Recreation

The Saturday schedule was slow, making my intention to spend time at the Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance sponsored by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks at the Kiwanis-Wallas Recreation center very doable. But from the start, things did not go easy. The 5 o'clock start time was incorrect. I walked in with an armload of gear, thinking I was early at 4:45, and found things in full swing. Guessing the room would be dark, I had planned on setting up two remotely fired flash units for light.

Come run -- Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks is accepting registration for its 2007 Hershey Track and Field Meet, to be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 3 at Long Reach High School in Columbia. The recreational meet, for youth ages 9 to 14, includes track events, a standing long jump and a softball throw. Participants can compete in three events (two running and one field event or two field and one running event.) Awards will be presented to the top athlete in each category; winners advance to a statewide meet.

Residents in the westernmost parts of Anne Arundel County are disappointed that County Executive Janet S. Owens wants to sell a piece of land her predecessor bought for a police substation and recreation space in Maryland City.Although some of the newly elected officials in county government are calling the $1 million land transaction "wasteful" and say the deal violated long-practiced procedures for acquiring land, the way Maryland City and Laurel residents see it, they once again are being handed off as a political football.

Carroll County youths who play recreational sports might have to pay more than usual this spring to be in the lineup.The county Health Department has asked recreation councils to comply with regulations that would limit items sold at many of Carroll's concession stands. In some cases, the councils would be limited to selling prepackaged foods.No more hot dogs. Nachos also would be out.In Union Bridge, the change is expected to translate into less revenue. As a result, youths will have to buy their pants this spring if they want to play baseball or softball.

HARFORD COUNTY'S a good case study of do's and don'ts for public officials trying to adhere to Smart Growth.Do cluster development in a confined area. Don't fail to provide adequate services for that area.Harford mapped a growth corridor decades before Smart Growth came into vogue, but it neglected to plan ample facilities for that area. Abingdon Elementary needs a major expansion because it was too small when it opened just a few years ago. There's no library in the immediate area, no secondary school, no park and no open space (unless you count the shopping-center parking lots the size of the Mojave Desert)

Deer Park Recreation Council is seeking sponsors to help send its Lazers girls soccer team to Florida to participate in a tournament.The girls, ages 10 to 13, have been invited to participate in the National Invitational Disney Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament in Orlando. The team would represent Carroll County Department of Recreation, Parks and Facilities.The trip will cost about $900 per player of the 18-member team.Donations can be made payable to Carroll Association of Recreation Councils and sent to GDPLSC Fund-raising Coordinator, 903 Boxwood Ave., Westminster 21157.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's last spending plan took another step forward yesterday when the $1.8 billion budget bill was introduced in the City Council, where some members are raising concerns about proposed cuts for recreation programs.The mayor plans $3 million in cuts to the city's recreation and parks department.Some council members, while praising the mayor's plan to increase funding for the overburdened court system, criticized the recreation cuts, saying they will open the door to trouble for idle youths.

In suburban Cleveland, "Silent Sunday" is imposed to mute the loud-mouthed soccer parents who stalk the sidelines.In a Florida town, recreation officials schedule sportsmanship lectures for parents and vow to make them mandatory.Closer to Baltimore, amid concerns about the pressure-cooker atmosphere of youth lacrosse, a Towson recreation leader appeals to parents for "positive cheering." Soccer moms in Lutherville heed written instructions on how to yell.With heightened urgency and novel approaches, youth sports organizers in Greater Baltimore and throughout America are targeting grown-ups who take the fun out of childhood games -- a problem more pernicious than ever, say some experts.

Carroll County youths who play recreational sports might have to pay more than usual this spring to be in the lineup.The county Health Department has asked recreation councils to comply with regulations that would limit items sold at many of Carroll's concession stands. In some cases, the councils would be limited to selling prepackaged foods.No more hot dogs. Nachos would be out also.In Union Bridge, the change is expected to translate into less revenue. As a result, youths will have to buy their pants this spring if they want to play baseball or softball.

The four candidates for two Mount Airy Town Council seats showed last night that they have similar goals for the community but differ on how to achieve them.The candidates discussed local issues ranging from a recreation center to downtown revitalization.About 40 people attended the forum at the Mount Airy Senior Activities Center.The candidates also touched on issues that arise because the town of 5,240 residents is divided between Carroll and Frederick counties.Incumbents R. Delaine Hobbs, 63, who is seeking his ninth consecutive term, and C. Robert Mead, 62, who is running for a second term, generally took a more laissez-faire approach to accomplishing change.

Amy Poehler earned my undying admiration for her work on Saturday Night Live during the 2008 election campaign - particularly the Sarah Palin rap she delivered from the Weekend Update desk, accompanied by that fabulous chorus line of dancing moose. Because of her work during that monumental election, I will go to my grave singing her praises. I need to say that because the preview of her new NBC series, Parks and Recreation, which premieres Thursday night at 8:30, is going to seem like a mixed one based on my reluctance to predict success for the show despite its several winning elements.

An unprofitable public golf course in Kingsville could become a regional park with trails, athletic fields and possibly a gymnasium, but not without a battle from golfers who want it to stay open. Baltimore County recreation officials have scheduled a community meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at Kingsville Elementary School to help chart the future of the 112-acre course on Raphel Road and a recently purchased adjoining 28 acres. "We will gather a consensus and lean more toward that," said Robert J. Barrett, county director of Recreation and Parks.

The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved $2.4 million in grants for county recreational projects, according to the Anne Arundel County government. The four "Open Space" grants, for projects that include a baseball field and facility for children and the disabled in Pasadena and new safety turf at Old Mill High School's stadium in Millersville, were approved Wednesday, according to a statement from the county. "I would like to extend my appreciation and thanks to the governor, comptroller and treasurer for approving these extremely important grants," County Executive John R. Leopold said in the statement.

As opposition mounts against plans to incorporate a 19th century waterman's home into the proposed National Sailing Hall of Fame, an Annapolis alderman is suggesting that the city offer as an alternative site a long-term lease of its soon-to-be-shuttered recreation center. The building at 9 St. Mary's St., which will be available once a new recreation complex opens next year in Truxtun Park, is at the intersection with Compromise Street, near Spa Creek. Alderman Richard E. Israel said it would be a more suitable home for the museum than the Capt.

As opposition mounts against plans to incorporate a 19th century waterman's home into the proposed National Sailing Hall of Fame, an Annapolis alderman is suggesting that the city offer as an alternative site a long-term lease of its soon-to-be-shuttered recreation center. The building at 9 St. Mary's St., which will be available once a new recreation complex opens next year in Truxtun Park, is at the intersection with Compromise Street, near Spa Creek. Alderman Richard E. Israel said it would be more suitable for the museum than the Capt.

County will pay salary of suspended fire officer Under an agreement reached yesterday, Baltimore County will begin paying the salary of a fire lieutenant who has been suspended without pay since July, while waiting for the county's chief administrative officer to determine whether the lieutenant should return to duty. William J. Gilbert, a 24-year veteran of the department, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against the county, claiming that his right to due process was violated and alleging that the fire chief had a personal vendetta against him. Gilbert also sought a court order allowing him to return to work with pay -- a request denied by U.S. District Court Judge Andre M. Davis, because Baltimore County attorneys agreed during a conference call with the judge that Gilbert would be returned to the county payroll.

Come run -- Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks is accepting registration for its 2007 Hershey Track and Field Meet, to be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 3 at Long Reach High School in Columbia. The recreational meet, for youth ages 9 to 14, includes track events, a standing long jump and a softball throw. Participants can compete in three events (two running and one field event or two field and one running event.) Awards will be presented to the top athlete in each category; winners advance to a statewide meet.

Harford County officials are considering installing artificial turf on the county's nine high school football fields at about $750,000 per field. Artificial turf would allow for more play and practice time and require less maintenance than grass fields, which sustain wear and tear from use and weather. "We need more fields than we have now," said Joe Pfaff, director of Harford County Parks and Recreation. "Rain can tear up turf, and play can be eliminated until the field is dry. Football wears out the center of the field quickly, and then there's no growing season until spring, when you have lacrosse.

Known for its wealth of recreational offerings, Howard County recently received a three-year grant that will help further develop its expanding youth football program. The $150,000 grant is one of five awarded to recreation and park associations throughout the country and designates the county as a national youth football hub by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and USA Football. The award is meant to help recreation and park agencies identify the resources needed to improve youth football programs.

The Saturday schedule was slow, making my intention to spend time at the Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance sponsored by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks at the Kiwanis-Wallas Recreation center very doable. But from the start, things did not go easy. The 5 o'clock start time was incorrect. I walked in with an armload of gear, thinking I was early at 4:45, and found things in full swing. Guessing the room would be dark, I had planned on setting up two remotely fired flash units for light.