DUNDALK, Md. — Turner Station leaders are refusing to sign a new memorandum of understanding with Baltimore County Rec and Parks, citing cost concerns and potential loss of access to a community facility.
WATCH: Turner Station fights back against county recreation changes
Turner Station community leaders are raising concerns about a Baltimore County initiative that could change how residents access a local recreation facility they have used for decades.
In July 2024, the Baltimore County Recreation and Parks Department launched the Reimagine Recreation in Parks Plan, which took effect in January 2025.
The plan requires all community recreation councils to sign a memorandum of understanding with Rec and Parks — something the Turner Station Recreation Council has decided not to do.
Community leaders say one of the primary reasons for refusing to sign is the cost the new plan would impose on residents who have long used the facilities at no charge.
Renee Scott, president of the Ms. Renee Association Foundation, said:
"Let's look around, people don't have money today, and if you are in a low-income place and people can't afford your fees, then what are you doing?"
Maurisha Graves-White, president of the Turner Station Recreation Council, stated that the fees are incompatible with the council's current operating structure.
"Right now, most of our programs that the Turner Station Recreation Council offers are totally free of charge, so the fees are not conducive to the community, especially when there are no fees associated with our programs."
Graves-White said she is also concerned about potentially losing complete access to the facilities, as the deadline to sign the memorandum of understanding has already passed.
Antuan Scott, secretary of the Ms. Renee Association Foundation, said the community's unrestricted access to the facility must be preserved.
"We need to make sure that the community had the access that they need and for whatever they need to do within this community, they should be able to do it with no restrictions, the way that it's always been."
Community organizers say recent administrative changes raise questions about continued public access to and use of the facility.
Leaders say they are hoping to negotiate the terms of the memorandum of understanding so that residents can continue using the Sollers Point Multipurpose Center at an affordable rate and in a way that works for the Turner Station community.
Renee Scott said:
"We ain't trying to step out of our boundaries, we are just trying to help Turner Station, and Turner Station is going to get helped one way or the other."
The Turner Station Recreation Council and the Ms. Renee Association Foundation are holding a public community meeting on Wednesday to discuss the proposed changes and share concerns with neighbors. The meeting will take place at the Sollers Point Multipurpose Center at 6 p.m.
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