Officials Announce Multi-Million-Dollar Indoor Track Facility To Be Built In Elkridge

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — County leaders plan to build a state-of-the-art indoor track facility at Troy Park in Elkridge. The announcement was made this past weekend in conjunction with The East Coast International Track and Field Showcase that was held there.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball included $2.5 million in his proposed fiscal year 2025 budget allocated for the planning and design stage of the facility. With construction scheduled to begin in fall 2025 and wrap up in 2027, the new indoor facility will be the only indoor track facility in Howard County and will be touted as a premier indoor track facility for the entire region, able to host regional and state indoor track meets.

"This new facility demonstrates our commitment to athletic excellence and serves as a symbol of our community's boundless potential. The success of The East Coast International Track and Field Showcase and our vision to create a world-class indoor track facility right here in Howard County are testaments to the boundless opportunity we can create. This investment will not only inspire, uplift and support our remarkable athletes and hopefully our community’s next Olympic champions, but also supports our local businesses and economy," Ball said during a news conference held at the track and field showcase.

Sanjay Ayre, who attended high school in Jamaica and the United States before going on to represent Jamaica at three Olympic Games, talked about how she came up with the idea for two countries to compete in the sport she loves.

“I thought to myself, would it be a cool idea to merge the two countries I love dearly to go into a head-to-head competition for high schoolers. Alongside that, I had many dreams as a Howard County resident to one day have an international track and field meeting here. Over the years, I have had several conversations with County Executive Dr. Calvin ball in regard to building an indoor track & field stadium. We are happy to partner with Howard County Community College to host our athletes. We have 150 international athletes that are here in town this weekend… 120 from Jamaica. We also have athletes from Haiti, Canada, the Cayman Islands and Belize," Ayre said.

Juliet Campbell, Puma sports marketing manager for running, said it was an easy choice for Puma when they first came on board to support the event.

“Puma is very passionate about helping young athletes to develop, especially the young athletes from the Caribbean. It's coming up for renegotiation and we are looking forward to continuing this relationship with Puma; it's something near and dear to my heart," Campbell said at the event.

Ball recently announced several other investments he plans to make in the community of Elkridge that are allocated in his FY25 proposed budget:

• $15 million in county PAYGO funds for land acquisition, planning and design for high school #14 in Elkridge
• $11.5 million for a new Elkridge Community Center
• $4 million for the planning, design and expansion of the Elkridge Branch Library
• $100,000 to the Elkridge Heritage Society for the preservation and restoration of the Brumbaugh House
• Installation of Wi-Fi and six new pickleball courts at Rockburn Branch Park
• Upgrade of traffic control signs and pavement markings between Old Washington Road and the railroad tracks.

“As a father of three with two grade school children, I am thrilled for the County Executive’s long-term investment commitment in the Elkridge corridor. The Elkridge Civic District Investment Plan provides $11.5 million for a new Elkridge Community Center, $2.5 million for an indoor track at Troy Park and $15 million for a land acquisition for High School 14. In addition, I am excited about the $4 million for renovations for the Elkridge Library and $320,000 for the planning and design of a new Southwest Branch. Elevating our communities is vital to the growth of our county,” said Opel Jones, Councilmember, Howard County Council. “These future investments are life changing for residents and are necessary for the advancement for all.”