Board adjusts capital projects plan for Calvert sheriff's office

A need to address the precarious situation at the current headquarters of the Calvert sheriff’s office in Prince Frederick has prompted county leaders to make an adjustment to its long-range planning.

In a memo to the county commissioners, Mark Willis, county administrator, recapped a presentation made in early April regarding the shape of the 105-year-old building that has served as sheriff’s headquarters for the past 22 years.

At their meeting Tuesday, the commissioners unanimously agreed to adjustments to the county government’s six-year capital improvement plan and include it in their recommended budget.

Willis stated in a memo that he and county department heads “undertook an exhaustive examination of all projects proposed” in the current capital improvement plan, which led to the determination that “there are many desired projects that could be safely delayed.”

Willis added that the group studying the projects plan went beyond the six years, looking as far ahead as 2040, to analyze what might be on local government’s plate, construction-wise.

“There is no requirement for funding today,” Willis said.

In likely response to comments made by community members that the sheriff’s office was seeking millions for a new headquarters, Willis said, “They are not looking for a brand-new building. They are looking for a renovated building.”

A plan to locate the agency at the current location of the Harriet Elizabeth Brown Community Center on Dares Beach Road in Prince Frederick has been cited as a possibility. The 14,000-square-foot building, which the county purchased in 2015 from Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative for over $2.5 million, resulted in the establishment of an interim community center. A much larger facility at another location is currently in the capital projects pipeline.

“This is a first step,” Commissioner President Earl F. “Buddy” Hance (R) said. “This isn’t going to be fixed in one year.”

Given the county government’s current budget woes, Hance said of the current capital projects picture, “It’s going to be painful for the next two years.”

As part of their action Tuesday, the commissioners approved moving moving money from its pay-go funds budget to debt funding.

Commissioner Catherine Grasso (R) conceded she didn’t like the idea of delaying the sheriff’s office’s capital project to as far out as fiscal 2029, adding the agency’s current building “probably should be condemned.”