Executive Ulman and Council Chairman Ball Announce Reimagined Future for Long Reach Village Center

Описание: Clean-up and improvements begun; planning process to get underway for arts community

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Howard County Council Chairperson Calvin Ball today celebrated the launch of efforts to improve and redevelop the Long Reach Village Center and announced future plans.

“Long Reach Village Center can and will thrive, and we will be working with the community to develop an innovative plan to move forward,” County Executive Ulman said. “This is a true public-private partnership that will lead us in a new direction.”

“The future of Long Reach begins today,” said Howard County Council Chairperson Calvin Ball. “We have received tremendous feedback so far, and there is excitement about the plans we will develop to bring fresh energy to this village.”

Ball joined with community leaders on Monday to view improvements made already this month to the village center. Ball and members of the community planted ceremonial shrubbery to symbolize a new life for the center, and hosted a reception with food and music from a new performance space that has been created over a non-functioning fountain in the courtyard of the center.

After a vote by the Howard County Council earlier this year recognizing that the center had reached a state of serious decline, Howard County completed the purchase of the office and retail space on October 1. Since then, county staff and contractors have cleaned, landscaped, painted some areas and undertaken other long-neglected maintenance.

Howard County has retained several firms to ensure a strong future for the center. Paragon Commercial Property Management will serve as the property manager for the center, bringing deep experience and a strong track record. Howard County has also retained Webb Management Services to conduct a review of arts facilities needs and examine how to build arts programming and create synergies among a variety of arts and culture organizations in the County which could call the center home.

Fuller redevelopment plans will be presented to the Long Reach Community Association and the Howard County Council, and will be developed with community input.