Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Cip topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rec & Parks seeks $55M for Edgewater community center and advances multiple park projects
Summary
Recreation & Parks asked the council for operating staff tied to coming facilities and requested $55 million to renovate the Edgewater Community Center (including a second‑floor track), a $2.5 million VLT contribution toward a West County Swim Center and a FY27 design request for a Crofton skate park.
Jessica Leys, director of Recreation & Parks, told the Anne Arundel County Council on May 20 that FY27 asks include operating funds tied to capital openings and a set of capital requests aimed at completing long‑running projects and expanding community centers.
On the operating side, Leys said the department’s general‑fund request rises about 7% for FY27, driven largely by annualization of projects completed in FY26, utility and contract cost increases, and new positions tied to facilities recently completed or coming online. Examples: staffing and programming funding for the Edgewater Community Center (prorated in FY27 because the center is slated to open in spring 2027), a park ranger to support Lake Waterford’s expanded hours and new indoor tennis bubble, and maintenance staffing for turf and horticulture operations.
Leys and Bruce Bruschi presented FY27 capital highlights. The department requested $55 million to complete renovations at the Edgewater Community Center; the figure includes a public‑solicited addition — a second‑floor track — and anticipates about $2.8 million in grant funding. Leys said the center will use a mixed revenue model (some free access, paid programming, memberships/punch cards and event space) and that programming revenues are expected to offset a portion of operating costs when fully online.
Other capital items noted: a $2.5 million Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) grant earmarked for the West County Swim Center, advancing design and energy strategy to reduce lifecycle costs; a new FY27 design request to study and design a Crofton skate park (projected construction in FY28); ongoing park acquisitions and multi‑year programs for irrigation, field turf replacement (Challenger Field), and water‑access improvements (Valentine Creek, Beachwood). Leys flagged a FY27 operating revenue net effect for Edgewater that will be partly offset by expected program revenue once the center is fully open.
Council members asked for follow‑up details on timelines and public engagement. Leys said the Crofton skate‑park design work would start in FY27 with construction anticipated in FY28, and that Edgewater partners — including the Resilience Authority — are involved in design and grant strategy.
What happens next: the council will review Rec & Parks capital requests in committee; staff offered to provide additional modeling showing operating revenues and the energy‑strategy analysis for swim‑center operations.
