Southern Maryland receives grants to improve boating access and navigation

Southern Maryland has received a waterway improvement grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve public boating access and navigation.

The $10.5 million grant will go to 49 projects in 18 counties statewide, according to a DNR press release Thursday.

Funding that goes to St. Mary’s will re-deck the marina boardwalk and piers at Point Lookout State Park in Scotland, as well as re-deck the north and south lighthouse piers on St. Clement’s Island in the Potomac River. Countywide, funding will also go to improve public boating facilities.

Two locations in neighboring Calvert will receive funding from the state. One is the Hallowing Point Boating facility in Prince Frederick that will be funded to develop a master plan for its expanded Hallowing Point facility. The North Beach Volunteer Fire Department will be funded to purchase a new fire and rescue boat.

In Charles County, Smallwood State Park in Marbury will get the funding to re-deck the boating ramp piers and the marina concession pier at Sweden Point Marina. The park will also be funded to design the bulkhead replacement along the Sweden Point Marina waterfront.

Created in 1966, the waterway improvement fund supports development and use of the state’s waters to benefit the boating public, the release said. The grant was primarily derived from a 5 percent vessel excise tax on boat purchase and titling.

“From cruising Chesapeake Bay to the open the maneuvering waters of the Atlantic Ocean, boating is a way of life in Maryland,” DNR Secretary Mark Belton said in the release.

“The Waterway Improvement Fund is a vital state resource that ensures that residents and visitors alike will continue to benefit from Maryland’s world-class recreational boating opportunities for years to come,” he said.