Beverly Triton Funding Cut - Last Vote This Wednesday 6/14/17

[Lisa]

Summary: more email for Beverly Triton Beach Park NOW

We had a setback on Beverly Triton last Friday. The county council voted 4 to 3 to cut funding for Beverly Triton Beach Park. The funding was re-introduced and the final vote will be THIS Wednesday 6/14/17. We need ONE more vote.

Please email Councilman Pete Smith and Councilman Andrew Pruski and ask them to change their minds and vote for funding for Beverly Triton Beach Park. Please also email Councilman Smith's legislative assistant, Linda Harris, because Councilman Smith says that I'm the only person he's heard from. If you want to follow up with a phone call, that would be swell. Annapolis Council Office = 410-222-1401, Glen Burnie Council Office = 410-222-6890

District 1: Councilman Pete Smith peter.smith@aacounty.org
Legislative Assistant Linda Harris linda.harris@aacounty.org

District 4: Councilman Andrew Pruski andrew.pruski@aacounty.org

And if you want to drop a thank you email to Councilman Derek Fink, Councilman Michael Peroutka and Councilman Chris Trumbauer for voting for the funding last Friday and ask them to vote for it again THIS Wednesday it would be appreciated.

District 3: Councilman Derek Fink dfink@aacounty.org
District 5: Councilman Michael Peroutka michael.peroutka@aacounty.org
District 6: Councilman Chris Trumbauer ctrumbauer@aacounty.org

Thanks for all of your help on Beverly Triton. Hope to see some of you at the ribbon cutting for the Magothy River Water Trail this afternoon at Spriggs Farm Park.

Lisa

[yakscientist]

This might be a dumb question, but do we need to be AA county residents to be able to vote on this? Or can just anyone that uses, or has used, BT go ahead and email the people you've listed? If that's the case, then I will certainly do so.

[silasvirus82]

I just sent them all an email, hope it helps...

[Lisa]

I just sent them all an email, hope it helps...

Anyone can email. You use the park responsibly, you have a voice.

The neighborhood strategy is to stall any improvements, get the county to update the General Development Plan early and get Beverly Triton Beach Park baked into the GDP as a restricted use nature sanctuary and win this battle forever so they don't have to fight it every 20 years.

Thanks to all.

Lisa

[Lisa]

Oh, and we're "entitled elitist kayakers" per neighborhood testimony before the County Council last Monday.

Lisa

[Mark]

Summary: more email for Beverly Triton Beach Park NOW

We had a setback on Beverly Triton last Friday. The county council voted 4 to 3 to cut funding for Beverly Triton Beach Park. The funding was re-introduced and the final vote will be THIS Wednesday 6/14/17. We need ONE more vote.

Please email Councilman Pete Smith and Councilman Andrew Pruski and ask them to change their minds and vote for funding for Beverly Triton Beach Park. Please also email Councilman Smith's legislative assistant, Linda Harris, because Councilman Smith says that I'm the only person he's heard from.

Interesting. I emailed councilman Smith on 6/6 on this topic. I emailed them all. No rejections from the addresses you provided. Perhaps he and his assistant should check his in-box.

[yakscientist]

If anyone wants some ideas of what to say, here's what I wrote:

All,



I hope you will reconsider your recent thinking in regards to funding for Beverly Triton park, and vote instead in favor of the funding. I, and many kayakers like me, love to use the park as it provides the perfect launch to hit a variety of both river and mid-bay fishing/kayaking locations. It would be a real waste of a great location to see it closed for the minimally invasive activities (kayaking) which typically take place there. We are not some group of "entitled elitist kayakers," as some have called us, in fact we come from all sorts of economic backgrounds, and from all corners of Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states. We all have a passion to make as little of an impact as possible on the environment, so we choose to kayak, and always "leave no trace." We hope you will reconsider, and approve funding for Beverly Triton, so we can continue to have another access point onto the Bay, and are able to continue to do what we love.



Thank you,



Patrick Spehnkouch

[silasvirus82]

It's really troubling that a few neighbors are having such an influence on our community. Look at that path headed down to the water, it's beat down! This place is public land, let the damn public use it.

[Salisbury]

Hi All,

I sent Pete Smith (my delegate) and copied all the others on a message saying that I thought it was critical for the design dollars to move forward and it is a shame to live in a county with hundreds of miles of shoreline and limited access to those that want to access the Chesapeake's tributaries. I pointed out that county taxpayers purchased the property many years ago and the residents of the area will always be opposed to additional improvements and access, because they essentially got a park with somewhat limited access (minimal parking) at marginal cost. I estimated the value using a ballpark waterfront acreage cost $300,000 per acre in AA county at north of $100,000,000. There are 9,000 residents on the Mayo Peninsula per the 2010 census, so those residents are getting the advantage of a $100 Million property that other residents because of limited parking, and other reasons do not have the same access to. Needless to say, I got a phone call right away from Mr. Smith and we discussed the issue for 11 minutes:

1. I again pointed out how important water access is to AA county residents that live outside waterfront communities and can't afford waterfront housing
2. If cleaning up the bay is important to AA residents, we need to promote access to the Chesapeake. It is difficult to get behind cleaning up what you can't see, touch and feel.
3. Every community will always be hesitant or resistant to additional access to other residents that live outside their community, even though that community does not own the water, park or waterfront.
4. I clarified that the design dollars are for 90 additional parking spaces. I ballparked that they would be heavily used on Sat and Sun (typical non work days) and if each space turned over twice daily on the weekend, there would be an additional 180 cars moving along the Mayo Peninsula on any given weekend day, limited between May 15th and Sep 15th. I personally do not anticipate more traffic there than during any typical weekday, but I could be wrong.
5. I pointed out several times that this is just for design dollars and could not think of a good reason to be opposed.

Mr. Smith stated that he voted against the measure because it was not in his district and was very important to another councilmen's district, and he hopes that if something goes on in his district that other council members would defer or at least consider what his opinion is considering it is affecting his community. I pointed out again that this thing has been deferred indefinitely, and will continue to be if it does not happen this year and encouraged him to change his opinion on this matter.

He seems like a measured, polite and very reasonable guy. We had a very nice conversation. As such, I would encourage anyone else that lives in his district to call him today at 410-222-6890, or send him an email.

Vince Grey

[Lisa]

<snip>

<about calling and emailing Pete Smith>

He seems like a measured, polite and very reasonable guy. We had a very nice conversation. As such, I would encourage anyone else that lives in his district to call him today at 410-222-6890, or send him an email.

Vince Grey

Perfect. Thank you. The final vote is 9 am tomorrow/Wednesday 6/14/17.

Lisa

[mchottie]

Email sent. Copied all listed above.

They will hear our voice!

[Lisa]

Short answer: WE WON! (For now)

The council voted 5 to 2 to restore $252,000 FY18 planning money for Beverly Triton Beach Park. Councilmen Trumbauer, Peroutka, Fink, Pruski and Smith voted for the BTBP planning money. Councilmen Walker and Grasso voted against the BTBP planning money.

The council also voted to split the FY19 construction money between FY19 and FY20, with the larger amount in FY20. This is not binding, the construction money will be an issue in next year's budget. Councilman Smith introduced an amendment to further delay the construction money a year, moving the FY20 money to FY21. That amendment failed 4-3. Councilmen Smith, Walker and Grasso voted to delay most of the construction money until FY21. Councilmen Trumbauer, Peroutka, Pruski and Fink voted to keep the most of the construction money in FY20.

Thanks to all of you who emailed and called our county councilmen.The Beverly Triton Beach Park money wouldn't be in this year's FY18 budget without all of you.

Lisa

[Lisa]

If you want to give thanks where thanks are due, please email those thanks to the 5 councilmen who voted for Beverly-Triton Beach money and the county executive who put that money in the budget.

District 1: Councilman Pete Smith peter.smith@aacounty.org

District 3: Councilman Derek Fink dfink@aacounty.org

District 4: Councilman Andrew Pruski andrew.pruski@aacounty.org

District 5: Councilman Michael Peroutka michael.peroutka@aacounty.org

District 6: Councilman Chris Trumbauer ctrumbauer@aacounty.org

County Executive Steve Schuh stevenschuh@aacounty.org

Thanks stick in their memories - usually elected officials only hear complaints and demands.

Lisa

[Mark]

Interesting.

I don't understand the budget machinations but I'd like to assume the county won't spend almost .25 million dollars in planning and then not proceed with construction.

This is encouraging.

Lisa -- Thanks for the notice of the vote and the follow-up.

[Lisa]

Interesting.

I don't understand the budget machinations but I'd like to assume the county won't spend almost .25 million dollars in planning and then not proceed with construction.

This is encouraging.

Lisa -- Thanks for the notice of the vote and the follow-up.

You're welcome. Unfortunately, that's what happened last time the county did a Master Plan for Beverly Triton Beach Park. The neighbors are dead set against swimming (they all have private community beaches) and general public access at BTBP. The county spent ~$200,000 in 2000 for a Beverly Triton Beach Park Master Plan. Although the neighbors made sure swimming wasn't in the 2000 Master Plan, that 2000 Master Plan had 3 ballfields, 4 parking lots, a big nature center, a fishing pier into the Bay, a fishing and observation pier into Deep Pond, a big group picnic site, all OK'd by the neighbors . . . . they still made sure the county couldn't get the votes on the council for construction money to build out that Master Plan and it just sat on the shelf. Big waste of $200,000.

So, fast forward to 2017. No frills new Master Plan process in progress. Erosion control. Improving the parking lot across the street from the entrance so it doesn't go to muck every time it rains. The very basic facilities needed for public swimming. So far I like the ~2017 Master Plan better than the 2000 Master Plan (putting ballfields in a waterfront park is a bad use of a waterfront park). Still the neighbors are dead set on blocking the ~2017 Master Plan. So their strategy is to stall on everything, get restricted use of Beverly Triton Beach Park baked into an updated General Development Plan and win the battle forever.

It might work. The neighbors had a 30+ year track record of success in keeping that park for themselves.

There's going to be loud debate over the construction money next year. For now, I'm real happy about the money for Beverly Triton planning in this year's budget.

Thanks to all again.

Lisa