The Baltimore Ravens have committed $500,000 to help build a playground near the team’s training facility and headquarters in Owings Mills, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. announced Friday.
“Access to high-quality recreational facilities contributes significantly to the overall quality of life in a community. This new playground will provide our children with a state of the art play space,” Olszewski said in a statement. “I am incredibly grateful to the Ravens organization for their generosity in supporting this project and the children of Baltimore County.”
The donation, which the Baltimore County Council must first vote to accept, will help pay for the construction of a new 0.8-acre playground at Northwest Regional Park. The park is also home to the Ravens’ training facility and headquarters at 1 Winning Drive.
Baltimore County will also dedicate $350,000 for the playground project.
“I am really excited about the playground partnership with the Ravens,” Baltimore County Council Chairman Julian Jones said in a statement. “This destination playground will provide years of entertainment, fun, and physical fitness to scores of children,” said County Council Chairman Julian Jones. “This is just another example of why our Ravens are champions on and off the field.”
The park’s existing playground, which is about 0.1 acres, will remain untouched by the project.
Meanwhile, the new playground will be built at the park’s turf fields near the Lyons Mill Road entrance. It will have a wheelchair-accessible rubberized surface and an area for a timed 40-yard dash.
Baltimore County has contracted PlayPower Inc. to build the playground, with construction slated to begin this summer and be completed by the end of the year.
Team president Dick Cass said the Ravens wanted to help create a safe environment for children to have fun and be active.
“As we strive to be a positive force in our community, we appreciate the commitment demonstrated by County Executive Olszewski, as we work together to expand meaningful opportunities for children in our region,” Cass said in a statement.
