Let’s say you were a young Bolton Hill couple expecting a baby when plans to reconstruct Druid Lake first came into view. By now, if all went to plan, your child could be about to finish college.
Everything has not gone according to plan since the federal EPA in 2006 directed the city of Baltimore to cover at least that portion of the reservoir in Druid Hill Park that supplies drinking water to much of the city. Construction finally began in 2017 with a big sign posted promising completion in 2022. Notwithstanding obvious progress, the project continues at a crawling pace.
For neighborhood bikers, hikers and joggers who used to count access to the lake’s perimeter as a major asset, it is finally once again possible to circle the smaller lake’s edge without much inconvenience, once you figure out how to get past the fences and roads that segregate it from the reservoir area and the rest of the 745-acre expanse that is one of the oldest city parks in the nation.
It has been more than a year since city council president Nick Mosby, fresh from a Democratic primary drubbing, exulted, “I can ride off on my horse knowing that Druid Park Lake is done,” even as the Board of Estimates on which he served was approving $4 million in over-budget payments for some of the work that separated the reservoir now storing water in huge underground tanks from the remaining part of the lake. That piece of work, the tanks, seems complete and covered with healthy lawns of green and brown grasses, but is still entirely fenced off.
So far, more than $140 million of mostly federal and state funds has been spent. The rest is up to the city. In July 2020, the Board of Estimates awarded architects Unknown Studio $1.5 million to create a “vision plan.” Two years later, it was estimated that the new amenities – a wish list that has included a footbridge across the lake, a lakeside restaurant, an amphitheater, maybe little islands, a boat dock, a new trail around the entire circumference of the park – would cost at least $50 million more.
The state has committed $17 million for lake improvements. The city coughed up $800,000 for additional planning and studies. The other millions are still to be found. Three city agencies are involved in the project: Recreation and Parks, Public Works, and Transportation. Appearing on WYPR’s Tom Hall Show a few days ago, Rec and Parks chief Russell Moore put blame for the delays on DPW.
He said his agency is designing the first phase of the “vision” execution so that once DPW moves on, it can start to execute – by July 2027! He said, “things around the lake still need attention,” like strengthening the shore. Moore acknowledged that the project “has been longer than usual…. There’s times when you have plans, and unknown things come up.”
If he qualifies, that kid born to Bolton Hill parents might be finishing law school or entering a medical residency before the Druid Lake project is actually finished. A lakeside amphitheater could be a great place for a wedding.
–Bill Hamilton
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