The Department of Recreation and Parks is responsible for planning and maintaining City parkland. They have completed Master Plans for all of the major City Parks and successfully work with Friends groups across the city to provide programming for the citizens of Baltimore.
As home of the Office of Sustainability, the Department of Planning is co-managing the community input and environmental improvement components of the Herring Run Park Master Plan process. The Office has worked to ensure the goals of the City’s new Sustainability Plan’s are addressed, including:
- Greening Section: double tree canopy by 2037, provide safe, well maintained recreational space within 1/4/mile of all residents, and protect Baltimore’s ecology and biodiversity
- Transportation Section: make Baltimore bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for water quality in city streams. DPW approaches issues of water quality improvement at a watershed level. They have completed a stream assessment for all streams in the Herring Run Watershed. They have also completed assessments of the sewer and storm water infrastructure. This data has allowed them to prioritize upgrades of the city sewer system (relining and replacement of pipes), and the storm water system (repair of pipes and studies of storm water treatment options) as well as restoration of the streams within the Herring Run Watershed. Assessments of the forest and riparian buffer within Herring Run Park have been completed by the City’s Forestry Division and DPW. By combining recommendations for infrastructure improvements of public utilities, stream and habitat restoration and public education concerning storm water management techniques on private property, the City will be able to reduce the level of pollutants and sediment flowing in the Herring Run Watershed, including the portions of stream that flows through Herring Run Park.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for the planning, designing, building and maintaining transportation facilities throughout the City. Herring Run Park is accessed by and crosses several major roads. DOT will be responsible for evaluating and installing traffic calming devices near the park, and improvements at access points and crossings at all roads. DOT will also provide design advice for all street crossings of the Herring Run Greenway Trail.