PRINCE FREDERICK — The open-air pavilion rising on the site of Prince Frederick’s old National Guard armory needs nearly $1.8 million more to finish, and Calvert County taxpayers would cover most of the gap.
The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners will take public comment Nov. 17 on three budget amendments that would move a combined $1,787,238 into the Armory Site Development project, according to the county’s hearing notice. The money would come from two places:
- $457,238 left over in the county’s West Dares Beach Road capital project
- $1,330,000 from the county’s fund balance, its reserve of unspent money from prior years
That puts roughly three of every four new dollars on the county’s reserves rather than on road savings.
Why the project came up short
The pavilion was built on the strength of state grants, but grants set years ago have not kept pace with prices. The county’s Department of Economic Development and Department of Public Works told commissioners that significant increases in construction and material costs over the past several years created a funding shortfall, according to the proposed resolution.
The Department of Finance & Budget advised that the transfer is needed to complete the project and to make sure the grant investment ends in a finished, usable facility for the community, the resolution states. The amendments are numbered BA2027-000215, BA2027-000253 and BA2027-000255.
Neither the hearing notice nor the county’s Armory Pavilion project page lists a total construction cost or a completion date.
From armory to town gathering place
For newer residents, the site at 175 Armory Road was long home to the Louis L. Goldstein National Guard Armory, named for the Calvert County native who served as Maryland’s comptroller for nearly four decades. The county tore the building down in 2023 with help from a state Department of Housing and Community Development grant, and held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the pavilion Sept. 9, 2025, according to the county.
Calvert County government will own and run the open-air, multi-use pavilion in the heart of the Prince Frederick Town Center. Plans call for a year-round farmers market, community events, arts and entertainment. The county lists restrooms, a surrounding lawn, a seasonal ice skating rink and a future commercial kitchen among the amenities. Memorial benches and the National Guard motto, “Always Ready, Always There,” are meant to keep the armory’s history on the site.
The pavilion sits across from Armory Square, a private retail development on the former Calvert Middle School property that broke ground in spring 2024, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce. The county has already adjusted traffic around the area, including a three-way stop on Armory Road the Chronicle reported last year.
The state money already in hand
The state has put about $2.79 million into the project through five awards, according to the county’s project page:
Amount Source Purpose $100,000 DHCD Strategic Demolition Fund Design and predevelopment $60,000 Commerce Rural Maryland Economic Development Fund Design and engineering for bid plans $2,000,000 Commerce Rural Maryland Economic Development Fund Construction $176,541 Commerce Rural Maryland Economic Development Fund Construction $454,270.67 Commerce Rural Maryland Economic Development Fund Seasonal ice rink
Measured against that total, the proposed county transfer equals about 64% of what the state has contributed. In other words, the local share of the pavilion is about to grow substantially.
How to weigh in
The transfer is a proposal, not an approved action. The resolution may be changed based on comments received, the notice says.
The hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, in the Chesapeake Hearing Room of the County Administration Building, 150 Main St. It will stream on YouTube, Calvert County TV and the county’s meetings page. Residents can comment by phone at 1-929-229-2458 using meeting ID 202-970-551.
Written comments sent in advance must arrive by 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, by email to BudgetTeam@calvertcountymd.gov or by mail to the Department of Finance & Budget at 150 Main St. The full amendments are posted on the county’s public hearings page, and the budget office can be reached at 410-535-1600, ext. 2283.
The same Nov. 17 session includes hearings on a $2.36 million federal grant for a school system project at the Mary Harrison Center, changes to the county’s water and sewer allocation policy and amendments to its property maintenance code. A vote on the armory transfer would follow the close of the hearing record.
