Maryland Park Service Leadership Meeting Notes
September 9 -10, 2025
Savage Highlands State Park
1600 Mt Aetna Road
Frostburg, Maryland 21532
Attendees: Angela Crenshaw, Rachel Temby, Jonas Williams, Kenneth Miller, Andrew Hangen,
Mark Spurrier, Mary Ironside, Dana Paterra, and Sarah Milbourne
On September 9th, Director Angela Crenshaw opened the meeting at 8:30 am and closed it at
2:15 pm. On September 10th, the meeting was re-opened at 7:35 am and closed at 12:20 pm.
Director Update with Angela Crenshaw
● Ranger Erik Ledbetter’s Memorial Cookout and Awesome Get together is October 12th
from noon to 4 pm at Seneca Creek State Park. Everyone is invited to attend and there
is a list for potluck items.
● Update all organizational charts as they exist today. This is vital for informational
purposes as I advocate for our teams with the Department of Budget and Management.
● Kaizen has signed a six month extension for our five Pilot Parks to allow for more
information to be collected and to round out the season.
● The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking Volunteer interns. They are due
by September 12, 2025. Please move them through your Chain of Command.
● The Outdoor Recreation Summit was discussed along with the Park Service Team’s
attendance and participation. Regional Managers and Directors please add the people
who are attending and their topic/role to the agenda so we can be sure everyone who
needs to attend will be able to.
● The Heat Illness Policy from DNR will be forthcoming along with trainings and a blanket
purchase order of items that need to be purchased for compliance.
● The DNR Gathering is September 30th at Sandy Point, please RSVP for planning
purposes. Everyone is encouraged to attend and awards will be given.
● The Bilingual Facilitation Team was discussed. Their assistance was appreciated during
the day use pilot parks rollout. We are working on a plan for improvements for next year
and thankful for Human Resource Service (HRS) for spearheading this undertaking.
● Science Week was discussed. Crenshaw will be sure that Regional Managers and Park
Managers are aware of events and needs if parks are hosting events.
Deputy Director Update with Rachel Temby
● Key takeaways from a recent meeting with an Injured Workers Insurance Fund (IWIF)
Risk Management representative and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) were
shared and discussed. The Maryland Park Service (MPS) is exploring the development
of a Safety Committee to review and disseminate best management practices across the
unit. Accountability for awareness at all organizational levels was considered and means
of distributing information was discussed. Regional Managers will survey field staff for
potential interest in service on a committee.
● An update was provided regarding the Department-wide policy review work, and the
team engaged in an exercise to prioritize MPS policy review work and batch updates for
OAG consideration and guidance.
● Waterfront operations were discussed in the context of policies/protocols of other state
park systems. Templates and approach to after action meetings were shared with the
team. Feedback was solicited regarding the end of season Waterfront Area Patrol
Coordination with the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) and HRS Bilingual Team.
● Strategies were discussed for meeting budget constraints and staffing levels in off-
season operations. Previously proposed and approved operational adjustments
extending beyond the summer season remain viable. Regional Managers will discuss
opportunities to make operational adjustments and solicit any new, significant
reductions that represent a substantial deviation from how business has been conducted
in the past for submission to Director Crenshaw for review and approval by the
Executive Team and State House.
● In the interest of evolving towards greater consistency in State Duty Officer reporting,
the nature of events and incidents necessitating INLET notifications were discussed and
a list was generated for further definition and inclusion in policy update.
● Potential updates to Visitor Surveys were discussed, per State Park System Study Plan
(short term goal) and NRP inquiry for demographic info and zipcode data to better
understand the communities parks serve. It was recognized that Kaizen can provide
updated day use data for pilot parks, and Camis can glean some zip code data.
Headquarters team may look into some updates this winter.
● Ranger School Update: We are locked in for Savage Highlands State Park this fall, teams
have been notified and are working to accommodate additional employees (~20 total).
We have cancelled the hold on NorthBay for February 2026 at this time.
● Travel/Conference participation guidance was discussed in light of recent guidance and
updates to the approval process. Travel will be limited in an effort to contain
expenditures. Regional Managers will assess projected participation in upcoming
conferences such as Outdoor Recreation Summit and others frequented by MPS staff.
Deputy Director Temby will follow up with Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation
Sandi Olek.
● Corps Team Update: 25 members have been offered & accepted, and start this
Wednesday! Scheduled activities were briefly discussed and it was noted that on the
third Thursday of each month Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) will
facilitate a host site meeting in which the Corps HQ team will participate and seek
clarification on outstanding program calendar, requirement, and policy questions.
● The Maryland Environmental Service Intergovernmental Agreement for Operations and
Maintenance of Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), Wastewater Treatment Plants
(WWTPs), and Wastewater Pumping Stations (WWPSs) has been fully executed. Please
review and familiarize your staff with the applicable components of the new agreement.
● Please bring forward and Policy/Protocol Questions for further discussion.
Program Planning with Jonas Williams
● So far this year, 317 internal projects have been submitted for review. Keep them
coming!
Key Projects
● Work is ongoing for streamlining the Project Information Form (PIF) process and
requirements for project submission. We’re hoping to have something available to start
in 2026.
● We are working on creating a project management training that highlights tips for
reviewing construction plan documents and how the Park fits into these Critical
Maintenance and Capital Improvement projects.
● Please consider OAG assistance when discussing potential breach of contract or
construction failures during critical maintenance projects. Your regional engineer and
MPS Planning will be your best resources during these difficult discussions.
Leases
● Lisa LaCourse of Land Acquisition and Planning (LAP) is continuing to find ways to
streamline lease and property management. Her current efforts include checklists for
park staff to use for recently vacant houses/properties. These efforts are currently in the
drafting stage and will be shared soon.
Cultural & Historic Resources
● Work with Preservation Maryland continues on their projects throughout the state.
Highlights include an upcoming kick-off meeting for a Cultural Landscape Report and
Feasibility Study at the South Mountain House (Old South Mountain Inn) and a transition
to the Master Plan at Freedman’s State Historical Park.
Interpretation
● 25 in 2025 continues to go well in its inaugural year. Hundreds of people have submitted
hundreds of photos so far. There’s still time to complete the challenge this year, so
please continue advertising in the field. We will be soliciting ideas for 26 in 2026 in the
near future.
● Efforts have started to identify additional statewide/low-impact programs to continue
highlighting our amenities that we would like to promote.
● Using remaining Project Butterfly & Bumblebee funds, we will start developing a “one
size fits all” interpretive wayside exhibit that can be used adjacent to pollinator meadows
or grassland features of our parks. The Project Butterfly & Bumblebee program is ready
for an update and the Administration and Planning Teams are open to suggestions for
next steps while we look towards the future.
Volunteers
● Site visits are occurring to familiarize the new Statewide Volunteer Coordinator, Carly
Brukiewa, with park volunteer operations and programs. She’s happy to lend a hand
around the park while learning about the ongoing volunteer programs!
Maintenance
● Project Justifications are due September 19. Please work hard to complete them in a
timely fashion according to Wayne Suydam’s email. If you have any questions, please
reach out to Suydam or Jonas Williams, so we can lend a hand.
● Bill Trego has been identifying great possible regional projects across the state. Reach
out to him if you need any planning assistance with these types of projects that might
need extra helping hands.
Regional Reports
North Central Region Report with Andrew Hangen
● We have received direction from Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) that we are
not allowed to travel out of state for routine business without permission. Staff should
share their needs with their Regional Managers or their Program Director and those
requests will be elevated. Please allow adequate time for review.
● We are seeking to be consistent and allow a compressed work week in the off season
when it works with the operation and management of a facility. It was mentioned that a
supervisor should be on duty on weekdays. Share requests with your Regional
Manager.
● Questions were raised about tenants on leased properties having special events. The
Steppingstone Museum at Susquehanna State Park has requested to host a large event
and sell alcohol. Many of our leases are very old and lack sufficient oversight
mechanisms. Lease revisions and streamlining are occurring at a high level.
South Central Region Report with Mark Spurrier
● Park teams in the region continue to work with NRP and local jurisdictions to manage
traffic, litter and crowds in outlying areas of the parks.
● We have had some challenges with lease properties and defining the role of care and
responsibilities by the new tenant. We are working through the issues with the Housing
Review Committee to establish some basic guidelines.
● Employee Field Day is October 1st at the Pickall Area of Patapsco Valley State Park.
Ranger Dyke sent out a reminder, please let him know who is attending by close of
business on September 21st to allow time for food to be ordered.
● The Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) partnership is still operating. Fisheries has
projects through October. If you have project ideas, let Mark Spurrier know.
Southern Region Report with Mary Ironside
● Regarding Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park, most of the payment was
received from the previous year, however, the percentage of the entrance fee remains
outstanding. Next steps were discussed.
● Many properties are out for approval to add to various parks in the region. Of note is the
Vibbert property which has the potential to be an overnight facility and meeting space in
the south. Leadership is working to identify funding mechanisms when/if this property is
acquired.
● The southern region began brainstorming cost saving measures with ideas on increasing
revenues.
● Southern expressed their interest in having the bi-monthly (or monthly) town halls return.
They found value in the sharing of information, sharing positive experiences, stories,
pictures. Interested parties should put together a proposal which will be reviewed by
Leadership.
● The excessive water bill at Rosaryville State Park continues to be a mystery. Park staff
were able to get the water turned off and are working towards a solution.
● The water/wastewater upgrades to Point Lookout State Park continue. To open the
Northern side of the park (campground), a damaged Ventek gate and power to the
Malone Loop need to be completed. If so, we can go to partial substantial completion
and open the campground which will generate revenue.
● Discussion occurred on using social media platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram to
engage different generations to improve visitation and recruitment efforts. We will
discuss options and ideas with Tim Hamilton.
Eastern Region Report with Dana Paterra
● After a busy summer, park staffing resources are inadequate as we feel the pinch
between seasonals leaving for college and when the parks actually slow down.
● Although we do not expect to close on the Graham Property/Wetipquin Creek State Park
until 2026, we are excited about opportunities for cross unit collaboration to manage
hard to access parcels and working to link and leverage resources during challenging
times. Thanks to Maddy Williams for helping coordinate review and options as well as
engaging outside partners.
● Selling campsite reservations online is creating operational challenges for Assateague
State Park. As we look to transition to Aspira, we would like to consider a policy against
it if one currently does not exist. Ways to discourage this behavior was discussed.
● The region is hosting a number of special and marquee events this fall including
Emancipation Celebration at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park on
September 13th, Ballet on the Beach on September 20th, Tuckahoe State Park’s Golden
Jubilee and Anna M. Douglass’s Trail Dedication on November 1st, and Pocomoke River
State Parks ’s Fungi Festival also on November 1st. Paterra will reach out to Park
Manager Marc Heim to ensure the necessary vendor agreements are signed.
Western Region Report with Sarah Milbourne
● Discussed Savage Highlands State Park’s seasonal hiring outlook and lodge opening
timeline.
● The National Park Service’s Network to Freedom nomination for Casselman River State
Park was discussed.
Administration with Kenneth Miller
● To help ensure the Park Service meets revenue targets in fiscal year 2026 and budgets
do not need to be further reduced, we will be implementing revenue targets as part of
the budget process. Each park’s target will be discussed during the regional meetings
alongside spending budgets and shared with their budgets. Any known projects that
may reduce park revenues should be communicated to Regional Managers.
● Visitation numbers were discussed. Please ensure all visitation is up to date at your
facilities to ensure data is continually updated when we receive requests or questions
about our visitation.
● We continue to move forward with transitioning to the new Aspira reservation system.
Currently, we are aiming to go live on February 2, 2026. Parks will be asked to review
information for accuracy and make any needed updates this fall and staff training will
take place in January. The system will reflect our current offerings, and we will move to
add additional features after the initial implementation. The goal is for it to be intuitive
and not require a gigantic user manual. The timeline for additional features has not been
determined yet.
● Seasonal raises in 2026 were discussed. As we continue to be mindful of our spending,
we will not be offering $0.25 raises to returning employees in 2026, which is what we did
in 2025. The applicable text was removed from seasonal job announcements.
● Use agreement discussions have continued with the Office of Attorney General (OAG),
the Use Agreement Work Group, and DNR’s Information Technology Services (IT). The
OAG continues to work towards developing a standard agreement for everyone to use.
Simultaneously, the work group and IT are working on a standardized process for the
public to request events within parks. DNR IT will be working to develop an application
in-house. All parks should document all their various agreements within the spreadsheet
Miller shared on August 22, 2025.
● To develop a standardized process for parks to reconcile expenditures and revenues,
Chief Financial Officer Dana St. Clair and Miller met with a few administrative park staff
to discuss park needs in a reconciliation application. We will be developing a project
description for DNR IT to help us develop a standardized application for all parks to use.
● Commercial photography permits and filming were discussed. This will be discussed
along with the MPS policy updates. If a site is having operational challenges with
photographers, please use the Commercial Photography Permit as a tool to manage
your operation. If there are no challenges, there is no need to require it.
● A question was asked about purchasing new field receipts. Nakia Johnson has a small
stock, please reach out to her if you need additional receipt books.
We also did a quick round robin for everyone to say something in closing about the retreat and
offer gratitude. We are thankful for the Savage Highlands State Park Team for hosting and
Ranger Milbourne for coordinating and being the hostess with the mostest.
The Maryland Park Service Leadership meeting and retreat was adjourned at 12:20 PM.
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