SouthBmore.com: “Solo Gibbs Master Plan Moves Forward with Demolished School and New Playground” (Kevin Lynch)
As part of its Master Plan, improvements to Solo Gibbs Park in Sharp-Leadenhall continue to move forward. A new playground was recently installed and the former Sharp-Leadenhall Elementary School is currently being demolished.
The Solo Gibbs Master Plan was completed in 2020 by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) with architecture firm Mahan Rykiel Associates. This was done after several years of meetings with the community.
The first improvements took place in 2021 as one tennis court was resurfaced and one was removed to create additional green space…
… Katherine Brower, who is leading the Solo Gibbs Master Plan for BCRP, said District 46 Senator Bill Ferguson, who is also President of the Maryland Senate, is committed to getting the recreation center funded.
The existing recreation center at Solo Gibbs Park will stay until the new recreation center is open. Brower said the current recreation center will either be demolished or become a storage building in the future.
The new playground replaced an older playground at the same site. The playground will be expanded in the next phase of the Solo Gibbs Master Plan.
Design is currently underway for phases 1A, 1B, and 1C of the Master Plan. Brower said this approximately $5-million phase is funded and expects construction to begin in about a year. The funding is a mix of city capital, state grants, and Local Impact Grants from South Baltimore Gateway Partnership.
Those phases will include rebuilding the basketball courts and moving them a bit east to make room for a wider portion for the Sharp Street Promenade of the Gwynns Falls Trail; expanding the playground; and creating a new “Hamburg Street Gateway” to enter the park on Hamburg St. and the “Cross Street Plaza” at Cross St. and Leadenhall St.