Baltimore parks are looking like meadows lately, some with grass a foot or more high, according to residents in Canton, Reservoir Hill and South Baltimore, who are ready to call in the goats.

But the meadows will soon be mowed, the Department of Recreation and Parks promises.

Delegate Brooke Lierman, who represents southeast’s 46th district, which includes Patterson Park, said she contacted Rec and Parks Chief Tom Jeanetta about the overgrowth.

Here is what she was told:

“The mowing contract was delayed this year and did not start until last week. Every park in the city cannot be mowed at the same time so they started the contractor south and they are working their way north.

“Mowing is slower due to the height of the grass because of the late start. The City has authorized the contractor to work this Sunday to catch up.”

All of the city parks will be mowed by this Monday, May 18, Jeanetta asserted.

Sound of Motors Heard



Patterson Park is scheduled to be mowed today, and posters on Patterson Park’s Facebook page thought they may have heard motors this morning.

“I actually saw them mowing the baseball fields, so it is real!” commented Valerie Brassfield Thanner.

The park’s neglect has caught the attention of southeast residents who see the park, well cared for by volunteers, as a source of community pride.

One resident commented yesterday on Facebook:

“I watched a kid roll down the hill from Ellwood [Avenue]. . . He started at the top, then all you could see was the moving grass till he rolled out at the bottom of the hill.”

The same situation can be found at sprawling Druid Hill Park, where dandelion-flecked grass rises up along the curving roadways and surrounds playgrounds and picnic benches.

Contract Dispute

Why the contract renewal was delayed is not clear.

“We do not know any specific reason as to why it was not cut sooner,” wrote Emily Sherman, chief of staff for 1st District Councilman James B. Kraft, whose district includes Patterson Park.

Lorenz Inc. was awarded a master blanket contract by the Board of Estimates in 2010 to mow, edge and otherwise maintain the lawns of city parks and median strips.

So far, the company has been paid $3,914,600 for lawn and tree services, according to on-line CitiBuy information.

Joe Lorenz, president of the company, was reported away from the office and his staff “out in the field” and unavailable.

An email request today to Rec and Parks spokeswoman, Arli Lima, asking why the contract was delayed and the grass unattended, was not answered.