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Taneytown officials say Memorial Park expansion still stalled pending SHA, MDE and forest approvals
Summary
Town staff said progress on Memorial Park’s expansion is blocked by three outstanding approvals — State Highway, Maryland Department of the Environment and County forest-conservation — and by the need to record a private easement before an RFP can be posted.
Taneytown Parks & Recreation staff said on Jan. 15 that work on the long-planned Memorial Park expansion cannot proceed until the town secures three regulatory approvals and records a private easement.
Lorena (Parks & Recreation staff) told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that staff and consultants have met with adjacent property owners to secure an easement across the Runahans' parcel for a stormwater line. "We've been hitting this roadblock, pun intended, with SHA," she said, referring to the town's need for State Highway approval. She also said the town must obtain a waterways permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and County Forest Conservation approval before the project can move forward.
The easement would allow the town to route a drainage pipe across a neighboring property and resolve the stormwater issue for the connector road off Frederick Street, Lorena said. She added that once the easement is recorded and the three approvals are in hand, the town will issue a one-month RFP period and then award a construction contract.
Why this matters: The Memorial Park expansion includes playing fields, parking, lighting and a building. Town staff said grading, asphalt and landscaping make up the bulk of the work; grading alone and turf establishment could extend construction and site-readiness into the following spring. That affects youth sports schedules and the town’s event planning.
Key details - Permits and approvals needed: State Highway approval (SHA), MDE waterways permit and County Forest Conservation approval. Planning Commission review was also noted as a remaining step. - Easement: Town staff said adjacent property owners (identified in the meeting as the Runahans) agreed in principle to an easement to carry stormwater across their land; staff will prepare recording documents. - RFP and timeline: Lorena said an RFP must remain open for a month after approvals; once a contractor is awarded, construction could take about 4–5 months depending on weather, primarily for grading, paving, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping. Wharton Buildings is already contracted to supply the park building component and would start when the town gives the notice to proceed. - Reforestation requirement: County conservation reviewers asked whether the project provided adequate replanting area for trees removed for fields; staff said reforestation can be provided off-site (for example, at the Bollinger road frontage) and that the county has required tree-planting ratios.
Board questions focused on schedule and dependencies. One board member asked for a best- and worst-case calendar. Lorena said best-case would be a summer start if approvals arrive quickly, but she declined to provide a worst-case date. She also said the town’s consultants recently changed, which she blamed for added delay: "If only State Highway, if they had gone ahead and signed off before they switched consultants on us, we would have already been under construction by now," she said.
What’s next: Town staff will record the easement and continue to pursue SHA, MDE and forest-conservation approvals. The board was told it will be informed when SHA signs off so the RFP phase can begin.
Ending: For now, league scheduling and field availability remain subject to the outcome of permitting and easement recording; staff cautioned that turf establishment will add months before new fields are fully usable.
