SNOW HILL – Improvements to the Worcester County Jail, local library branches and the courthouse are included in the county’s latest Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
Following a public hearing Tuesday, the Worcester County Commissioners approved the CIP for fiscal years 2019-2023.
“The Capital Improvement Plan is a planning document whose purpose is to identify future capital projects,” said Harold Higgins, the county’s chief administrative officer. “Our purpose in presenting the plan now is to communicate potential financial needs that may affect our current financial resources. Inclusion of a project in the CIP does not constitute a guarantee of funding from the county.”
The plan, which totals more than $100 million, is made up of potential capital projects that cost more than $500,000.
The plan approved this week includes heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements at the county’s courthouse.
The CIP also includes a variety of projects at various Worcester County Library branches. The plan designates $800,000 for repairs to the Ocean Pines branch, where officials plan to replace the HVAC system and eliminate the building’s chimneys. The chimneys have been identified as the cause of the various water leaks at the facility.
The CIP designates $500,000 in funding to make a variety of repairs at the Pocomoke branch library as well as $550,000 to make repairs at the Snow Hill branch.
An additional project included in the CIP is improvement of the Worcester County Jail. The plan outlines $2,075,000 in funding that will be used during the next five years to address a variety of issues at the aging facility.
The CIP also identifies improvements at the landfill, road work and a number of sewer projects. It also takes into account funding for the replacement of Showell Elementary School, construction of an addition at Stephen Decatur Middle School and roof repairs at Pocomoke and Snow Hill middle schools.
