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Taneytown Parks board advances Memorial Park expansion planning amid funding and permitting hurdles
Summary
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board discussed stormwater and permitting issues tied to the Memorial Park expansion, confirmed a major grant as the FY26 capital outlay source and flagged reliance on park-impact fees and the general fund for additional costs.
Taneytown’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board discussed technical and permitting hurdles for the Memorial Park expansion during its April 16 meeting, and confirmed the project will be the department’s sole capital outlay item for fiscal year 2026, funded primarily by a grant from the National Park Service administered through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The board heard that State Highway and the County Forest Conservation office must sign off on stormwater and right-of-way elements before construction can move forward. Staff and board members described options to address runoff from a proposed sidewalk that State Highway said would be required for a connector road: keep the sidewalk and meet stormwater requirements, replace it with a pervious-concrete surface to increase infiltration, install a small catch-basin-style rock depression to intercept sheet flow, or remove the sidewalk now and commit in writing to add it within a multiyear timeframe. Board members said they have a virtual meeting with State Highway scheduled to review those options.
The board also discussed funding constraints for park expansion and maintenance. Members noted that park impact fees and fees-in-lieu of open space are the department’s largest revenue sources — described in the meeting as a $1,000 park impact fee plus a $1,500 fee in lieu of dedicated open space, together amounting to $2,500 per new house when development occurs — and that limited or slowed residential growth would reduce available funds. Staff said the FY26 capital outlay request will focus on Memorial Park expansion, made possible by a large grant from the National Park Service through DNR, but that other work will rely on the general fund and future development-driven impact fees.
Board members also reviewed a small administrative budget change: a $2,500 engineering line item that had been included for several years was removed because most engineering costs are charged directly to active projects rather than a separate, general engineering budget.
Discussion noted that some design elements are already recorded in the city’s master plan; because the sidewalk appears in the master plan, removing it for the current project may require a written commitment about future installation. Staff said approvals from both State Highway and County Forest Conservation are needed to proceed.
The board did not take a formal roll-call vote on the expansion project during the meeting; discussion focused on options and next steps, including the meeting with State Highway.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of minutes from March 13, 2025: motion moved and seconded; voice vote recorded as "aye" and approved. - Mowing contract extension with Ecker's (one additional year under the contract option): consensus to renew; motion/second not recorded by name; outcome approved. - Motion to adjourn: moved and seconded; voice vote recorded as "aye" and approved.
What happens next
Staff said they will pursue the scheduled meeting with State Highway, confirm County Forest Conservation requirements and, depending on the outcome, either adopt a pervious-surface or catch-basin solution or remove the sidewalk for the current phase and commit to future installation in writing.
