HoCo Rec Board Settles On Blandair Plan

The ExploreHoward blog says the county's parks and rec board has approved a master plan for a future Blandair Regional Park in eastern Columbia.

The Howard County Recreation and Parks Board unanimously decided [Wednesday night] to adopt Alternative G-1, the design plan suggested by the Blandair Park Advisory Committee, said Recreation and Parks Director Gary Arthur. The final plan incorporated many of the suggestions from residents who spoke out about it during a public meeting in September.

The park will be built on 300 acres of former farmland in east Columbia and split into southern and northern halves divided by Route 175. The northern half, which holds the original farm buildings and manor house, would include softball fields, open meadows and a nature center. The south side would feature a skate park, baseball fields and a multi-purpose building.

Don't start dusting off that skateboard yet. The story says construction won't likely start until 2010 and construction could take 10 years to finish.

This, after the county bought the land more than a decade ago.