LA PLATA — Two small neighborhood playgrounds in La Plata will be torn out within the next few weeks to a month, and the grass will be left to grow back, town parks staff told the La Plata Parks and Recreation Commission on Oct. 21.
The Patuxent Court playground and a play area known as the Hemlock Court tot lot are both on parcels the town does not own. Staff said the town has kept them up for years on the general assumption that someone had to, but can no longer maintain equipment on land where it has no legal right to work. Staff also cited safety concerns with the aging equipment and said the two sites no longer hold much community value.
For families who live nearby, the change means losing a walk-to play spot. The commission’s update also adds a second site to a removal plan the town had publicly discussed only for Patuxent Court.
A second site joins the list
At the La Plata Town Council’s Oct. 13 meeting, Town Manager Chuck Stevens said the Patuxent Court equipment was unsafe and that the town would remove it, as the Chronicle reported last week. Stevens told the council then that he knew of no other playgrounds in the same situation headed for removal.
At the Oct. 21 commission meeting, staff named Hemlock Court as well. Staff said the two sites were flagged months ago in a parks inventory and assessment presented to the council, and that no other parks in the town’s inventory will be decommissioned.
Who owns the land
The question of ownership is what forced the decision. Staff said the town sent a certified letter to the owner of record and received no response, describing that owner as a homeowners association that is no longer active. At the Oct. 13 council meeting, Stevens identified the last owner of record for the Patuxent Court land as the neighborhood’s developer, Somerset Maple LLC, and said that letter went out Aug. 3. The town has not said which entity holds the Hemlock Court parcel.
Because the town lacks legal access, staff said, La Plata will not maintain those parcels or any other property it does not own once the equipment is gone.
Neighbors’ questions
A commission member who said she once lived on Patuxent Court agreed the playground is in poor shape and probably not safe for children, and asked what will happen to the space. Staff said crews will remove the equipment and its border, pull up the wood-chip surface, till the ground and let grass return.
The same member asked whether the lots could become planted areas like the town’s pocket park with wildflowers. Staff said the obstacle is maintenance: the town cannot take care of land it does not own.
Asked whether residents near the playgrounds were notified directly, staff said they did not receive individual letters, but that the plan was explained in public at two council meetings, including the Oct. 13 session.
Investment shifts to Wills Park
The removals come as the town finishes work at Wills Park on St. Mary’s Avenue. Staff said the rebuilt tennis and basketball courts were completed a couple of weeks ago, the fencing was reinstalled the week of the meeting, and the courts are open for public use, with a small item left for the paving contractor that will not affect use. A grand opening is set for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m.
Commission members said the renovated park is heavily used. One member said there is rarely a moment when nobody is on the courts or playground.
The commission also took up a resident’s request for a crosswalk at St. Mary’s Avenue and Glen Albin Road, now a four-way stop near the park. Staff said Glen Albin is a county road while that stretch of St. Mary’s Avenue is a town street, so the project needs county coordination. Staff noted a VanGO bus stop sits at the corner, which strengthens the case, and said the town’s public works director supports the idea and will take it to the county. No timeline was given.
Commission members also discussed preparing a report to the Town Council before the start of the year. The commission plans to meet again next month.
