Historic St. Mary's City Flags Grant Rescissions, Eyes Revenue Strategies Ahead of 2034 Anniversary

Catherine Barber of the Department of Legislative Services presented the Historic St. Mary's City Commission's fiscal 2027 allowance of $7.1 million to the House subcommittee on Feb. 3, then HSMCC representatives described grant rescissions, corrective actions and long‑range planning.

Barber said two federal grants were rescinded in April 2025: an NEH award intended for interactive exhibits in the Maryland Heritage Interpretive Center and an IMLS grant planned for artifact assessment and restoration. Barber reported the NEH award was $315,000; at the time of rescission the museum had spent about $76,000. The commission later partially reversed the NEH rescission and received $171,000; the remaining loss was about $144,100. The IMLS award of $229,000 was recovered in full, Barber said.

Peter Coroccio, representing Historic St. Mary's City, told the committee the commission concurs with DLS recommendations, praised the conversion of eight contractual positions to permanent status, and outlined revenue strategies that include reopening a museum restaurant, implementing a constituent management system (Blackbaud Altru), new fee structures, temporary attractions (a corn maze and pumpkin patch) and RV parking to broaden earned revenue.

Coroccio emphasized deferred maintenance pressures, recent mold remediation, and the commission's preparations for the 2034 400th anniversary of Maryland's founding as an opportunity to increase visitation and economic impact. He thanked the Department of General Services for remediation support and invited committee members to visit the museum.

Committee members asked about education and field school partnerships; HSMCC noted its field school hosts about 17 students each year from Saint Mary's College of Maryland and other institutions and described outreach to K–12 classes for field trips.

The committee accepted the testimony and closed HSMCC's portion of the hearing.