A saga continues to play out over public boat ramp availability in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. In a county where there are 533 miles of shoreline, there are only a few public ramps from which to launch boats. That’s why the closure on July 1 of one of these precious ramps has some residents fighting to get it back.
On July 1, the ramp at Discovery Village on Parish Creek, just south of the West River, closed. The owners of Discovery Village put the entire property up for sale after the Anne Arundel County Council voted to terminate its lease for the boat ramp.
Water access advocate Lisa Arrasmith says Discovery Village was the only public boat ramp for 20 miles. The county’s other two public ramps are in the northern part of the county: Fort Smallwood Park in Pasadena and Solleys Cove Park in Glen Burnie. Near the Bay Bridge there is Sandy Point State Park, run by the state. As for municipal boat ramps, Truxton Park and Tucker Street in Annapolis are the closest options for southern Anne Arundel County (known locally as South County) boaters. There is a ramp further south in Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County.
To appease South County in the wake of Discovery Village’s closure, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced an arrangement with local marina Parish Creek Landing Marina, just across the creek from Discovery Village. Pittman announced that the partnership would offer “South County residents complimentary water access for the remainder of the boating season,” with no indication of an arrangement with Parish Creek Landing beyond this season. “We are pleased to have found a short-term solution to keep local boaters connected with nature,” said Jessica Leys, Director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks. “By partnering with a local marina, we can provide immediate access.”
In a statement, Pittman’s office said the county Department of Recreation and Parks “is also exploring multiple options to ensure that long-term boat ramp access remains available in this area.”
Arrasmith and others feel the only proper solution to ensure long-term boat ramp access is for Anne Arundel County to buy the Discovery Village property and restore public access there. According to a commercial real estate listing for Discovery Village, the property is just shy of 7 acres “positioned at the tip of a peninsula… offering breathtaking views north facing up the Chesapeake Bay including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.” The listing says the property is surrounded on three sides by bodies of water, and boasts a living shoreline, deep-water slips, and of course, the boat ramp. It is billed as “an excellent redevelopment opportunity”. The property is listed at $3.45 million.
Arrasmith argues that if the county buys Discovery Village, the boat ramp could immediately be reopened. A group of advocates are holding a public meeting Tuesday, Aug. 19, for the purpose of gaining support for this idea. The meeting is being held by the Anne Arundel County Watermen’s Association and the Southern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, according to an event flyer. County Councilman Pete Smith, the only councilmember to vote against ending the Discovery Village lease, is set to speak at the meeting. Leys and Pittman also plan to be there. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is invited. The meeting Aug. 19 is at the Deale Library on Deale-Churchton Road, beginning at 4 p.m.
Arrasmith says water access advocates will call on supporters to submit online testimony ahead of the County Council’s next meeting, to be held on Monday, Sept. 2. “The meeting is a public forum where anyone can ask questions, where anyone can speak up and talk about what the loss of the Discovery Village public boat ramp means for them.”
She points out that boat ramps are especially important for entry-level boaters who keep a boat on a trailer in their driveway or other storage place. It’s a more affordable way to get on the water.
Online comments about water access in South County can be submitted here and will go to county councilmembers, then be available to the public on the day of the council meeting.
