City Has Big Plans For Inner Harbor's Rash Field

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- One of the most well-known but least used portions of the Inner Harbor is Rash Field.

Now, as Mike Schuh explains, the city is one step closer to a major remodel.

It sits on land reclaimed from Baltimore's industrial past, but other than exercise groups and summer volleyball, Rash Field is tired and vastly underused. It needs help.

There is a ton of space at Rash Field, but other than the volleyball courts, there's just not that much to do. A woman from out-of-town noticed it even before WJZ asked.

"It's a coincidence that you mentioned that, because my kids... I'm taking them to the aquarium tomorrow and I saw that it was a park, afield, and I'm thinking it would be great if there was a playground there, swing sets, a slide, something like that," said Alta Deroo.

If she returns in a couple of years, she may not recognize the place. Between a skate park--modeled on a successful park in Denmark--different nooks and crannies to play and pause and even an area for ping pong, there are big plans for Baltimore's front yard.

"But we want to create a much more usable and a more attractive Rash Field," Lauri Schwartz said.

Schwartz runs the Waterfront Partnership. They are guiding the process.

"Changes are going to be, we think, very impactful. It looks ambitious, but we're conscious of the budget," said Schwartz.

The city, and to a lesser degree, the state have set aside $5 million to open up and enhance the public park.

The volleyball courts will stay, the carousel will be moved to the west and the Pride Memorial will also be moved.

We've seen proposals for Rash Field come and go--so what are the odds this one will be built?

"It's going to happen this time," Schwartz said.

If approvals from the city continue as expected, groundbreaking could happen in 2017.