Dock, water infrastructure, business development grants in the works in Crisfield
CRISFIELD, Md – From downtown businesses, waterfront, storm drain system, and even housing, a series of grants, bond bill line items, and partnership projects are seeking to transform the look and feel of Crisfield over the coming years.
“They’re transformational projects, we believe that even the landscape of the community will look different when all of this is done,” said Mayor Darlene Taylor.
Projects include a proposed solar panel field, a program to help distressed homes be renovated and sold back at discounted rates to locals, and the first steps of an overhaul of the town’s flood management systems.
Working with the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative, the city completed a mapping project of Crisfield’s ditches used for drainage, a crucial step for upgrading how water gets in and out of the system.
The city has also secured a federal grant to move the upgrades forward within the coming years.
“We have secured up to $50 million to improve or improve the flooding resiliency, and we’ve been working with Brick Direct Technical Assistance DTA over the past year to come up with what will be the best and most effective project for us,” said Grant Director Jennifer Merritt.
“We believe that things like putting in bio-retention ponds and raising roads and doing really bold and big things in our community will make all the difference for our infrastructure challenges that we have today,” Mayor Taylor said.
Crisfield has submitted requests to Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, and Congressman Harris for congressionally directed spending, or an earmark, of $2.2 million to make essential improvements to the City Dock. The total for this project is $2.5 million.
Those improvements include converting the space into a true event venue, lifting the occupancy, and increasing seating and access.
As part of a separate funding source, The City of Crisfield is thanking Senator Mary Beth Carroza for sponsoring a $100,000 bond bill towards improvements for the Crisfield City Dock.
These funds will be used towards planning that will create an even more inviting space for residents and the community, as well as preparing the dock to host large events. T
he application for these funds has been completed and the City is waiting for a response from the Regional Assignment of Capital Grant Projects.
The project also ties in with a Somerset County Study on bringing ferry service from Annapolis to the dock, creating a pathway for commerce, and tourism from Western Maryland to make its way to Crisfield.
“Being able to step off of the ferry, come into the community, get a have a great seafood restaurant, have a great opportunity to just view the town and feel what you feel when you come here, that peace and tranquility that you can’t get anywhere else,” Mayor Taylor said.
Also on the Agenda, is a downtown development facelift, with the town working to secure funds to host a businesses incubator as well as renovate the front facades of multiple storefronts, putting a fresh coat of paint on businesses that call the city home.
“Main Street revitalization will bring a lot of hope, a lot of enthusiasm for our folks as well, so we’re really excited about that,” Mayor Taylor said.
