Parks And Recreation

Restrictions proposed by County Councilman David G. Boschert on how the county spends Program Open Space money will needlessly pit Little League parents against conservationists, the county parks and recreation director said Thursday.Boschert, a Crownsville Democrat, proposed limiting the county's future POS purchases to open spaces after the outgoing council approved a recreation department request in October to spend $800,000 on an Odenton ice rink.Parks and Recreation Director Joseph McCann lashed out at Boschert, whom he accused of "grandstanding," and his proposal during a meeting Thursday of the Severn River Commission, a government-appointed advisory panel.

Jeff Berthney, a recreation specialist with the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation, has been named 'Employee of the Month for February by Harford County Executive David Craig. For the past 15 years, Berthney has conducted coaching education for the Department of Parks and Recreation. Arden McClune, director of the department of parks and recreation, nominated Berthney for the award. In her nomination, McClune stated, "Jeff has been an integral part of conducting the National Alliance of Youth Sports (NAYS)

Annie's Playground in Fallston will remain closed until at least Nov.21, while routine maintenance continues at the popular play area, the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation reported Thursday. The playground was closed last week and was expected to open by the middle of this week; however, some of the work was delayed, county government spokesman Bob Thomas said. A contractor is power washing some of the equipment and staining some of the wood structures. Thomas said the staining has been taking longer than anticipated and was further pushed back because of the weather.

The overhaul of the Baltimore Parks Department continued with the hiring of two administrators to key posts. Roslyn Joy Johnson, a former teacher, is the new chief of the recreation division and Chris T. Delaporte, who was head of parks and recreation for the city in the 1980s, will lead the parks division. Johnson, 29, who was regional director for a Florida-based company called StudyWorks, which prepares students for the SAT test, replaced longtime administrator Zenobia McLendon, 54, on Sept.

A capacity crowd of Baltimore residents filled the balcony of City Council chambers yesterday to protest a proposed $2.9 million cut for the parks and recreation department.Over three years, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke has cut $15 million from the department's budget, resulting in the closing of 18 recreation centers. At the same time, the city has started 27 Police Athletic League centers.Douglas B. Brady Jr., who retired three years ago after working 34 years for parks and recreation, complained that the PAL centers serve only those age 7 to 15. The proposed recreation cuts will affect senior citizens and tiny tots, Brady said.

WILLIAM WHELAN III, 66 Park service director William Whelan III, 66, a director of the National Park Service in the Carter administration who oversaw the doubling of the park system's size with the creation of 10 parks in Alaska, died of a heart attack Sept. 28 in Greenbrae, Calif. In 1979, Mr. Whalen carried out provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act that called for the government to compensate Native Alaskans for land to create the 10 parks. The parks increased the service's holdings to about 88 million acres.

Yet again, plans to build a Center for The Arts on what is expected to be a county owned property in Abingdon were presented at a public gathering, and the result seems to have been an odd mix of curiosity and caution. Presented by the center's leadership to the Abingdon Community Council earlier in the week, the vision for the performing arts facility is certainly impressive. Proposed to cost in the $60 million range, it is expected to include large and small performance venues and related show spaces.

Volunteers can help keep Laurel's Granville Gude Park clean by participating in an Earth Day Park Cleanup on Saturday, April 28. Participants will meet at the lake house, 8300 Mulberry St., at 9 a.m., and should wear appropriate clothing for working outdoors. Trash bags and gloves will be provided, and a limited number of Earth Day T-shirts will be available for volunteers. Students can earn service hours and should bring their own forms. For more information, call the Laurel Department of Parks and Recreation at 301-725-7800.

The Laurel Department of Parks and Recreation will sponsor Lakefest '94 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Granville Gude Park and Lakehouse, 8300 Mulberry St.Enjoy family activities at the park, including boating, food, games, hay rides and entertainers.Children can see a purple dinosaur, Jason of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Clown Capers and magician Church Bollinger. Music will be provided by The Gantzer and Nixon Band.Bring a picnic or purchase a barbecue lunch. A walk-a-thon for the American Heart Association will begin at 8:30 a.m. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. Information: 725-7800 or 497-0300.

Despite early City Council concerns about his nomination as director of recreation and parks, Marvin F. Billups Jr. sailed through his confirmation hearing last night, pledging to restore city parks and playgrounds to national prominence. If Mayor Martin O'Malley's nominee is approved by the full council Monday, Billups will inherit a park system that even advocates say is in dire shape. Billups, 58, a division chief in Prince George's County for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, faces the tasks of restoring several deteriorating recreation centers from dangerous conditions and trying to enhance a once-prominent park system that a national study recently said had declined.