Athletic Complex

The county Board of Appeals will allow an Odenton company to build a 250-foot cellular phone tower in Crofton next to a proposed athletic complex.In a decision released Friday, the board voted 6-1 to grant West Shore Communications Inc. an exception to build a lattice tower on 2 acres off Route 424 next to the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department, overturning a county hearing officer's decision.The land is zoned for agricultural and residential use, and the tower is considered a public utility.

The city's financial oversight committee approved yesterday the sale of 50 acres north of Television Hill to Loyola College, allowing the school to build an athletic complex. The five-member Board of Estimates voted 4-1 to sell the land, which is partially landfill and partially woods, to the school for $348,698. Mayor Martin O'Malley, City Council President Sheila Dixon, City Solicitor Thurman W. Zollicoffer Jr. and Public Works Director George L. Winfield voted for the proposal, and Comptroller Joan M. Pratt voted against it after listening to neighborhood complaints about traffic, noise and the destruction of woodlands.

With a two-year campaign behind him, 3rd District County Councilman-elect Thomas Redmond is looking forward to getting to work and making good on his campaign promises.Crowded schools and congested roads were the issues that defined the race between Mr. Redmond, the owner of a towing and auto parts company, and the Republican incumbent, Carl G. "Dutch" Holland.Waivers to the adequate-facilities law granted to developers in recent years allowed construction of houses even though the roads and schools were at or near capacity.

It has taken 20 years to make the transformation from cattle-rearing to recreation, but the farm that once belonged to a family of German immigrants is now land for all of their neighbors to enjoy.Kinder Farm Park, a 288-acre parcel along Jumpers Hole Road in Severna Park, will soon open to residents, who have been waiting since 1979 to enjoy the pastures and fields. The first part of a three-phase, $12 million expansion is near completion, but many residents have been enjoying the view already, said Ranger Bill Offutt.

LIFE ALONG the congested eastern section of Mountain Road just got a little more complicated, thanks to a new county public works project on Woods Road. Earlier this month, a sign appeared, seemingly overnight, informing commuters that a section of Woods Road would soon close temporarily. Vehicles coming from Mountain Road would be allowed only as far west as the Lake Shore Athletic Complex. No dates for road closure were listed on the sign. "The sign just appeared telling us that Woods Road was closed," said Wilbert Parks, a Ryan Road homeowner.

Advancing a Loyola College dream downfield, the city Planning Commission approved last night the school's proposed acquisition of 71 acres for a large athletic complex -- over the outspoken objections of a dozen people who say it would destroy Woodberry's sylvan beauty. For nearly three years, Loyola officials have tried to come to terms with criticism of the project, which in its first phase would involve an intercollegiate athletic field with 6,000 spectator seats for lacrosse or soccer, along with two smaller practice fields.

Clear skies and bright sunshine have been ordered tomorrow for opening day festivities for the youngsters who participate in Lake Shore Youth Baseball.More than 700 young players and their coaches will be parading up Woods Road starting at 9 a.m. Woods Road will be closed from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. between the Lake Shore Athletic Complex and Mountain Road.Marchers and their families should arrive no later than 8:15 a.m. Parking will be allowed at the athletic complex lots, but not at Phelps Liquors or along Woods Road.

Philip Dibben used to ride his horses from his Pasadena home about a mile to Bodkin Creek across open fields. More recently, he has had to truck his horses to Prince George's, Carroll or Montgomery counties to find trails because those he once used have been developed. "The trails that we have ridden for years have been disappearing," he said. The Pasadena Horse and Pony Association, of which Dibben is vice president, is working to change that. In response to a growing need for public horse-riding areas, the group is working on a volunteer effort to develop horse trails around the Lake Shore Athletic Complex.

Soccer moms, release your children. Lacrosse dads, rejoice. In an early-spring picnic tomorrow, Annapolis will nearly double its number of athletic fields with the dedication of the long-awaited Annapolis Sports Complex. Mayor Dean L. Johnson and other officials will dedicate five new fields, two small baseball diamonds and a basketball court at the complex behind Germantown Elementary School. Johnson called the additional fields a priority not just of his administration but of his life.

The Troy Park Tennis and Sports Center, a multi-use athletic park in Elkridge, was supposed to be developed enough to host a $220,000 WTA International-level event next month, but because funding did not come through as expected in December, the tournament is being moved. The Tennis Center at College Park will be the site for this year's Citi Open, formerly known as the Mid-Atlantic Women's Tennis Championship, from July 23 to 31. Meanwhile, Troy Park's developers wait for an independent economic impact study, approved by the Maryland Stadium Authority last week, before pursuing other sources of financing.