By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-04) recently announced the passage of nearly $12 million in Community Project Funding through congressional appropriations legislation. The money will benefit Montgomery County, Md. and Prince George’s County, Md.
“One of the things that became clear when we were speaking with community activists and leaders, is that they don’t have enough from a resource standpoint to do all that they can,” said U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-04). “Burtonsville needed help with a parking lot for their commuter lot we got funding for gun violence reduction.”
The Burtonsville park-and-ride project will help construct a 500-space parking garage. The parking garage will provide secure and covered park-and-ride spaces. It will also allow for the conversion of the existing ground park-and-ride lot, which would free up the property for about 250 rental apartments and benefit low-income residents.
The funding will assist with other projects including:
- $850,000 for Blackhawk Lane Replacement
- $850,000 for Burtonsville Park and Ride Improvements
- $725,000 for Digital Workforce Transformation by Black Data Processing Associates
- $963,000 for Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel Electrical Modernization
- $500,000 for Incentivizing Accessibility in Housing Rehabilitation and Development Projects
- $300,000 for Laurel Boys and Girls Club Window Repair/Replacement Project
- $963,000 for Rapid Innovation Accelerator (RIA) for Cybersecurity Research
- $850,000 for Renovation of the Dam Ruins at Riverfront Park in Laurel, Maryland
- $963,000 for Saturday Youth Justice Academy
- $1,616,279 for Saving Jobs, Eliminating Solid Waste, and Expanding Green Opportunities
- $275,000 for Violence Intervention Program
- $726,000 for Violence Reduction Research Initiative (VRRI)
- $1,600,000 for Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission for Utility Services Project
- $500,000 for West Hyattsville Station, Street and Road Infrastructure Improvements
Ivey briefly outlined the process for selecting projects when it comes to federal funding.
“We open it up to the community for people to request the funds. We run it by the House Appropriations Committee, and they have a series of rules and guidelines that they issue as well that helps to trim down, who’s eligible and who’s not,” said Ivey. “Then, we put together the packet for the ones we are going to move forward with.”
“I thought we had a good cycle and we are very pleased with the way it worked,” he continued.
Ivey said the next round of federal funding will begin soon.
“It should be any day now,” said Ivey directing the public to keep an eye on his website for the announcement. “We expect that to be happening sometime this month.”