Hundreds of residents and representatives of community groups addressed the Baltimore County Planning Board’s citizen input hearing on Oct. 16, urging capital funding for sidewalks, stormwater mitigation, water-main replacements, senior-center construction, parks, historic-building stabilization and other local projects.

Speakers described recurring themes: flooding and stormwater retention in the Lake Roland watershed, incomplete sidewalks and crosswalks providing unsafe pedestrian access near parks and schools, aging water mains and repeated breaks in some communities, and the need for new or expanded senior and community facilities. Several speakers gave dollar requests or program figures during the two-hour public comment period.

Key requests and figures reported to the planning board included:

- Jeffrey Budnitz, representing the Ruxton/Ryders/Northern Lake Roland area groups, asked again for a sidewalk and crosswalk at Stevenson Lane and Charles Street to improve pedestrian access to Lake Roland Park and flagged ongoing flooding that volunteer stream-clean efforts had partially addressed.

- Patricia Farley urged funding to conduct a feasibility study tied to the planning board’s earlier recommendation to change Manor Center’s water designation; she said, “I would ask for a half a million dollars to do this.” Staff later told the board the Office of Law was reviewing whether funds for that feasibility study are available.

- Multiple speakers including George Perdakakis and Wes Galkert requested $2,100,000 to improve Ebenezer Road between Pulaski Highway and Route 7 to address congestion, sight-distance issues and safety problems.

- Shirley Cathorn, president of the Liberty Senior Council, requested $15,000,000 over three years to construct a new senior center, citing rapid membership and attendance growth and limitations of the current facility.

- Community groups requested sidewalk completion, lighting and traffic-calming measures in Fullerton/Overlea and Hazelwood business corridors; Pikesville Improvement Corporation asked for sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, a surveillance camera system and an engineering study for a walking-biking trail.

- Baltimore County Disc Golf requested an additional $100,000 toward a disc-golf course at Reisterstown Regional Park and general support for disc-golf amenities in the county.

- Cromwell Valley Park Council requested $1.2 million to $1.5 million for structural stabilization and exterior repairs to the historic Merrick Bank barn and related preservation work for several historic buildings in the park.

- The Natural History Society of Maryland representatives requested county support for interior renovation work and reported prior county funding for exterior renovations; they said they plan to seek county, state and private funding and requested $1,500,000 in county leadership support for the next phase.

- Multiple speakers from communities experiencing repeated water-main breaks requested accelerated replacement of aging water mains; one resident said his neighborhood had experienced more than 21 water-main breaks over seven years.

Speakers noted procedural or jurisdictional constraints where relevant: several petitioners acknowledged Charles Street as a Maryland state road requiring MDOT involvement for crosswalks; Manor Center water-service changes would require a county feasibility study and potential funding sources; historic-building stabilization requests would require capital allocations and phased work.

Planning staff and department representatives were present to receive testimony; the planning board took comments for its CIP review but did not take funding actions at the hearing. The board will consider testimony as agencies prepare formal capital requests for the budget office and subsequent planning-board review.