Funds Pledged For Road Project

By William Wan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 26, 2006

State officials announced $9.5 million in funding last week to construct an extension linking Route 2/4 with the Southern Lusby Connector Road, a county project that will provide a route for traffic around Lusby Town Center.

The extension, which will span 800 feet, is funded by the state and connects the county project to state roads. The Southern Lusby Connector Road, which is being designed by county engineers, is scheduled to begin construction between Maryland Routes 760 and 765 in August.

Construction should be complete by spring or summer 2008, officials said.

Water Treatment Grant Approved

Also last week, the state Board of Public Works approved a $200,000 grant for the design, engineering and upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant that will serve community and social-service facilities in southern Charles County.

The project will upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant at the Thunderbird Apartments so that it also can serve Jude House and the Bel Alton School.

Jude House operates a residential drug and alcohol treatment program, and the Bel Alton School is being renovated to become a multi-service center for the area. The upgraded treatment system will serve roughly 86 individuals.

"The project will improve the health and safety of the community by correcting sewerage disposal problems through construction of a pump station, force main and upgrade of the Thunderbird Apartment/Bel Alton Wastewater Treatment Plant recently acquired by the county," Charles County Commissioners President Wayne Cooper (D-At Large) said in a statement announcing the grant.

The project's cost is $358,286, and the local share is $158,286.

Construction is expected to begin in April and be complete about a year later.

Hoyer Dedicates Naval Facility

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) spoke Monday at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station to dedicate the new $24 million complex that will become the home of nine of the 14 test aircraft in the Joint Strike Fighter program that base officials say could define jet-fighter technology for generations.

"We launched construction of one important element of the largest defense acquisition program in the history of the Department of Defense," Hoyer said in remarks released by his Washington office. "The JSF is the future of our tactical air power, and it is going to provide jobs in St. Mary's County for years to come. Today's dedication is yet another step in this important process."

The new complex, built with funds requested by Hoyer, will enable the JSF program to consolidate engineering staff into a facility that is located with the aircraft hangar. Eight older, smaller and less efficient buildings on the base were demolished and replaced with the office and work spaces for the hundreds of engineers and scientists assigned to the program.

St. Mary's Urges Input on Zoning

St. Mary's officials are asking property owners and others to submit rezoning requests to the Lexington Park Development Districtby March 1.

The recommended deadline is part of the process underway to update land zoning within the district to implement the Lexington Park Master Plan that was adopted by the county commissioners Nov. 1. To implement the plan, zoning for property within the development district will be amended as envisioned by the new plan.

During this process, landowners or any interested person may make requests for rezoning of properties within the Lexington Park Development District; zoning on properties outside the district will not be considered at this time. The Planning Commission will individually evaluate requests and recommend for approval or denial to the Board of County Commissioners.

Though the public is invited to participate throughout the zoning-update process, the Planning Commission encourages that rezoning requests be submitted by March 1. The County will then conduct public hearings on the recommended new zoning.

Youth Forum Seeks Sponsors

Businesses and organizations are teaming up to sponsor the second Southern Maryland Youth Leadership Conference for high school students in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties. Students from Gwynn Park High School in Prince George's are also eligible.

The event is free to 50 students who will be enrolled in the 10th or 11th grades during the 2006-07 school year. The conference is being organized and funded by Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, local public school systems, the St. Mary's County Department of Recreation, Parks and Community Services and the local chambers of commerce.

The conference is scheduled to take place at St. Mary's College of Maryland in Historic St. Mary's City, June 18-21. Students will participate in activities teaching leadership skills in ethics, government and communications. Speakers will present topics to educate students, and evening events will provide entertainment and recreational activities, according to SMECO.

Students interested in attending the conference should contact the guidance department at their school; applications may also be downloaded and printed from http://www.somdyouthleadership.com or http://www.smeco.coop . Completed applications should be submitted to the student's guidance department; see counselors for deadline information.

Southern Maryland businesses and organizations are invited to participate in the conference by sponsoring speakers, printing materials and providing giveaways for the students. Those interested in such a role should contact Bernadette Lewis at 301-274-4340. There are two levels of sponsorship: Congressional Sponsor with a $250 contribution or a Presidential Sponsor with a $500 contribution.

Farmer, Activist Gap Narrows

Farmers and environmentalists have traditionally been at odds during General Assembly sessions in Annapolis. This year, it seems some old divisions have been plowed under with the two sides coming together to push an environmental cleanup agenda that would give more money to farmers to help reduce pollution.

It's a turnaround partnership that environmental watchers say is likely to dominate environmental debate in this year's General Assembly session, which opened earlier this month.

Environmental groups, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, say they have concluded that farmers want to be good stewards of the land, they just need more money. As a result, there are proposals to give farmers more funds to plant cover crops in the winter to reduce harmful runoff, more money to grow barley and switchgrass for biofuel production and funding for more extension agents to teach farmers conservation strategies.

"What we came to realize is the best way to protect the bay is to keep a farmer farming," Kim Coble, Maryland director of the Bay Foundation, told the Associated Press. "We'd much rather have a farm operating than having a suburban development go in."

Lawmakers are likely to take direction from a report of the Agricultural Stewardship Commission, which met during the summer and fall and has recommended higher spending on farm environmental initiatives.

"It's probably the most dramatic coming together that I've experienced, the environmentalists and the farmers coming together," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), a cattle and pumpkin farmer from Charles County. "We were once very much at odds."

N.J. Dispute Mirrors Local Issue

Plans by energy giant BP to build a liquefied natural gas plant in New Jersey similar in some respects to the Cove Point facility operated by Dominion in Calvert County have run into issues that the Supreme Court has agreed to review.

In dispute is whether New Jersey or Delaware controls what happens on the Delaware River where the proposed plant would be located.

The high court agreed in November to hear New Jersey's challenge to Delaware's claimed jurisdiction over a section of the Delaware River. Last week, the court granted a request by Delaware to appoint a special master in the dispute, dashing New Jersey's hopes for a quick resolution of the case.

"Obviously, this means the case is going to go on longer than we would like, but we are prepared for whatever time it takes to see this case through," BP spokesman Tom Mueller told the Associated Press.

Delaware environmental officials last year rejected a permit application by Crown Landing, a BP subsidiary, to build a 2,000-foot pier that would serve a liquefied natural gas facility proposed for Logan Township, N.J.

Delaware officials said the project represents an offshore bulk product transfer facility and heavy industry, both of which are prohibited under Delaware's coastal zone protection laws.

Under boundary determinations that date to the 17th century, Delaware controls the river up to the mean low-tide mark on the New Jersey shore.

New Jersey officials, who see the proposed LNG terminal as a boost to their state's economy, claim that a 1905 interstate compact gives New Jersey the right to control access and structures on its side of the river, even if they extend across the border.

Last year the Supreme Court allowed Virginia to withdraw water from the Potomac River, despite Maryland's jurisdiction over the waterway. Maryland owns the Potomac under a 1632 land grant from King Charles I, but a 1785 compact between the states gave Virginia certain water rights. Maryland argued that its historical control over the riverbed gave it oversight of Virginia's water plans, but a 7-2 majority of the justices said the 1785 treaty allows Virginia to make various shoreline improvements and withdraw water.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.