Parks and Recreation outlines FY2025 work program; committee schedules follow‑up on delayed project‑charge approvals

The Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation presented an overview of its fiscal 2025 work program on Feb. 20, describing trail improvements, new land acquisition, inclusive programming and capital projects. The briefing prompted prolonged committee discussion about project‑charge administration after councilmembers and nonprofit representatives said scopes were inconsistently applied and reimbursements delayed.

Director Bill Tyler summarized department highlights including park police restructuring, natural surface trail work, 4–5 miles of new trails at the recently acquired 500‑acre Charles Branch property, and new inclusive features such as a designated accessible loop for people with disabilities. Deputy Director Melissa Carter said the department repaired 26 bridges and boardwalks at various parks and invested roughly $2.5 million in those repairs; the department also resurfaced and renovated five miles of paved trails and installed 14 bike repair stations.

Deputy Director Len Pettiford described upcoming facility openings such as the Marlow Heights community center (expected in April) and noted tree‑planting and branding initiatives. Deputy Director Wanda Ramos described recreation programming—summer camps, an expanded tennis program (the department was named 2024 Tennis Agency of the Year by Racket Sports Industry magazine), new STEAM camps and the Rise Up after‑school program. The department said it manages roughly 160 miles of paved trails and about 395 park sites across approximately 31,000 acres.

The presentation shifted when Councilmember Burrows and others pressed Parks and Recreation staff over project charges—small county allocations to nonprofit programs—saying guidance and approvals had been inconsistent and that reimbursements had been delayed. Burrows described a multi‑year effort to get a youth leadership program approved and said an almost identical scope approved in June 2024 was subsequently denied when re‑submitted in February 2025. "When you deny a youth academy project charge, you're not denying me. You're denying poor kids an opportunity," Burrows said.

Deputy Chief of Staff Sean Harbaugh told the committee the department had identified 138 FY25 project charges (an increase from the prior year) and had attempted outreach to nearly all recipients; roughly 20 had not yet responded to registration requests. Parks leadership acknowledged the backlog and said some delays were tied to late adoption of the county budget and the mechanics of executing agreements and reimbursements. Director Tyler and council members agreed a dedicated follow‑up meeting on project charges, handled with counsel in attendance, was necessary.

Committee members asked for a rapid, specific plan: produce a list of all project charges with scopes and approval/denial status, explain how education versus recreation is defined for eligibility, and provide a timeline to clear reimbursements for agreements already approved by council resolution. Councilmember O'Rara said she had tested the process and found identical scopes were treated differently depending on the organization submitting them, and she urged prompt corrective action. The chair directed staff to arrange a project‑charge‑focused hearing with legal counsel and relevant budget staff as soon as practicable.

The department said it will coordinate with council offices to follow up with nonprofit partners, produce the requested lists and work with the committee to schedule the technical follow‑up meeting.