LEONARDTOWN, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners approved the FY25 Waterway Improvement Fund Grant award in the amount of $199,000 for improvements to Chaptico Wharf during their July 23, 2024 meeting.
The Waterway Improvement Fund (WIF) was established in 1966 for the purpose of funding projects which improve and promote the recreational and commercial capabilities, conditions and safety of Maryland’s waterways for the benefit of the general boating public, according to the WIF program manual.
The funds were approved by the Maryland General Assembly in June and were available starting July 1, 2024, according to the award letter received from the Department of Natural Resources.
The funds were initially awarded by the Department of Natural Resources in September, 2023, according to a memo from Arthur Shepherd, the director of the Department of Recreation and Parks.
St. Inigoes Landing and Bushwood Wharf are some of the few docks that have been improved over the past few years. Roy Copesy, the parks division manager of the Department of Recreation and Parks, claims he overlooks all docks yearly and decides which docks need improvement for grants.
“We can get a grant for $5,000 every year but we use that to replace boards and stuff like that throughout all the wharfs,” Copesy said.
Everything at Chaptico will be replaced except the pilings, according to Copesy.
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