Some fees will increase at four Carroll County parks starting Monday
Visitors to four parks in Carroll County will face increased fees in the new year.
On Dec. 21, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners approved fee increases at four county-owned parks, starting Monday: Piney Run Park in Eldersburg, the Hashawha Environmental Center & Bear Branch Nature Center, Carroll County Sports Complex and the Hap Baker Firearms Facility, all in Westminster.
The Department of Recreation and Parks last updated park fees in 2020, according to director Bob Hicks. The other 26 county parks allow visitors to use trails, playgrounds and open space at no cost.
At the Hap Baker Firearms Facility, 1400 Baltimore Blvd., Westminster, the daily fee for county residents is increasing from $15 to $30. Non-county residents will pay $35, up from $25.
The daily fee for U.S. military members and veterans will jump from $7 to $20 for a county resident, and from $15 to $25 for a visitor living outside of Carroll.
A season pass to the facility is $185 per person, regardless of whether they live in the county. For a member of the military or a veteran, a season pass will cost $130, regardless of where they live.
The facility is a county-owned public shooting range designed and built to meet National Rifle Association range specifications. The county states on its website that the goal of the facility is “to provide firearms enthusiasts a safe environment for practicing their sporting activities, and police units with a facility for conducting certification, training, and practice operations.” The range is equipped with nine pistol lanes and 10 rifle lanes. It’s open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays January through March. The rest of the year, it is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
At Piney Run Park, the county’s oldest developed park, entrance fees for cars will remain at $6 for county residents, $12 for out-of-county residents; the entrance fee for a bus carrying passengers, however, will jump from $50 to $75 for county residents and from $75 to $100 for visitors living out of the county.
Fees to use the park’s pavilions also will increase. The rental fee for pavilion 1 will rise from $275 to $325; to rent pavilions 2 and 3, the fee will jump from $175 to $200; and for pavilions 4, 5 and 6, the fees will go from $225 to $250. All the pavilion fees include five free vehicle passes into the park.
The hourly fee to rent a canoe or kayak at the park will increase to $17. The hourly rental rate for a rowboat will be $20, and $30 for a pedal boat.
The park, at 30 Martz Road, in Sykesville, opened in 1974, and features a 300-acre lake for fishing, boating and boat rentals, and also has more than 5 miles of hiking trails, tennis courts, playgrounds, a nature center and pavilions. The main entrance is accessed off of White Rock Road.
Some fees at the Hashawha Environmental Center & Bear Branch Nature Center also are increasing for the new year. A daily pavilion rental will increase from $150 to $200. A one-night stay, including three meals, will jump from $65 to $80 per person. A two-night stay, including five meals, will go from $85 to $100 per person. A Monday through Friday overnight stay, with 13 meals, will increase from $150 to $165 per person.
The environmental center includes a 320-acre park with 5 miles of multiuse trails, raptor mews, fishing at Lake Hashawha, and the restored Martin Cabin Homestead. Hashawha also serves as the home for the county’s Outdoor School, for public school sixth-graders. The nature center is open five days per week and has hands-on educational exhibits, live animals, a library, planetarium and observatory. The auditorium, meeting room, pavilion and fire ring are available to rent for private meetings and parties.
Finally, some field rental fees are increasing at the Carroll County Sports Complex, at 2225 Littlestown Pike, in Westminster, is home to adult recreational sports leagues.
The ball field rental fee per game will go from $30 an hour to $40 beginning Monday. To rent a field for a Saturday or Sunday tournament, the charge will go from $175 to $190.
The 2023 rates will be honored for dates scheduled at the four parks before Jan. 1.
For more information, go to carrollcountymd.gov/government/directory/recreation-parks.
