Creating a greener, healthier city has been a priority of my administration. Building stronger neighborhoods with access to open, green space is, and has been, an important part of my efforts to attract new families to Baltimore.

We have worked diligently to pass legislation that would provide more funding for recreation and parks. A Bill we worked on was ultimately amended onto another, HB 462, and on Monday we celebrated a major victory when that piece of legislation was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan. The City will ultimately receive $6 million annually for Recreation and Parks. These funds can be used to realize my vision to build high quality recreation facilities, create better programming and better upkeep our parks.

Baltimore City offers nearly 6,000 acres of parkland and public space and 262 public parks. These extraordinary spaces are natural, welcoming assets for our communities.

With the funds from Program Open Space I look forward to the future where we can continue to build, grow and modernize our Recreation and Parks system. I am excited to announce that park projects to benefit from Program Open Space are already outlined for FY 2018, including:

Herring Run Park

Clifton Park

Druid Hill Park

James Mosher Park

and Patterson Park

As our City grows, our green spaces do not need to be compromised. I encourage everyone to visit Baltimore City’s notable trees. From a 94 foot Black Locust to a 62 foot American Holly, our city has an extraordinary collection worthy of protecting. The Gwynns Falls Trail connects over 30 neighborhoods stretching over 15 miles. Our Jones Falls Trail includes Cylburn Arboretum, Botanic Gardens, and historic Druid Hill Park. For the adventurous, it also includes three fitness stations.

I appreciate all of the work and support that the General Assembly has given to this legislation. Specifically, I’d like to thank the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, the City members of the budget committees and our entire City delegation.

I want to applaud the work of the Baltimore Office of Sustainability and Department Recreation and Parks; Live Baltimore and Partners for Open Space as well as the countless others who understand that protecting our parks for generations to come is key to growing our city’s healthy and sustainable future.

The lives of every resident and visitor will be enriched with the improvements planned for our open spaces in the coming years. And as a resident of the City, I am personally looking forward to taking advantage of all of it.