BETHESDA, MD—Saturday, April 26, the Montgomery County Department of Parks celebrated its 400th park in the county’s parks system—Maiden Lane Urban Park in Bethesda—with dozens of park neighbors and special guests, including Montgomery County Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson, Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and Roger Berliner and Ann Humphrey on behalf of Congressman Chris Van Hollen.
Councilmember Berliner provided the closing remarks during Saturday’s celebration of Maiden Lane Urban Park, which also included awards for several people who were influential in the preservation of this small pocket park about one third of an acre in size, remarks by Department of Parks Deputy Director Gene Giddens and fun for the community’s children, courtesy of Scales and Tales.
“This celebration is a major milepost for our communities,” said Bette Petrides, president of the Committee for the Preservation of Maiden Lane Urban Park, the group instrumental in spearheading the transfer of Maiden Lane from the county to the Department of Parks for use as a county park. “It makes official the status of a gathering place our neighborhoods have treated as a park for forty years. We are ecstatic.”
This site, once planned for use as an extension of Maiden Lane, was turned over to the Department of Parks in June 2006 so the neighborhood could enjoy it as a green space and meeting place. The acquisition of Maiden Lane serendipitously marked the county parks system’s 400th park milestone. Department of Parks Deputy Director Gene Giddens spoke during the community celebration Saturday about the significance parks hold for communities.
“Parks offer opportunities for outdoor recreation, quiet contemplation, a place to reconnect with nature or explore history,” noted Giddens. “This park—Maiden Lane—is special for the three communities it primarily serves: Whittier Woods, Kenwood Park and English Village, because it keeps you all connected.”
A connected community working together was the key to the preservation of Maiden Lane Urban Park. In February 2000, the Maiden Lane site was sold by the county to a private buyer to build a home. Alerted to the news of the sale in June 2000 when trees on the site were marked for cutting, the community sparked into action and formed the Committee for the Preservation of Maiden Lane Park, hiring the law firm of Knopf and Brown and initiating a legal fight between the county, buyer and the community which lasted for four years.
The awards presented Saturday reinforced the years of effort to preserve Maiden Lane Urban Park. Awards were given to Norman Knopf and David Brown from the law firm of Knopf & Brown, to former County Council President Blair Ewing and former Councilmember Howard Denis for their support in passing two County Council resolutions in 2001 urging that Maiden Lane be made a park and to Department of Parks Land Acquisition Specialist Bill Gries for his guidance to the community in brokering the land transfer.
“The Maiden Lane Urban Park has been the child of many parents. The legacy of our combined efforts is marked not only by the awards presented to those we honor for their support, nor only by our park; it is also traced in the interest of other communities in preserving and protecting similar green spaces and their coming together as communities to achieve that goal,” added Petrides.
Maiden Lane Urban Park is located at 7522 Oldchester Road in Bethesda. The park includes benches and a trail, which serves as an important connector for several communities. For more on other parks and facilities in the Montgomery County parks system, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org.
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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph, Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866
Bette Petrides, President
Committee for the Preservation of Maiden Lane Urban Park
301-320-9696