County Receives Funding To Improve Mapping Data

100 W. Washington Street, Suite 1401

Hagerstown, MD 21740 | 240.313.2380

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

James Jenkins, Manager

P: 240.313.2384

E: [email protected]

COUNTY RECEIVES FUNDING TO IMPROVE MAPPING DATA

Data will assist planners, engineers, surveyors

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (August 1, 2017) - The Board of County Commissioners would like to announce that the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded Washington County just over $72,000 for the Geographic Information System Planimetric Update. The project will allow new and more accurate GIS data to be incorporated countywide.

A significant amount of development has occurred since the last GIS update. The ARC grant allows the County to update the digital infrastructure of the community. This provides a major benefit for economic development as it helps to identify and plan critical infrastructure projects such as road projects, housing developments and commercial ventures.

"This update will provide better details to planners so they can understand how a project would work in a geographic space," said Bud Gudmundson, Washington County GIS manager. "This mapping data allows planners, architects, engineers and specialists to put a project into an accurate, up-to-date view of the landscape."

The GIS update is a multi-jurisdictional cooperative effort between the City of Hagerstown and Washington County Government. The City will contribute $1,000 while the County will contribute the remaining $71,162 to meet the ARC 50/50 grant match requirements.

Contact Public Relations Manager James Jenkins at 240-313-2384 for more information.

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About Washington County, Maryland Government

Washington County, Maryland Government strives to fulfill its duty to the citizens of Washington County with regard to operational efficiency, fiscal responsibility, and responsiveness to the needs of the community. This vision is used to ably assist the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County in achieving goals for moving the County forward as present needs and future plans are addressed.

According to the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, the Washington County General Fund has one of the lowest costs per capita for services provided of all 23 counties and Baltimore City. This is attributed to the efficiency, staffing levels, and cost containment exhibited in Washington County Government operations. Visit www.washco-md.net for more information.