<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<section article="gnr" article_name="Natural Resources" number="5-1012" title_number="5" title_name="Forests and Parks" subtitle_number="10" subtitle_name="Public Park Land and Recreational Areas">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “partnership park” means a unit of the State park system managed by the Department in partnership with a local government, a bicounty agency, or a nonprofit organization.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The Department may enter into:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>A memorandum of understanding with a local government, bicounty agency, or nonprofit organization to establish a partnership park in the State; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A partnership agreement with a local government, bicounty agency, or nonprofit organization to manage a partnership park in the State.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Department shall establish the Freedman’s State Park as a partnership park that seeks to educate the public about and preserve and interpret the lives and experiences of Black Americans both before and after the abolition of slavery.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Freedman’s State Park shall be held by the State as a State park under the protection and administration of the Department.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>Freedman’s State Park shall consist of properties in northeastern Montgomery County in or near the communities of Brookeville, Olney, Sandy Spring, Zion, and Laytonsville that are:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Owned by the State and designated by the Department as part of the park; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Owned by a local government, a bicounty agency, or a nonprofit organization; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Designated as part of the park by a partnership agreement between the owner of the property and the State.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Department shall establish a stakeholder advisory committee to advise the Department on the scope and management of Freedman’s State Park.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The stakeholder advisory committee shall consist of the following members:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>A representative of Montgomery Parks, designated by Montgomery Parks’ Director of Parks;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A representative of the Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County, designated by the Alliance’s Executive Director;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>A representative of the Sandy Spring Slave Museum, designated by the Museum’s Director;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>A representative of the Sandy Spring Museum, designated by the Museum’s President; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Any other members as determined by the Department.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>To the extent practicable, the stakeholder advisory committee shall reflect the diversity of northeastern Montgomery County.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>On or before January 1, 2023, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Property owned by the State in northeastern Montgomery County that is suitable for inclusion in Freedman’s State Park;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Property owned by a local government, a bicounty agency, or a nonprofit organization in northeastern Montgomery County that is suitable for inclusion in Freedman’s State Park and for which the landowners are willing to enter into a partnership agreement; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The funding needed to establish and promote Freedman’s State Park.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f–1">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Department and Baltimore City shall:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Convene focus group meetings on the establishment of the Gwynns Falls State Park with community members and stakeholders that reside or operate in the vicinity of the proposed State park;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Develop a list of priority needs and associated cost assessments for park operations and improvements, including:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Capital improvements;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Critical maintenance;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Enhanced natural resource management and restoration, including implementation of a biohabitats study;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Historic site restoration;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>Enhanced outdoor recreation amenities, including trail improvements;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="6">
          <text>Adding park staff and procuring equipment and supplies; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="7">
          <text>Law enforcement and public safety; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Establish a stakeholder advisory committee to advise the Department and Baltimore City on the scope and management of Gwynns Falls State Park that consists of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>At least one member of the Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>At least six members representing local park advocacy organizations, local environmental organizations, local historic preservation organizations, neighborhood organizations from neighborhoods that border the future Gwynns Falls State Park site; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Any additional members as determined by the Department and Baltimore City.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>On or before December 1, 2025, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Property owned by the State in Baltimore City that is suitable for inclusion in Gwynns Falls State Park;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Property owned by Baltimore City or a nonprofit organization in Baltimore City that is suitable for inclusion in Gwynns Falls State Park and for which the landowners are willing to enter into a partnership agreement; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The funding needed to establish and promote Gwynns Falls State Park.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Department shall establish the Port Deposit State Park as a partnership park that seeks to educate the public about and preserve and interpret the lives and experiences of Black Americans both before and after the abolition of slavery.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Port Deposit State Park shall be held by the State as a State park under the protection and administration of the Department.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Port Deposit State Park shall consist of a portion of the Bainbridge Naval Training Center site, measuring not less than 120 acres and not more than 150 acres, that the Bainbridge Development Corporation transfers to the Department, including:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The historic Tome School;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The Snow Hill archaeological site; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The adjacent wooded conservation area.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Department shall establish a stakeholder advisory committee to advise the Department on the scope and management of Port Deposit State Park.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The stakeholder advisory committee shall consist of the following members:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>One member designated by the Mayor and Town Council of Port Deposit;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Two members of the House of Delegates and one member of the Senate of Maryland representing Cecil County, designated by the Cecil County Delegation of the General Assembly;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>The County Executive of Cecil County, or the County Executive’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>The President of the Cecil County Council, or the President’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>The President of the Cecil County branch of the NAACP, or the President’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="6">
          <text>The President of the Historical Society of Cecil County, or the President’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="7">
          <text>The Director of the Cecil County Department of Parks and Recreation;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="8">
          <text>The Chair of the Bainbridge Development Corporation, or the Chair’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="9">
          <text>The Chief Archaeologist of the Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration, or the Chief Archaeologist’s designee; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="10">
          <text>The following nonvoting ex officio members:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>The Secretary, or the Secretary’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>The Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="C">
          <text>The Secretary of the Environment, or the Secretary’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="D">
          <text>The Secretary of Planning, or the Secretary’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="E">
          <text>The Director of the Maryland Historical Trust, or the Director’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="F">
          <text>The President of the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, or the President’s designee;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="G">
          <text>The Superintendent of Cecil County Public Schools;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="H">
          <text>The Executive Director of the Cecil County Public Library; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="I">
          <text>The President of Cecil College.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>To the extent practicable, the stakeholder advisory committee shall reflect the diversity of Cecil County.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>On or before September 1, 2024, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article on:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Property that is suitable for inclusion in Port Deposit State Park;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The funding needed to establish and promote Port Deposit State Park; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The appropriate manner of preserving property that is not identified for inclusion in Port Deposit State Park in perpetuity for its archaeological, historical, and cultural significance.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>It is the intent of the General Assembly that if the State acquires Carr’s Beach for the purpose of making the property a State park, the property shall be a partnership park established and maintained in a manner substantially similar to the requirements established under subsections (b) through (d) of this section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this subsection, “Waldorf core zone” means a geographical area in Charles County within the following boundaries:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>North of Billingsley Road;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>South of Mattawoman Creek;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>East of Bensville Road; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>West of Maryland Route 5.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>It is the intent of the General Assembly that if the State acquires property in the Waldorf core zone for the purpose of making the property a State park, the property shall be a partnership park established and maintained in a manner substantially similar to the requirements established under subsections (b) through (d) of this section.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>It is the intent of the General Assembly that if the State acquires Hill Road Park in Prince George’s County for the purpose of making the property a State park, the property shall be a partnership park established and maintained in a manner substantially similar to the requirements established under subsections (b) through (d) of this section.</text>
  </level>
</section>
