LA PLATA — Charles County can now knock down the buildings on the site of the new La Plata library. What it still cannot do is build the library.
County public works staff told commissioners Oct. 20 that the Town of La Plata, which issues permits for the project, has granted grading and demolition permits for the downtown site. The building permit has not been issued. Town staff have finished reviewing the county’s plans and have no outstanding questions about them, said Britta Hertling, deputy director of the Department of Public Works’ capital project management division, but the town has not yet settled the project’s water allocation.
The project has been on the county’s books since about 2017, and the delay drew the sharpest exchange of the commissioners’ morning session. By the end of the discussion, the board had settled on a path: start demolition now, put up a sign once the building permit is in hand and hold a groundbreaking in the spring.
A $23 million project, years in the making
The new library will replace the current La Plata branch, which the Charles County Public Library says is too small and does not meet accessibility standards. It is planned for 208 Washington St., with access from Talbot Street and North Maple Avenue, and has been described as a cultural institution that can serve several community uses.
In July, the library system said the project’s budget tops $23 million. About $16.5 million had been appropriated at the time, with $7.3 million more planned mostly in fiscal 2028 and 2029. The Maryland State Library Agency contributed a $1 million grant, and the county is paying the rest. The town’s planning commission approved the project in February with nearly 40 conditions, including traffic and stormwater measures.
Hertling said the county’s current team began working on the project in 2021. After turnover at Town Hall in 2024, she said, new town staff took a fresh look and asked for more work, including a traffic impact study, an arborist report and sidewalk improvements. She called the town extremely collaborative and said the new planning director’s requests were within the town’s code and not unreasonable. The grading permit, she said, came after county and town staff met about twice a week with a shared checklist.
‘Enough is enough’
Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling made clear his frustration was not with county staff. Saying he has sat on the board for almost eight years, he questioned why the permit still had not been issued and said he hoped the town was not using water as leverage. He said the town appears able to find water for new houses but not for a public amenity in the middle of town, and invited town officials to come before the board to discuss it.
“Enough is enough,” Bowling said. “Approve it.”
A county administration official told the board she meets regularly with La Plata Town Manager Chuck Stevens, and that Stevens has promised water will not be an impediment. She noted the homes being torn down for the library each held water allocations of their own, and said the town has been open to considering that, along with the fact that the library is a community benefit. She said she does not believe the town will hold up the permit over water.
Water is a live issue in La Plata. Earlier this month, a town councilman said the system was running right up against the 90% capacity limit that triggers new conservation rules.
Another commissioner said that while the board has reason to be frustrated, the presentation showed real progress, and that the county working directly with the town is what matters most.
Sign now, or demolition now?
Staff had planned a groundbreaking for Nov. 17, the current board’s last day in office. Hertling instead recommended putting up a “future home of” sign now and waiting until March to break ground. By then, she said, the county would have bids in hand and know the full construction cost, which matters in a volatile construction market, and spring is better suited to site work. A November groundbreaking would come with unknown costs, possibly no building permit and winter weather.
Bowling pushed the other way: tear the existing buildings down now, because demolition is within the county’s control, and hold the sign until the building permit is issued. A vacant lot, he said, shows residents something is happening.
Hertling cautioned that demolishing early means splitting work the county had planned to bid as one package, which adds procurement steps. She also raised a budget risk. If bids come in a million or two dollars over the current budget, she said, the next board would decide whether to cover the difference, and that decision is out of staff’s hands. She said she stood by her recommendation, while confirming demolition can be done in winter.
The rest of the board went along with Bowling’s approach. Under the consensus, the county will move ahead with demolition under the permits it already has, put up a sign once the building permit is issued and hold the official groundbreaking in the spring, with members of the outgoing board invited back to take part.
The county is preparing to seek construction bids. Hertling said staff hope the town issues the building permit before construction is set to begin in February. A new Board of County Commissioners, chosen in the Nov. 3 general election, will be in office when those bids come back.
