Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore

Healthy Harbor. In FY2023, Baltimore's trash wheel family collected 384 tons (or 768,000 lbs.) of litter and debris from the Baltimore Harbor. To date, the trash wheels have collected 2,362 tons, including 1.8 million plastic bottles, 900,000 plastic bags, and 13 million cigarette butts. We engaged 384 volunteers in raising 300,000 spat-on shells (i.e., baby oysters), which were grown in the Harbor and then transplanted by boat to the Fort Carroll Oyster Sanctuary Reef. Our Harbor Scholars program provided 782 Baltimore City 5th-grade students with no-cost field trips. We also hosted 18 community beautification events attended by 447 City residents. The Baltimore Blueway Master Plan was released.

Hospitality and Safety. Hospitality guides greet visitors and provide information. During Fiscal Year 2023, the hospitality team helped 78,412 guests with information, directions, and accommodations, helped 1,987 visitors and employees reach their destinations, and took 2,236 photos. Approximately 16 million visit Baltimore's Inner Harbor attractions each year. Teams of Safety Guides work on bikes, foot, and Segways to coordinate with police to keep the Waterfront secure.

Maintenance. Our clean teams are committed to keeping our parks, public spaces, and promenades clean, welcoming, and attractive. The Clean Team emptied 29,345 trashcans, removed 1,113,496 pounds of trash, and removed 5,603 pieces of graffiti. 95% of mystery shoppers stated our parks are clean and inviting.

Rash Field. Phase I, which celebrated its official opening on Nov. 5, 2021, helped redefine what waterfront public spaces can be with family-friendly elements like the BGE Nature Play area, Jake's Skate Park, the Adventure Play area, and the BGE Pavilion. Rash Field Park has become a central hub for the community and the city at large by hosting a wide variety of events, such as the 4th' of July's Star-Spangled Celebration, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Feastival, Harbor Harvest Children's Fall Festival, and free regularly scheduled programs such as Waterfront Wellness and Boards & Breakfast. The community engagement and design phase for Rash Field Phase 2 began.

Marketing, Events, & Park Programming. Marketing and activating our waterfront public spaces keep the harbor fresh and lively. It has become a platform to celebrate homegrown talent, community-driven organizations, and established and emerging Baltimore artists. Our Baltimore-by-Baltimore series saw over 100,000 attendees and engaged over 50 community-based organizations, Harbor Harvest drew more than 4,000 local families, and Waterfront Wellness saw nearly 2,000 participants for free fitness classes.

Landscaping. Our Green Team guarantees that the grass is always lush and the flowers are in bloom. They work daily to maintain the waterfront's lawns, flower beds, and other natural features. Every year they plant and care for new trees to provide shade during the summer months, and they're returning native Chesapeake Bay vegetation to the area.

Ice Rink. The Inner Harbor Ice Rink is a true Baltimore holiday tradition and the center of winter holiday attractions, drawing city and county residents to the Waterfront each season. Despite multiple weather closures throughout the season, the Ice Rink saw a 22-23% growth in sales & skate rentals compared to 2019/2020, our most successful pre-pandemic season.