Howard County Executive Calvin Ball’s capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year will include a request for an additional $25 million in funding for the Ekridge Community and 50+ Center, he announced Monday.

“Elkridge has long advocated for the spaces, infrastructure and services that this community deserves. That’s why we’re making significant investments in facilities, parks and transportation to ensure that Elkridge thrives as a place to live, work, play, grow and thrive for all,” Ball said during a news conference.

The $25 million in funding will allow the county to continue the design, planning and construction of a 67,000 square-foot facility with a gymnasium, multi-purpose spaces and a 50+ center, Ball said. The center will be built on 25 acres of land purchased by the county in the last fiscal year.

Of the 67,000 square feet, 14,000 will be specifically committed to the 50+ center, which Ball said will move from its current location at the Elkridge Branch Library when construction finished.

“Although this community amenity is long overdue, we appreciate the fast pace we’re seeing the county administration take by picking up developable sites and repurposing them for public good, such as this center,” Council Chair Liz Walsh, whose district includes Elkridge, said in a statement sent to the Howard County Times.

In 2023, Ball announced plans for the Elkridge Civic District, which included a new community center, a 50+ center, expansion of the Elkridge library branch, acquisition of land for a new high school, improvements in transportation and other projects. Ball proposed more than $30 million in his proposed fiscal 2025 capital budget for the land and planning of the new high school as well as the community center and library branch expansion.

Residents were able to weigh in on the community and 50+ center through several public meetings. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, during which construction contractor Cannon will address the latest plan for the site, the total square footage of the building, the general plan for the facility and an updated schedule, said Nick Mooneyhan, director of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

The county will also work with the community on future plans for possible park amenities, such as basketball and tennis courts, playgrounds and age-friendly fitness equipment, Mooneyhan said.

The center will cost more than $25 million, but the total cost remains unclear until awarding a bid for the project, county officials said. The design process is ongoing and groundbreaking on the project is anticipated around the spring or summer of 2026, though the timeframe isn’t exact.

Members of the Elkridge community have been calling for improved public facilities and a greater investment in the area that matches the county’s investment in other areas.

Longtime Elkridge resident and member of the Elkridge Community Alliance, Cathy Hudson, on Monday called the investments and attention received by the town in recent years a “long time coming and a very welcome addition.” She said the community has faced a lot of “ups and downs” and broken promises that were dropped or overlooked by other “shiny projects” in different areas.

At a recent public hearing with Ball on the budget ahead of his proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, one resident suggested dealing with a “tight” budget picture by reducing the level of services in other parts of the county to what Elkridge receives. Drew Roth suggested closing all the community centers if one in Elkridge can’t be afforded, reducing funding to the larger 50+ centers and cutting funds to the full-sized libraries, among other ideas.

“In a perfect world where we can afford a mindset of abundance, one would expect that the left behind parts of Howard County, like Elkridge, would be brought up to the level of service enjoyed by everyone else. But perhaps, given the circumstances, we should instead give the rest of the county the Elkridge experience,” Roth said.

Laura Wisely, a representative from the Elkridge Community Alliance, a group formed out of the northeast region of the county’s disparate unaddressed infrastructure needs, outlined the group’s priority requests for investments in safety and schools during the hearing.

Though the group appreciates the community center, she said it would rather have the facility be placed on hold if the county cannot afford to “build it fully and completely to the dimensions that will fulfill the needs of the community.”

“We cannot handle yet another community amenity that is disproportionately too small for the community it serves and we fear times of economic downturn could provide an excuse for cutting corners,” Wisely said.

The community center will also serve as the county’s first Arts for All location, a program established with the Howard County Arts Council to bring art to public spaces and county buildings. Ball announced a $500,000 investment that will help the arts council commission at least one permanent sculpture at the center, Executive Director Coleen West said. In addition to investments in the community center, Ball’s proposed capital budget will include $2.1 million for green spaces and parks to support projects such as improvements to Rockburn Branch Park and Troy Park, as well as new amenities at Ilchester Park.

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