County Considers Shutting Costly Recreation Centers

Montgomery is evaluating the use of recreation centers at neighborhood parks, such as Silver Spring's Sligo Dennis Avenue Local Park, top, where Alexa Otano, above left, and Elizabeth Olaiya attend day camp. (Photos By Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)

Fees for using the recreation centers range from $38 to $152 for four hours, depending on the day and other factors.

One of the buildings, the Animal Industry Building at Norwood Local Park, not far from Somerset Elementary School, will be studied for possible historical significance.

The brick building, which was constructed in the late 1800s, was the headquarters for the Bureau of Animal Industry, which moved to Montgomery County in 1896, said Joey Lampl, a planner coordinator who is researching the history of the building.

It was an experimentation station in which scientists would study ways to improve livestock quality, prevent animal disease and conduct other research related to agriculture. The site eventually included more than 30 other buildings before it was moved to its current home in Beltsville. Lampl said neighbors in the area apparently grew weary of the animal noises coming from the center and asked the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission to purchase the land. Currently, the brick building is used by the local YMCA and by the neighborhood for recreational activities.

"It is definitely one of the more unusual buildings in the department's portfolio,'' Lampl said.

Of the five buildings on the list to be transferred or demolished, the report recommends that officials consider transferring the Clarksburg recreation center to the county's department of recreation for a possible new 33,000-square-foot community center. The Garrett Park Estates property, adjacent to Garrett Park Elementary School, might be transferred to the public school system to provide a larger school site when the new school is built, the report said.

The three other buildings should be demolished, officials said. Hillandale has a failed septic center, and the cost of repairs is more than the building is worth. Randolph Hills has rotting sill plates at its foundation. In the event it is demolished, its current users would be relocated to the Viers Mill Recreation Center. The Camp Seneca building would be demolished, with its current functions transferred to the ground floor of nearby Seneca Lodge.

The study also looked at nine ancillary buildings: structures on park land that are rented to tenants that include a preschool and a private business office. The study's authors recommend setting a standard policy for maintenance and rent. Tenants pay anywhere from $1 to $3,600 per year in rent. Rents should cover the cost of building operation or reflect current market rates, whichever is higher, the report said.

For more information about the closing plan, go tohttp://www.mc-mncppc.org/board/agenda. Residents interested in expressing their views about the plan can e-mailMCP-parkland@mncppc-mc.orgor call 301-650-4370.