St. Mary’s College Receives $2.6 Million For Major Library Renovation

ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. — The Maryland Board of Public Works approved more than $2.6 million for the renovation of Hilda C. Landers Library at St. Mary’s College of Maryland during its May 20 meeting, advancing a long-planned modernization project for the campus.

The board authorized St. Mary’s College to encumber state capital funds for the construction phase of the Landers Library renovation project. The contract was awarded to Irreno Construction Co. Inc., of Washington, D.C., in the amount of $2,636,619.70. The project is scheduled to run from June 4, 2026, through March 11, 2027.

According to agenda documents, the renovation will improve portions of the library’s first and second floors. Funding for the project comes from the Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan of 2022. The contract includes a Minority Business Enterprise participation rate of 19.41%.

College officials issued a Request for Proposals in January and received five submissions by the March deadline. Two firms were ultimately deemed qualified for consideration. Irreno Construction Co. Inc. received the highest overall ranking after the evaluation committee reviewed both technical proposals and financial submissions.

Board documents state that Irreno’s proposal was considered the most advantageous to the college because it ranked highly in technical evaluation while also offering the strongest financial proposal.

In a separate action affecting St. Mary’s County, the Board of Public Works approved the reversion of $44,300 in previously allocated Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share Program funding tied to two canceled projects involving recipient Joseph E. Carrico. The reverted funds included grants of $31,100 and $13,200 that had been designated for agricultural conservation projects in St. Mary’s County. State officials said the unspent funding will become available for other eligible cost-share projects.

The board approved both actions without discussion during the May 20 meeting.

---