[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6361917,"mediaKeyId","2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da","parentId",2169233,"title","Saint Mary's Soccer warns of field shortages as travel teams expand into regional leagues","audioSeconds",1240,"startMs",1610000,"endMs",2850000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da&start=1610&end=2850","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da/thumbnail_1610000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6361917/St-Marys-County/Maryland/Saint-Marys-Soccer-warns-of-field-shortages-as-travel-teams-expand-into-regional-leagues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361917-3b8bb3aae437e362aed379faab34f0cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159455&Signature=XKWkZXhvZcHmOyaaHOK2e-xkuntKEJMR1gAgZFvzcAKKIUOmC4iH-j27TAbHcQFWe2LXcJLKuyz3uh0NmPEgJielxHG0zPoTtLyBcrd9J9eVeZqjtH9Md8zW9T2L8hLBmm7R5YvsjdW9vaNC2WJwRst1XIoqrnwRN16bP7MIe5QAflk-LIefQ4zLEUDXepfZCn9irgo13k-W9Et7RJO26Ng0vUKDH0SMnr~ub1bTp1H~EuGs1uQV-t2O8I~wSK19p6T9vV0IyScfZqzC6V4nG3-Xlnz68wMDOuIXNLI6hekRkHXrziBjbArV5ePRG80sajxu5FWMoRcg62zOFzdvGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","St. Mary's County, MD","date","2025-01-30T18:56:24Z","article","Maria Scott, director of operations for Saint Mary's Soccer, briefed the Recreation and Parks Board on growth in youth soccer, field and practice-space constraints, and the club’s interest in expanded county athletic infrastructure.

Scott said the merged Saint Mary's Soccer (which combined with Northern Soccer League two years ago) serves about 2,600 participants across recreational, rec-plus and travel programs. She gave season averages: a “kitty cake” program for U-4 and U-5 with about 220 participants per season; recreational play from U-6 through U-19 averaging about 1,420 participants (roughly 115 teams); a rec-plus program of about 30 teams and 370 participants; and a travel division of about 440 players.

The club has placed teams into higher-level play. Scott said Saint Mary's teams now compete in the National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) and that several teams have moved into the EDP regional league; the club also applied for Super Y summer-league entries. She said EDP and Super Y bring travel from neighboring states and increased expectations for home game quality and training surfaces.

Scott told board members the county is near capacity for quality game fields. Travel and rec-plus games rely heavily on Chancellor's Run Regional Park and Chaptico Park; Hollywood Soccer Complex is heavily used for rec games and practices but lacks the grass coverage and irrigation the club needs for reliable travel-level play. Scott said high usage at Hollywood causes compaction and poor grass regrowth, leading to weather cancellations and maintenance challenges. She recommended water/irrigation and targeted lighting at key fields, and said permanent goals and concentrated use make recovery of heavily used areas difficult.

Scott also said the club relies on 44 different locations for practices in a typical season and that families prefer locations close to home, which limits consolidation options. The club is exploring relationships with St. Mary's College, high schools and nearby counties for turf or high-quality game sites. She warned that some older elite players already travel to Richmond, Annapolis and Columbia for year-round training and that improved local surfaces and a turf or indoor facility would help retain those players.

Board members thanked Scott and said the club and department will continue to coordinate as the Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan and CIP progress.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2/8/2017 Recreation and Parks Board","oneSentenceSummary","Club director Maria Scott told the Recreation and Parks Board that Saint Mary's Soccer has 2,600 participants across programs and is increasingly constrained for playable game and practice fields as teams move into higher-level regional leagues.","taxTitle","St. Mary's County, Maryland","taxId",51086,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6361923,"Recreation and Parks adds Myrtle Point bow-hunting policy; DNR to manage permits",226,891000,1117000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da&start=891&end=1117","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da/thumbnail_891000.jpg","/articles/6361923/St-Marys-County/Maryland/Recreation-and-Parks-adds-Myrtle-Point-bow-hunting-policy-DNR-to-manage-permits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361923-89355eab3f5d83eaca1c4cee2805d8fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159455&Signature=l1AeXKvWZisyiuMkTyUC6Xn3uYXw9zpCtLlJHrypIxIB0UoEzAijdwZNu0MU-uryMWgWQMOmKbUdTUz1ZEZRWh9UgLzOzN9Zh3iRJq3HE9ST71Pafn9HeNPH2jZjWTJYb59kF58xtHwsgOS4aRwjU06l5KaJ6yrC-ls8RMUcJK8j-aFmq~R8bunb-WLworL6yJHumHPftFCscstZwzo2oaPipIIo23rBNRn1KsnhIi5nI3IINH7ARCCCgTEOCqRnCLh3qtBGjh1tNgqRm8l3pymQAr5JZe3D8r74EpcZUvZEAStBa-3SUA0swFpLk801amsHozTllYBD3UYie6tF5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Recreation and Parks Board reviewed a new policy enabling bow hunting at Myrtle Point Park and heard that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will manage registration, permits and harvest monitoring for the site.

David, the parks division presenter, said the board’s packet now includes a policy addition for Myrtle Point. He told members the first season — managed by DNR — recorded 11 deer taken (two antlered deer and nine antlerless deer), and that DNR characterized the results as “a pretty good start for [a] first time location.”

David said hunters who wish to bow hunt at Myrtle Point “will go through the Department of Natural Resources to register and get their license and permits.” He noted the Myrtle Point registration is handled through the Myrtle Grove Work Center but said the phone number in the packet contains a typographical error; the transcript records the numeric string as “301-0743” and staff marked it as a typo at the meeting. The department told the board it will clarify the correct contact information and may provide online registration details.

Board members discussed harmonizing language between the Myrtle Point policy and the separate bow-hunting policy that Recreation and Parks manages for Elms Beach Park. David said the Myrtle Point operations differ because DNR controls the site and the gate operations, while Elms Beach remains managed directly by Recreation and Parks. The board agreed staff should look for common elements that could be moved to an introductory section of the policies and tighten wording about season start dates (Myrtle Point season begins in October; Elms Beach season begins in September) so public materials are clear.

Separately, staff provided reservation metrics for the first season: between Oct. 19 and Jan. 31 the packet reports 90 possible hunt days, 540 possible reservations and 277 reservations made (51 percent use). The board asked staff to correct the phone-number typo and to return with consolidated policy language and clarified registration instructions.","Board reviewed new bow-hunting policy permitting DNR-managed bow hunting at Myrtle Point Park, shared first-season harvest and reservation statistics and discussed registration and policy wording.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6361927,"St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks outlines recent maintenance, park upgrades and CIP shifts",3282,166000,3448000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da&start=166&end=3448","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169233-1a79bf3fbde7522ed61df59d4b6ea2da/thumbnail_166000.jpg","/articles/6361927/St-Marys-County/Maryland/St-Marys-County-Recreation-and-Parks-outlines-recent-maintenance-park-upgrades-and-CIP-shifts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361927-1e39b66296a96b610b9e1746cea8836f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159455&Signature=SnL2cu7xF5Mjbg8oqmUXmrw3H7AtD8bwhjAQE02ZF0Bc91da-N8n2XW~KDrjirfZust8JHKUE9ll0j5~8QQbiA-FyTa08F2spR3PNrTWeQVFzRwDyJcx4OTHTAi-9VigKSsAmkFnq0BCksHBr0AZTI3oDDI~Ozru539sMaaeNLaUgTC9FfCfGszwVcCFFEVk9-c6Tx6nGMt1JXQfdxMN-KLJvyC9UQvkXdgc2GqO7qLPQYDzQtgZhY10DRK~58455ffSpvZ6VoDY45zKFSQYCu-66J0kosC3baqFsT7qQpZugPs9ZOOLZA9lGlxW8OtZrQpYlQqQM6PAbi59mX-olw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks staff told the Recreation and Parks Board that crews logged extended hours after a January snow, completed multiple paving and field projects and finished demolition of a nuisance structure as part of a slate of park maintenance and capital projects now in the county’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

The report, delivered to the board by parks staffer David, said crews “worked about 14 hours on Saturday and about 6 to 7 hours on Sunday, clearing all the county parking lots,” including lots at libraries, museums and the governmental center. David told members there were no major equipment breakdowns during the response.

Board members were given a series of photos and briefings on projects completed in the prior year. Highlights included: paving of roads and parking at Cecil Park in December; seeding of two athletic fields at Lancaster Park (fields expected to be playable in fall, not spring); replacement of aging basketball courts at Gibbons and Jarvisville parks; replacement of 20-year-old combination football/soccer goals at Dorsey, Lancaster and Cecil parks; and removal of a dilapidated house (the Denison House) on 3 Notch Trail to create open green space.

David also described smaller but important investments: chain-link and split-rail fencing around ball fields, parking-lot lighting at Cecil Park to support nighttime use of the newly lit 90-foot baseball field, asphalt overlays on park walkways (part of past ADA upgrades) and renovation of a leftover cinder-block storage building near the naval base for park storage use.

The department submitted the parks-related CIP materials to county staff and noted a small number of schedule changes from last year’s plan: the 3 Notch Trail Phase 7 construction was pushed to FY2019 in the draft, Shannon Farm development to FY2024 and St. Clement Island renovations moved out one year. Staff also added smaller improvement requests, including a flashing beacon at 3 Notch Trail at Baptist Church Road, pickleball courts at Chancellor’s Run Regional Park, and consideration of an irrigation well and bermudagrass at Dorsey Park.

Board members asked about ongoing maintenance priorities and timelines. David said progress on some projects is weather-dependent and that work paused for winter temperatures will resume when conditions allow. He said the department mailed the Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan (LPPRP) to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for state review after the board approved an earlier draft.

The board unanimously approved the meeting minutes at the start of the session, and later approved the draft annual report to forward to county commissioners.","Department staff reported completed maintenance work after January snow, asphalt and field projects at multiple parks, demolition of an unsafe structure and timing changes to capital projects submitted for the county CIP.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Saint Mary's Soccer warns of field shortages as travel teams expand into regional leagues

Recreation and Parks adds Myrtle Point bow-hunting policy; DNR to manage permits

St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks outlines recent maintenance, park upgrades and CIP shifts