Governor O'Malley Announces BPW Approval Of Local Recreational Projects In Allegany, Caroline And Worcester Counties

Annapolis, Md. (January 5, 2011) — Governor Martin O’Malley today announced Board of Public Works (BPW) approval of recreational projects in Allegany, Caroline and Worcester Counties through Program Open Space. "As we continue to provide new outdoor spaces for our families to enjoy, we must also take the necessary action to keep existing areas safe and more accessible,” said Governor O’Malley.

Today the Board of Public Works approved the following local-side Program Open Space projects:

Allegany County – Lonaconing will receive $15,000 for the installation of 20 security cameras at three of the town’s parks. Four cameras will be installed at Furnace Park, eight will be installed at Library Park and eight will be installed at the Lonaconing Recreation Area. The cameras are necessary to monitor activities at the parks when police patrols are not available.

“Based on the tightening of our funds and budget cuts, not to mention the cut from 60 hours to 40 hours per week for three part-time police officers, this funding will prove to be very useful for our security systems at several park sites,” said Lonaconing Mayor Nicholas T. Hadley.

Caroline County will receive $15,000 to reconstruct the paved tennis court surfaces at North Caroline and Colonel Richardson High Schools. These courts have not been reconditioned in 15 years and are critical to a growing school and community-based tennis program. Reconstruction includes clearing and filling existing cracks, leveling depressions, resurfacing, and reapplying court lines to improve sport-play conditions.

This makes an incredible difference to our competitive women’s tennis program, and frankly, would not have happened without the initiative of our local Parks department and the investment of Program Open Space funds,” said Mike Parks, Head Coach of the North Caroline High School tennis team. “This will also fuel more programming partnership with Recreation & Parks for more community tennis to keep the sport growing.”

Worcester County will receive $8,000 to replace three deteriorating playground transfer platforms and two safety rails for the existing composite play structure at Stockton Community Park. In addition, this project will install edging and an engineered wood fiber safety surface in the swing set area of the park.

“Playgrounds provide hours and hours of fun, safe recreation for children and families, yet they offer intangible, unseen benefits that may be just as important,” said Worcester County Commission President James C. “Bud” Church.

Under the leadership of Governor O’Malley, the Board of Public Works has approved funding for 943 recreational projects, including Community Parks & Playgrounds, since 2007.

A video showing the direct benefits of Program Open Space can be viewed here.

The three-member Board of Public Works is composed of Governor O’Malley (chair), Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot. The BPW is authorized by the General Assembly to approve major construction and consultant contracts, equipment purchases, property transactions and other procurement actions.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million 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