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Community
Facilities Plan
The principle community facilities goal of
the City of Hagerstown is to provide a full range of community facilities
and services to meet the needs of the City's residents and visitors. In
order to achieve that goal, the Plan identifies the following policies.
- Provide a full range of recreation activities
for the residents of the Hagerstown metropolitan area and visitors to
the area
Softball, baseball, and soccer are particularly popular activities in
Hagerstown. With 12 football/soccer/multi-use fields and 10 baseball
fields, the City meets the minimum National population standard for
those uses. While the City has an adequate number of softball fields
to meet the National population standard, none of the City's fields
meet American Softball Association minimum standards. The Plan recommends
that all neighborhoods be within a ½ mile of a neighborhood park.
- Rehabilitate parks and playgrounds, with highest
priority for those in the worst physical condition, and add playgrounds
in neighborhoods not currently served.
Noland Drive playground, Wheaton Park, Reed Park, Ridge Avenue
playground, and the Winter Street School playground are all in need
of improvement. The Carroll Heights and South Hagerstown residential
areas are not served by a neighborhood park.
- Preserve sensitive areas, including corridors
along Antietam Creek, Hamilton Run, and Marsh Run.
The City will examine the feasibility of an extended trail system, including
Antietam Creek, Hamilton Run, and Marsh Run greenways as major elements.
- Encourage the location and rehabilitation
of elementary and junior high schools within City neighborhoods, rather
than in large peripheral campuses.
Elementary and middle schools should be located within a ½ mile
walking distance of the residences of enrolled children.
- Support expansion of educational opportunities,
particulary technical training programs.
- Encourage the retention in the City of the current
level of health care services for City residents.
- Expand and concentrate cultural activities downtown.
- Provide adequate public safety services to protect
the well-being of City residents.
- Improve the quality of public utilities and
give the highest priority to provision of these services to new development
within the City
Current water and sewer locations in the Hagerstown area can serve all
growth anticipated for 20 to 30 years. Extension of these lines will
permit additional sprawl in the region. A new Urban Services Area has
been defined by the City to provide more effective guidance for the
provision of urban services and to direct new development to areas already
provided with urban services. An incentive and fee package will be attached
to prioritized areas within the Urban Services Area to encourage compliance
with the City's goals for efficient public utilities, quality urban
services, and revitalization of the urbanized area.
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