WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee, and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced $32,537,200 in direct federal funding for local projects across the Eastern Shore within the six-bill package of fiscal year 2024 funding bills passed by the Senate.

These funds, included at the senators’ request, support projects encompassing a wide array of local and regional priorities for Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, ranging from public safety to infrastructure improvements to community development. Overall, the senators included over $160 million in federal dollars directly for Maryland within the legislation. President Biden signed the measure into law, averting a partial government shutdown.

Infrastructure:

Project name: Slaughter Creek Maintenance Dredging
Applicant: Dorchester County
Project location: Dorchester County
Amount awarded: $250,000
Description: This channel has not been dredged since 1987 and is highly restricted due to shoaling, impacting waterway access. Funding for engineering and design was provided with resources under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This funding will continue to move the project forward toward dredging.

Project name: Town of Hurlock for New Well Construction
Applicant: Town of Hurlock
Project location: Dorchester County
Amount awarded: $405,000
Description: Funds will be used to add a third water well in the town of Hurlock to ensure adequate drinking water supply for the town's needs.

Project name: Wicomico River Maintenance Dredging
Applicant: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Project location: Wicomico County
Amount awarded: $4,725,000
Description: Funding will be used to dredge the Wicomico River from the Chesapeake Bay to Salisbury to ensure that it remains passable by barges. The Port of Salisbury has the second highest commercial volume of Maryland ports and continued dredging of the Wicomico is critical to its success.

Project name: Claiborne Harbor Maintenance Dredging
Applicant: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Project location: Talbot County
Amount awarded: $8,000
Description: Claiborne Harbor is a federally-authorized channel that has not received maintenance dredging for more than two decades. Funding will support maintenance dredging to ensure continued safe use of the channel by the community.

Project name: Crisfield City Dock
Applicant: City of Crisfield
Project location: Somerset County
Amount awarded: $2,003,532

Project name: Greensboro Regional Wastewater System Expansion
Applicant: Town of Greensboro
Project location: Caroline County
Amount awarded: $5,000,000

Project name: Highway Road Improvements
Applicant: Town of Federalsburg
Project location: Caroline County
Amount awarded: $375,000

Project name: Town of Centreville for Water and Sewer Infrastructure Upgrades
Applicant: Town of Centreville
Project location: Queen Anne's County
Amount awarded: $2,000,000

Project name: Town of North East for Water Control and Telemetry Updates
Applicant: Town of North East
Project location: Cecil County
Amount awarded: $636,668

Project name: Town of Rock Hall for Pump Station Replacements
Applicant: Town of Rock Hall
Project location: Kent County
Amount awarded: $1,501,000

Project name: Upper Thorofare/Deal Island Maintenance Dredging
Applicant: Somerset County
Project location: Somerset County
Amount awarded: $14,000

Project name: Worcester County for Riddle Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant Bypass Force Main Interconnect

Applicant: Worcester County
Project location: Worcester County
Amount awarded: $1,090,000

Project name: Worcester County for Wastewater Upgrade and Rehabilitation
Applicant: Worcester County
Project location: Worcester County
Amount awarded: $2,500,000

Public safety:

Project name: Co-Respond Mobile Crisis Team Pilot Project
Applicant: The Affiliated Sante Group
Project location: Cecil County
Amount awarded: $499,000

Project name: Worcester County Body Worn Camera Equipment
Project location: Worcester County
Amount awarded: $244,000

Community development, historical, and cultural initiatives:

Project name: Cambridge Neighborhood - Camper Street
Applicant: Habitat for Humanity Choptank
Project location: Dorchester County
Amount awarded: $450,000
Description: Funds will be used to prepare sites in Ward 3 of Cambridge for the construction of safe, affordable, and energy efficient homes to help low-income families achieve sustainable homeownership.

Project name: Mace's Lane Community Center
Applicant: Mace's Lane Community Center, Inc.
Project location: Dorchester County
Amount awarded: $1,000,000
Description: Funds will be used for the final phase of the renovation of the historic Mace's Lane School into a museum and community center that will house a Boys & Girls Club, youth sports, education and cultural programs, community meeting space, and senior services.

Project name: Benedictine Residential Facility
Applicant: Benedictine School for Exceptional Children
Project location: Caroline County
Amount awarded: $1,800,000
Description: The Benedictine School is a multi-functional, year-round education and residential center serving more than 150 children and adults with severe intellectual disabilities. Funds will renovate the outdated living areas and health facilities to better suit the needs of students and their families.

Project name: Building and Alley Rehabilitation
Applicant: Harmer's Town Art Center, Inc.
Project location: Harford County
Amount awarded: $3,351,000

Project name: City of Crisfield for Main Street Revitalization and Resiliency Business Incubator
Applicant: City of Crisfield
Project location: Somerset County
Amount awarded: $500,000

Project name: Rural Community Revitalization through Affordable Housing
Applicant: Kent Attainable Housing, Inc.
Project location: Kent County
Amount awarded: $810,000

Environment:

Project name: Building Capacity for Sea Level Rise Adaptation on the Eastern Shore
Applicant: Town of Oxford
Project location: Talbot County
Amount awarded: $1,060,000

Project name: Adkins Arboretum Site Improvements
Applicant: Adkins Arboretum
Project location: Caroline County
Amount awarded: $260,000

Project name: Assateague Island
Applicant: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Project location: Worcester County
Amount Awarded: $900,000

Education and workforce development:

Project name: Building African American Minds (BAAM) Academic Center
Applicant: Building African American Minds, Inc.
Project location: Talbot County
Amount awarded: $525,000

Project name: HOPE Center
Recipient name: Foundation of HOPE, Inc.
Project location: Talbot County
Amount awarded: $630,000.