Calvert County’s high school swimmers may still get their season. At the Calvert County Board of Education’s October meeting, a board member thanked Dr. Newsom and school staff for moving quickly after the county announced that the Edward T. Hall Aquatic Center’s reopening had slipped to Dec. 1.
The board member said school officials received word of the delay at about 5 p.m. on a Friday. By Monday morning, when the member raised it with Dr. Newsom, staff had already worked through possible next steps to make sure swimmers, especially seniors, have a season. The board member said they plan to keep pressing county officials so the “December 1st or sooner” target is met. No specific alternative pool, practice schedule or meet plan was announced at the meeting.
Why the pool is late
As the Chronicle reported Oct. 6, contractors found significant failures in the competition pool’s plaster, which was installed in 2024 and received minor repairs in 2025. The county says the repair is funded from project contingency, leaving the $9,586,500 budget unchanged, and that Parks & Recreation, the school system and the athletics office are looking for alternatives for high school teams. High school swimming is a winter sport, so the delay lands on the front end of the season.
Paving: credits come back to the school system
Facilities Management Director Shachita Warner brought two change orders, both approved 5-0. The first, on a pavement restoration project at the Patuxent Appeal campus, was a net credit of $38,155.16, lowering the approved total from $460,000 to $421,844.84. It removed paving fabric from the project and returned unused unit-price funds, partly offset by sidewalk and curb replacement. The second, for the Windy Hill Middle chiller project, returned $6,000 in unused allowance, taking the approved total from $842,000 to $836,000. Board members asked where unused local money goes; staff said it returns to reserves and is reallocated to other projects rather than going back to the commissioners.
The board then voted 5-0 to approve a $39,095 design contract with an architecture and engineering firm from Prince Frederick for pavement restoration at the rear parking lot and drive behind the Calvert Career and Technology Academy area at Calvert High School. The firm is part of the 10-firm on-call pool the board approved June 13, 2024. Staff said the lot supports weekend and after-hours athletic activity and is “awful.” Most of the work will be mill-and-overlay, with full-depth replacement where the base has failed, identified through soil borings. Lighting upgrades will be handled separately through a grant application. Staff said the project will not affect the planned turf work. It is paid from local capital funds.
Playgrounds: ADA first
The capital plan includes about $700,000 for playground replacement at multiple schools. Staff said work at one elementary school was just completed, with St. Leonard Elementary planned for next summer and Dowell Elementary after that; the work resolves ADA issues at those sites. Calvert Elementary and Mount Harmony will be handled differently, with ADA access provided while their larger projects proceed. Staff did not name the remaining schools on the original six-school list at the meeting and said they would follow up.
Also at the meeting
The student board member announced a virtual cell phone policy forum for Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. A separate federal grant of $2.36 million and the district’s strategic plan merger were also on the agenda.
What to watch
Whether the school system announces a swim plan before practices begin, and whether the Hall Aquatic Center holds to Dec. 1. The Board of County Commissioners next meets Oct. 20.
