State Capital Budget Includes $9 million for Historic Ellicott City

April 2021

Senator Katie Fry Hester and I announced this month that a total of $8,996,230 has been approved in the State of Maryland FY22 Capital Budget for Historic Ellicott City.

The budget includes funds for projects in the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Flood Mitigation Plan including $2.4 million for the H7 project, a 13 acre-foot retention facility located in the US 29/US 40 interchange, and $370,000 for the Maryland Avenue Culvert project that was placed in the FY22 budget last year. In addition, the budget includes $5 million of newly allocated funds for the H4 project, a 15.6 acre-foot retention facility west of the intersection of Frederick Road and US 29, as requested by the county.

This year’s funding also includes $500,000 for façade improvement at the county-owned property located at 8125 Main Street known as the Caplan’s building, as well as $500,000 for renovations of other county-owned buildings on Main Street. In addition, $126,230 in planning money for the new Tiber Park is included. Finally, the state budget includes $100,000 for the renovation of the Quaker School located in Historic Ellicott City, a project of the Howard County Historical Society

This funding is significant not only because it will fund critical projects to keep people and the town safe from flooding, but also because the amount can be doubled by federal programs such as the Water Infrastructure Financing Act (WIFIA) and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The state funding helps the county meet the match requirements to qualify for these federal programs for the overall financing of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Flood Mitigation Plan.

Senator Hester and I have obtained $18,526,000 of state funding in our three years in the Legislature. Said Senator Hester, “We are tremendously proud to bring home this unprecedented funding for Historic Ellicott City, especially as we celebrate our 250 year anniversary. Thank you to Senate President Bill Ferguson, Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, and our colleagues in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates who recognize the value of Historic Ellicott City to our state.”