Port of Deposit State Historical Park - Size and Scope
Summary
SB 477 revises the statutory framework for the Port of Deposit State Historical Park in Cecil County. The bill changes the park’s planned size and scope by reducing the required acreage from a range of 120 to 150 acres to a range of 12 to 19 acres, and by narrowing the listed included property to the Snow Hill archaeological site and the adjacent wooded conservation area. It also updates the park’s purpose language, continuing to frame the site as a partnership park intended to educate the public about and preserve the lives and experiences of Black Americans before and after slavery.
The bill extends the deadline for the Bainbridge Development Corporation to transfer the relevant property to the Department of Natural Resources from June 1, 2025 to June 1, 2026. It also changes the use of a prior appropriation so that the Governor may include at least $400,000 in the fiscal 2025 budget for a Phase 1 archaeological survey and soil study for the Snow Hill site, rather than for the Tome School and Snow Hill sites. The bill retains the requirement that any transferred property not included in the park be preserved in perpetuity for its archaeological, historical, and cultural significance.
Impact
SB 477 amends the Natural Resources Article and prior enactments from 2022 and 2023 governing the creation of the Port of Deposit State Historical Park. In practical terms, it narrows the land area to be transferred and incorporated into the park, removes the Tome School from the listed park components, extends the transfer deadline by one year, and refocuses the authorized state funding on archaeological work at the Snow Hill site. These changes affect the Department of Natural Resources, the Bainbridge Development Corporation, and the future management and preservation of the Bainbridge Naval Training Center site in Cecil County.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally supportive and facilitative, reflecting an effort to keep the park project moving while adjusting it to current planning and property conditions. The inclusion of an emergency clause suggests a sense of urgency and consensus that the statutory changes are needed promptly. No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so the available record does not show formal opposition or debate.
Contention
The main substantive issue is the reduction in the park’s size and the removal of the Tome School from the listed property, which may reflect disagreement or changing feasibility about what should be included in the park. Another likely point of concern is the shift in emphasis from a broader park footprint to a narrower archaeological and conservation focus, along with the one-year extension for the property transfer. Stakeholders most directly affected include the Bainbridge Development Corporation, local Cecil County officials, preservation and historical groups, and community representatives involved in the advisory committee.