St. Mary's County parks staff outline $5.5M CIP, progress on Lexington Manor passive park and sports-complex study

St. Mary's County Parks and Recreation staff on Feb. 2021 gave an update on capital projects, reporting demolition and new partnerships at Lexington Manor Passive Park, a state/federal match for a Snow Hill Park boat ramp, continuing synthetic turf installations and lighting at several parks, and a feasibility recommendation that pushed a proposed county sports complex to fiscal 2027.

The projects matter to residents who use county fields, playgrounds and waterfronts and to the county's capital budget: staff said the upcoming CIP recommendation totals about $5.5 million, with the largest single item tied to Snow Hill Park and a planned boat ramp.

"I was just at the Lexington Manor Passif Park this afternoon," Mr. Shepherd said as he opened the project update. He reported that a contractor, Triple Creek, will begin full demolition the week following the meeting and that crews already removed dead trees and created new pathways as part of phase 1 improvements. Shepherd described a new parking area and a "new entrance off to 35" and said…