Montgomery County joint committees on Government Operations and Fiscal Policy and on Education and Culture agreed without objection to the staff recommendation to create a FY2025 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) project to acquire property at 17831 (a former Capital One retail branch) for a civic or community center serving Olney.

The move creates the CIP project this fiscal year so the Department of General Services (DGS) can finish acquisition; renovations would come later if and when state aid is awarded. David Dice, Director, Department of General Services, told the committee: "Nothing to add. I think the staff package is pretty clear. We'll come back and renovate the building at a later date, but this is necessary in order to, secure, signed agreements pending state aid." Council staff had issued a revised packet to correct the property address before the meeting.

The project had originally been conceived to include community space within an Olney police satellite station, but committee members said design requirements made that unworkable. Councilmember Lupi thanked DGS staff and others for securing an alternate site and credited Senator Zucker with helping obtain additional funding: "thank you to Senator Zucker for his ongoing work with us to help secure additional funding to, purchase this, bank building so that we can have both the civic space and the satellite station as, functioning parts of that heart of the Olney community." The committee record describes the site as a former Capital One retail branch and notes that Sandy Spring Bank remains at a different location and is "not going anywhere."

Council staff said the funding source is state aid and that the County expects to know more about any award in April after the General Assembly closes its session. The committee agreed to forward the CIP amendment to the full County Council; staff said the item will go to full council on April 1.

Discussion: committee members raised the project's long history and the need to separate the civic/community function from the police satellite design; staff described the agenda packet correction and the acquisition step that requires the CIP project to exist. Decision/direction: the committee approved by unanimous consent to forward the CIP amendment to the full council for consideration on April 1. Formal action: creation of a FY25 CIP project to permit acquisition and subsequent renovation pending state aid.