Ribbon cutting held for Essex Field at Renaissance Park

County officials joined forces with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, local business leaders, and state agencies to debut eastern Baltimore County’s newest recreational addition — the Essex Field at Renaissance Park.

A collaborative effort between the Baltimore County government, Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce, Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development made the installation of the new field possible.

A $2.3 investment that came from county, state and federal ARPA funding enabled several upgrades at Essex Field including a synthetic turf field, an energy efficient LED field lighting system, permanent seating stands, scoreboard and expanded sidewalk connections.

The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation also offered funding for the Essex Field partnership project.

“Athletic fields like the new Essex Field at Renaissance Park provide residents of all ages the opportunity to stay active, have fun, and build new connections with their neighbors,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said.

“We continue to be fully committed to the revitalization of Essex and grateful to our partners in this exciting project for their investment in the youth and families of Eastern Baltimore County.”

Located at 99 Stemmers Run Road in Essex, the Fields at Renaissance Park are among the most popular spots for families during the summer.

On Monday morning Olszewski, county council members, chamber of commerce members, BCRP officials, CRSF officials, Our Lady of Mount Carmel athletes and coaches, and local residents were at Essex Field for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The official opening of Essex Field marks the Ripken Foundation’s 120th field opening nationwide and first field opening in Baltimore County.

“It is appropriate that today we cut the ribbon on this new state of the art athletic field, where our youth and school teams will soon be playing, when it truly was a team effort to bring this project to life,” BCRP Director Bob Smith said.

“We are extremely thankful to the county executive, the Ripken Foundation, the State of Maryland, the Chamber of Commerce, Mt. Carmel and our other partners in supporting this amazing project that will provide a high-quality recreation facility to our users in eastern Baltimore County.”

The 45-minute ceremony saw brief remarks from Olszewski, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day, State Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, Del. Ric Metzgar, Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce President Sharon Kihn, Mt. Carmel Director of Alumni Relations Alex Brylske and BCRP Director Bob Smith.

After giving remarks, Metzgar presented a citation to BCRP, which Smith accepted on the agency’s behalf. Bob Romadka, a highly esteemed business leader in the Essex area for more than 70 years, was also in attendance.

The Essex Field will be particularly useful for Mt. Carmel’s student athletes and coaches given its proximity to the school. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish can be seen directly behind the new field, and the school is only a two-minute walk away.

The lighted synthetic turf field allows Mt. Carmel’s athletic programs — namely the football, lacrosse and soccer teams — to practice and play in the evening if need be or shortly after rainy weather.

“They’ve (Mt. Carmel coaches) all been kind of waiting on this field,” Mt. Carmel Athletic Director Jesse Thomas said. “The county has done a great job in getting it ready and getting everything installed.”

The much-needed convenient field sports access is a huge sigh of relief for Mt. Carmel’s athletic department with regard to time, money and the burden of having to transport athletic equipment off campus for sporting events.

For years, the school’s football team had to play its home games at CCBC-Dundalk’s football field — which didn’t have a locker room and other amenities that the team needed. Now, when the team begins training camp in a few weeks, they’ll conveniently head over to Essex Field.

After officials stepped on Essex field to cut the ribbon, youngsters scampered onto the turf field to play soccer, throw the football and take photos.

Salling, who represents the sixth legislative district, said the opening of Essex Field is a crucial recreational opportunity for local youth.

“We achieved a great thing for this community. Look at what we have here today,” Salling said.

“Think about what we could have even more tomorrow and next year for our kids. This is something that we need to continue to do. We see problems in our area with crime. The only way we could defeat that is by bringing something like this.”