Angel Park in Perry Hall is closed for renovations, with crews replacing its worn rubber playground surface, repainting benches and installing drainage improvements. The all-inclusive playground, built a decade ago in memory of a toddler who died of leukemia, is aiming to reopen by Nov. 1.
The closure covers a full overhaul of the park's ground surface, fresh paint and drainage upgrades, according to WMAR 2 News Baltimore. The park's original rubber surface had served Angel Park for about 10 years and had become worn, according to eastcountytimes.com. Baltimore County's Fiscal Year 2027 budget sets aside $500,000 to replace that surface, per the same outlet.
New Surface Designed Around Fall Risk
The replacement surface will not be uniform in thickness. It will run approximately 4 inches thick near the fence line and reach up to 12 inches thick at points identified as higher fall risk, the station's report notes. The new surface will also feature a colored top layer, and it is designed to remain accessible for children of all abilities, per the same account.
Construction manager Michelle Streckfus said the replacement was needed because the existing surface had already served the park for a decade. Funding for the project came together with support from local officials, Streckfus reported. Baltimore County Councilman David Marks championed the funding to replace Angel Park's surface, and state Senator Katherine Klausmeier also championed the effort, according to the same construction manager's account.
Drainage Fixes and a Fresh Coat of Paint
Beyond the surface itself, workers are repainting the park's benches and adding a drainage ditch intended to help keep the park dry. Those upgrades are part of the broader package of improvements underway alongside the surface replacement, as reported in the WMAR 2 News account of the project.
Angel Park was founded by Kelli Szczybor a decade ago, born out of the death of her son, Ryan. Szczybor said her family wanted to provide something in the community for everyone to enjoy while keeping Ryan's memory alive. She said the rubber surface allows children with wheelchairs, braces or other physical limitations to feel free at the park.
A Park Built on Community Effort
Angel Park sits in Perry Hall, Maryland, and was developed as an all-inclusive playground built by the greater Perry Hall community in 2016, according to the Angel Park organization. The Baltimore Sun reported at the time that the park grew out of the deaths of the Szczybors' 15-month-old son, Ryan, who died after a nine-month battle with leukemia, and that it was designed to be accessible for children of all ages and abilities, including those who use wheelchairs or have special needs. The Sun also reported the project cost $1.5 million and included a 16,500-square-foot playground and a 200-seat amphitheater, modeled after Annie's Playground in Fallston.
The Angel Park organization has described the project as a community-driven effort from the start, noting that an entire community of people came together to build the park. That same spirit of public backing carried into the current renovation, with county funding secured through the budget process to keep the playground's surface safe for the children who rely on it.
