Swim Center Proposal Meets Opposition In Anne Arundel County

SEVERN, MD — A proposed swim center met opposition this week in Severn. Opponents worry that the West County Swim Center would overcrowd an already-busy town.

The swim center would be located in Provinces Park.

A public meeting notice said the swim center would replace two existing ball fields and one multipurpose field. The notice also warned that the aquatic center would likely bring additional traffic to the area.

Residents, including many who oppose the project, shared their concerns Monday at a hearing for the county's Department of Public Works and Department of Recreation and Parks.

Neighbors Speak Out

The Capital reported that Jonathan Max-Sohmer, director at large for the Provinces Civic Association, brought a notebook with 1,000 signatures against the $50 million swim center.

"This will ruin Provinces Park; it will also be extremely detrimental to our community," Max-Sohmer said, according to The Capital. "We appreciate that you want to build amenities in West County. Thank you for your consideration. West County hates this. ... There is no design or layout change that will convince us the swim center belongs in Provinces Park. Kindly put it somewhere else."

Supporters, on the other hand, said Severn needs more resources.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman assured that "the community is being heard, and alternative sites are being explored."

"I have to commend the neighbors of Provinces Park, current site of two baseball diamonds, and some multi-use fields used mostly for soccer," Pittman said Tuesday in a weekly newsletter. "They turned out in force against a plan that the County Council approved unanimously last year to build the West County Swim Center on their park, just days before Rec and Parks will present the new site plan mandated by that Council action."

Calls To Change Location

Department of Recreation and Parks Director Jessica Leys said this blowback is typical for construction projects where people have a "not in my backyard" mentality.

The swim center planning is still early enough to switch locations, but The Capital said the county already determined that Provinces Park is the best possible site.

"It’s curious, however, that one neighborhood can be so in love with their local ballfields while others are so opposed to having them nearby," Pittman said in the newsletter. "Remember the Millersville Tennis Center? The only thing that the neighbors opposed more than that facility was sports fields. So we moved forward with a public-private partnership (P3) to do the Tennis Center, not long after the County Council passed a resolution calling on us to do more P3s, and low and behold four members of the Council voted against the deal."

The county already has the North Arundel Aquatic Center in Glen Burnie and the Arundel Olympic Swim Center in Annapolis.

Other Development Opposition

The West County Swim Center is the second Pittman-endorsed project to face opposition recently.

Chesapeake Conservancy in January canceled its plans to build an office building on the shoreline of Annapolis' Quiet Waters Park. Neighbors worried about overdevelopment along the waterfront. They said there were other potential sites for the $10 million Earl Conservation Center, which would have served as a hub for nonprofits.

Related: Quiet Waters Park Office Building Plans Canceled After Pushback

Despite this resistance, Pittman is happy the county is so engaged.

"This is all as it should be," Pittman said of the lengthy proposal process. "These parks are OUR lands, with improvements paid for with OUR money, contributing to OUR quality of life, and in many cases protecting OUR environment."

Pittman also said he wants to solicit community feedback earlier and more often in future projects.

"That doesn’t mean that neighbors will have veto power over public projects, but it means fewer surprises and more good ideas from the people nearby," Pittman said.

More Resources In Severn

The West County Swim Center is the latest proposal in Severn, a town where Pittman wants more amenities.

Crews are already building the Severn Center nearby. This 26,000- square-foot facility is currently under construction next to Van Bokkelen Elementary School. The building will house a Boys & Girls Club, a senior center and a gymnasium.

Workers broke ground on the Severn Center in November 2021 with a target completion date of early 2023. Construction reached its halfway point in fall 2022.

To learn more about the West County Swim Center opposition, read The Capital's full story.