The Anne Arundel County Council cut funding for a free, public boat ramp in Shady Side, leaving residents with just two alternatives along the county’s more than 500 miles of coastline.
On July 1 — the first day of fiscal 2026 — residents of southern Anne Arundel County were surprised to see they could no longer use the boat ramp at Discovery Village. The seven-member council, which serves as the ultimate fiscal authority in Anne Arundel, cut the $154,000 used to pay the yearly lease from the budget.
“I understand budget constraints and the need to make responsible fiscal decisions,” Anne Sigman, a Shady Side resident, said. “Yet decisions such as this diminish the quality of life the residents of south county seek to enjoy.”
Most of the council, in budget meetings on June 9 and 10, came to the conclusion that the cost of leasing the property outweighed the use residents were getting out of the ramp — which Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks said was just a small fraction of what other public ramps saw.
In a 6-1 vote, the council passed an amendment removing the $156,000 County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, allocated for the ramp inside his proposed budget. The first attempt to pass the amendment failed by a 3-3 vote, with Amanda Fiedler, an Arnold Republican, abstaining. Fiedler voted in favor of the amendment when voting the following day; Allison Pickard, a Millersville Democrat, was the lone “nay” vote.
Shannon Leadbetter, a Crofton Republican, represents the area containing the ramp. She cited the analysis by the Department of Recreation and Parks that the Discovery Village was used by 100 boaters per month, while others saw thousands of boaters. That statistic ultimately persuaded her to support the cut.
“As a fiscal conservative who supports public water access in South County, after reviewing the terms of the previous lease at Discovery Village it became clear it was a bad deal for the taxpayer and made their dollars increasingly vulnerable over time,” Leadbetter said in a statement Tuesday. “I am strongly advocating for a solution that provides public water access in South County balanced with responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds.”
In 2016, then-County Executive Steve Schuh, a Republican, began leasing Discovery Village from then-owner Adam Hewison. The lease was intended to run through 2046. The county was also financially responsible for repairs.
Discovery Village, which formerly hosted environmental and educational events in the county, is a public park that sits on the bank of Parish Creek across from several marinas. The property is now largely overgrown with a boarded-up building sitting on the property.
In 2019, the county built the $1.4 million ramp.
Opponents of the cut say the analysis of 100 boats per year is incorrect and expressed concern over what they deemed a rushed decision from the council with minimal public participation.
David Goodwin, an Annapolis resident and president of Reliable Real Estate Services, said he’s worked with those in charge of managing the property and its ownership for more than two years. He argued that the lease was terminated with no explanation and incorrect figures.
“The statistics that you gave of 100 boats per year just doesn’t seem like it was properly taken,” Goodwin said during public testimony at a July 7 council meeting. “Based on a count from last Saturday from a local resident [and] tenant, there were 63 boats that used the ramp last Saturday alone.”
Despite the removal of funding, the Pittman administration said it’s ready to explore alternatives.
During the budget hearing June 9, Budget Officer Chris Trumbauer, speaking on behalf of the Pittman administration, said the administration would work to maintain public access at the site and look at other ways of doing so in the surrounding area.
“We respect the county council’s decision as the final fiscal authority,” Pittman said in a statement Tuesday. “My administration remains committed to working with community partners to explore future water access opportunities in the Shady Side area.”
The county’s remaining public boat ramps are at Fort Smallwood Park on the northwestern tip of the county near Riviera Beach and Pasadena, and Solleys Cove Park, in Curtis Bay. There are also 18 boat launches for car-top boats — like kayaks and canoes — across the county.
Reliable Contracting, which owns the lot, did not respond to requests for comment.
“This ramp was the only public resource in south county available to residents to launch motor boats and had been highly used by residents in the local area,” Sigman said “On any day we went to launch our boat, there had always been other boaters launching or pulling boats from the water. Not only was the ramp a valuable resource to local residents, it also has been used by local fishermen.”
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