Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval of $3.3 Million for Baltimore City and Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, and Montgomery Counties

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Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval of $3.3 Million for Baltimore City and Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, and Montgomery Counties
Park and recreation projects receive assistance through Program Open Space
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Restating his desire to support park and recreation projects whenever possible, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. today announced Board of Public Works approval of $3,317,262 in Program Open Space funds for Baltimore City and Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, and Montgomery Counties.
“Playgrounds, park pavilions, tennis and basketball courts, and ballfields are among the projects receiving funding today,” said Governor Ehrlich. “I am pleased to note that the acquisition of an equestrian facility near the Potomac River will also further our land conservation and preservation objectives.”
The total allocation of $3,317,262 funds 24 projects in seven jurisdictions: Baltimore City:

$150,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at the Morrell Park Recreation Center.
$150,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at the Ralph Young Recreation Center.
$150,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at the Oliver Recreation Center.
$150,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at the Coldstream Recreation Center.
Baltimore County

$125,000 to install four picnic pavilions and a playground tot lot at Tall Trees Park.
$35,000 to replace playground equipment and renovate the play area at Watersedge Park.
$33,000 to replace playground equipment at Garden Village Park.
$67,000 to replace the picnic pavilion and resurface the parking lot at Hillcrest Park in Lansdowne.
Carroll County:

$51,580 to renovate the tennis courts, install new nets, pave the parking area, and provide signs at Union Bridge Community Park in the town of Union Bridge.
$90,700 to reconstruct two tennis courts, relocate playground equipment, and construct a parking lot at Sulphur Springs Park in the town of New Windsor.
Carroll County: The Board approved $90,000 to construct ballfields and to provide related items, which include backstop fencing, dugouts, goals, a storage shed, and trash receptacles at Hampstead Municipal Park in the town of Hampstead.
Cecil County

$39,718 to construct two basketball courts and a parking lot at Cecilton Park in the town of Cecilton.
$48,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface and walkways at Elk Mills Park in the town of Elk Mills.
$56,600 to construct two multipurpose athletic fields at Perryville Community Park in the town of Perryville.
$68,019 to construct additional skate ramps for younger and less experienced skaters at Elkton Municipal Skate Park in Elkton.
Harford County:

$428,500 to acquire the 71-acre Blevins parcel to build a regional recreation facility emphasizing baseball and softball. The property, which is mostly farmland, lies on Route 22 across from Harford Community College between Bel Air and Churchville. The county expects to cover the total price of $800,000 through future Program Open Space requests and county funds.
$155,000 to install new playground equipment, safety surface, benches, grills, and a walkway at the Tydings Park playground in Havre de Grace.
Howard County:

$88,845 to replace unsafe playground equipment at Cedar Lane Park East, which is near Cedar Manor.
Montgomery County:

$1,001,000 to acquire 18.5 acres of the Callithea Farm, a 93-acre equestrian facility south of Darnstown near the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. This is the third installment of five towards acquiring the entire farm to ensure its continued operation as an equestrian facility and to preserve the ecologically valuable land, which is mostly agricultural and contains three streams that flow into the Potomac.
$64,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at Olney Square Neighborhood Park in Olney.
$64,000 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at Stewartown Park in Montgomery Village.
$67,800 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg.
$45,000 for improvements at Toatley Fraser Park in Takoma Park. Improvements include landscaping and installing a walkway, a pavilion, picnic tables, benches, and trash receptacles.
$98,500 to replace unsafe playground equipment and install safety surface at the Bullards Park playground in Rockville.
DNR’s Program Open Space is a nationally recognized program that provides funding for Maryland’s state and local parks and conservation areas. More than 4,600 county and municipal park and conservation projects have been completed through the program, improving the quality of life for millions of Marylanders.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov