District 14 receives windfall of state funding

by Judith Hruz

Editor

District 14 legislators brought home a windfall of funds from the 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly that will benefit local schools, parks, health and public safety, transportation and community projects.

Sen. Craig Zucker (D) of Brookeville, a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee, was thrilled with what he and Dels. Anne Kaiser, Pamela Queen and freshman Bernice Mireku-North were able to accomplish.

“There’s really no part of District 14 that wasn’t impacted [by state funds], he said.

He said he and the delegation know where the needs lie and “we do what we can do deliver.”

Some of the funding is substantial, including $1.35 million for renovation of the Emergency Department at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, as well as $1 million each for the Intensive Care Unit, the pharmacy Clean Room and expansion of the Orthopedic Clinic at MedStar.

Some of the funding is more modest, including $50,000 for the Rotary Club of Olney to replace a sign at the southeast corner of Georgia Avenue (Route 97) and Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Route 108).

“All are important,” said Zucker, who serves as chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee.

Funding for local transportation projects includes $2.1 million for the long-hoped-for Bowie Mill Bike Trail, that is designed to connect Olney to the Shady Grove Metro Station, and $500,000 for Market Street improvements in Brookeville. The Bowie Mill Bike Trail project received $2.1 million last year and will receive $2.1 million each year for the next three years.

Olney Theatre Center received $1 million for its continuing campus renovations.

In Sandy Spring, three beloved gathering spots received state money. Sandy Spring Museum received $1.5 million to continue the renovation of its campus, Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery received $75,000 and Sandy Spring Odd Fellows Lodge received $35,000 for ongoing restoration of the historic building.

Other local projects include $1.5 million for Olney Boys and Girls Club (PBGC) to build the Cropdusters Stadium and another $100,000 for OBGC fields.

Olney Civic Fund, the nonprofit that organizes the Olney Days celebration, received $110,000. The money will be used to pay administrative costs for two years.

District 14 includes the entire northeastern side of Montgomery County, from Damascus to Burtonsville.

Other funding went to:

Education & Higher Education:

Damascus High School Stadium Improvements — $150,000

Goshen Elementary School New Playground – $150,000

Westover Elementary School New Roof – $635,000

Montgomery County Public School Playground Improvements – $1,050,000

Montgomery College — East County Expansion – $2,000,000

Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers Facility Renovations (Olney) — $250,000

Parks, Recreation, and Land Preservation:

Fairland Local Park — $250,000

Greenwood Local Park — $250,000

McKnew Local Park — $250,000

Ovid Hazen Wells Recreational Park — $300,000

Multi-Purpose Youth Facility at the Muslim Community Center — $400,000

Waredaca Pony Club Riding Surface Replacement — $500,000

Transportation:

Bus Rapid Transit — $27,000,000

Route 198 Sidewalk improvements from Dino Drive to McKnew Road — $1,000,000

Zero Emissions Busses for Montgomery County — $5,000,000

Route 29 Area Street Lighting — $2,842,500

Burtonsville Commuter Parking & Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center Redevelopment — $3,000,000

Community Projects:

CSAAC Senior Autistic Adult Redevelopment Program — $400,000

Damascus Library and Senior Center Refurbishment — $500,000

Manna Food Center — $150,000

Montgomery History Center — $500,000

Healthcare & Public Safety:

Children’s National Hospital – Tech Hill Pharmacy — $500,000

Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Activities Center — $250,000