furnace, where students learn the craft of historic preservation and heritage trades. After the house is restored, the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society will house “Furnace Fellows,” an annual residential program providing training and mentoring in heritage tourism, museum management, and hands-on historic preservation. The project will include consultation and participation from descendants of European American workers who still live and work in some of the homes and the African American community whose history has been physically absent from the landscape for the last century.
Project Location: Thurmont, MD
Amount Included: $400,000

HEALTH CARE

Project Name: Electronic Health Record Modernization and Equipment at Garrett Regional Medical Center, Oakland, MD
Applicant: Garrett Regional Medical Center
Description: Garrett Regional Medical Center is a 55-bed acute care hospital located in Oakland, Garrett County, Maryland – one of the state's most rural areas. GRMC serves people in Garrett County and the surrounding region, including parts of 8 counties across 3 states (Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania). GRMC's current Electronic Health Record (HER) system is an on-premise system that provides clinical charting for midsized and community hospitals and has been in use since 1998. Federal funds will help GRMC purchase a new system that will enable the rural medical center to connect easily and seamlessly with the large health system with which it is affiliated, West Virginia University Medicine, and to provide better, more coordinated care for the people of its service area.
Project Location: Oakland, MD
Amount Included: $650,000

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