Recreation And Parks

Starting today, the city Department of Recreation and Parks plans to provide free summer camps for some Baltimore youths for the first time in nearly two decades, officials said. "Budget cuts forced many of these programs to stop in the late 1970s, so this will be the first time in 20 years that a lot of these playgrounds will host free summer programs," said Lynn Baker, assistant to the director of Recreation and Parks. Offered through a grant from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program received through the Department of Social Services, the "Playground Program" will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 11. Children ages 5 to 12 will participate in sports, take nature classes, produce arts and crafts, and work on fitness.

Baltimore's historic park system ranks 15th among the nation's 40 largest cities in a new rating released Wednesday, which credits the city's foresight in carving out public spaces over the past two centuries but faults its more recent leadership for not maintaining that investment. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land gave Baltimore's 4,900 acres of parks three out of a possible five "park benches," or stars, in its ParkScore rating system. The city got high marks for the accessibility of its parks, with 85 percent of residents able to reach one within a 10-minute walk.

Councilman Carl Stokes called Friday for the city's comptroller to audit the Department of Recreation and Parks and to report the findings to the City Council in 90 to 120 days. Stokes was joined at the Ambrose Kennedy Pool and Playground, one of the city's pools set to close this summer season, by Councilman James B. Kraft and Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke. Stokes said he is convinced that there is "hidden money" in the parks department that could allow some recreation centers and pools set to close this summer to remain open.

For years, Linda Stewart has spotted erroneous city water bills and posted them online, where she is known as WaterBillWoman. She has lodged complaints with City Hall about the widespread problems. She has attended hearings. She has demanded investigations. She has pestered and pestered - only to be met, she says, with indifference. When no one would listen to her, she began to doubt herself. "My friends thought I was crazy," said Stewart, 49, of Curtis Bay. "Sometimes I wondered if I was crazy.

Anne Arundel County has purchased almost 60 acres of land in Shady Side with plans to turn it into a large recreational park within the next several years, county officials announced yesterday.The county bought 57.68 acres on the northeast tip of the Shady Side peninsula from the estate of F. C. Smith, a south county farmer and former owner of the Shady Side Market, for a little more than $1 million, Joe Cannon, director of recreation and parks, said yesterday.The land -- to be named Jack Creek Park -- is bordered by Jack Creek to the north, Chesapeake Bay to the east, Snug Harbor to the south and Idlewilde Road to the west.

Carroll needs more money for arts programs, a nature camp counselor and a new mower with which to maintain the grounds at Sykesville Park, county Recreation and Parks Department personnel said yesterday.Recreation and Parks Director Richard J. Soisson and his staff presented their $5.5 million operating budget request for fiscal 1995 to the county commissioners. The amount is about the same as the current year's budget.Mr. Soisson said he and his staff worked to keep the budget in line. Department programs generate enough revenues to cover 50 percent of the operating budget.

The administrative headquarters of the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks will relocate to 1 Harry S. Truman Parkway, off Riva Road in Annapolis, as of tomorrow.The new mailing address will be P.O. Box 6675, Annapolis 21401.Information: 222-7300.

The city Department of Recreation and Parks Project Reach One! Teach One! will stage the Ninth Annual Mayor's Holiday Basketball Tournament today through Wednesday at Lake Clifton-Eastern High School, 2801 St. Lo Drive.Basketball games will be played from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Wednesday, academic awards will be presented, based on students' last report cards. Admission is free.Project Reach One! Teach One! is designed to assist students with their studies during the holiday recess.Information: tournament coordinators Sherron Bogues and Anthony Lewis at 410-396-0848.

Carroll Recreation and Parks Director Richard J. Soisson has recommended the appointments of four residents to three-year terms on the county Recreation and Parks board.They are:* Cliff Beck, chairman of Mount Airy's town recreation council.* Edward S. Calwell of the Westminster Recreation Council.* Carolyn A. Garber of Winfield, vice president of the Carroll Equestrian Council.* Ken Lawson of the Deer Park Recreation Council.Mr. Soisson said yesterday he submitted the names to the county commissioners.

Russell Neal, who set up games and passed out balloons, lollipops and other treats for the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks, died Monday at the Brighton Manor Nursing Home of complications from diabetes.Services for Mr. Neal, who was 65 and lived on Duvall Avenue, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Ames Memorial United Methodist Church, Baker and Carey streets.He was nicknamed "Ham" because of a childhood fondness for the food.He served in the Army in Europe and the Pacific during World War II.He is survived by two sons, William H. and Steven Neal, both of Baltimore; four daughters, Violetta Neal Leonard of Randallstown, Stephanie Neal of Towson, Janice Maith of Baltimore and Zelda Neal of New York City; two sisters, Martha McCready and Juanita Ross, both of Baltimore; and five grandchildren.

Children's author Elissa Brent Weissman is kicking off a new set of classes for the Baltimore Young Writers' Group, for kids 8 to 13. Students meet twice a month, Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to learn about writing stories and poems. The schedule is January 21, 28; February 11, 25; March 10, 24 at School 33 Art Center , 1427 Light St. in Baltimore. For more information or to register, visit www.ebweissman.com/classes Meanwhile, the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks is soliciting entries for the Senior Citizens Poetry Contest 2012.

There are 28 parks in Carroll County, including five in Westminster. The newest will soon have a name, to be chosen from suggestions by the public. "This is the first time we've had this promotion," said Jeff Degitz, the county's Director of Recreation and Parks. "It's not designed to be a popularity contest," he said. "Over 100 people have submitted ideas, and we've asked each of them to detail why their suggestion would be appropriate for the community. So far, a lot of people have come up with creative ideas and names.

WINFIELD — The Board of County Commissioners this week approved purchase of a 9.16-acre tract in the Winfield area for a new park and athletic fields. The commissioners voted unanimously to buy the tract for $200,000 at its Dec. 6 meeting, tapping various Program Open Space resources for up to $190,000 of the cost, and other sources, including park impact fees, for the remainder. This 9.16-acre property is opposite Winfield Elementary School. Officials noted that the county continues to experience a need for park land and athletic fields in many areas, including Winfield.

Occupy Baltimore protesters have asked city officials for permission to remain in an Inner Harbor park until April, according to an application submitted to the city. Protesters delivered applications for permits to use the park to both Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the Recreation and Parks Department, a mayoral spokesman said Wednesday. The president of the Maryland and District of Columbia chapter of the AFL-CIO union sent a letter to Rawlings-Bake calling on her to allow the protesters to remain.

Edward Zarius Watson Jr., a retired Baltimore schools administrator and founder of a Little League program, died of pneumonia Saturday at Union Memorial Hospital. The Northwood area resident was 94. Born in Earleigh Heights in Anne Arundel County, he was a 1936 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. He earned a degree in history at what is now Morgan State University and a master's degree in divinity from Howard University. Family members said the end of World War II changed his plans to become a military chaplain.

The Community Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks, honors those who have gained prominence and/or have made a substantial contribution to recreational sports programs in Howard County. This year's inductees are the late Gary Arthur, Bob Falk, Paul Goldenberg, Jean Hodges and Louise Waxler. Their stories are being told over a two-week period. This is the first installment. The induction ceremony will be held at the ninth annual Celebration of Sports, Oct. 18 at the Turf Valley Resort, in Ellicott City.

The 24,500-square-foot brick building with green trim and tinted windows has just what the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks needs: lots of space.After many years of tending to business in its Ellicott City headquarters and three branch offices around the county, the 25-year-old department has moved its headquarters and branches to one building at 7120 Oakland Mills Road in the Guilford community of East Columbia."We think we can deliver a better service by having everyone under the same roof," said Gary J. Arthur, the acting director of recreation and parks.

Was married to Martha Arthur, with three sons from a previous marriage Scholarship football player at Clemson University Rose from recreation director in 1979 to director of Recreation and Parks, a position he held until his death in 2010. Worked to form strong relationship with the county school system. Under his leadership, Howard County received accrediation from the National Recrationa and Parks Association, an honor held by fewer than 100 agencies in the country.