Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on March 20, 2025
MARYLAND, March 20 - For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Committees will review numerous capital projects including the Olney Community Building, Montgomery College facilities, County buildings and site improvements for the Olney Infant and Toddler Program
The joint Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) and Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Thursday, March 20 at 9 a.m. to review a resolution to approve Amendment #25-53 to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for the Olney Community Building. Additionally, the committee will review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for the Olney Infant and Toddler Program site improvements.
The members of the GO Committee include Chair and Council President Kate Stewart and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz.
The members of the EC Committee include Chair and Council Vice President Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Kristin Mink.
The GO Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review multiple items in the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for General Government, including County offices and other improvements, such as a $1.2 million supplemental appropriation for elevator improvements.
The EC Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for Montgomery College.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Review: The joint GO and EC Committee will review a resolution to approve an amendment to the FY25-30 CIP for the Olney Community Building project, which provides $5 million for the design and construction of an Olney community building. A community-use space was originally planned to be delivered in conjunction with the renovation of the Olney Police Substation project. The amendment is needed due to site constraints that make a meaningful community space not feasible within the substation project. The planned Olney Community Building project site, located at 17801 Georgia Ave., will be acquired for approximately $2.9 million. The remaining funds will be used for renovation and buildout. The project is anticipated to be fully funded with state grants.
Review: The joint GO and EC Committee will review a $250,000 amendment to the FY25-30 CIP for Olney Infant and Toddler Program site improvements on the campus of the Rosa Parks Middle School in Olney. The state budget legislation has directed funding to the Department of General Services for this project. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is currently developing a plan and schedule for the project, with work anticipated to begin in FY26.
Review: The GO Committee will review nine items in the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for General Government, including a $1.2 million supplemental appropriation for elevator improvements. The items include the following:
- Brookville Depot HVAC: This project provides $9.6 million for the replacement of the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), mechanical systems and electrical systems at the Brookville Maintenance Facility Transit shop. The current HVAC system is estimated to be over 40 years old and is in need of replacement.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance (MCG): This ongoing project ensures that County buildings and other facilities are ADA compliant. This amendment provides an additional $3.2 million in FY26 to fund ADA improvements at the Germantown Outdoor Pool, where multiple ADA improvements are required.
- Council Office Building Renovations: This project provides the remaining six-year funding for Council Office Building (COB) renovations. The amendment accelerates funding from FY25 to FY24 to cover ongoing construction work at the COB cafeteria.
- Elevator Modernization: This supplemental appropriation for the elevator modernization project would provide $1.2 million for elevator replacement at the Progress Place building in Silver Spring. The current elevators at Progress Place are nine years old, but have become unreliable due to continuous use by residents. Design for the elevator replacement would begin in FY25 and construction would take place in FY26.
- Energy Conservation MCG: This project supports efforts yielding financial returns to the County or substantial progress towards established environmental goals through energy savings, renewable energy installations, installation of resilient facility microgrids and resilient facility hubs and greenhouse gas reductions. Amendments reflect the addition of nearly $1.4 million in utility incentives funding in FY25, the acceleration of $2 million from FY28 to FY26 and $1 million deferred from FY28 to FY30.
- Exelon-Pepco Merger Fund: This project provides for the design and implementation of energy savings projects at County facilities using funds obtained through the merger of Exelon Corporation, Pepco Holdings, Inc., Potomac Electric Power Company, and Delmarva Power & Light Company. The amendment reflects the addition of $202,568 in utility merger funds.
- Facility Planning MCG Technical Adjustment: This project provides for general government facility planning studies for a variety of projects under consideration in the CIP. This amendment does not include cost or schedule changes. The County Executive revised the assessment for the 4th District Police Station to include a co-located Park Police facility, added the Western County Recreation Center and added the Poolesville and Damascus Highway Maintenance Depot assessments.
- Facilities Site Selection MCG Technical Adjustment/Transfer of Funds Between Projects: This project provides for site selection for government projects as well as land for facility reforestation and other site selection activities. This amendment reflects $100,000 transferred from the ADA Compliance: MCG project in FY25 in order to begin acquisition of property in Olney for the Olney Community Building project. The remaining land acquisition funds will come from the Advanced Land Acquisition Revolving Fund (ALARF) until anticipated state grants are awarded.
- Facilities Site Selection MCG Technical Adjustment/Transfer of Funds Between Projects: This project provides for the implementation of Bill 11-22, Lactation Rooms in County Buildings and funds for assessing all County-owned and -leased buildings to determine which facilities are impacted by the bill and the scope of modification required to satisfy the bill's requirement. The amendment reflects nearly $1.2 million in cost savings achieved by identifying locations that require only minimal effort to establish a lactation room.
Montgomery College FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program
Review: The EC Committee will review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for Montgomery College. Montgomery College’s FY25-30 approved CIP totaled more than $398 million for the six-year period. The College’s amended FY25-30 CIP request totals $410.6 million, which is an increase of more than $12.4 million over the six-year period.
The key changes requested by the College are needed due to an increase in state allowable costs. These include an additional $864,000 for the Collegewide Library Renovations, $166,000 for the Germantown Student Affairs Building Renovation – Phase 2 project, more than $5 million for Germantown Student Services Center project and an additional $334,000 for the Rockville Theater Arts Building. The amendments also include the deferral of $5 million from FY26 to FY27 for the construction of a new campus in the East County and an increase of $3 million from the College Fund Balance for the Planned Lifecycle Asset Replacement project to maintain the college’s facilities and equipment.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.
Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.
Release ID: 25-094
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