Maryland Comptroller visits Denton

DENTON – On a fact-finding tour with members of her staff Tuesday, April 22, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman learned about two vital entities in Denton. She also found out how their funding needs may require help from the state.

Though vastly different from each other, both His Hope Ministries homeless shelter and the Denton Wastewater Treatment Facility need funding for their next planned stages of development, and Lierman offered suggestions and as well as help in streamlining communications.

“It was wonderful (having her visit),” Denton Town Councilman Frank Taylor said. “We can use all the help we can get from the state, the county and everyone else. It's nice to have them be interested, to come and explore various projects.”

“It means a lot that she took time out of her day to come and see what we do here at His Hope Ministries, and get to learn a little bit more about our programming,” said His Hope Ministries Executive Director Stefanie Johnson.

Starting with a 2 p.m. visit to the shelter on Camp Road, Johnson and members of the board of directors guided Lierman on a tour through the facility, then it was into town to the ministry’s drop-in center at 103 Gay Street, and on to the last stop on Legion Road for Denton Town Administrator Scott Getchell’s informative tour of the town’s wastewater treatment facility.

Offering practical solutions

As Lierman toured the shelter, whose guests were at work and school, Johnson described its 11-year-old mission and operation, which includes three electric bikes and conventional bicycles paid for through local fundraisers.

“Transportation is a big issue here in this county.,” Johnson said. “We’ve been blessed here, by far, with community support.”

To meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness or housing instability, the sense of community needs to extend statewide, shelter officials said.

Johnson described how she also tries to find funding to help those who need a temporary place to stay, and the lack of apartments that meet the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s fair market value guidelines.

“Our fair market value for a one-bedroom (apartment) is $981, right? There are no apartments here for that,” Johnson said. “It’s stifling us.”

Johnson told Lierman that when about three acres of property becomes available, the next phase of the ministry’s mission is building a permanent year-round shelter.

“Hopefully (state officials) will open a few doors for us as we start thinking about how we expand,” said Bob Iacono, board member and treasurer of His Hope Ministries.

Complimenting Del. Jeff Ghrist (R-36) as “very well-respected on the Appropriations Committee,” Lierman suggested the shelter board explore a Local Bond Initiative (LBI), which “every legislator can do … for nonprofits in their districts,” and the Community Investment Tax Credit, as well as other practical means to obtain funds.

Lierman said the Office of the Comptroller was exploring topics important to Maryland’s economy and the economic well-being of the state’s residents, businesses and communities. The new initiative, according to the Office’s website produces “economic research reports … to provide policymakers, business leaders, and all Marylanders with more information about issues that intersect with or are directly impacted by (the) agency.”

When conducting employer roundtables, Lierman said her office thought they would hear complaints about taxes. Instead, “the number one issue that every roundtable brought up to us was housing. Their employees can’t find housing.” Johnson agreed.

Gathering facts and perspective

It’s one thing to hear about how a wastewater treatment plant operates, it’s another to see the operation in person. Getchell, who has over 35 years of experience in the field, hosted the tour and discussion of the plant’s operation.

Also on the tour were Taylor, Cambridge Town Council Vice President Mike Detmer and members of Lierman’s staff.

The plant sits on about 35 acres and processes town wastewater traveling through 25 miles of pipes and 11 pumping stations.

Besides the liquid byproduct that is thoroughly and naturally cleaned before it’s returned to waterways, the other byproduct is excess sludge, which must be treated differently. The plant’s sludge drying beds have reached capacity.

“We’ve got to get rid of it. So, we clean the beds out and we take it to the landfill. Here's our challenge: we're at capacity. The plant is not; we can still treat a lot more (wastewater).”

“We would like to put in a mechanical drying device so that in the winter months, when (the drying bed) doesn't work as well, we can continue to dry sludge mechanically and haul it out,” Getchell said. “We don't want to get rid of (the drying beds). We want to use that all we can, because that's natural and that's less expensive to operate. But we also need something that we can supplement that with.”

While it isn’t new technology, the price tag to install a mechanical sludge drying facility, upgrade the 20-year-old drying beds and make some needed repairs would cost upwards of $8 million, which is a lot for the town to finance, but not for the state in the larger scheme of things, Getchell suggested.

“I really believe that (Bay Restoration Fund) money is intended for that kind of stuff … and every plant has the same challenges,” he said.

For the most part, the Bay Restoration Fund doesn’t fund sludge storage or removal, Getchell said. He credited Lierman for helping to “change the thinking” of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).

Lierman turned to Michael Bayrd, who is director of intergovernmental affairs for the Comptroller’s Office. “And Mike, just so you know, this happened because Scott reached out about this issue, because we at the Board of Public Works (comprised of the Comptroller, Governor, and state Treasurer) end up funding and approving funding for wastewater treatment plants, but they kept being denied funding through this program for their sludge. And he was like, ‘Can you help?’ And so, we reached out and sent a letter and called, and now they haven't been automatically denied again, and … we're hoping that the program is shifting what it will fund a little bit, so that it will fund both sludge and liquid.”

“As the Comptroller, I want to make sure we're spending our money in an efficient way that aligns with our goals,” Lierman said. “It makes sense.”

Lierman’s tour ended with more photos and her thanks for all who helped her gain a better understanding of some of the reasons for state funding requests.

“(Lierman) answered an email. It was kind of a Hail Mary, and she responded, so we appreciate her,” Getchell said. “She got involved. She got some attention through the Department of the Environment, who then has actually changed some of their policies that will help us – but not just us, the whole state.”