On June 26, a judge for Prince George’s County Circuit Court temporarily blocked the county’s transfer of $39 million from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to its own budget. Members of the Prince George’s County Council argue the funds are taxpayer dollars they are free to repurpose while the M-NCPPC argues the money belongs to that body, mandated for parks, recreation and planning services, and is not the county’s at all. A hearing on the case is now scheduled for September. In the meantime, the block on funds may impact several Greenbelt projects.
At the June 8 Greenbelt City Council meeting, Timothy Adams, Prince George’s County Councilmember for District 4 (including Greenbelt), gave an update on the budget apportioned to the city from the county. Funding for $1.165M in projects includes support for Buddy Attick Park and Greenbelt Lake, up from typical county contributions of $260K annually to $400K this year; $400K for field light installation at Schrom Hills Park; $300K for Greenbelt Museum’s
expansion project and $65K for pool recoating at the Aquatic & Fitness Center (see the June 24 issue). At that meeting Adams said he was proud of these investments by the county and remains committed to advocate for future investment. This money that the city was anticipating is part of what are called project charges funds.
Impact on Greenbelt Projects
Last week, City Manager Josué Salmerón told the News Review he hasn’t had any direct conversations with either the county council or M-NCPPC regarding the implications of the temporary restraining order and ongoing litigation. However, it seems the county council has been blocked from transferring funds and awarding the project charges that Salmerón says Greenbelt is critically relying on for several projects. “I think it is fair to say that the full $1.165 million in project charges funding identified for Greenbelt is now in jeopardy,” Salmerón told the News Review. “As a result, the city cannot move forward with those projects at this time.”
The uncertainty limits the city’s ability to proceed with several key projects that have narrow windows for construction and completion, says Salmerón. For one project — the recoating of the indoor pool basin, which is part of a 10-year maintenance plan — the blocked funding may mean a delay of a whole year. “We had planned to complete the indoor pool recoating project during the month of August, while the outdoor pool is still open,” explained Salmerón. “That timing is important because the recoating requires us to close the indoor pool, drain it and apply multiple recoating layers. Given that the project funding is not available, we will need to push this project to August 2027.”
The expansion and renovation plans for the museum are also time sensitive because other grant funding for the project is conditional on its timely use. “The city has secured grant funds for the Museum that we are at risk of losing if the project does not continue moving forward,” confirmed Salmerón. “While we do not yet have full funding for the entire project, we have sufficient funding to proceed with demolition, the addition and major interior renovations. The city intends to push that work forward so that we can meet grant requirements and preserve the momentum that has taken so much time, effort and energy to build,” he told the News Review.
Lighting at Schrom Hills Park, too, will become increasingly important at the start of fall, as days shorten and evening light for sports and recreation is reduced. The lighting planned for that park is for athletic play on the new Bermuda field.
Adams Responds
The council worksession with Councilmember Adams that was scheduled to take place on June 29 was cancelled by Adams.
Adams told the News Review via email that the county council “reallocated funding to support programs and operations deemed by councilmembers to be impactful to the communities we serve, including several important projects in Greenbelt. These projects were not proposed in a vacuum but rather they came because of months of discussions with those very same municipalities and organizations who advocated for services and projects their communities depended on. Because this matter is currently before the court, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the merits of the litigation or speculate on its outcome.”
Adams said his office remains in communication with the City of Greenbelt and other District 4 municipalities, and said they will continue to share updates as available. “I understand the importance of projects such as improvements to our parks, pool and museum and I remain committed to advocating for the investments that benefit District 4 residents,” Adams told the News Review.
“Regardless of the outcome of the litigation, I will continue working with my colleagues, our municipal partners and county agencies to advocate for the projects and investments that are important to the residents of Greenbelt and District 4.”
As the dispute over the county’s budget and its transfer of
M-NCPPC funds plays out, possibly until the court hearing in September, Greenbelt and other recipients of project charges wait. “I do hope the county and
M-NCPPC can work toward a swift resolution so that we can move forward with serving our residents, as they have entrusted us to do,” said Salmerón.
