And Just Like That

In a strange twist of fate, the very moment I was contemplating the prohibitive cost of high school ice hockey, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was announcing plans to build a county ice skating complex.

Boom. Just like that. (I’m going to need to be careful how I use these newfound powers of mine.)

From the County Executive’s Facebook page:

We have historic news for Howard County. At the Meadowbrook Athletic Complex, we shared plans to bring two new indoor ice rinks to our community! This project represents years of progress, shaped by resident feedback, feasibility studies, and continued engagement since 2022. What we heard was clear: our community needs more access to indoor athletic space, particularly, ice facilities.

Image from HoCoGov social media

Conversations about improving/expanding ice skating facilities go back for a while now. I remember having a conversation with Dr. Ball on this topic way back when I was on the Oakland Mills Villge Board.* As the Council representative for District 2, he saw the limitations of the facility operated by the Columbia Association in Oakland Mills and saw the need for expanding access.

Why were we having this conversation? I think we were talking about the value of a village board. What exactly can they do? And Dr. Ball articulated the value of being able to advocate for things that would positively impact village life. For example, had I ever considered the ice rink? That would be the kind of thing that a village board could speak out for and use its influence to support.

At the time my concerns for Oakland Mills centered more around recruiting, supporting, and retaining viable merchants for the Village Center and I didn’t see the bigger picture which included the ice rink. It didn’t feel urgent to me. Sure, it would be nice to have expanded skating facilities…

And now it’s 2026. I’m sharing this to point out that, while the official work towards this week’s announcement may have begun in 2022, the seeds of it go back well before that. And a big part of public service is paying attention and listening to constituents, envisioning long term plans and working to make them happen.

You can learn more about the announcement at https://www.howardcountymd.gov/News031926

Village Green/Town² Comments

*2011? 2012?

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