The CIP allows the City to prioritize their large-scale projects and plan how the City intends to finance them. The program utilizes money from multiple sources, including grants, loans, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the City’s General and Utility Fund balances.

The total sum of the City’s projected projects is $27,161,465, with $12,682,340 in Utility Fund projects and $4,479,125 in General Fund projects, including a 10% adjustment for inflation. The Utility Fund projects break down into $8,938,976 in water and $3,743,364 in sewer. The General Fund projects include Storm Water projects ($41,200), Streets ($7,192,465), Police ($1,324,385), City Hall ($260,590) and Parks and Recreation ($5,660,485).

The biggest project to note is the Public Works building totaling $7 million. The City hopes to receive funding in the form of grants or will possibly take out a loan, but decided to be proactive by allocating $2.8 million from the Water Fund, $1.4 million from the Sewer Fund and $2.8 million from the Streets.

Another notable project is the Westview Drive water main replacement, where 2,100 feet of ductile iron pipe must be replaced due to incorrect installation. Unfortunately, original installation laid the pipe too shallow and without adequate bedding for the main pipe (it currently lies directly on rock). This project will use $777,636 of ARPA funds from the Water Fund for the pipe replacement and a total of $1,079,400 ($269,614 ARPA and $809,786 in Highway User Revenue (HUR) funding) from Streets to repair road damage.

Water main projects typically require funds be drawn from the Water, Sewer and the Streets budgets since the roadway must be repaired after it is dug up to replace both water and sewer pipes. Projects planned past FY25 include Antrim Boulevard extension in FY26 ($409,925 ARPA Funds), Memorial Drive replacement in FY26 (will be split with $887,397 in Water Funds), and $28,500 in FY28 and unknown cost of blacktop in FY29, both from Streets funding. The George Street replacement in FY27 ($647,500 from Water, $757,613 in Sewer and $899,500 in Street) and Middle Street replacement in FY27 ($390,350 from Water and $456,733 from Sewer and $542,270 from Highway User Revenue [HUR] funding in Street) round out the Water main projects.

Specific to the Water Fund is a third, 500,000-gallon water storage tank to accommodate projected growth slated for FY28 with a cost of $2,000,000. The demolition of a small abandoned well and well house will require $212,513 in FY27.

The primary FY-25 Stormwater project is the replacement of 334 feet of storm drain between Riffles Lane and York Street ($40,000). It will require a partial rebuild of 35 feet of Riffles Lane to aid in drainage, which will come from Streets budget ($40,000).

One item on the City’s CIP wishlist is to improve the downtown parking and congestion issues experienced at the intersection of MD 194 and 140. Wieprecht explained that if they lengthened the left turn lanes on East and West Baltimore Street to aid congestion issues, they would lose parking spaces. He described a couple of underutilized properties in the downtown area with alley access that may be considered for development into small parking lots to recoup the parking losses. Funding is being reserved for the future of this project in the amount of $250,000.

Another project on the CIP list is the Antrim Boulevard Right of Way purchase. A total of $1 million is budgeted through FY30, which is processed in increments of $500,000 every other year as the City searches for an appropriate property.

Other CIP plans include an addition to the police station ($1,212,000 in FY27) and reroofing of the City Hall and replacement of the cupola ($150,000 in FY25).

For the City’s parks, a total of $5,450,487 is allotted over the next six years with $1,100,700 coming from various grants. These projects include over $2,630,487 in improvements at Memorial Park (replacement of tot playground, installation of splash pad, addition of two t-ball fields and overall expansion including parking lots, additional multipurpose fields, a new multiuse building and all new electric and lighting). Robert’s Mill Park will receive a new playground and retrofitted LED lighting, two fields at the park will have lights installed and Flickinger Park and Roth Avenue Park will both receive new playgrounds, totaling $2,820,000 to finish the Parks and Recreation CIP projects.

The CIP draft will be reviewed at the June Council meeting.