FY 2024 Community Project Funding
Listed below is a summary of the fifteen projects Congressman Ivey submitted to the House Appropriations Committee for FY 2024. Projects are listed in alphabetical order:
Project: Blackhawk Lane Replacement
Amount: $850,000
Recipient: Town of Forest Heights: 5508 Arapahoe Dr., Forest Heights, Maryland 20745
Explanation: Blackhawk Lane, which is over twenty years old, is currently in a state of major disrepair and it qualifies as a public safety hazard. Blackhawk Lane is a ¼-mile roadway nestled in between residential homes, serving as a connector/feeder road. It is a public safety hazard due to stormwater management issues which has led to water running under the pavement, eroding the base layer foundations. Data, inspection, and survey show that, without immediate action, based on the amount of water and erosion, a sinkhole will form, causing the road to fall in upon itself. Due to liability and risk management, the roadway has been shut down to all traffic except residents who live on the roadway. This project will include stormwater management, dead tree removal, complete and full removal of the existing roadway, regrading and leveling, and installation of new curb and gutter.
Subcommittee: Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Project: Burtonsville Park and Ride Improvements
Amount: $850,000
Recipient: Montgomery County Department of Transportation: 101 Monroe St #10, Rockville, Maryland 20850
Explanation: This project will construct a 500-space parking garage at the Burtonsville Park-and-Ride lot, serving the northernmost station on the US 29 Flash Bus Rapid Transit Line. This project will benefit residents in Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Howard Counties by providing secure, covered park-and-ride spaces. Low-income residents would additionally benefit by conversion of the surface park-and-ride lot to structured parking which frees the rest of the property for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Affordable Housing (approximately 250 rental apartments, at least 30% of which will be affordable to households making less than 120% of area median income), with direct access to the Flash Bus Rapid Transit System. Adjacent commercial properties, including Burtonsville Crossing and Burtonsville Town Square, would benefit from economic growth derived from the TOD on the site.
Subcommittee: Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Title: Capital Region Violence Intervention Program ("CAP-VIP")
Amount: $275,000
Recipient: Capital Region Violence Intervention Program ("CAP-VIP"): 901 Harry S. Truman Drive, Largo, Maryland 20774
Explanation: The University of Maryland and the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center (UMCAP) for the Capital Region Violence Intervention Program (CAP-VIP) that resolves trauma, reduces criminal recidivism, increases job acquisition, and meets ongoing needs of victims of violence. UMCAP’s nonprofit trauma center serves Prince George's County and its surrounding areas, where it engages violently injured individuals aged 15-35 to assess their needs and provides intense case management upon discharge. Requested funds will enable CAP-VIP to expand to reach more violently injured victims who currently are not served because the program does not have adequate funding for personnel, equipment, and travel that is needed to operate on evenings and weekends. Taxpayer funds are justified because CAP-VIP benefits public safety and crime prevention by assisting violently injured individuals and providing them with support that reduces future incidence of violence.
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project: Digital Workforce Transformation by Black Data Processing Associates
Amount: $725,000
Recipient: Black Data Processing Associates’ (BDPA): 9500 Arena Drive Suite 106, Largo, Maryland 20774
Explanation: The Black Data Processing Associates’ (BDPA) Aerospace job skills training and digital workforce development initiative trains and prepares African Americans for highly skilled technical careers in software development and information communications technology (ICT) fields to help NASA fulfill its increasing need for newly trained, highly skilled workers. The initiative will outreach to African Americans with solid introductory credentials to create pipelines of employees qualified for positions in fields such as Aerospace Software Engineering, Aerospace Systems Engineering, Autonomous Vehicles (Drones/EVs/UAVs), Climate Resilience and Security, Edge/Cloud Computing, High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Quantum Technology. BDPA’s expanded digital workforce development training will serve and prepare 300 or more participants to support NASA’s mission sets to extend human presence deeper into space for sustainable long-term exploration and utilization. This project will be evaluated by the number of workshops and completed courses, the number of employer/employee participants at upskilling events, the number of newly certified participants, and the number of new or upgraded tech career placements for current BDPA members, HBCU/MSI/Community College Interns, and current employees residing in Maryland.
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project: Flooding Control in Anacostia River Watershed for Environmental Justice
Amount: $1,383,069
Recipient: Prince George’s County: 1801 McCormick Dr #500, Largo, Maryland 20774
Explanation: This project is for flood control of Prince George’s County’s Anacostia River Watershed to protect the County’s inner beltway communities within the Anacostia River watershed’s southern portion, where urban flooding is a known problem. The areas at risk include, but are not limited to, Edmonston, Bladensburg, Colmar Manor, Riverdale Park, Cottage City, Hyattsville, and nearby unincorporated areas. Several of these communities are identified as Environmental Justice (EJ) areas by the Maryland Department of Environment with a cumulative EJ score of 60 percent or greater. Most of the existing public and private storm drainage infrastructure is close to 100 years old and was not sized according to existing hydraulic and hydrologic criteria. Development in and around these established communities over time increased strain on these systems. There is a critical need to resize these facilities and/or expand the system in low-lying or surface collection areas in many of the flood prone localities, especially considering pressures from the rise in flood events due to climate change.
Subcommittee: Homeland Security
Project: Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel Electrical Modernization
Amount: $963,000
Recipient: The University of Maryland: 8167 Paint Branch Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742
Explanation: This funding will go to the repairs and upgrades to the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel (GLMWT) at the University of Maryland (UMD) which, for over 70 years, has provided an aerodynamic testing resource that has benefited a wide range of vehicles and applications with multiple test configurations and measurement models, e.g., for fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, Olympic skaters and bobsled teams, personal wingsuits, automobiles, migratory birds, cell phone towers, ship hull designs, etc. In over 2,300 test entries to date, it has been a vital test asset for government and commercial testing, as well as university research efforts. Yet, its electrical system is antiquated and badly in need of repair, and other components must be replaced, e.g., the vintage 1940s generators, motor drive systems, and associated electrical equipment. The GLMWT also needs an instrumentation upgrade to make flow field measurements, such as Particle Image Velocimetry to modernize data acquisition and allow students and researchers to utilize the latest diagnostic techniques.
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project: Incentivizing Accessibility in Housing Rehabilitation and Development Projects
Amount: $500,000
Recipient: State of Maryland/Maryland Department of Disabilities: 217 E Redwood St Unit 1300, Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Explanation: This project will provide funds to renovate and develop housing units with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and Assistive Technology (AT) features that facilitate integration by offering safer housing stock for people with disabilities and older adults. They will supplement the county’s existing Right of First Refusal Program which has preserved over 1,300 affordable housing units since late 2020 by creating units that are missing from the current housing inventory. Most of these units that are candidates for accessibility retrofits were built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. This model can be deployed in other counties statewide.
Subcommittee: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Project: Laurel Boys and Girls Club Window Repair/Replacement Project
Amount: $300,000
Recipient: Laurel Boys and Girls Club: 701 Montgomery Street, Laurel, Maryland 20707
Explanation: This funding will assist with the repair and replacement of windows at the Boys and Girls Club in Laurel that provides after-school activities and a positive learning environment for middle and high school students. The current windows are in disrepair and must be repaired with original materials that meet the historic code.
Subcommittee: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Project: Rapid Innovation Accelerator (RIA)
Amount: $963,000
Recipient: Move America: 133 Ashton Rd., Hanover, MD 21076
Explanation: The Accelerator will facilitate procurement and technical assistance, development of the industrial base, and workforce development all in one place, while helping companies meet stringent NIST 800-171 and Cyber Maturity Model Compliance. It will work with DoD Apex Accelerators (formerly the Procurement Technical Assistance Program), Mentor Protege Programs, and the National Security Innovation Network. This will benefit the public by creating high technology products and high-paying jobs.
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project: Renovation of the Dam Ruins at Riverfront Park in Laurel, Maryland
Amount: $850,000
Recipient: City of Laurel: 8103 Sandy Spring Rd, Laurel, Maryland 20707
Explanation: This project is in one of the oldest and most diverse neighborhoods of the city of Laurel, which was developed around the dam and mill that originally stood together on this site. This project will enable students from the nearby elementary and high school, as well as people of all ages, to learn about the city’s history. Renovation of the Dam Ruins and the park will preserve the dam's structural integrity without disturbing its original construction. The project will include removing vegetation that contributes to the dam’s deterioration, shoring to make the structure safe, re-pointing work and grout injections, renovating the observation deck, repairing the asphalt path around the deck, improving drainage to control erosion, and adding, relocating, and repairing interpretive signage for the public to use the park and its trails.
Subcommittee: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Project: Saturday Youth Justice Academy
Amount: $963,000
Recipient: Prince George’s County State’s Attorney: 14735 Main Street Room 3203, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772
Explanation: The Saturday Youth Justice Academy in Prince George’s County arose from the Youth Justice Community Initiative, a collaborative effort–initiated by the County’s State's Attorney and Sheriff's Office will address the steady increase in crime committed by youth in the county, focusing on areas where resources could have an immediate, positive impact: 1) truancy reduction; 2) family support and accountability; 3) afterschool programs for middle school, junior high, and high school students; 4) mental health and substance use awareness programs.
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project: Saving Jobs, Eliminating Solid Waste, and Expanding Green Opportunities
Amount: $1,616,279
Recipient: Community Forklift: 4671 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston, Maryland 20781
Explanation: Community Forklift is a nonprofit that eliminates solid waste from the waste stream and creates jobs in the “green economy”. The funding will be used for providing a permanent home for Community Forklift, which is aimed at eliminating solid waste from the waste stream and creating jobs in the green economy. The project aims to effectively manage waste streams and create high-paying, quality jobs in emerging fields.
Subcommittee: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Project: Utility Service for Underserved Communities
Amount: $1,600,000
Recipient: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission: 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland, 20707
Explanation: The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission will provide public sewer service to existing homes in historically disadvantaged communities that use private septic systems. Many of these communities consist of older homes on small lots and have failing septic systems that cannot be repaired or replaced. The cost to extend public sewer service into these communities, which must be borne by the property owner under State law, is unaffordable for many low- and moderate-income households. This funding request will be targeted to residents in disadvantaged communities to subsidize the cost of connection to the public utility.
Subcommittee: Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Project: Violence Reduction Research Initiative (VRRI)
Amount: $726,000
Recipient: The University of Maryland: 7901 Regents Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742
Explanation: The University of Maryland’s Violence Reduction Research Initiative (VRRI) will address the causes, impact on victims, collateral consequences, and solutions to violence in Maryland and the National Capital Region (NCR). Despite high incidence of violence nationally and locally, knowledge of violence and intervention/prevention strategies is limited, particularly in Maryland and the NCR. There is a major need for cutting-edge research focused on specific characteristics of violence; risk and protective factors; behavioral/mental illness/brain issues; intervention and prevention strategies; external factors; data and surveillance; at-risk populations; safety measures; and research design and methodology. The uniqueness of the VRRI is that it will focus on crucial research questions and science that will inform the development and implementation of high impact interventions in our region, and an inclusive approach to community engagement and empowerment. The VRRI will partner with local law enforcement, government entities, foundations, businesses, health departments, faith-based organizations, and others in the community to disseminate research findings and implement new interventions and programs. The requested funding will jump start the initiative, which will be supported with University funds and external grants and philanthropy in out-years.
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project: West Hyattsville Metro Station Project
Recipient: Prince George’s County: 1301 McCormick Drive, Suite 4000, Largo, Maryland 20774
Amount: $500,000
Explanation: The West Hyattsville Metro Station Project in Prince George’s County will construct a variety of improvements to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity to the Metro and nearby communities, improve public safety, catalyze economic development, expand green space, activate the public space with art and signage, and enhance environmental resiliency by applying 100-year floodplain mitigation and stormwater management best practices. The project will also enhance the ongoing Transit Oriented Development in the station area and includes enhancements in and around the station to improve transit access for multi-modal users and seamless connectivity, as well as bicyclist and pedestrian facilities along critical access roads, producing safer, more direct access to Metro, and local regional bus service for all.
Subcommittee: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies