Credit: Garrett County Republican

WASHINGTON — Garrett County will receive more than $2.5 million in funding through the omnibus appropriations bill signed by President Biden this week, federal lawmakers announced.

U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-Md., on Tuesday said the spending measure includes $883,574 for broadband expansion in Garrett County. These funds are part of nearly $7 million in Community Project Funding secured for the Sixth Congressional District by Trone, a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.

“With this funding, we are delivering much-needed relief to hardworking Americans who are struggling to pay for child care, housing, health care and vital broadband access,” Trone said. “These are investments in a brighter future for our country, a more resilient economy and a stronger workforce to compete in the 21st century. We are building a better America.”

Maryland’s Democratic senators, Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, announced that nearly $9 million in direct federal funding for local projects across the Western Maryland region was included within the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus funding legislation.

Funding secured by the senators includes $975,000 for Garrett Trails to use to help complete the Meadow Mountain Trail, which is the portion of the Eastern Continental Divide Loop plan that runs from Deep Creek State Park to Grantsville. The project will provide safe paths through public land and increase local tourism.

Another $704,000 is marked for the Board of Garrett County Commissioners for the waterline rehabilitation project in Gorman. These funds will allow for the replacement of an aging ductile iron water main line with new, corrosion-resistant PVC material in Gorman, where the water system was installed in the 1970s and is deteriorating at an alarming rate. This system serves approximately 147 low to moderate income households.

“Bringing direct federal investments to our communities helps spur opportunity, create jobs and grow our economy. Working together with local leaders across Western Maryland, we have identified these projects that will strengthen our communities by driving job growth, improving public safety, modernizing our infrastructure and strengthening our outdoor economy,” said Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We look forward to getting these funds across the finish line and delivering these investments to Western Maryland.”

“We have worked with local officials and organizations across Western Maryland to identify the projects that could benefit from a strong federal partner. Congressionally Directed Spending is one of the best tools to maximize how we use taxpayer dollars in the places it can make a real difference for Maryland and the region,” Cardin said.