Soukup Park Breaks Ground in Perry Hall

More than 80 people attended a groundbreaking over the weekend for Soukup Park and Arena in Perry Hall, a new community center that will be built east of Honeygo Boulevard at Joppa Road, according to Councilman David Marks.

The groundbreaking was a chance to celebrate the beginning of the project and the contributions of Jerry and Pat Soukup, for whom the site is named, Marks said.

Jerry Soukup helped found the Perry Hall Recreation Council in 1955, and he and his late wife, Pat, raised money from concession stand sales and events for a gym to house the organization's sports leagues, according to a statement from Baltimore County.

The Perry Hall Recreation Council raised more than $1.5 million that will be used to build the complex, which Marks thanked local leaders including Paul Amirault and Bill Paulshock for helping to make a reality.

Baltimore County is contributing $2.95 million, the statement said.

"Never in my years of public service have I encountered a more determined group of volunteers," Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said in a prepared statement. In fact, he designated March 30 as "Jerry Soukup Day."

Construction began at the 30-acre parcel of Baltimore County property last week, and the arena is slated to be completed in winter 2015, according to the statement.

The 12,000-square-foot building will include a 9,000-square-foot gymnasium and 3,000 square feet of additional space, the statement said.

"This is one of five parks that are actively being developed in the Fifth District, from Loch Raven to Perry Hall," Marks said. "We are making progress preserving and improving the open space that our communities need."

Related: 

• Perry Hall Park Named for Longtime Local Leaders
• Perry Hall Citizen of the Year Draws Laughs, Nostalgia