An August 14 SoMdNews article reported on Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot’s recent praise for local Program Open Space (POS) projects in Laurel Spring Regional Park in Charles County.  From the article:

Tom Roland, chief of parks and grounds for Charles County, showed Franchot (D) the recently installed lighting system and the completed Greater Waldorf Jaycees Field of Dreams baseball diamond designed for children with special needs.

“This is really, really cool,” Franchot said as he stepped out on the baseball diamond. …

The lighting system cost about $125,000 — with 75 percent of the funds coming from [POS], and the remainder from Charles County — and was designed to both increase the use of the park and decrease light pollution, Roland said. …

“We love the way you have protected the environment but also built in things for people to use,” Franchot said.

Franchot further expanded on the challenge of addressing environmental concerns and providing needed recreation facilities in the article:

“Because there’s a tension between the ecological parkland folks and the, like you, folks that want to have, where it’s appropriate, amenities,” he said.

Franchot commended Roland and local leaders on striking, “a nice balance between development and preservation.”