Restoring Discovery Village’s Boat Access in Shady Side
The following letter was sent to Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and County Council Chair Julie Hummer on July 11, 2025.
Dear County Executive Pittman and County Council Chair Hummer,
South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development (SACReD) is committed to promoting responsible development and to protecting the watershed and health of local waterways in South County that are critical to our maritime culture and industry. Public access to local waterways is essential to the local economy. The recent and sudden closure of the County's Discovery Village boat ramp in Shady Side was a shock to South County residents and disrupted the holiday weekend for many. Anne Arundel County provides only two other boat ramps to its citizens, both in North County, over an hour away. We respectfully request that trailered boat access in Shady Side be restored immediately.
The manner in which the recent closure took place was equally egregious to the closing itself and demonstrates a profound lack of respect for citizens, and is counter to the former support for the ramp and public water access in South County voiced by County Executive Pittman. The ramp was closed with no forewarning, no public input - only lip service to the democratic process consisting of a last-minute budget amendment presented by the Council Chair Hummer that was accompanied by inaccurate annual usage data for the boat ramp. If the County and/or County Council was unhappy with the terms of the lease, why didn't they work with the owners well in advance of the budget deadline instead of rushing to an ill-informed decision? Why didn't Councilwoman Leadbetter request time to research the issue that was so important to her District? In short, what was the impetus for this rash and ill-timed decision?
According to Councilwoman Leadbetter, the main concerns that prompted the Council's decision to close the ramp appear to have been the lease terms regarding repairs (which could potentially have been negotiated) along with grossly understated usage statistics (which need to be corrected). Much more concerning, however, in terms of the use of public tax dollars is the nearly $1.5M that was appropriated and expended to build the ramps, bulkhead, and dockage, including a substantial Maryland State Waterway Improvement grant. Does it make economic sense to walk away from this level of investment by the County and State?
Currently, public and equal access to the Chesapeake Bay for all citizens, regardless of income, is severely lacking in Anne Arundel County. By comparison, Calvert County, with one-sixth of Anne Arundel's population and far less shoreline, provides three high quality boat ramps to its citizens across their County. Closing the sole access point to local waterways in South County is in direct conflict with the recent Small Area Planning process for Region 9 and Plan 2040, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining the maritime character and economy of South County. Specific strategies identified in the Region 9 Small Area Plan important for this discussion include:
HC3 - Maintain and improve water access in R9 (Community)
HE1 - Support for re-use of vacant buildings (Healthy Economy)
HC5 - Evaluate potential for community center (Healthy Community)
It is important to note that Discovery Village has provided more to South County than the public boat ramp. Over the years, the facility has provided space for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the West/Rhode Riverkeeper, other local non-profit organizations and shop space for the maritime industry. SACReD has joined with the local arts community and others over the past year to encourage County acquisition of Discovery Village as a Community Center for South County. County acquisition of this property is long overdue.
We request that the County provide an immediate, safe, and adequate solution for the remainder of the 2025 boating season and invest in a long-term solution that provides more public access to waterways across South County and beyond.
Thank you for your commitment to public access and support of our communities, lands, and waters.
Linda L. Andreasen, SACReD Co-President
Linda Nguyen, SACReD Co-President
CC: Anne Arundel County Council
Jessica Leys, Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks
Karen Henry, Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works
Jennifer L. Jackson, Maryland State Department of Natural Resources