At tonight’s meeting, the City Council will consider approving the FY2017 Program Open Space (POS) allocation using $20,000 for land acquisition to expand the Hollywood Gateway Park and using $94, 712 for the wellness trail around Hollywood Shopping Center as proposed by staff.
Prince George’s County’s allocation of POS funds in FY2017 is $3,258,859; College Park will receive $114,711.84 (3.52%) of this allocation. In most years the City is required to spend equally between acquisition of land and development projects. This year the City has the ability to spend the entire amount on development projects. Development projects require a 25% match of local funds.
The Hollywood Gateway Expansion project is set up to buy additional land for the Hollywood Gateway Park, specifically land behind 4705 Edgewood, the house next to the park property so that access to the park can occur from 47th Avenue and to acquire an easement for property adjacent to the 4703 Edgewood, near Route 1.
So far the City has spent a total of $475,480 on the Gateway Park ($352K for land and $123K for design). This does not include many hours that staff has spent in working with the design firm and doing other administrative work. I totally agree that the house has become an eyesore with the doors and windows recently boarded up. We’ll make a final decision about this house very soon, whether or not we’ll build the park (as planned) there or not.
In FY2014, $82,988 in POS funds were allocated towards the Hollywood Gateway Park Expansion; the FY2017 recommendation by staff is to add another $20,000. For design and construction of the Hollywood Gateway Park $437,675 of POS funding has been allocated: $328,257 state funding and $109,418 local funding.