The Maryland Board of Public Works approved key funding for two Anne Arundel County park projects that have both been in the works for more than a year.
In a unanimous vote, the board approved $1 million for the Beverly Triton Nature Park project in Mayo and nearly $4.7 million to help the county acquire Quiet Waters Retreat, an extension of Quiet Waters Park, which boasts about 1,770 feet of shoreline along the South River and Loden Pond.
The board did not discuss the allocation, approving it in bulk, along with several other requests from the Department of Natural Resources.
Deputy Director of Recreation and Parks Jessica Leys called the unanimous approval from the board a “huge accomplishment” and said she is thrilled to finally have the funding approved so they can move forward with both projects.
The county already owns Beverly Triton Nature Park, and the $1 million will go toward improvements including a parking lot, park road and trail leading to the beach; a fishing pier on Deep Pond; children’s play space; an office, bathroom and maintenance shed; and other improvements, according to the proposal.
Leys said they would begin working on these projects in the summer after completing a project to stabilize the shoreline.
The beach at Beverly Triton is public after 33 years of being restricted to private access only. The Beverly Beach Community Association had been leasing a 7-acre waterfront parcel since 1986, until last year when the county Department of Recreation and Parks decided not to renew it after learning from the Department of Natural Resources that it was violating grant requirements by limiting public access.
The parcel was purchased for $3.2 million by then County Executive O. James Lighthizer, with state and county grants requiring public access. It was leased to the community association one year after its purchase.
The money for Quiet Waters Retreat is for acquisition. Though the county acquired the land last October, Leys said this was the final funding piece to pay for the land.
She said they applied for permits to demolish all but one of the structures on the property, including a farmhouse that burned down earlier this year.
The only building they haven’t applied to demolish is a dilapidated boathouse on Loden Pond. Leys said they intend to handle the water access part of the project separately.
