CUMBERLAND — The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday awarded grant money raised by the sales and use tax on alcoholic beverages to Allegany and Garrett County schools.
The money came from a supplementary appropriation of $47.5 million to school construction projects. The 2012 supplementary appropriation allocated to the western region is $750,000.
The western region comprises Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties, according to Board of Public Works documents.
Locally, the awards were made to Allegany County’s Northeast Elementary School in the amount of $124,125 for an entrance canopy and Broad Ford Elementary School, in Garrett County, for exterior repairs in the amount of $48,675.
The Northeast project is designed to eliminate a conflict between school buses and parents dropping off their children.
The Broad Ford project will stabilize the building envelope and improve both its weather-tightness and insulation characteristics, according to BPW documents.
Projects were considered based on benefit to older school buildings, the benefit to schools with high proportions of students on free and reduced lunch programs, and projects that could be completed in one year and eliminate or reduce the use of portable classrooms, among other factors.
“The bill created a pot of money of $750,000 for Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll. There was no designation per county and no directions on how the money would be split up. It would be entirely possible that Allegany could receive nothing,” said Randall Bittinger, chief business officer for the Allegany County school system. “Counties submitted proposals and requests for this money and, as expected, the amounts requested far exceeded the amount of money,” Bittinger said. Bittinger credited Facilities Director Vince Montana with working out an agreement between the western counties for allocating the funds.
“The money was not budgeted. It will be received and accounted for in the school construction fund as will the expenditures for the project at Northeast Elementary,” Bittinger said.
When the increased alcohol sales tax bill passed last year, local delegates were unhappy with the measure.
The bill squeezes rural Maryland out of most of the $85 million in revenue expected, with only 6.8 percent of the revenue being distributed between 16 jurisdictions, mostly in Western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore, said Delegate Wendell Beitzel.
“This division is clearly inequitable to the rural areas of the state. ... These smaller funds would also have to be stretched much further to have any impact at all,” Beitzel said last year.
“The people of Allegany County cannot afford more taxes,” Delegate Kevin Kelly said at the time. The tax is a typical power grab by delegates from the major urban counties who make up a majority in the Maryland General Assembly, Kelly said.
The Board of Public Works has three members: the governor, the comptroller and the treasurer.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com.
Latest news
Alcohol tax funds schools’ projects
- Latest news
-
-
Maryland puts new Allegany High on drawing board
Allegany County Public School officials got the go-ahead from the state this week to start designing a new Allegany High School — a project many here have dreamed about for decades.
-
Man sentenced in Bel Air pharmacy robbery
A 21-year-old man charged in a 2011 drug store robbery faces the possibility of a long time in prison despite a sentence of one year and one day to serve in a Maryland prison.
-
Free fishing waters sought by state service
The Maryland Fisheries Service will soon begin a county-by-county look, seeking streams, rivers, ponds or lakes where anybody can fish without having a license.
-
Same-sex marriage supporters plan city rally
Supporters of Maryland’s same-sex marriage law plan a July rally in downtown Cumberland.
-
Garrett school board won’t rescind decision to close schools
Members of the Garrett County Board of Education hope to use some of the $1 million-plus it will receive in additional state funding to return eight personnel to the schools, according to interim Superintendent of Schools Sue Waggoner.
-
Keyser officials approve huge water, sewer rate increases
The Keyser City Council approved hikes Wednesday to water and sewer rates that have been in place since 1999. The first of several increases, to be phased in over a period of several years, takes effect in 45 days.
-
Police charge family members in fight
CUMBERLAND — Cumberland Police charged two family members after investigating a fight that broke out Wednesday night in the 500 block of Woodside Avenue.
-
DelFest offers variety of fun ... oh yeah, and music
CUMBERLAND — Artist play shops, late-night shows, camping, trolley rides, bluegrass band competition, a kid zone, painting, music instruction, puppet shows, petting zoo, art show, tie-dye making, yoga, hula-hooping classes, food vendors, craft vendors and of course lots of live music by more than 30 different recording artists will all be at the Allegany County Fairgrounds this Memorial Day Weekend for the fifth annual DelFest.
-
DelFest workshops popular with musicians near and far
CUMBERLAND — Four fun-filled, bluegrass stompin’ days along the Potomac River are just around the corner.
For the fifth year, the annual DelFest Bluegrass Memorial Day Weekend has arrived at the Allegany County Fairgrounds. The official musical lineup does not commence playing until this Thursday, but for the real diehards the DelFest Academy took off Monday evening. -
No tax hike in city spending plan
City residents won’t pay higher taxes next year, and trash removal costs won’t increase, according to the fiscal 2013 budget approved on a first reading Tuesday night.
- More Latest news Headlines
-
Maryland puts new Allegany High on drawing board
