Prince George's County park dispute could cut community center hours

Prince George’s County’s budget fight over park money has moved from the council chamber to the neighborhood level, where the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission warned that community centers and parks could cut hours and services if $39.3 million remains in dispute. The clearest example is Marlow Heights Community Center in Temple Hills, a rebuilt 21,000-square-foot site that families use to cool off, work out, play basketball and gather all summer.

The commission filed a complaint on June 10 seeking declaratory judgment and an injunction over the county’s FY27 budget, saying the county council approved transferring the money from Park and Planning accounts into county-controlled programs. The county’s plan would steer the dollars into administrative needs and project charges, including grants for local nonprofit organizations, while commission leaders say the move would drain funds needed to keep parks and community centers operating at current levels.

County Executive Aisha Braveboy said she submitted a balanced budget and that the council approved the spending plan. The county executive’s office said the Office of Law strongly disagreed with the commission’s interpretation and would vigorously defend the county’s interests. County leaders have argued that the money would support community organizations and underserved areas, but the commission said the county is illegally withholding money it needs to run services.

The dispute has also reopened an old fight over who controls public dollars in Prince George’s County. The commission said earlier county actions moved more than $27 million from commission accounts, and state lawmakers later told the county to stop raiding the commission’s bank accounts. The current clash raises the same question, now with more money on the line and a deadline attached.

For residents, the impact could be immediate. Marlow Heights Community Center reopened on April 19, 2025, at 2800 St. Clair Drive with a splash pad, a regulation-size gymnasium, two multipurpose rooms, a large weight room, a playground, courts and trails. Its listed hours run Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday teen hours from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

The center also offers classes in basketball, aerobics, hand dance, futsal, cosmetology, Tae Kwon Do, ballet and Tai Chi, making it more than a recreation stop. If the budget fight drags on, the first losses would not be abstract lines in a ledger; they would be shorter hours, fewer programs and less access to the public spaces that families, seniors and teens rely on most.