Proposed budget slashed

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

"We have streamlined project costs by revisiting project estimates and/or eliminating components of the project," according to a memorandum sent to the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners by Capital Projects Coordinator Sharon Strand. "We have deferred over $150 million of capital projects and feel that the proposed six-year capital budget is prudent and affordable in the current economic climate."

Strand presented suggested changes to the commissioners at a work session held Tuesday, Jan. 13, a meeting to hammer out a capital improvements budget for fiscal years 2010-2016; FY 2010 begins Aug. 1, 2009.

In education infrastructure, the most significant change is a proposal to defer design and construction for renovations for Northern High School in Owings from fiscal year 2014 to FY 2015. Strand also noted that Annapolis has announced a reduction from 69 percent to 64 percent of state funding for new school construction, with a decline of another 3 percentage points planned for FY 2011.

In all, 2010-2016 allocations for the Calvert County Board of Education, which total 48 percent of the proposed infrastructure budget, have been slashed by almost half. In addition to the Northern High School deferral, money allocated in the upcoming fiscal year for the expansion of Calvert High School has been trimmed from almost $16 million to $6.4 million. Cuts have also taken a toll on the maintenance budget, with interior renovation and partial reroofing of Mutual Elementary School deferred.

Changes to the Lusby streetscape, planned for the next two years, should be moved five or six years into the future, staff recommends.

The public facilities budget, almost one-fifth of the total, takes hits in recommendations to defer building a new County Services Plaza and renovating the old courthouse by three to six years, as well as postponing plans to renovate the county's senior centers by at least six years.

A planned expansion of Fairview Library, and replacements of the Southern and Twin Beaches library branches could also be postponed indefinitely.

The total proposed 2010 public facilities budget, however, is slightly larger than that proposed last year, largely a consequence of an anticipated $1.8 million engineering cost for a new building at the College of Southern Maryland's Prince Frederick campus and generator and roof work at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons.

The parks and recreation budget, despite representing only 3 percent of the total, is particularly hard hit after being slashed by more than 60 percent. Among the victims of the crunch are pathways and lighting for Cove Point and Dunkirk parks, picnic areas, basketball courts, street lighting and a "spray park" at Hallowing Point Park in Barstow and a parking lot expansion for the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp nature center; all of these projects could be postponed indefinitely.

Transportation projects are also suffering, with FY 2010's budget falling from $13.5 million to $8.3 million. Three key road projects — widening of Dowell Road, expansion of Prince Frederick Loop Road and improvements to Skinners Turn Road — could be deferred until 2016 or beyond.

The commissioners did find one bright spot in the transportation carnage, praising a $101,275 fuel delivery system upgrade. After hearing how it would prevent employees from taking county gasoline for private use, Commissioner Barbara Stinnett (D) exclaimed, "You can do all that with $101,000? That's cool. That's cool."

"That is the quote of the week from Barbara: ‘That is cool,'" Commissioners' President Wilson Parran (D) joked.

"We have smart employees, don't we? God," Stinnett answered.

One budget not suffering is utilities funding, which would increase by $3 million next year over last year's proposal. Some increases stem from plans to improve trash compactor sites in Lusby and Mt. Hope in 2010 and 2011, costing $1.6 million and $2.0 million, respectively.

"All the years folks have had to struggle up there, they deserve it," said Commissioner Jerry Clark (R).

"I know," Stinnett said.

A public hearing on the proposed capital improvements budget is tentatively scheduled for March 3, with a second hearing planned May 19.

emitrano@somdnews.com