City of Frederick Day in Annapolis Highlights Priority Projects

Thursday, March 12, 2015 is City of Frederick Day in Annapolis. Each year, the City of Frederick updates legislators and state leaders on select City projects and reports on the key infrastructure and growth projects underway.

Below are the projects that will be highlighted at this year's City of Frederick Day in Annapolis.

Together We Can Grow Frederick’s Future

Building a Stronger and Safer Maryland

Downtown Hotel and Conference Center / Parking Deck 6

The City of Frederick is partnering with a hotel developer, selected through a competitive RFP process, to construct a privately owned and operated $64M full-service hotel and conference center in Downtown Frederick. The public on-site improvements, including public parking, will cost approximately $20M. This is the top priority of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce’s Major Employers Group, and projected to offer many benefits, including:

• 207 rooms with 24,000 square feet of meeting space
• Public Parking Garages: 750 spaces (100 on-site/650 off-site)
• 280 total jobs
• $1.5M annually in State taxes
• $25.8M in direct, indirect, and induced spending

Weinberg Center for the Arts HVAC Replacement

HB0364/SB0024

The Weinberg Center for the Arts is a 1,100 seat historic performing arts theater that generates 70,000 patrons and $7M in economic impact annually. The facility is in need of a HVAC replacement to continue providing programming throughout the year. After analysis by a HVAC engineering company, full replacement was recommended. The new system will provide:

• Operational and maintenance savings in the future
• Control of separate areas of the theater
• Efficient and environmentally-friendly design
      

Frederick Municipal Airport

Increasing Airport Safety and Capacity

Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK) is the second busiest airport in Maryland and well positioned to become the preferred executive airport in the region. It is seeking funding to support Phase I of a multi-year project to improve airport safety and capacity. 

This phase will include:

• Design and demolition of aviation obstructions along Bailes Lane, etc.
• Washington gas line relocation
• The project will ultimately result in added capacity with corporate hangar space and extend the runway.

Monocacy Boulevard/US15 Interchange Improves Safety and Relieves Congestion

The #1 Infrastructure Priority for Frederick City and County for over 5 years

The Monocacy Boulevard and US15 Interchange will provide a full-diamond interchange, improving safety by eliminating at-grade intersections on US15. Design is complete, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2015.  The project provides:

• Congestion relief from pass through traffic, local development, and Fort Detrick growth
• Hiking and biking tails, sidewalks, on-street bike lanes, lighting, landscaping, and pedestrian accommodations
• Park and Ride with 390 spaces connects to future Rails With Trails
• This improvement complements other road improvements, such as Monocacy Boulevard Center Section Phase II, which will add 14,000 linear feet of a 4-lane roadway, alleviate congestion, create safe routes for emergency access during flood events, and add hiking/biking trails, sidewalks, and trees

Culler Lake Renaissance in Baker Park

Restoring water quality and aesthetic character

Culler Lake, in the heart of Baker Park, was established 90 years ago. Today, the park is in need of restoration to improve water quality and the aesthetic character of the lake. In partnership with Friends of Baker Park, a two-phased plan is in place to address the restoration. The project will:

• Dredge and restore Culler Lake (Phase I)
• Install wetlands and stormwater infrastructure to treat approximately 60 acres of untreated impervious area (Phase I)
• Add new shared use paths and fountains (Phase I)
• Add a pavilion and overlook, additional paths, benches, signage, pedestrian crossing and entrance features, and skate house improvements (Phase II)

  

Cleaner Water Starts Here: Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

Phase II Brings Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) Upgrade

Phase I Upgrades— Complete

Frederick is in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and our waterways impact the bay’s health and local sustainability. Phase I upgrades to the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) have:

• Improved solids digestion component of the plant
• Enabled the harvesting of methane gas while virtually eliminating reliance on landfill for waste sludge
• Reduced the city’s energy costs through co-generating electricity

Phase II Upgrades—In Progress

Phase II of the project brings an enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) upgrade to the system. Already designed, construction is expected to start in March 2015 with completion in December 2016. These upgrades:

• Bring the waste water treatment plant into compliance with recent EPA mandates for ENR
• Will reduce nitrogen and phosphorus discharges to the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries

Carroll Creek Park Phase II Completion on Target for Fall 2015

A thriving world-class, mixed use urban park in Downtown Frederick

This public-private partnership has spanned six administrations. Carroll Creek Park, as a  flood control project, effectively removed Downtown Frederick from the 100-year

floodplain and restored economic vitality to the historic commercial district.

Today, more than $100 million in private investment is underway or planned in new construction, infill development, or historic renovation along the park. Phase II provides:

• Extended park improvements totaling $15.7M in construction
• 1 mile of new and widened multi-use paths
• Landscape planters, lighting & water features
• Crosswalk improvements
• More than $100M in new and renovated private construction is planned along the new park/path sections, which will eventually result in hundreds of new jobs and increased state and local tax revenue