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Residents urge full funding for parks and recreation; transit advocates press for bus frequency and Chevy Chase redevelopment
Summary
Speakers called for fully funding parks and recreation to meet demand at centers such as Long Branch and to address waitlists; transit advocates asked the council to prioritize bus frequency and to pursue mixed‑use redevelopment for the Chevy Chase Library site.
Multiple speakers urged the council to fully fund parks and recreation operations and programming, and transit and land‑use advocates highlighted alternative, lower‑cost approaches to improving bus service.
Michael Richie, representing the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, described Long Branch Community Recreation Center as a "pipeline" for youth programming and urged the council to "fully fund the Department of Recreation" so facilities can meet demand. Alisa Galisby and Ryan Hol emphasized waitlists for summer camps and senior programming and asked the county to fund a 6.3% parks request the executive partially funded at 4%.
Michael Larkin of the Action Committee for Transit urged investments that increase bus frequency and reliability rather than relying solely on expensive capital projects. He suggested expanding the bus priority program, transit signal priority and express bus service on planned BRT corridors. Larkin also urged that the Chevy Chase Library redevelopment include housing on county‑owned land to provide deeper affordability near transit.
Speakers opposing the overall spending plan argued for fiscal restraint, while parks, transit and library advocates framed their requests as cost‑effective investments in community access and mobility. The council will weigh operational increases and capital options in upcoming committee sessions.
