The final presentation of the future Roland Water Tower Park plans were presented on Sunday June 26th with more than 50 people in attendance. People were excited and energized to see the plans for a park for people of all ages and a vibrant space for community activities.
A multi-neighborhood team of volunteers worked for two years to coordinate community input and manage the process to come up with this plan. There have been multiple on-site meetings, surveys and presentations, and multiple reviews and approvals of the plans by city and state agencies.
The final park design does not include a road through the park. The committee took almost a year listen to community concerns about traffice and to research if the road could be partially opened in the long-term. However, they found no reasonable path forward to fund a safe, well-maintained road.
To ease traffic congestion now, the north side of the Roland Water Tower is open one way from Roland Avenue to Evans Chapel. This is a temporary measure until the park construction starts, to allow time for traffic improvements to be in place, and to accommodate the considerable utility construction underway in Hoes Heights and Heathbrook. Traffic signs have been installed and barriers are in place to keep pedestrians in the park safe from car traffic.
Check out this great article about the park in the Baltimore Fishbowl.
Want to get involved in the next steps and events? You are welcome to join the Friends of the Roland Water Tower. Contact rolandwatertower@rolandpark.org for more information.
You can view the drawings and presentation boards below.
Friends of the Roland Water Tower 