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Residents urge county to buy Discovery Village to reopen public boat ramp; call for using FY26 funds
Summary
Speakers at the Sept. 2 council meeting urged the county to use existing public boat-ramp funds or state grants to regain public access to the Discovery Village ramp, closed on July 1. Residents described economic and recreational loss and requested the administration pursue purchase or alternative funding.
Annapolis, Sept. 2 — Residents urged the Anne Arundel County Council on Sept. 2 to act to restore public access to the Discovery Village boat ramp, which community members say was closed on July 1 and has remained inaccessible.
Lisa Arrowsmith, chair of the Public Water Access Committee, told the council it has been 64 days since the ramp was closed and urged use of the $3.1 million in the FY26 public boat ramp development account to buy Discovery Village and reopen the ramp. Arrowsmith said the ramp had functioned as a de facto public boating center used by charter fishermen, recreational boaters, kayakers, paddle-boarders and watermen and that the lease limited possible improvements because the buildings were not included in the lease map.
She suggested leveraging state funding — including the State Waterway Improvement Fund (application deadline noted for September) and the Program Open Space fund — and uploaded documents summarizing potential funding sources.
Other speakers, including Mike Shea of South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development, asked the administration to negotiate with the county executive’s office, noting prior lease history and asserting lost opportunities. Speakers urged both purchase and partnership options and asked the administration to engage with state grant programs if necessary.
Council procedure note Council chair reminded the audience that leases and purchases are handled by the administration rather than the council and encouraged residents to engage the county executive’s office on negotiations.
Ending Speakers asked the administration to pursue all available funding routes to restore public access; no formal council action occurred during the meeting.
