Upgrade to Robert E. Lee Park
Smith Testified in Favor of State Capital Budget RequestTowson, Md. (March 19, 2009) — Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith testified this week before two legislative committees on behalf of a $3 million state capital budget request for the improvement of Robert E. Lee Park in the Mount Washington area of Baltimore County.
He testified on Monday before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and Tuesday before the House Appropriations Committee in favor of the funding.
County Executive Smith\'s testimony as prepared for his appearance before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee is presented below:
Chairman Currie and members of the Budget and Taxation Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the $3 million appropriation for the improvement of Robert E. Lee Park. .
Open Space Essential
In Baltimore County, we understand that open space is essential to the quality of life in our neighborhoods. With 80 percent of our population living on 30 percent of our land, it is not always easy for residents in our most densely populated communities, to find open space that is located close to their homes. Our parks provide open space and countless recreational opportunities in the hearts of those communities, and we are committed to preserving the access of all of the people of our County to the best parks possible.
History
Robert E. Lee Park is one of the largest parks in Baltimore County. With more than 415 acres of invaluable open space in the middle of an urbanized area, the park attracts more than 41,000 visitors annually from the Baltimore metropolitan region and beyond. However, while the park is located entirely within Baltimore County, it is currently owned and operated by the City of Baltimore. The park was originally constructed as a site for a drinking water reservoir in 1861 which served as a water source for 53 years until it was determined that the water quantity was insufficient. Since then, people throughout the region have used the park as a recreational facility and activities ranging from dog walking to boating.
As you may know, Baltimore City provides drinking water not only to its own residents, but to Baltimore, Harford, and Anne Arundel Counties as well. That is why the City owns and operates the reservoirs located in Baltimore County including Robert E. Lee Park.
However, the park has been in decline for years. Local governments have limited resources to maintain and repair their parks. Baltimore City has understandably devoted its limited resources on the parks located within city limits – parks that are used more heavily by City residents.
Critical Repairs Needed
The Park represents invaluable open space for our entire region. However, it is in dire need of critical repairs to its infrastructure. The erosion of the shoreline around Lake Roland and Lakeside Drive, the harmful effect of runoff on the quality of the water in Lake Roland, and the urgent need to replace the park\'s bridge are all issues that must be addressed in order to maintain the integrity of the park. In fact, without repairing the bridge, the southern peninsula of the park, its most popular area, is inaccessible.
After years of extensive discussions with Baltimore City and the neighborhoods surrounding the park, Baltimore County has negotiated a long-term lease for this property. This lease was based upon a similar lease executed several years ago between Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County for Fort Smallwood Park, a City owned park in Anne Arundel County that was also in decline and in need of improvements.
Asking for Matching Funds
Robert E. Lee Park represents an important opportunity for the preservation of open space in the heart of the Baltimore region. However, without significant improvements, the site will remain an unusable and continue to deteriorate. That is why the transfer of Robert E. Lee Park from Baltimore City to Baltimore County is contingent upon the appropriation of the $3 million in State funding that Baltimore County is requesting. Baltimore County will match these State funds to provide the $6 million dollars needed for park infrastructure improvements.
Program Open Space
The Department of Legislative Services recommended that this appropriation not be approved because they believed Baltimore County should use Program Open Space (POS) dollars instead. However, all POS applications have already been submitted for all remaining POS funding available for park development or rehabilitation, and it is against POS regulations to use acquisition side funding for park development. As a result, we cannot use our existing POS acquisition funding for this project.
Furthermore, in last year\'s Special Session, $21 million was transferred from local Program Open Space funds to the Department of Natural Resources for state park support. This reduction combined with the tremendous drop in transfer taxes is further reason that we cannot utilize POS funding for this project.
In Conclusion
If we are to restore this Park, and make it available to people throughout the region as accessible, free open space once again, the additional State and County funding which we are requesting is absolutely necessary. In this challenging economic time, it is important to remember that parks add significant value to our communities, and the funding of Robert E. Lee Park represents an investment in our future. Baltimore County respectfully asks this committee to give this project a favorable report.
<a href="http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/releases/0319roberteleepark.html">http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/releases/0319roberteleepark.html</a>;
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