Urbana park project earns state grant money

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007

Urbana park project earns state grant money

$1.3 million in expected funds will pay for part of planned $7.4 million project

by Chris Brown | Staff Writer

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Gov. Martin O’Malley announced last week that the Maryland Board of Public Works would provide $1.3 million to help build a 95-acre district park in Urbana.

The state money will go toward the first phase of the park, which will include hiking trails, two soccer fields, a football⁄lacrosse field, three general purpose ball fields, two playgrounds, four picnic pavilions, restrooms, landscaping and security lighting.

The money comes from the state’s Program Open Space, which has preserved 321,470 acres of public space and recreation areas since 1969, according to a press release from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Paul Dial, director of Frederick County’s Division of Parks and Recreation, said that the Urbana District Park should be under construction by 2008. Dial said he could not estimate the exact date when the project would begin, because of design issues that had yet to be addressed.

He said the funding that had been approved by the state was the funding that his office had requested, and it was the amount that he had been expecting.

Monocacy Land Company, developer of the Villages of Urbana, donated roughly 100 acres of land that will become the new park, to be located on Md. Route 355 on the western side of Urbana.

The construction budget for the first phase of the park is $7.4 million, Dial said, which should be enough to accomplish all of the aforementioned construction.

He said funding for the project would come from a variety of sources, but mainly from county funds.

The Urbana District Park’s first phase will be partially funded with money allowable under development side of Program Open Space funding, Dial said.