The gas pipeline that runs underneath Columbia has been there for more than five decades. The two "tot lots" that sit above that pipeline in one Columbia neighborhood have been there for some four decades.

The number of years each has existed is of no consequence – the playgrounds will need to come down, according to BGE.

The utility company owns the pipeline. Columbia Association owns the land in Harper's Choice on which the playgrounds stand.

For BGE, removing the playgrounds will give its workers unhindered access to the pipeline both for federally mandated inspections and in case of an emergency.

For Columbia Association, removing the tot lots could help it with its goal to eliminate one-fifth of its 171 playgrounds – about 35 – within the next decade.

For the Harper's Choice Village Board, it is now easier to decide which playgrounds can come down as part of the CA program. But the board must also decide whether one of of those parks should be rebuilt in another location.

The playgrounds sit on open space on opposite sides of Eliots Oak Road in Longfellow – a neighborhood in Harper's Choice – and are adjacent to Endymion Lane and Evangeline Way.

"The tot lots have obviously existed there for a long time, and I can't tell you why we've tolerated them for so long," Michael J. Fowler, BGE's manager of local affairs in Howard County, said to the village board last week.

But he could tell why they needed to go.

"This is a public safety issue," Fowler said. "It's for the protection of the public and the protection of our employees."

This section of the gas line runs from near the intersection of Linden Church Road and Route 32 in Clarksville all the way east to Elkridge. In Columbia, BGE is reclaiming its rights to the open space in close proximity to the pipeline.

Along with making sure its inspectors on the ground have full access, the utility company is also looking to open up the tree canopy for aerial inspections.

"We want to make sure that 10 feet on either side is clear of obstructions," he said. "We're looking for obvious signs of leaks, encroachments, and construction activity in close proximity."

Fowler said he's not aware of any other playgrounds in Columbia that rest immediately along the pipeline.

"I think these are going to be the only two," he said.

The playground near Evangeline Way cannot be replaced – there is no "wiggle room" in the open space to get it out of range of BGE's easement, according to Denis Ellis, the Columbia Association staffer who is handling the playground removals.

As for the playground near Endymion Lane: "I'm going to evaluate the site to see if there's an appropriate nearby location," Ellis said. "If that seems to work, then I can put together a plan."

But that's a playground that Harper's Choice residents had initially nominated to be removed as part of the elimination program. Later, others spoke up in support of keeping that lot, and so the village board has since decided to survey residents.

"We're getting conflicting information," Ellis said. "It's up to them [the village board] to sort out the numbers."