db:cip99.pr           98-19                 Contact: David Weaver, 301-217-6530 or
                                                                Robert Kendal, 301-217-2789


NEW ROAD CONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
DUNCAN'S FY99 CAPITAL BUDGET
AND SIX-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM    RELEASE: Jan. 15, 1998


     County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today unveiled his recommended capital
construction budget for fiscal year 1999 and the six-year Capital Improvements Program
(CIP).  It is a program that will -- for the first time in nearly a decade --  jumpstart local road
construction to provide better transportation links.  In addition, Duncan's recommended CIP
will provide new school construction to meet capacity needs; new and improved recreational
facilities, including swimming pools, ball and soccer fields; a major new environmental
initiative to support stream restoration and storm drain repair; and revitalization efforts to
improve the economic vitality of aging downcounty business districts.
     "With this fiscal plan, I am continuing to focus on essential services and facilities,
while living within disciplined fiscal limits," said Duncan.  "It is essential that we help to
mitigate the effects of development that is already approved but not yet built, and I have
focused this CIP on projects that will strengthen our infrastructure and enhance the quality of
life for our citizens." 


ROADS HIGHLIGHT FY99 CIP                                                               2-2-2-2
Transportation
     Duncan's CIP includes $23.1 million for seven new road projects to improve safety
and relieve congestion. They include an extension of Bordly Drive in Brookeville to join
Georgia Avenue ($2.1 million); reconstruction of Briggs Chaney Road East of US Rt. 29
($6.6 million); an extension of Germantown Road from Scenery Drive to Watkins Mill Road
($4.6 million); improvements along Muncaster Road from Hollingsworth Drive to the
entrance of the Agricultural History Farm Park  ($1.5 million); improvements along Old
Columbia Pike in Silver Spring ($2.3 million) to include sidewalk construction, bikelanes,
intersection repair and construction of a left-turn bypass lane; widening of Shady Grove
Road to complete the six-lane section from Briardale and MD Rt. 115 ($4.3 million); and an
extension of Valley Park Drive in Damascus to Ridge Road ($1.7 million).
     Three new bridge reconstruction projects -- on Howard Chapel ($852,000), Peach Tree
($1.8 million) and River ($1.1 million) Roads -- as well as an extension of the Bridge
Renovation program that will improve safety and leverage significant federal and state aid are
also included in the recommended CIP. 
     New transit centers in Burtonsville ($459,000), Damascus ($355,000) and Germantown
($2.6 million), and a second parking garage at the Shady Grove Metro station ($25.4 million)
with 2,000 spaces are included in the CIP to encourage use of mass transit options.  Other
projects to enhance transportation options are a new hiker-biker path on Emory Lane to
provide Olney area residents with access to Georgia Avenue recreation facilities, and 
expansion of the Pavement Rehabilitation project to include the reconstruction of sections of
Cherry Hill and Redland Roads.

ROADS HIGHLIGHT FY99 CIP                                                           3-3-3-3

Environmental Protection
     In an effort to further protect and rehabilitate the County's natural resources, as well as
to mitigate the effects of development,, more than $6 million in additional funding is included
in the CIP to support a major new initiative for stream restoration, storm drain repair and
regulatory efforts for watersheds identified in the new Countywide Stream Protection Strategy
(CSPS).  The CSPS is the first Countywide assessment of stream water quality since 1980,
and the first ever to go beyond the usual chemistry measurements and include the assessment
of aquatic life and stream channel indicators.
       The combination of repairing damaged storm drains, restoring eroded streams, and
carefully regulating new and in-fill development will improve the liveability of 
neighborhoods Countywide, and will contribute to regional water quality by supporting the
Chesapeake Bay tributary initiatives.
Recreation, Parks and Libraries
     Meeting the demand for more recreational facilities, Duncan's CIP includes
approximately nine new ballfields for Ridge Road Recreational Park ($335,000) and
Montgomery Village ($45,000), Nike ($673,000), and Stonehedge ($335,000) Local Parks,
and a new Soccerplex with 16 soccer fields ($9.9 million) at South Germantown Recreational
Park.  In addition, a new outdoor swimming pool is included for the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Swim Center ($5 million)  in Silver Spring, as well as two pool renovation projects -- the
Bethesda Outdoor Pool ($1.1 million) and the Piney Branch Elementary School Pool 

ROADS HIGHLIGHT FY99 CIP                                        4- 4-4-4

($460,000).   The Wheaton-Glenmont Outdoor Pool ($4.1 million)  remains on schedule in
this CIP.   For those who would rather drive golf balls than swim laps, the Hampshire Greens
Golf Course ($3.1 million) is scheduled to open in May 1999.
     Ice skating rink improvements for the Wheaton ($797,000) and Cabin John ($3.8
million) Regional Parks are included in the CIP to address the demand for such facilities
resulting from the continued popularity of ice skating as a leisure activity. 
     Library projects in the CIP include a major renovation of the Long Branch Library
($1.6 million) in Silver Spring, and planning efforts to resolve issues for the replacement of
the Rockville Regional Library and to determine expansion needs of the Germantown Library. 
Construction of  the new Quince Orchard Library and renovation of the Twinbrook Library
remain on schedule, along with expansion of the Wheaton Library parking lot.    
     Recreational facilities included in the CIP include the new Damascus Community
Recreation Center ($6.5 million), proposed to open in FY02, and the new Rosemary Hills
Local Park reconstruction ($470,000), which is scheduled to coincide with the Community
Recreation Center there.  Planning for the renovation of the Jesup-Blair Local Park ($200,000)
is coordinated with planning for the expansion of the Montgomery College Takoma Park
Campus.
     To further enhance Montgomery County's cultural opportunities, Duncan recommends
design of an education and performance center at Strathmore Hall, which will leverage 50
percent funding from the State. 


ROADS HIGHLIGHT FY99 CIP                                5-5-5-5

Education
     Duncan's recommendation for the Montgomery County Public Schools is $500.8
million over the six-year program.  Included is construction to meet capacity needs for new 
students gained in the Takoma Park Unification.  The CIP also provides for the construction
of additions to three schools -- Wootten, Watkins Mill and Northwest Area High Schools.   In
addition, the CIP provides increased funding to accelerate the school modernization program,
for safer access to schools, to provide air-conditioning in schools that don't have it, and to
provide stadium lighting for the three new high schools (Blair, Blake, Northwest) and
Rockville High School. 
     The Capital Improvements Program also provides planning and land assembly funds to
complete facility planning for the expansion of the Takoma Park Campus of Montgomery
College.  Increased support for Montgomery College's Information Technology, from less
than a half-million to $2 million per year, is also included in the program.
Downcounty Revitalization
     Ongoing commitment to Silver Spring redevelopment, with an additional $3 million
for land acquisition, is addressed in this CIP.  Current negotiations with a private development
team to implement the comprehensive revitalization project for the Silver Spring Urban
Renewal Area may result in further recommendations this spring.
     Two projects to support revitalization of the Wheaton Triangle area are also in the
CIP.  They include the addition of 57 spaces in the Wheaton Marketplace Parking Lot with a 

ROADS HIGHLIGHT FY99 CIP                                6-6-6-6
new community events staging area and parking lot lighting, and enhanced pedestrian
amenities and streetscaping.Other revitalization projects in the CIP include a new Bethesda
Del Ray/Auburn Garage with a capacity for 600 parking spaces and a street-level cultural arts
area; expansion of the Kensington Revitalization project to include the commercial section of
Armory Avenue; improvements to the area surrounding the Glenmont Shopping Center,
including green space as part of the Glenmont Urban Park on the other side of Georgia
Avenue; and expansion of the South Silver Spring Revitalization project to include King
Street in conjunction with private reinvestment in the area.  
     The Fenton Street Village and Four Corners revitalization projects remain on schedule
in this CIP.
Public Safety
     The first in a series of police station renovations is included  to address deficiencies in
the building systems and improve security features for the Wheaton-Glenmont Police District
Station, which is the oldest of the County's five Police District Stations.
     In order to address increasing training needs for the public safety agencies, the Public
Services Training Academy will be renovated and expanded, and a new multi-agency driver
training track and classroom facility will be added.
     Fire station replacements in the CIP include the Takoma Park Fire Station 2, which
will be located on its current site, and Silver Spring Fire Station 1 and Sandy Spring Fire
Station 4 which will be replaced in the vicinity of the existing stations. 
     Site improvement and construction of the new Detention Center -- the Seneca
Correctional Facility -- are recommended to begin in FY 99 as provided for in the approved 

ROADS HIGHLIGHT FY99 CIP                               7-7-7-7   

Capital Improvements Program.  Efforts to include historic preservation and reuse of the
Moneysworth Farm, which is located on the site, will continue in this CIP.    
Fiscal Highlights
     For all agencies of the County -- except the WSSC -- this recommended CIP totals
$1.32 billion, compared to $1.34 billion in the Approved FY97-02 CIP.   The Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission request was not submitted on schedule and is, therefore, not
included in Duncan's recommendation.  When the County Executive receives the request, it
will be reviewed and forwarded to the County Council with Duncan's recommendations.
     The total tax-supported portion (non fee-supported) portion of the CIP for the six-year
period is $1.27 billion.  Planned spending from both County general obligation bonds and
Park and Planning bonds is held to within the Spending Affordability Guiddelines adopted by
the County Council last October.   
     As is required in even-numbered calendar years under the new biennial Capital
Improvements Program, Duncan's recommendation this year is a full capital program.
     The recommended CIP will again be accessible to the public via the
internet.  Internet users can access CIP information by logging on to the County's home page 
(http://www.co.mo.md.us), clicking on the "Services" bar and scrolling to "Management and 
Budget."
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