By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer
Decatur Park renovations are a top priority for the Berlin Parks Commission after a unanimous vote last week. FILE PHOTO
An all-new Stephen Decatur Park got bumped up to the top of the Berlin Parks Commission’s priority list during its July 5 meeting.
Mayor Zack Tyndall stopped by the meeting to support the project.
“We brought this up a year ago almost, looking at the playground equipment and hopefully pursuing a grant application for an inclusive playground that would span multiple ages at (the park),” he said.
Tyndall brought up the recent independent report that found the park equipment to be in a state of deterioration by and large and needed to be replaced.
He estimated that a total renovation would cost a little more than $1 million.
The plan still needs to be fleshed out concerning funding. Still, Tyndall said it would be prudent to enlist the help of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources so the renovations would not just refrain from destroying any vegetation but possibly enhance it.
No preliminary designs have been discussed but Tyndall did bring concept art showing what a new park could look like.
“(We could) preserve the natural beauty of Stephen Decatur Park but also add something where all ages and abilities can play,” he said.
He also brought up fishing, adding that the pond at the park is in no condition for fishing now.
Town administrator Mary Bohlen concurred.
“If you were to cast a line in there now you’d catch everything under the sun except a fish,” she said.
Meanwhile, the commission approved a table-tennis library at the soon-to-be table tennis park located at Burbage Park on William Street.
The library will look much the same as a free lending library stand — one of which may also be coming to the park, according to the commission — and offer equipment for table tennis that interested parties may not possess themselves.
The Planning Commission next meets on Aug. 2.
This story appears in the print version of the Bayside Gazette on July 14, 2022.