Mayor Plans to Sell 4 Downtown Parking Garages

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- The mayor plans to sell four downtown parking garages in the city to make money for city recreation centers. But not everyone is buying in to the deal.

This is a deal the city council leadership has rejected several times. Now the mayor is planning to go around them.

The mayor plans to sell four downtown garages to bring in about $60 million. That money will fund a multi-million dollar plan she's been pushing for years-- to build new recreation centers and renovate old ones.

"We've seen pal centers come.. And be shut down. We've seen recreation centers open and close," said community advocate Ericka Alston Buck.

Alston Buck runs the privately funded Penn North Kids Safe Zone, which fills the void left by closed rec centers.

"Children finally need to be a priority to those that are elected to serve our communities," said Alston Buck.

While the mayor is full steam ahead on the plan others are pumping the brakes.

"These garages make money for the city and so why would be simply sell them?" said City Councilman Carl Stokes.

Opponents say the garages bring in $7 to $10 million a year for the city.

Councilman Stokes says the council has tried to compromise on how to get rec centers more money and questions why the mayor is doing this with just day left in office.

"I think it's kind of crazy and wrong thing to do. We could have done this months ago but the mayor refused to have a conversation," said Stokes.

Community advocates say they appreciate the effort but:

"There was $10 million for trash cans and the recreation centers were closed,"said Alston Buck.

And they're urging incoming leadership to invest in Baltimore's youth.

The sale is expected to be authorized Thursday by a commission made up largely of they mayor's own staff. Incoming mayor Catherine Pugh is expected to make the final decision on selling the garages.