St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners met Tuesday, August 10 and received updates on the emergency communication towers in need of an upgrade and the traffic situation in Leonardtown. Director of Public Safety David Zylak recommended abandoning the in-county, interim plan which called for a system extension, with used parts where possible. The process toward getting the new 800 MHz system lined up hasn’t been without its hitches, but the project is slated to begin in September.

Zylak said he hopes to collaborate with neighboring Charles and Calvert counties “toward a solid future for emergency communications.” The board commented that frequent updates on the process would be beneficial for affected rescue workers.
The board received a final report from Desman Associates after the completion of the Rt. 245 Traffic Planning Study paid for by the Town of Leonardtown, County, CSM and St. Mary’s Hospital. To address concern with traffic patterns and congestion in the 245 corridor, analysis of seven busy intersections and site plans for projected growth information were assessed.
“Planning and coordinating with stakeholders is critical,” stated Public Works’ Director George Erichsen. He explained this study was to come up with ”recommendations that make sense.”
With growth anticipated in both the short-term and long, from the school on the Hayden Farm property and Leonard’s Grant and the ever-busier college and governmental center, the report revealed that some intersections will begin to fail in 2015. Members of the board speculated that accident reports and field surveys conducted didn’t seem to illustrate the severity of the problem along Rts. 245 and 5.
Commissioner President Jack Russell said, “The best thing about this study is that it’s brought all the principles working together as a community to get a handle on the traffic situation.”
A public hearing regarding a text amendment to allow electronic signs at public safety facilities was held at the Chesapeake Building, with heavy attendance from the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department. Commissioner Dan Raley argued the benefit such a sign upgrade would afford, such as weather and amber or silver alerts and advertising for the organization’s events and banquet hall. HVFD President Bill Mattingly agreed.
Land Use and Growth Management Director Derick Berlage said the issue is in specific designations of the County’s Comprehensive Plan, not in the zoning and stated, “[LUGM] does not support this text amendment.”
Commissioner Tom Mattingly urged the board to modify the language so that several other public safety facilities, located outside of a town or village center, but not necessarily adjacent to a growth area could be afforded the same opportunity. “If you’re going to fi

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