Calvert Bond Rating Adds Up to a Plus

Residents must go to the Town Office, in the Proffitt Building at 41660 Courthouse Dr., to vote. Polls will be open on Tuesday from noon to 7 p.m.

Seminar on Fire Sprinklers

A free seminar on fire sprinklers is scheduled Wednesday, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the J.T. Daugherty Conference Center in Lexington Park.

The program is designed for builders, homeowners, real estate agents and plumbers. Information on the St. Mary's County ordinance that requires sprinklers for all new single-family homes served by public water, with building permits issued after March 1, will be discussed.

Representatives from St. Mary's County government, the state fire marshal's office, Tyco Fire Products and Metropolitan Fire Protection will be available to answer questions.

A fire sprinkler activation demonstration will be presented by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute following the seminar. The seminar is free, but reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 888-442-8100 or e-mail ssnead@metfire.com.

Watershed Grant

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) joined Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and National Park Service Director Mary Bomar last week to award the Alice Ferguson Foundation a $200,000 grant for its Bridging the Watershed Initiative.

The initiative is a public-private education program that operates throughout the Potomac Watershed region. The funds were awarded through the National Park Service Centennial Challenge Initiative, part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the service in 2016.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the environmental health and cultural heritage of the Potomac watershed. The foundation's Bridging the Watershed Initiative brings together high school teachers and students with Park Service staff to foster a better understanding of the environment, science and the national heritage.

Dunkirk Meeting

The Dunkirk Area Concerned Citizens Association is scheduled to conduct a general membership meeting today, at 7 p.m., at the Dunkirk Firehouse.

Valued Employees

Lisa Bachmann was honored as the St. Mary's County 2008 Distinguished Employee of the Year.

She is a fiscal specialist and has worked for the county since 2005.

Other nominees for this year's award were: