Public safety, economic development hot topics at Giordano's State of the County address

Strong and productive is how Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano described both the financial and infrastructural future of Wicomico in her State of the County address.

In her first overview of county developments to the public in her first 100 days in office, each department head, from Human Resources to the County Sheriff's Office to Finance, explained how the county has both filled open positions and progressed with much-needed projects.

"We appointed a new director of administration, director of human resources, warden, a director of emergency services, deputy director of emergency services, and reappointed all other department heads. I'm so excited to have this team alongside me to help move Wicomico County forward," Giordano said.

Donna O'Hara, the newly appointed Human Services director, noted the 40 vacancies in the corrections department alone have been reduced to 20. There have been 36 new parttime positions added, with weekly meetings with all the department heads "for the first time in many years," O'Hara said.

O'Hara noted that in the first quarter of 2023, workman's compensation claims in the county fell 136% when she discussed the improving work culture.

Lobbying General Assembly for Shore priorities

Giordano explained how the county has continued efforts with the General Assembly on bills, with county representatives testifying on and writing letters of support for "various bills," particularly those impacting public safety, education and the local economy.

"One of the most important bills we testified on was the ability of the county to create a sanitary district," Giordano said. "This is vital as this the first step in implementing our water and sewer master plan. This bill passed unanimously out of the Senate and was due for its first reading in the house just last Thursday. We got an update today that it will be voted on out of committee today at 5 p.m."

Currently, for failing septic systems that can be served by a nearby municipality, the recommendation is for that entity to expand to cover that location. Rural areas can expect to have utility infrastructure provided for them. The county and septic service provider GNB have met and discussed the next steps in such a process.

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The Department of Public Works, during its update, noted it has already installed 2,400 feet of curbs and gutters in the county, rehabilitated 18 stormwater inlets and installed 18 stormwater lines that are the pipes in use for runoff. An estimated 4,325 feet of ditches have also been improved throughout the county, per the department.

"There have been $1.9 million in revenue for the Solid Waste Enterprise Funds as a result of the amounts of trash collected in the county. Recycling has taken 1,681 tons of recyclable materials aside from other materials like tires," said Heather Langford, director of the Department of Public Works.

Environmentally, the 72.5 acres of tidal wetlands in the county have benefited from the 140,000 cubic feet of dredge material from the Wicomico River, per the department

Public safety a hot topic

Giordano doubled down on the county's support for law enforcement, decrying general anti-police "rhetoric" and arguing it had to cease.

Maj. Tod Richardson with the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office said recruitment and retention efforts continue to be a focus for the department as law enforcement bills are introduced in Annapolis this session. That has prompted Sheriff Michael A. Lewis to join other sheriffs from around the state to testify in Annapolis.

The completion of a public safety complex, which has been in the works for five years, is becoming a reality after a local contractor secured the bid for the project. According to Richardson, it is on pace to be completed by Spring.

During the address, officials highlighted a customer bill of rights for the public to know what to expect when dealing with the county. The focus on customer service was among the early topics Giordano prioritized. The nine-point approach aims to improve the relationship between the county and the public at large.

Projects like Campbell Soup factory transformation highlighted

Economic development was also a hot topic given the plans for the former Campbell Soup factory to be transformed for use by Chesapeake Shipbuilding.

A $500,000 grant that made the beginnings of this vision possible came from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's fiscal 2023 round of State Revitalization Programs.

The grant will be used for the demolition, remediation and stabilization of the former Campbell Soup plant located at 510 West Road. For this project, Wicomico County will partner with Davis Strategic Development, the current owners of the property.

"One of the challenges for companies finding a home base is looking for an industrial space. So we're working with the development community as closely as we can, so those companies can choose Wicomico County and we can repurpose facilities," said David Ryan, executive director of the Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development.

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Salisbury Regional Airport director Tony Rudy noted that a thriving airport is an integral part of that.

Rudy noted expansion of the main runway from 6,400 feet to 7,600 feet is at the 90% design mark, and the airport is working on the environmental permitting necessary for the project. That should be completed by Spring to put a bid out for the construction, with work beginning in the summer.

Piedmont Airlines is poised to see an improvement in service with the longer runway. It will start flying to locations including Charlotte, North Carolina. Currently, safety reasons limit the weight of passenger aircraft on the runway, forcing the airline to calculate total passengers, baggage and fuel. On shorter runways, it must operate at less than full capacity.

Plans for the county also include a mechanic training program for the regional airport to prepare it for more routes and expanded passenger service.

"We recently entered two partnerships to bring a solar farm to the airport and a mobile phone tower that will cut utility costs for the airport and the county. It will bring revenue and improve cellular service to the area, which is really needed," Rudy said.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Giordano touts Wicomico milestones at State of the County address