Annapolis adopts county permitting rules, outlines options for closed Wiens Whelan field and Collison upgrades

Annapolis recreation officials told the City Council work session on May 27 that the Department of Recreation and Parks has adopted Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parkspermitting procedures to reduce duplicate paperwork, described how permit priorities are set, and outlined redevelopment options for several city fields including the long-closed Wiens Whelan.

For the record, Rosalind Johnson, director of Recreation and Parks for the city of Annapolis, opened the departmentpresentation and summarized the departmentapproach to youth sports and field management. Johnson said, "So the total number of hours that we've permitted for this spring, it's 1506 hours of play." She added that the March 3 to June 12 permit window represented about 62.75 days of continuous playtime across city fields.

The department said it adopted Anne Arundel CountyRecreation and Parkspermitting rules after a series of community meetings the department called a sports symposium.Under the adopted approach, permit hours are determined by the number of active players on a roster submitted to Anne Arundel County; the citygives priority to teams comprised of at least 75% city residents. Johnson described the change as intended to prevent duplicate paperwork and to align scheduling calculations between jurisdictions.

Why it matters: Permitting rules determine which teams get guaranteed, exclusive time on limited fields; the department said adoption of the county process and an online permit request system should reduce confusion and disputes over time allocations.

Major details from the presentation

- Ownership and hours: Johnson and other staff listed specific fields and their owners. Some city-maintained fields are owned by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (for example, Panther Stadium and the track at Bates), some by Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks (the Boys & Girls Club turf field at Griscom), and several are owned and maintained by the Annapolis Department of Recreation and Parks (Griscom Fields 1 and 2, Collison Field at Truxton Park). Staff said lit fields can be scheduled for later hours than unlit fields; unlit fields are generally available dawn to dusk or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during seasonal daylight hours.

- Temporary lighting: The department declined requests to allow temporary lights on fields, saying temporary fixtures are unsafe. "Temporary lights are not something that we would deem safe," Johnson said, adding that lighting is a technical specification and that improperly mounted or angled lights can create shadows that increase injury risk.

- Fees and permits: Staff provided permit hour and fee summaries for organizations. Several nonprofit and city-based groups had fees waived. Examples given in the presentation: SMA was listed with 8 hours per week (160 total permit hours), AYLA roughly 12 hours per week (156 total permit hours); the department said fees for those nonprofit groups were waived. Annapolis Soccer Club was described as not meeting the 75% city-residency threshold for priority in one listing (50.7% city residents), which placed it lower in the priority matrix for the spring season.

Collison Field, feasibility and budget

Alderman Gaye funded a feasibility review for Collison Field; staff said a consultant scope of services has been developed to evaluate turning Collison into a linear field. Johnson said the feasibility study cost the city about $10,000 and that the council had placed $200,000 in the department budget for potential renovations. Staff estimated full conversion to a linear field would cost about $400,000; Johnson said roughly $190,000 remained available in the current allocation after the feasibility work.

Wiens Whelan (closed field) and remediation options

Staff reported Wiens Whelan has been closed for about 12 years. Restoration options discussed included reuse as a natural turf field or replacement with artificial turf using alternative infill. Johnson described an organic option, "Brock infill," made of shredded wood rather than crumb rubber, and said the comptroller had allowed use of that material while expressing caution about standard crumb-rubber infill because of environmental and heat concerns.

The department said it completed an environmental study and noted the city must secure approvals from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) before reopening or redeveloping the site. City staff and the city manager said remediation and turf replacement can be coupled in the capital improvement plan (CIP) but that MDE will have final authority on whether and how the field can be used. Council members pressed staff for comparative cost estimates for artificial turf vs. natural turf with capping; staff said no full comparative cost estimates had been prepared yet. Johnson said, "Do not. We don't have 1 estimate yet," in reply to a council question about having two comparable estimates available.

Staffing and maintenance

Recreation and Parks highlighted its in-house maintenance team and training. Johnson named field staff including Rafael de Jesus (Ray) with 29 years of experience and Delano (field liner) with 27 years; Rodney Dillard described recent staff training with private contractors and industry providers.

What was not decided

No formal council votes were taken at the work session. Several items were described as in-progress or contingent: the Collison feasibility study is complete and a scope is developed, but the full renovation plan and appropriations remain for council consideration; the Wiens Whelan redevelopment is contingent on MDE approvals and funding decisions; staff said they will return with more cost details.

Ending

Council members asked for follow-up information including comparative cost estimates for Wiens Whelan remediation and clarification on hours and permit details ahead of upcoming budget votes. Staff offered field tours and said they would provide the presentation and follow-up materials to the council.