The Board of Public Works approved $3.6 million for park improvements and land conservation in Baltimore City and Carroll, Garrett, and Howard counties.
The funding supports Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Program Open Space — Local, upkeep for local parks and playgrounds, and Rural Legacy programs.
Program Open Space — Local was established in 1969 to conserve natural resources while providing outdoor recreation opportunities for all Maryland residents. It provides funds for county and municipal governments to plan, acquire, and develop recreational lands or facilities.
More than $2 million was approved for five Program Open Space — Local projects. These include funds for acquiring 44 acres adjacent to Cape Horn Park in Carroll County. The funds may also cover future athletic fields, walking trails, and a community center.
In Howard County, the Program Open Space — Local funds were approved for projects that include the construction of six pickleball courts in Rockburn Branch Park.
The Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program was created to provide grants mainly to local governments for park and recreation projects. In Baltimore City, Hamilton Elementary and Middle School will see improvements to their schoolyards thanks to $100,000 approved from. They’ll receive school yard enhancements that include improving a running track, walking trail, and play amenities.
Nearly $1.5 million in Rural Legacy funding was approved for Garrett County to acquire conservation easements on four farm properties that combine to make up a total of 570 acres in the Bear Creek Rural Legacy Area. Each of these four farms will be better able to protect the waterways on their properties that are state-designated as Use Class III-P: cold water streams that support healthy fish, including trout, and provide water for the public.
The Rural Legacy Program was created in 1997, and conserves large working landscapes across 35 locally designated areas throughout Maryland.
“Two of the easements being acquired will protect over 6,000 feet of forested stream buffers along Bear Creek and its tributaries, and the other two easements will protect approximately 3,200 feet of forested stream buffers along South Branch Bear Creek” reads the press release. “Additionally, two of the easements will protect habitat for forest interior dwelling species of birds that require large blocks of undisturbed forest in order for the birds to successfully nest.”
The Board of Public Works is made up of three members: Gov. Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. To see all of the projects funded, check the Board of Public Works Dec. 4, 2024 meeting agenda. The agenda shows the recipients of individual agricultural grants throughout Maryland, Board of Public Works licenses, Department of Budget and Management items, and more.
