Citizen Advisory Boards to Host Capital Improvements Program Budget Forums in June and July

Individuals and groups are invited to provide input into the County’s next six-year capital construction budget by attending public forums that will be held in June and July by local citizen advisory boards. The forums will help define construction and planning priorities for the various regions in the County as officials begin developing the Fiscal Years 2017 to 2022 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget.

The CIP includes costs for new or renovated major projects such as roads, public schools, Montgomery College facilities, water and sewer lines, parks, libraries, health and recreation facilities, and other public buildings and projects.

The schedule for forums in each regional area is listed below:

• Bethesda-Chevy Chase – Monday, June 22, 7 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional
    Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, 240-777-8200;
• Mid-County – Tuesday, June 23, 7 p.m. at the Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004
   Queensguard Road, Silver Spring, 240-777-8101 or 240-777-6820;
• Eastern County – Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. at the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center,
   3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring, 240-777-8414;
• Silver Spring – Monday, June 29, 7 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place,
   240-777-5307; and
• Upcounty – Monday, July 13, 7 p.m. at the BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons
   Drive, Germantown, 240-777-8040.

The following links provide more detailed information:

• Master list of CIP projects -- http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/omb/projects.html;
• Open Budget (Montgomery County’s new, highly interactive open data budget websites covering
   departments, agencies, projects and much more) -
   http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/omb/openbudget.html; and
• Office of Management and Budget Publications -
   http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/omb/publications.html.

Suggestions and comments from participants will be considered by the regional citizen advisory boards for inclusion in the funding priority lists they submit to the County Executive. The lists will also be shared with County departments and agencies for their consideration as they formulate the CIP for their departments.

Sign language interpreter services will be provided only upon request with notice as far in advance as possible, but no less than 72 hours prior to the event. If these or other services or aids are needed to participate in this activity, please call the number listed for the forum.

Leggett, Officials Break Ground for Expanded Colesville Depot

County Executive Leggett (center), MCDOT Director Art Holmes (second from left) and Highway Services managers participate in groundbreaking ceremony

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett joined Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and Department of General Services (DGS) officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for an expanded Colesville Highway Maintenance Depot, which provides snow removal, road maintenance and other services to southeastern Montgomery County. Managed by DGS, the project will extensively renovate, enlarge and modernize the 1981 facility to meet the growing needs of the east county. MCDOT staff will continue current operations at the site from trailers.

In addition to increasing available work space, the project will bring the building up to modern safety and accessibility standards and is designed to achieve a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. Improvements will be made to the stormwater management system and other sustainable features include preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, reflective roofing materials to reduce the heat-island effect, maximizing the amount of vegetated open space and a bike rack to promote alternative transportation.

The new building will have 12,505 square feet compared to its current 5,596 square feet. The depot is located on 11.5 acres adjoining Colesville Park and Paint Branch Park on Cape May Road. The first phase of the project was completion of a 160- by 80-foot salt storage barn in 2013. The entire project should be completed in winter 2015.

Keep up to date on the project’s progress on the County’s website.

Leggett Announces Amended Six-Year Capital Construction Budget; Continued Budget Constraints Focus Funding on Critical Capital Needs While Delaying Some Projects

On January 15, County Executive Ike Leggett announced his recommended Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Capital Budget and proposed amendments to the FY 13-18 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). This CIP recognizes the vital need to control future debt and focuses on funding critical safety-related capital needs or projects that will boost the County’s recovering economy and spur job growth. In order to fund these critical needs, the recommendations delay some planned projects.

Leggett’s CIP amendments will provide for transportation projects, including unforeseen bridge repair projects, storm drain culvert replacements and the replacement of some unreliable Ride On buses. To spur economic development and job growth, Leggett is recommending continuing to implement Phase I of the Transit Task Force’s recommendation for a bus rapid transit system.

Under a 1996 County Charter amendment, a new CIP is developed in even-numbered calendar years. In alternate years, like 2013, the Executive may recommend amendments to the existing six-year CIP.

Following are the transportation-related highlights of the proposed FY 2014 CIP amendments:

• Elmhirst Parkway Bridge: $1,965,000 to replace this structurally deficient bridge. Federal aid will fund $1,048,000 of the project costs. 
• Bridge Renovation: An additional $2 million in GO bonds for unforeseen emergency projects, including Cattail Lane culvert replacement; Jerusalem Road culvert replacement; Stoneybrook Drive bridge slope repair to end erosion affecting CSX tracks; Germantown Road culvert lining; Fernmont Lane culvert replacement; and the Agricultural Farm entrance road culvert renovation. 
• Storm Drain Culvert Replacement: $6.3 million in GO bonds to replace failed storm drain pipes and culverts. 
• Ride On Bus Fleet: Replace remaining Champion buses, which have had fire safety problems, using increased short-term financing in FY13 and FY14. All the Champion buses were taken out of service in July 2012. 
• Silver Spring Transit Center: $7.5 million GO bond supplemental to cover site improvement, utilities and construction costs required to prevent further opening delays. The County intends to seek reimbursement for project delay costs to the maximum extent allowed under the law. 
• Rapid Transit System: An additional $7.6 million in GO bond funding for concept planning for Maryland State Route 355, U.S. Route 29 and Randolph Road, the critical next step in developing the County’s future generation transit operations. 
• Six-year GO bond funding for Montgomery County projects has been reduced by $20.32 million through a six-month delay of the Bethesda Metro Station South and Capital Crescent Trail projects. Due to the current lack of state construction funding for these projects, this reduction is not likely to cause a delay in the project. 
• The Colesville Depot and Metropolitan Branch Trail projects were delayed in the early years of the CIP. 

Leggett transmitted his CIP recommendations to the County Council for their approval. More details about the CIP are available in the press release and the entire CIP is available online.