Local perspective: Open space an asset
by Jeffrey Smith
As a lifelong resident of Maryland, I have come to realize that one of the most important assets of our state is the wealth of parks and open spaces dotting the landscape.
In the immediate vicinity of my family’s Nottingham home, there are over a dozen parks, trails, community centers, or other recreation facilities available.
The development of parks and the preservation of open space are vital for everyone.
First and foremost, these resources provide ready access for citizens to engage in a wide array of recreational activities such as walking, jogging, bicycling, or rollerblading.
Recent statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrate the necessity for promoting increased physical exercise. And currently, 50 percent of Marylanders don’t meet the recommended weekly minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity.
Plus, parks improve the quality of life by increasing the attractiveness of residential communities; their presence has a positive impact on the value of homes in the area; and, parks help the economy. (For instance, $303,750 in tax revenue and 264 jobs can be attributed to just one Hiker-Biker Rail-Trail currently located in Maryland.)
Additionally, the availability of a wide array of parks, trails, accessible waterway preserves, and other venues greatly aides in attracting tourism dollars to our county and state.
Sadly, the continued preservation of open space now faces a grave threat in Maryland.
As part of the actions taken during the November 2007 Special Session of the General Assembly, legislators recommended that an additional $550 million in funds be cut from Maryland’s FY 2009 budget. When analyzing where some of these cuts could come from, it seems likely that local governments would suffer greatly.
In particular, funds are frequently stripped from state/local land preservation programs to help cover operating deficits.
For almost 40 years, Maryland’s Program Open Space (POS) has used funds generated by the transfer/recordation taxes on land sales to help preserve open space. Marylanders who have bought or sold homes or other properties have already helped to pay for over 254,000 acres of state parks and more than 37,500 acres of local parks that wouldn’t exist otherwise.
For a few tangible examples of how POS promotes park development, you need only look to the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. Their largest parks (Eastern Regional Park in Chase, Honeygo Run Regional Park in Perry Hall, Meadowood Regional Park in Lutherville, Reisterstown Regional Park, and Northwest Regional Park in Owings Mills) were funded in part through POS dollars. The development of these regional parks alone resulted in the preservation of nearly 775 acres of natural area parklands.
As legislators gather in Annapolis this month to seek ways to balance the state budget, it is crucial for citizens to urge that land preservation programs not suffer.
The loss would greatly undermine Maryland’s legacy of progress in both the preservation of open space and the development of public parks.
Maryland’s leaders need to figure out a way to make any required budget cuts without crippling Program Open Space.
Preserving these funds will benefit both today’s Baltimore County residents and also future generations of Marylanders.
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