Queen Anne’s County was awarded more than $1.4 Million in Waterway Improvement funds and another $10,000 for life saving equipment went to the Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD).
Jason Anthony, GVFD’s Fire Chief and grant writer, said the state’s $10,000 Waterway Improvement Grant will be used to purchase a high definition, remote-control thermal imaging camera to be mounted on their fireboat, with a screen inside the cabin.
“It will have many uses,” said Anthony. “It will help us find victims in the water, search for lost boats, help us navigate through fog, bad weather and at night. That’s a huge asset to us and the safety of our people.”
QAC’s Public Landings Supervisor James Wood, who wrote the county’s grant said, “The Maryland General Assembly awarded us all three FY19 requests we submitted to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) last August.
The projects include:
· An additional $400,000 for Kent Narrows Dredging
· $202,500 grant for the Visitor Center’s bulkhead replacement (50% matching fund grant)
· $800,000 loan for Price Creek dredging (for tax district for a portion of Queen Anne Colony property owners to be repaid over 25 years, the community has obtained a permit)
QAC Commissioner Mark Anderson said, “Thanks to Governor Hogan and our Delegation to the Legislature, Queen Anne's County will access over $1.4 million dollars in grants and low interest loans for dredging projects at the Narrows and Price Creek. The Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department will be able to secure a thermal imaging camera to increase public safety. These funds were requested by the County Parks Department and supported by the County Commissioners.”
In announcing the grants, Governor Larry Hogan wrote, “Boating is a cornerstone of Maryland and the Waterway Improvement Fund is a vital resource to ensure that visitors and residents alike will continue to benefit from Maryland's world-class recreational boating opportunities, which contribute thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to our economy. Through these grants and partnerships like ours, we are improving the quality of life of our citizens and visitors through dredging and the development of safe access sites, while expanding opportunities for the public to appreciate all that the Chesapeake Bay, coastal bays and their tributaries have to offer.”
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