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Good afternoon all,
I have significant news about Beverly Triton Beach Park. Short answer, there is a public meeting about Beverly Triton on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 6 pm in the Chesapeake Room of the DPW building at 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis MD. Please attend and encourage others to do the same. The meeting will cover the $1 beach lease (MD DNR says it is improper), the FY20 beach erosion control project (the obstructionists want the county to turn the beach into a marsh) and the status of the plan for the decades overdue amenities in Beverly Triton (there are some disappointments).
The long answer is at length below with links to articles in The Capital and to the updated Beverly Triton Plan.
1) DNR surprised everyone in August when it found that the controversial $1 beach lease at Beverly Triton Beach Park was improper. The county must present a plan to DNR to cure the impropriety by October 1, 2019. The Department of Recreation and Park will tell us about the status of that plan at the September 17 2019 meeting. In the meantime here are three articles and an editorial from The Capital:
State says private water access on Anne Arundel's Beverly Beach should have been open to the public over 30 years, August 19 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/envir...ekq-story.html
Anne Arundel likely to take down fence that provides private water access on Beverly Beach, August 20 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/polit...awe-story.html
Our Say: Mr Pittman, tear down that fence, August 21 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/opini...y6q-story.html
Beverly Triton Nature Park was always meant to be open, but the same administration that bought the park leased part of it away, August 25 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/envir...ace-story.html
2) There is a FY20 $1.2 million erosion control project for Beverly Triton Beach Park. The county held a public project meeting in August 2019. Many of the Mayo obstructionists attended and demanded that the county use this project to turn the beach in our public park into a marsh instead of restoring the eroded beach. That proposal is bad faith environmentalism. There are more than a dozen community-owned community swimming beaches on the Mayo peninsula. If the Mayo obstructionists want to turn swimming beaches into marshes they can lead the way by turning their own community beaches into marshes. The Department of Recreation and Parks will also address the status of the erosion control project at the September 17 2019 meeting.
3) Recreation and Park released an updated plan for Beverly Triton Beach Park in early September 2019. The Rec and Parks updated description is at the end of this email. The good news is that the county has not cut the size of the parking lot any further. The planned original size was 156 spaces. The Mayo obstructionists convinced the county to reduce the parking lot to 96 spaces and are pressing for further reductions. So far the county is holding at 96 spaces. The bad news is that the drop off area for both people with disabilities and people unloading cartop boats is substantially farther away from the water than the existing drop off 75 feet from the water. The county claims that an existing electric transformer blocks having the drop off area closer to the water. That claim does not pass the straight face test. The existing transformer does not block the existing drop off zone 75 feet from the water and saying that it magically blocks an improved drop off area is specious. The proposed bathroom location is also still a substantial distance from the water, imposing a burden on people with disabilities. The original design had a waterfront bathroom, and the Mayo obstructionists convinced the county to move it back. The status of showers is unclear. The Mayo obstructionists got the county to remove showers from the original plan, despite the fact that the Department of Health recommends rinsing off with fresh water after contact with the Bay. The Department of Recreation and Parks will also address the status of the park improvements at the September 17 2019 meeting. The plan is online here: https://www.aacounty.org/departments...rks/index.html
Again, there is a public meeting about Beverly Triton on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 6 pm in the Chesapeake Room of the DPW building at 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis MD. Please attend and spread the word widely to encourage others to do the same.
Beverly Triton is not the only publicly owned park that was never opened to the general public. There are many. In the past one small group went after one park and either got picked off by the neighbors or bought off with a special privilege. Now, we are together. No privileged classes, no special favors. It is all of us or none of us and if we remain united we will *all* get to the water in *all* of our public parks.
Lisa
===================================
Department of Recreation and Parks Beverly Triton Update September 3 2019:
Mayo Peninsula Parks: Beverly Triton Nature Park - Park Development Update
Add to your summer highlights the resolution of a concept for Beverly Triton Nature Park. Alternative 1 was the favored concept of the four provided at the public meeting held on April 18, 2019. This is according to public comments, planning staff, and the Administration. The revised concept shown here illustrates most of the facilities and the changes. The changes include moving the drop-off parking closer to the beach by 15 feet to provide additional comfort for people with disabilities and limited mobility and cartop boat users with heavy equipment (an electric transformer limits moving any closer); addition of dollies and storage box to house them for use by cartop boaters to aide in the transport of heavy equipment; rinse-off station at the edge of the drop-off, reduction in amount of paving at drop-off parking nearest the beach (approximately 20'x20'); reduction of staff parking (approximately 10'x18') and layout shift for staff parking at proposed park maintenance shed, and shifting of shelter near the beach to reduce conflicts with cartop boat launchers.
The restroom building will not include showers, and the proposed spigot at the shelter near the beach is no longer needed since there is now a rinsing station.
The County's consultant Human and Rohde is pursuing 60% design on this final concept. There will be a public meeting for 60% design, and then prior to construction (a.k.a. pre-construction) in accordance with the policy for Department of Recreation and Parks' capital improvement projects. This website will post future meeting dates for the 60% design meeting and later pre-construction meeting. We are anticipating the 60% design meeting in November.
To clarify the other park elements, which have not changed and remain part of the park development program, the 60% designs will include the children's play space in the woods with boardwalk/overlook and associated trail, pier at Deep Pond, beach matting as trail near Deep Pond, parking for 96 visitors, traffic turn around, natural and accessible trails, a small shelter near the beach, a large shelter, a restroom/ranger office building, maintenance shed, staff parking, entry gate, and gate house. The management of water due to new impervious will be managed at a higher level than required by regulation, and additional measures will be taken during construction to protect against sediment leaving the site. Finally, staff will finalize a natural resources management plan to govern the management of sensitive flora and fauna within the park.
I have significant news about Beverly Triton Beach Park. Short answer, there is a public meeting about Beverly Triton on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 6 pm in the Chesapeake Room of the DPW building at 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis MD. Please attend and encourage others to do the same. The meeting will cover the $1 beach lease (MD DNR says it is improper), the FY20 beach erosion control project (the obstructionists want the county to turn the beach into a marsh) and the status of the plan for the decades overdue amenities in Beverly Triton (there are some disappointments).
The long answer is at length below with links to articles in The Capital and to the updated Beverly Triton Plan.
1) DNR surprised everyone in August when it found that the controversial $1 beach lease at Beverly Triton Beach Park was improper. The county must present a plan to DNR to cure the impropriety by October 1, 2019. The Department of Recreation and Park will tell us about the status of that plan at the September 17 2019 meeting. In the meantime here are three articles and an editorial from The Capital:
State says private water access on Anne Arundel's Beverly Beach should have been open to the public over 30 years, August 19 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/envir...ekq-story.html
Anne Arundel likely to take down fence that provides private water access on Beverly Beach, August 20 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/polit...awe-story.html
Our Say: Mr Pittman, tear down that fence, August 21 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/opini...y6q-story.html
Beverly Triton Nature Park was always meant to be open, but the same administration that bought the park leased part of it away, August 25 2019: https://www.capitalgazette.com/envir...ace-story.html
2) There is a FY20 $1.2 million erosion control project for Beverly Triton Beach Park. The county held a public project meeting in August 2019. Many of the Mayo obstructionists attended and demanded that the county use this project to turn the beach in our public park into a marsh instead of restoring the eroded beach. That proposal is bad faith environmentalism. There are more than a dozen community-owned community swimming beaches on the Mayo peninsula. If the Mayo obstructionists want to turn swimming beaches into marshes they can lead the way by turning their own community beaches into marshes. The Department of Recreation and Parks will also address the status of the erosion control project at the September 17 2019 meeting.
3) Recreation and Park released an updated plan for Beverly Triton Beach Park in early September 2019. The Rec and Parks updated description is at the end of this email. The good news is that the county has not cut the size of the parking lot any further. The planned original size was 156 spaces. The Mayo obstructionists convinced the county to reduce the parking lot to 96 spaces and are pressing for further reductions. So far the county is holding at 96 spaces. The bad news is that the drop off area for both people with disabilities and people unloading cartop boats is substantially farther away from the water than the existing drop off 75 feet from the water. The county claims that an existing electric transformer blocks having the drop off area closer to the water. That claim does not pass the straight face test. The existing transformer does not block the existing drop off zone 75 feet from the water and saying that it magically blocks an improved drop off area is specious. The proposed bathroom location is also still a substantial distance from the water, imposing a burden on people with disabilities. The original design had a waterfront bathroom, and the Mayo obstructionists convinced the county to move it back. The status of showers is unclear. The Mayo obstructionists got the county to remove showers from the original plan, despite the fact that the Department of Health recommends rinsing off with fresh water after contact with the Bay. The Department of Recreation and Parks will also address the status of the park improvements at the September 17 2019 meeting. The plan is online here: https://www.aacounty.org/departments...rks/index.html
Again, there is a public meeting about Beverly Triton on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 6 pm in the Chesapeake Room of the DPW building at 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis MD. Please attend and spread the word widely to encourage others to do the same.
Beverly Triton is not the only publicly owned park that was never opened to the general public. There are many. In the past one small group went after one park and either got picked off by the neighbors or bought off with a special privilege. Now, we are together. No privileged classes, no special favors. It is all of us or none of us and if we remain united we will *all* get to the water in *all* of our public parks.
Lisa
===================================
Department of Recreation and Parks Beverly Triton Update September 3 2019:
Mayo Peninsula Parks: Beverly Triton Nature Park - Park Development Update
Add to your summer highlights the resolution of a concept for Beverly Triton Nature Park. Alternative 1 was the favored concept of the four provided at the public meeting held on April 18, 2019. This is according to public comments, planning staff, and the Administration. The revised concept shown here illustrates most of the facilities and the changes. The changes include moving the drop-off parking closer to the beach by 15 feet to provide additional comfort for people with disabilities and limited mobility and cartop boat users with heavy equipment (an electric transformer limits moving any closer); addition of dollies and storage box to house them for use by cartop boaters to aide in the transport of heavy equipment; rinse-off station at the edge of the drop-off, reduction in amount of paving at drop-off parking nearest the beach (approximately 20'x20'); reduction of staff parking (approximately 10'x18') and layout shift for staff parking at proposed park maintenance shed, and shifting of shelter near the beach to reduce conflicts with cartop boat launchers.
The restroom building will not include showers, and the proposed spigot at the shelter near the beach is no longer needed since there is now a rinsing station.
The County's consultant Human and Rohde is pursuing 60% design on this final concept. There will be a public meeting for 60% design, and then prior to construction (a.k.a. pre-construction) in accordance with the policy for Department of Recreation and Parks' capital improvement projects. This website will post future meeting dates for the 60% design meeting and later pre-construction meeting. We are anticipating the 60% design meeting in November.
To clarify the other park elements, which have not changed and remain part of the park development program, the 60% designs will include the children's play space in the woods with boardwalk/overlook and associated trail, pier at Deep Pond, beach matting as trail near Deep Pond, parking for 96 visitors, traffic turn around, natural and accessible trails, a small shelter near the beach, a large shelter, a restroom/ranger office building, maintenance shed, staff parking, entry gate, and gate house. The management of water due to new impervious will be managed at a higher level than required by regulation, and additional measures will be taken during construction to protect against sediment leaving the site. Finally, staff will finalize a natural resources management plan to govern the management of sensitive flora and fauna within the park.
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