Anne Arundel council delays projects to improve water access by a year

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman harshly criticized the County Council after it narrowly voted Tuesday to delay two public water access projects by at least a year.

The decision means there is no money in the county budget for projects designed to expand public water access next year.

Pittman described the votes as “a giant step backwards in our quest to provide more public water access to county residents.”

“These two public projects have taken years of work and community engagement to get to this point,” he said in an emailed statement. “Delaying these projects denies us the opportunity to provide all of our residents with meaningful water access.”

The county executive cannot veto budget amendments by the council. The council, meanwhile, cannot direct spending in most cases, only make cuts.

The first amendment was sponsored by Council Vice Chair Pete Smith, a Democrat. It deferred funding for public water access improvements at Valentine Creek Park in Crownsville.

Smith, who is running in the Democratic primary for county executive, does not represent the area. During Tuesday’s meeting, he said he did not intend to “kill” the project, but wants to reevaluate it and “do what makes sense there.”

Visiting the project site was jarring, Smith said, and he has concerns about the plan for a parking lot and a half-mile trail to the waterfront.

Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien, a Democrat who represents the area, was staunchly opposed to the amendment. She said county officials had already considered concerns from nearby residents and reduced the scope of the project.

“To me, eight years is plenty enough,” Rodvien said.

Council Chair Julie Hummer and Councilwoman Allison Pickard, both Democrats, joined Rodvien in opposing the amendment. Pickard is also a candidate for county executive, while Hummer is running for reelection to the council.

Smith got support from the council’s three Republicans: Nathan Volke, Amanda Fiedler and Shannon Leadbetter.

Rodvien and others opposed to the amendment implored the council to allow the project to move forward.

Valentine Creek Park has become a flash point in what officials describe as a troubling but familiar trend in Anne Arundel, which has 530 miles of shoreline but few places for the public to access the water. Almost every time the county announces plans to make the waterfront more accessible, residents near proposed access points push back.

Pickard said the county has been challenged for “decades” in expanding public access to the shoreline.

“We have so many parks that need attention. We need to move these projects forward,” Pickard said.

While Valentine Creek Park is technically open to the public, there’s nowhere to park, no place to use the bathroom, and no easy way to get to the water.

Instead, the park effectively functions as a private playground for three nearby neighborhoods whose residents have created trails through the forest.

Chris Trumbauer, Anne Arundel County’s budget director, said during the council meeting that delaying the project would inevitably make it more expensive.

Volke introduced another amendment that deferred funding for a soft kayak launch at Beachwood Park in Pasadena.

While the project has not been as controversial, Volke said the community had concerns about its proposed size.

“I don’t think the project is quite ready for prime time,” Volke said. The project is in his council district.

Smith, Leadbetter and Fiedler joined Volke in voting to approve the amendment.

The council is scheduled for a final vote on the budget Thursday. Pittman’s proposed $2.58 billion budget is his last as county executive, as he is term-limited. It includes a modest property tax rate cut.

Banner reporter Alex Mann contributed to this story.