Five Sites on List of Potential Closings
By Lori Aratani
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Montgomery County park officials are rethinking the role of recreation centers in community life, and this month released a draft proposal calling for the potential shuttering of five buildings in neighborhood parks.
Under the plan, recreation buildings in the Hillandale, Randolph Hills, Garrett Park, Clarksburg and Camp Seneca parks could be demolished or have their ownership transferred to other agencies.
Officials were quick to note, however, that a series of public hearings will be scheduled in the fall before a final decision is made, most likely in November.
Officials from the Montgomery County Department of Parks received funding from the Montgomery County Council last year to undertake a review of 31 recreation buildings and nine other structures to determine how often they are used and whether it makes economic sense to keep them open.
Although residents pay to use the buildings, the agency lost about $214,830 on the structures, which were used about 26 percent of the time they were available.
The study was the first review of building usage since 1984, and the only time officials have examined the physical condition of the recreation centers, many of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s. The review is part of a larger effort that began in 2005 to study the county's infrastructure. A few decades ago, the recreation buildings were popular places for birthday parties, celebrations and community meetings. But today, residents have more choices of places to celebrate special occasions or gather for meetings, said Mark Wallis, a senior park planner with the Montgomery County Department of Parks who is overseeing the review. Residents also can rent space at the county's larger community centers, which offer a number of activities as well as game rooms and exercise and weight rooms.
"The question is, 'Where is the world going?' " Wallis said. "Some people prefer to rent out a bowling alley, roller rink or movie theater, where [staff members do] all the work. Now, there are more choices and opportunities for people to do things. So that's what we're trying to figure out: What is the market for these buildings today and for the future?''
A tour of some of the buildings on a recent afternoon demonstrated the diverse uses of the properties.
The recreation building at Sligo-Dennis Avenue Local Park in Silver Spring was crowded with groups of preteens attending a summer day camp sponsored by the county's recreation department. In one corner, girls were decorating paper airplanes with googly eyes and colored foam shapes. At another table, two boys were playing the card game "speed" while others watched.
A few miles away, employees from the Food and Drug Administration had rented the center at Meadowbrook park (Candy Cane City) in Chevy Chase for a company outing. The single-story structure, which has two stone fireplaces and a stone-paved covered patio, was built in the 1930s and is among the oldest and most popular of the centers, Wallis said.
Under the tentative proposal, six buildings would remain open and be improved because of a high level of use. They are in the Glenmont, Indian Springs, Kemp Mill Estates, Meadowbrook, Norbeck-Muncaster and Tilden Woods neighborhood parks. The report said 18 additional buildings should be "evaluated and marketed" for a three-year period to see whether residents might use the centers if they knew more about them.
"What we don't know is whether these buildings are not being used because folks don't know about them or whether it's something else,'' Wallis said. "We want to see if there is a market for these buildings.''
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.
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