Commissioners hear requests for ‘Rescue’ fund spending

Also, vaccination site shuts down

On Tuesday, July 13, the St. Mary’s County commissioners heard requests from eight different departments totaling $36.5 million for American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The commissioners are scheduled to decide on July 20 how to spend their allocation of $22.5 million, which would be split over two years.

“This is more difficult than our budget process because we have a specific amount of money” to distribute, Commissioner Eric Colvin (R) said.

County Health Officer Dr. Meena Brewster was among those who spoke before the commissioners on Tuesday.

She made a pitch for funds to renovate a PNC Bank building at 21625 Great Mills Road that the county received in April. The health department plans to use the 6,200-square-foot building as a behavioral health hub.

Brewster said the department has applied for four grants in the past several years and been turned down because the county lacks building capacity.

Work has already begun outside of the building, which is next to the District 4 fire station, she said, including renovating the drive-thru. Federal funds would help with that, but mainly with the demolition of the interior of the building and adding a lab and patient exam rooms.

Other pitches were made by the departments of finance, emergency services, public works and transportation, information technology, and recreation and parks, as well as St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission and the sheriff’s office.

Later in the meeting, Brewster gave an update on the COVID-19 situation.

She said the county has had a slight but not significant uptick in cases over the past few weeks. Although the county recently identified its first case of the Delta

COVID-19 variant, she said, “It may be an under-reflection” because not every COVID-19 case is tested for genomics.

Brewster called the Delta variant “very concerning” and “more contagious” than other mutations of the virus.

She said it has “slightly different symptoms,” including headache, runny nose, sore throat and fever.

The health department closed the Hollywood firehouse as a COVID-19 vaccination site on Friday, July 9, she said. It is currently offering vaccinations at the health department’s office at 21580 Peabody St. in Leondardtown. Appointments can be made by calling 301-475-4330.

COVID-19 testing is also offered at that Leonardtown office and at 46035 Signature Lane in Lexington Park, at the health department’s office next to U-Haul business.