What Happened?
Baltimore may sell four public parking garages to raise $60 million to support construction of new recreation centers. Each parking garage currently generates $400,000 annually, but could provide a one-time cash infusion if sold.
The Goal
Baltimore recently built a new $4.4 million recreation center, the first in the past 10 years. Many neighborhoods have since been lobbying the government for funds to build recreation centers in their communities. In the past two years, four recreation centers have been closed and 10 others were transferred to other operators. The city’s budget struggled to support recreation center maintenance.
Baltimore now wants to renovate existing recreation centers and build new ones in underserved neighborhoods. To free up cash to support these projects, city officials are proposing to legalize the selling of four of the 17 public parking garages.
Baltimore officials want to sell just enough parking garages to fund the recreation center projects, not completely privatize parking management throughout the city. The four lots selected are not in residential areas so there will be minimal impact on residents. Because the majority of municipal lots would remain under government control, the city could work to keep parking prices low for residents, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Parks Needs Assessment
If the selling of the parking garages is approved, the city will start to identify which neighborhoods are in most need for new or renovated recreation centers. Baltimore has hired GreenPlay LLC to analyze current recreation centers and determine how best to use the money generated from the sales.
According to the Baltimore City Council, GreenPlay LLC will work collaboratively with the parks and recreation department to outline goals and establish strategies to achieve them, including the sale of four parking garages. The consulting firm will assess:
- What agencies will provide specific services to neighborhoods
- What specific services should be provided
- Any gaps or duplications in these services
The consulting firm will then provide recommendations on how to reduce wasteful spending, boost sustainability and improve resource management throughout the city.
What To Expect
GreenPlay LLC completed a similar assessment for Broward County, Florida. The report focused on pinpointing weaknesses in the county’s parks and recreation departments, and prioritizing projects to better provide residents with access to green space and recreational services. In addition, the consulting firm offered an overall economic impact analysis to determine how improved parks and recreation services can benefit growth and sustainability.
The study identified a list of key issues for the county to address including:
- Optimizing marketing and communications
- Identifying the role of developing and expanding the Greenways Program
- Maximizing partnerships
- Addressing safety issues
- Completing and pricing, cost recovery and revenue policy
- Developing a strategic plan to improve asset management
From there, Broward County has a variety of recommended strategies to address each key issue, as well as next steps to sustain positive changes in the long term.
Paying for Projects
Gov1 has reported on a variety of tactics to support public projects, including the sale of infrastructure to private companies.