July 14, 2021

Credit: WCBC Radio

Today Congressman David Trone (MD-06) announced that he secured $2,500,000 to improve service centers, abandoned properties, and parks in Maryland as part of the FY 2022 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development funding bill. Trone secured $1,500,000 to create a new Asian American Service Center in Frederick County, $500,000 for an initiative to repurpose blighted and abandoned properties in Hagerstown, and $500,000 for improvements to roads and trails in South Germantown Recreation Park. The bill will be considered by the Appropriations Committee this week and then head to the House floor for a vote before August.

“I have always made investments in our local community services and infrastructure a high priority because I understand that many of my constituents depend heavily on these resources,” said Congressman David Trone. “This federal funding will lead to nicer parks for residents to enjoy, make neighborhoods safer, and provide services to low and moderate income families to increase access to health care, immigration assistance, housing, and nutrition assistance.”

“This is truly an American dream for an immigrant serving agency to have a permanent home,” said Elizabeth Chung, Executive Director, Asian American Center of Frederick. “We will be able to enhance access to services, empower the community, and enrich cultural understanding. This grant advanced diversity, equity and inclusion for all new Americans.”

“Numerous vacant, blighted and abandoned properties negatively impact our city neighborhoods and without intervention will continue to deteriorate and be a safety concern for our residents. Because of this, blight removal is a priority for the Hagerstown Mayor and Council. We are so pleased that our Community Project Funding request for our blight initiative was included at an amount of $500,000 and appreciate the effort by Congressman Trone and his team to help assist us with making our community an even better place to live and work,” said Hagerstown Mayor Emily Keller.

“We very much appreciate Congressman Trone’s assistance in helping to keep our parks in good condition,” said Casey Anderson, chair of the Montgomery Planning Board. “We have seen usage of our facilities skyrocket during the pandemic even as we have dealt with major challenges with keeping our staff and patrons safe, and we are expecting even stronger participation in the sports and activities at Soccerplex as the last pandemic restrictions are lifted. This funding will go a long way toward renovating aging infrastructure so we can continue providing top-quality experiences for our residents.”

Trone is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and requested funding for these three critical local projects earlier this year. Throne made these requests, otherwise known as Community Project Funding, in order to address the dire need for investment in local projects that will help lead to investments in our state’s infrastructure and support services.