The Board of County Commissioners acknowledged Women’s history month Tuesday, March 9 and congratulated the four $5000 Hopkins Arts Endowment Scholarship recipients. Winning artists Shannon Connor from Great Mills High, Elisa Volonakis from Leonardtown, Katie Fersch from Chopticon and Brad Pleger from the Forrest Center work will be on display in Southern Md. Higher Education Center’s atrium until March 20.
The commissioners green-lighted a grant application for the Circuit Court’s comprehensive drug rehabilitation programs. Judge Michael Stamm told the board the juvenile program has been highly successful and said, “Research shows these programs work.”
Moving ahead with the near-future expansion of FDR Blvd., the BOCC permitted Streetscape Project contractors Rustler Construction, Inc. to use the Rose’s Place property for equipment staging.
The board directed Dept. of Public Works Director George Erichsen and Dept. of Economic and Community Development Director Bob Schaller to hammer out the details of a public-private partnership for an FDR Blvd. at Victory Woods project. The partnering developers plan to construct senior, independent-living and workforce housing near the 1300-foot section of FDR off of Buck Hewitt Rd.
College of Southern Md. President and Leonardtown Campus Dean Brad Gottfried and Vice President FJ Talley presented a State of the College Report, showing growth with almost 2500 citizens enrolled in credited courses. The school’s leaders announced increased enrollment of full-time students and the near completion of its aquatics center.
For 2010, CSM plans to cater to its growing full-time student body and the demand for an educated workforce with new programs and partnerships, including a Nuclear Engineering Technology path supported by Calvert Cliffs.
CSM’s President said the economy has posed challenges for the growing school. Gottfried said, “As enrollment is going up, state contributions are going down.” He said the state cut about a half a million dollars of funding last year.
Gottfried commented on the effort to keep students’ costs reasonable and said, “It’s important for us to be our community’s college.”
The board held a work session on the Comprehensive Plan and a Public Forum in the evening. The BOCC meets again March 16.
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