County outlines details of new Sparrows Point park

By Jordan Schwartzberg
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski held a press conference via WebEx Monday night to outline plans for the new 22-acre park planned to be built in Sparrows Point.

When all is set and done, the park will be the first to be built in Baltimore County in six years, Olszewski said.

Olszewski said the park is being developed on land donated to the county by Tradepoint Atlantic, a real estate developer that is part of a public-private partnership that has transformed Sparrows Point from a decaying steel mill into a new 3,300-acre industrial park that houses an Amazon warehouse, Under Armour, Purdue and other businesses.

Aaron Tomarchio, the executive vice president of corporate affairs for Tradepoint Atlantic, said the park will be key to giving the people of Sparrows Point access back to not only their waterfront but new recreational equipment.

The park will be located in the Chesapeake Bay critical zone, a designated title given to parts of the bay that need extra care due to concerns over water quality and natural resources.

Roslyn Johnson, the director of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks, said the new park will include a 16,000-square-foot community center, double gym, activity rooms, a lighted synthetic turf field, concessions and picnic area.

The park will also include a 10,000-square-foot playground, fishing pier, kayak launch and walking trail, Johnson said. There will also be an electric vehicle charging station.

The park will be built in two phases. Johnson said the first phase will include the installation of utilities, the field and parking lot. Phase II will include the other amenities that are part of the plan.

Johnson said the double gymnasium will have the ability to be divided into four sections, and the two activity rooms could be combined into one room and will both contain LED screens.

Timothy Dodge, president of the Edgemere-Sparrows Point Recreation Council, said the park will meet the increasing demand in the area for recreational activities.

“Our programs have increased from 16 to 26. Our registrations have increased 84% between 2008 and 2019,” Dodge said. “Yet the amount of new recreational indoor facilities and new outdoor playing fields has not increased at all.”

Dodge said that the new park will lead to increased community attraction, the ability to host large-scale tournaments and events, financial benefits for local businesses, the alleviation of traffic in the Edgemere Main Street District, and it would be the finest state-of-the-art recreation complex.

The parks department will look into adding a track and making the playground universally accessible to those with disabilities. In addition, the department is looking into adding a historical interpretation inside the community center.

Sparrows Point was home to Bethlehem Steel, one of the largest steel mills in the world. The plant closed in 2012 and the area has been redeveloped into an industrial park and distribution center.

In addition to Amazon and Under Armour, FedEx, Harley-Davidson and Volkswagon make up some of the tenants currently located at the site.

Tradepoint Atlantic and county officials have estimated that the businesses at Sparrows Point will eventually generate up to 17,000 jobs.