“Primum non nocere. First, do no harm. Like the doctors’ Hippocratic Oath, we pledge our responsibility to the land – strategically, environmentally and culturally – and to our clients and constituents, with the same solemnity, even as we are filled with excitement to contribute to the Park’s future.”
Keynote Address to Leadership Howard County, September 20, 2013
Just after the Inner Arbor Trust had been formed and prior to any A&E resources being engaged
Howard County, Maryland mandated that the precious 50-acre Symphony Woods, surrounding the legendary Merriweather Post Pavilion amphitheater, be a “new kind of cultural park.”
The landowner, the Columbia Association, first proposed a traditional park, turning a significant portion of the tree canopy into a conventional open space plaza.
Michael suggested there was a better way, and he developed a strategy for a wondrous, sensuous Park, accentuating the sense of refuge.
Michael was then asked by the Columbia Association to form a 501(c)(3), the Inner Arbor Trust; and to lead the design and development of such a Park. As President and CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust, Michael:
– Cast, contracted and led an international design and engineering team.
– Led the creation and approval of the avant-garde Site Development Plan, which was endorsed by the Howard County Design Advisory Panel and unanimously approved by the Howard County Planning Board, literally making the plan the recorded law of the land.
– Raised $10 Million in funding for the Park.
– Led the development of the first phase of the Site Development Plan, the Chrysalis (below), which opened on April 22, 2017.
MerriweatherPark.org
Howard County, Maryland mandated that the precious 50-acre Symphony Woods, surrounding the legendary Merriweather Post Pavilion amphitheater, be a “new kind of cultural park.” The landowner, Columbia Association, first proposed a traditional park, turning the sheltering embrace of the tree canopy into a conventional open space connected to the nearby shopping mall. Strategic Leisure was asked to propose an alternative and then asked to provide Michael McCall, via Strategic Leisure, to found and lead a new Park Design, Development and Management 501(c)(3), the Inner Arbor Trust. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership resulted in ( see also Op / Ed ):
1. The new concept plan being unanimously approved by both the Howard County Design Advisory Panel and the Planning Board.
2. The Trust having a perpetual easement to property and $6.6 Million in funding, to date.
3. The detailed design for Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods being praised by the Baltimore Sun, the Howard County Design Advisory Panel, Merriweather Post Pavilion, and third party empirical consumer research.
Strategic Leisure's whole leadership responsibilities included:
Strategic Positioning
Creative Concept
Masterplanning
Creation of the Trust
Application to IRS & Approval of the 501(c)(3)
Negotiation of the Perpetual Easement
Negotiation of Grant Agreements
Team Casting
Design & Architecture
Business Planning
Public Relations
Governmental Relations
Strategic Partner Relations
Branding & Collateral Design
Quantitative Consumer Research
Capital and Operational Funding
Park Development
