WORCESTER COUNTY–The inclusion of an expansion of Showell Park and a new Berlin library in the county’s requested five-year capital improvement plan caused concern for some people Tuesday.
During the Worcester County Commissioner’s public hearing about that plan, Grant Helvey said he had lived in Ocean Pines for more than 20 years and during all that time, he had never heard neighbors say anything about wanting an expansion of Showell Park.
The county has more than enough recreational land for its residents, he said. He also questioned whether the $900,000 figure in the capital improvement plan for approximately 100 acres was “prudent” and he questioned the statement from Paige Hurley, director of the Department of Recreation and Parks, who said the expansion would be good for economic development.
The vision, Hurley said, was “to develop multi-purpose fields. In addition to those fields, he would like the park to have bathrooms, trails and concessions to draw people and “bring in revenue as well.”
Considerable revenue could result if the expansion is made, if fields and other amenities are provided and if tournaments take place at the park. Those tournaments would not just help the county, but Ocean City businesses as well because tournament players and their families would be staying in lodging establishments, eating at restaurants and spending money in various shops.
The park would continue to provide recreational activities for area residents, but “recreation has really expanded,” Hurley said, and he wants to build revenue by bringing in tournaments.
“That’s the future I see,” Hurley said.
Showell Park would be the prime location for it because the children could play in tournaments and they and their parents could also visit the beach.
As far as money is concerned, almost all of the money would come from Program Open Space funds, which come from real estate transfer taxes. The state program would pay 100 percent of the cost of the land and 90 percent of the cost of development.
“As far as putting a number on it, we haven’t gotten that far,” Hurley said.
The capital improvement plan includes $900,000 for land acquisition for the park in fiscal year 2015 and additional funds for engineering, site work, construction, equipment and other items through fiscal year 2018 for a total of $2.3 million. It also includes $600,000 for land acquisition and engineering and design for a new Berlin library in fiscal year 2015 and additional funds for engineering, site work, construction and equipment and furnishings through fiscal year 2017 for a total of $4.9 million.
Ocean City resident Ellie Diegelmann thought the $400,000 allotted for land was too much and asked why it could not be built on the same site. Berlin resident Frank Gebhart said he lives nearby and goes by it “all the time. I very seldom see many cars in the parking lot.”
Mark Thomas, director of the Worcester County Library, said few cars are in the branch library’s parking lot because “it’s a walkable, bikeable place to go.”
The library building, which was built in 1970, is “woefully inadequate for that community,” Thomas said.
Libraries are no longer just places for lending books; they are places where a variety of educational programs are offered to people of all ages.
“I feel real confident about the need for that building,” Thomas said.
As for Diegelmann’s concern about the need to purchase land for a new library, Thomas said the county does not own the land where the Berlin branch library is located. The Berlin Fire Company owns it and could use it.
“Building onsite is not an option,” Thomas said.
Additional items in the requested five-year capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2018 include $10 million for a replacement and upgrade of the jail’s HVAC system, $3.1 million to cap and close the Berlin rubble fill, $3.6 million for a new county storage building in Snow Hill, $1.1 million for a 500,000-gallon leachate storage tank and $951,437 for an expansion of the recreation center in Snow Hill.
The projects total $142.6 million, with $15.5 million or 10.9 percent to come from the general fund and $82.6 million of 57.902 percent to come from bond funds. The remaining funds would come from user fees, grant funds, state match funds, designated funds or enterprise fund bonds.
Inclusion in the requested capital improvement plan does not guarantee funding.
“This is a plan,” said Bud Church, president of the Worcester County Commissioners. “Without a plan, we don’t know where we’re going. It’s just a plan, nothing more, nothing less.”
During the Worcester County Commissioner’s public hearing about that plan, Grant Helvey said he had lived in Ocean Pines for more than 20 years and during all that time, he had never heard neighbors say anything about wanting an expansion of Showell Park.
The county has more than enough recreational land for its residents, he said. He also questioned whether the $900,000 figure in the capital improvement plan for approximately 100 acres was “prudent” and he questioned the statement from Paige Hurley, director of the Department of Recreation and Parks, who said the expansion would be good for economic development.
The vision, Hurley said, was “to develop multi-purpose fields. In addition to those fields, he would like the park to have bathrooms, trails and concessions to draw people and “bring in revenue as well.”
Considerable revenue could result if the expansion is made, if fields and other amenities are provided and if tournaments take place at the park. Those tournaments would not just help the county, but Ocean City businesses as well because tournament players and their families would be staying in lodging establishments, eating at restaurants and spending money in various shops.
The park would continue to provide recreational activities for area residents, but “recreation has really expanded,” Hurley said, and he wants to build revenue by bringing in tournaments.
“That’s the future I see,” Hurley said.
Showell Park would be the prime location for it because the children could play in tournaments and they and their parents could also visit the beach.
As far as money is concerned, almost all of the money would come from Program Open Space funds, which come from real estate transfer taxes. The state program would pay 100 percent of the cost of the land and 90 percent of the cost of development.
“As far as putting a number on it, we haven’t gotten that far,” Hurley said.
The capital improvement plan includes $900,000 for land acquisition for the park in fiscal year 2015 and additional funds for engineering, site work, construction, equipment and other items through fiscal year 2018 for a total of $2.3 million. It also includes $600,000 for land acquisition and engineering and design for a new Berlin library in fiscal year 2015 and additional funds for engineering, site work, construction and equipment and furnishings through fiscal year 2017 for a total of $4.9 million.
Ocean City resident Ellie Diegelmann thought the $400,000 allotted for land was too much and asked why it could not be built on the same site. Berlin resident Frank Gebhart said he lives nearby and goes by it “all the time. I very seldom see many cars in the parking lot.”
Mark Thomas, director of the Worcester County Library, said few cars are in the branch library’s parking lot because “it’s a walkable, bikeable place to go.”
The library building, which was built in 1970, is “woefully inadequate for that community,” Thomas said.
Libraries are no longer just places for lending books; they are places where a variety of educational programs are offered to people of all ages.
“I feel real confident about the need for that building,” Thomas said.
As for Diegelmann’s concern about the need to purchase land for a new library, Thomas said the county does not own the land where the Berlin branch library is located. The Berlin Fire Company owns it and could use it.
“Building onsite is not an option,” Thomas said.
Additional items in the requested five-year capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2018 include $10 million for a replacement and upgrade of the jail’s HVAC system, $3.1 million to cap and close the Berlin rubble fill, $3.6 million for a new county storage building in Snow Hill, $1.1 million for a 500,000-gallon leachate storage tank and $951,437 for an expansion of the recreation center in Snow Hill.
The projects total $142.6 million, with $15.5 million or 10.9 percent to come from the general fund and $82.6 million of 57.902 percent to come from bond funds. The remaining funds would come from user fees, grant funds, state match funds, designated funds or enterprise fund bonds.
Inclusion in the requested capital improvement plan does not guarantee funding.
“This is a plan,” said Bud Church, president of the Worcester County Commissioners. “Without a plan, we don’t know where we’re going. It’s just a plan, nothing more, nothing less.”