Sierra Club urges Prince George's County to fund parks, climate-resilience measures in planning budget

Janet Gingold, speaking for the Prince George's Sierra Club, told the Prince George's County Council at a public hearing at 1301 McCormick Drive in Largo that the parks and planning budget should include dedicated resources to implement the county climate action plan and increase climate resilience across parklands and planning programs.

Gingold said the county needs “funding to integrate climate resilience goals into all long range county plans, policies, and capital improvement” and urged robust community engagement to identify local needs. She recommended funding for designated resilience hubs — including infrastructure upgrades, local reliable electricity and staff training — and called for energy-resilience investments such as solar installations, battery storage and microgrids with priority for overburdened and underserved communities.

The Sierra Club representative also asked the council to allocate resources to implement recently adopted tree conservation and stream-buffer regulations, to adopt updated green-infrastructure standards and stormwater manuals that prioritize nature-based solutions, and to provide incentives for developers to preserve on-site natural resources and use permeable surfaces. “Please fund initiatives that augment tree cover, especially in stream valleys and near urban heat islands, including acquisition of forested lands and land in the flood plains where development should not occur,” Gingold said.

Gingold urged the council and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to expand park programming that raises public awareness about climate resilience, including community science programs, interpretive signage and volunteer opportunities. She also recommended funding for care of natural-surface trails, ecosystem restoration and invasive species control.

On the question of playing fields, Gingold told council members, “We urge you not to fund additional synthetic turf fields because they contain ‘forever chemicals’ that impact human health, increase surface temperatures and create hundreds of tons of waste when removed.” She also asked for resources to repair and maintain drinking-water fountains and add refill stations to reduce beverage-container litter, and for M-NCPPC leadership on solar installations, electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and electrification of vehicles and landscaping equipment.

Another commenter praised the Lake Arbor Golf Course conversion under Park and Planning as a model for reforestation, stream restoration, accessible trails and nature-based play. That speaker emphasized using local natural assets for green-job creation, invasive-species control and environmental education, and encouraged continued investment in neighborhood recreation centers such as Kentland Recreation Center and youth-leadership programs.

The public hearing included three speakers signed up to speak, according to the meeting record. The council did not take formal action on the requests during the hearing; the public-comment portion concluded and the meeting proceeded to closing business later in the agenda.