Exemplary projects to be presented at Peachwood Neighborhood Park on October 11, 2014.
SILVER SPRING, MD—Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission announces the completion of 32 Intercounty Connector (ICC) mitigation projects in parks spanning the entire county. Peachwood Neighborhood Park is a prime example of the different types of environmental enhancements established in Montgomery County parks as part of the State Highway Administration’s (SHA) ICC Environmental Stewardship and Compensatory Mitigation Program. Park staff will provide tours detailing the projects at Peachwood Neighborhood Park on October 11 at 10 a.m. Media and the public are invited to attend.
The ICC Environmental Stewardship and Compensatory Mitigation Program was directed by SHA and conducted to offset the environmental impacts of the ICC and go over and above required environmental mitigation.
Located along one of the county’s most valuable resources, Peachwood Neighborhood Park is nearly 20 acres and part of the Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area (SPA). The Upper Paint Branch stream valley is a unique, nationally recognized coldwater fishery that contains the only suburban stream system in the county that supports a self-sustaining brown trout population.
To protect and preserve this habitat and other environmental aspects of the park, the mitigation work included:
Bioswales in the neighborhood surrounding the park;
A stormwater management pond
Stream restoration; and
Tree plantings
Montgomery Parks’ staff worked in close collaboration with SHA during planning to determine the most important needs of the community and correlate them with the greatest environmental needs of the sensitive area where the park is located.
“We knew the importance of involving the community in this project,” said Matt Harper, Montgomery Parks Principal Natural Resources Specialist. “Before doing any work on the park, we conducted a park user survey to understand which amenities park users valued and what they felt the park lacked.”
As a result of the survey, park staff incorporated a variety of additional initiatives into the project including installing a new basketball court, resurfacing the tennis courts, repairing and repainting of the handball court and removing impervious surface from the parking lot.
The success of this project was achieved through collaboration among the SHA, Montgomery Parks and the Peachwood community.
A number of other ICC mitigation projects have been completed in the SPA including but not limited to:
- A stream restoration along the right branch of the Good Hope tributary, as well as along the main Good Hope Tributary;
- A stromwater pond retrofit and outfall stabilization within the Great Hope Homes Community;
- A 12 acre wetland creation within the Peach Orchard/Allnut property;
- Ovreall stream restorations in the Gum Springs tributary, Left Fork of Upper Pint Branch and Paint Branch Mainstem;
- Stormwater facility upgrades south of Peach Orchard Heights, along Cabin Creek Drive, within the Fairland Gardens community, in Wembrough Neighborhood Park, and in the Colesville Heights community; and
- Multiple reforestation sites.
About the ICC Environmental Stewardship and Compensatory Mitigation Program (ES/CM)
Symbolizing the ICC project’s commitment to the environment are initiatives that go beyond meeting minimum requirements to mitigate for environmental impacts – unrelated to the ICC – that otherwise would remain unaddressed. These include 51 environmental stewardship projects that are addressing environmental needs caused by development in the area. Many environmental mitigation and stewardship projects, all of which are located in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, have been combined into approximately 51 projects that have an estimated value of more than $97 million.
About the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 35,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 418 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. The M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems.
For more on the Montgomery Parks visit www.MontgomeryParks.org
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