Town Blog

MD Board of Public Works approves $5M grant for Easton Woodland Park

On Wednesday, March 15, 2023 the MD Board of Public Works approved a grant request for funding the purchase of Easton Woodland Park. The grant, funded through Program Open Space, awards the Town of Easton $5,121,742 to be used in the purchase of Easton Woodland Park, a 197-acre parcel of land on the eastern side of Oxford Road, near Cooke’s Hope. This approval was the final step in the grant process after the MD General Assembly approved their portion of the request on February 7, 2023. 

Mayor Bob Willey noted, “This approval was the final piece of the puzzle for us to acquire the Woodland Park land. Now that we have it, we can move forward with our plans to preserve this space for our community. We are very excited for this to come to fruition, and we look forward to seeing our community enjoy this space for many years to come.”

Once the land is acquired, the Town of Easton has plans to use the area as a wooded park and recreational space for its citizens. At 197 acres, it would become the largest park in the Town of Easton. 

Parks and Recreation Director Lorraine Gould said, "This is such great news for the Town of Easton. With this approval we will be adding our only wooded park and the largest park in the Town. It is a tremendous expansion to our parks network." Gould added, "A peaceful walk through the woods along natural trails, it will be a nice experience. We're really excited about being able to offer that!"  

The acquisition of the property will also safeguard the plot from any future development, and will help to satisfy a significant portion of the restoration requirements for Maryland’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit. The MS4 Permit aims to advance Chesapeake Bay restoration while reducing flooding and making communities more resilient to the effects of climate change.