BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 30, 2013)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the appointment of Mr. Robert Wall as the new chief of the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks (BCRP) Recreation Bureau. His selection is in keeping with the administration’s goal to create a new high-quality recreation center network that will help attract families and grow Baltimore. Wall has been charged with developing more innovative recreational and leisure programming that will continue to improve the quality of life for Baltimore’s residents and visitors alike. “The appointment of a new chief of recreation is critical to the implementation of my community center master plan, which includes $19 million in capital investment, expanded staff, after-school programs, and community partnerships,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “Bob has a long history of providing recreational services to the city’s youth and adults, and we are excited to have him.” By the time he was 14 years old, Wall had already accumulated 3,000 volunteer hours at the Patterson Park Recreation Center. A few years later, he became the center’s recreation leader. From 1989 until 1993, he worked as a recreation program assistant and was subsequently promoted to recreation center director for Ella Bailey Recreation Center. In 1995, Wall returned to Patterson Park Recreation Center, this time serving as a recreation programmer. In 2005, Wall was promoted to chief of the Youth and Adults Sports Division, where he became a strong advocate for increasing the physical activity of the city’s youth and adults by adding more quality and unconventional sports programming. Currently, BCRP offers 20 sports programs and operates 200 youth leagues and 112 adult leagues. “My vision for BCRP’s Recreation Bureau is to create and promote fun, progressive, and memorable activities that will enhance the health and well-being of the citizens of Baltimore,” said Wall. “With the community center master plan, I believe we have laid out a multi-faceted approach to ensure high-quality recreational services for all areas of the community, and I am excited about the future of the City’s recreation system.” In addition to an increase to the recreation bureau's operating budget for this year, in the FY14 capital budget, Mayor Rawlings-Blake also allocated $5 million for the community center master plan and implementation—a major down payment on the mayor’s goal to build as many 10 new high-quality rec centers within the decade as part of the City's 10-Year Financial Plan.