I was excited to read your May 11 article entitled "Aquarium begins work on Middle Branch Park," which highlighted the planned transformation of a brownfields site along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River into a community park. Given the magnitude of some of the environmental challenges faced by Baltimore and most cities across our nation, citizens should not simply expect that the public sector will be able to do all of the work. True collaboration will be required, if we are really serious about environmental restoration and the promotion of sustainable practices for the future.

Public-private ventures such as this — which have brought together the National Aquarium, Baltimore City government and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — are a true model for how communities can collaborate to make up for the mistakes of the past.

Jeffrey Smith, Nottingham

The writer is chairman of the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association's legislative committee