Montgomery County advances $83 million library CIP including new Shady Grove West branch

The Education & Culture Committee on March 5 endorsed the county executive's recommended six-year capital improvement program (CIP) for libraries, a plan that totals $83,000,000 and includes a new leased branch at Shady Grove West and higher-cost estimates for the Clarksburg library.

Council staff told the committee the $83 million package represents a $8.2 million (10.9%) increase from the prior amended six-year total, driven primarily by an updated cost estimate for Clarksburg and the addition of a $5.7 million project to design and build a Shady Grove West branch. "The county executive recommends a total of $83,000,000 in the 6 year CIP for libraries," council staff said when introducing the package.

On the Clarksburg project, staff described additional site work and Department of Transportation requirements that lifted the recommended cost to about $40.3 million and delayed design. DGS Director David Dice said the schedule is reliable despite earlier review delays, noting, "I think this is a pretty firm schedule," and that construction is expected to begin in summer 2027 with completion in spring 2029. The presentation said the Historic Preservation Commission requested that the existing historic day house on the site be incorporated into the design and programming.

The committee approved a new Shady Grove West branch envisioned as a mixed-use, ground-floor library leased from the Housing Opportunities Commission's development. Council staff said the executive recommends $5.7 million over six years for design and construction; MCPL staff described a small, modular branch that would emphasize adaptable furniture, mobile programming kits and expanded public broadband. MCPL digital-transformation manager Maddie Shellhart detailed program technology plans including high-speed Wi-Fi and portable innovation kits for rotating programs.

Members also concurred on renovation and refurbishment projects: a $5.8 million renovation for Chevy Chase (preserving the library footprint while addressing major building systems), rehabilitation and ADA work at Noyes (design complete; construction expected to start this spring), and a systemwide level-of-effort refurbishment placeholder ($5.6 million per branch in out years) to modernize the county's 21 branches over time. Staff reported the Damascus renovation is roughly 70% complete and expected to reopen in fall 2026.

Finally, the committee accepted a recommended disappropriation of $388,000 from the Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center to align appropriations to expenditures; $341,000 will return to current revenue and $47,000 will be available in GEO bonds. Committee chair Will Jawanda recorded concurrence "without objection" on the package and invited directors back for the operating-side discussion.

Approval notes: the committee recorded concurrence for the projects during the meeting; no roll-call vote was taken on the record during this discussion.