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In tough budget times, $5.1 million is a very big chunk of change to spend on a public garden's parking lot and entrance, say some of Montgomery County's planners.

But the cash is worth shelling out to beautify Brookside Gardens, which is one of the county's most popular green spaces, supporters say.

"Brookside is one of the premier facilities that park and planning owns," said Kim Paniati, the project manager of the two renovations at Brookside for the Montgomery County Department of Parks.

" ... It's amazing the number of people that come up to you and tell you stories of how this facility has been a special place in their lives."

The county Planning Board recently approved $5.1 million of Capital Improvements Program funds for a bigger, better parking lot and entrance at Brookside Gardens. The 50-acre botanical garden at 1800 Glenallan Ave. in Wheaton is one of the gems of the county's park division, Paniati said.

The renovations are the first two phases of the garden's 2001 Master Plan, which eventually calls for moving the conservatory up to a revamped visitor's center and adding a new wetland garden.

Brookside Gardens has one of the highest visitor rates of any county attraction, said Michael Riley, the deputy director of the Department of Parks.

"It has been and will remain a priority," he said in an interview with The Gazette.

But some commissioners questioned whether it was worth the price when there are so many painful cutbacks elsewhere.

"We're having money taken from us left and right," Commissioner Joe Alfandre said at a Feb. 25 hearing on the project.

Alfandre and the Planning Board's newest commissioner, Norman Dreyfuss, also said they were concerned that the project went half a million dollars over the County Executive's proposed budget for the project.

"Whether we have the money or do not have the money, we should be cognizant of the county as far as budgets," Dreyfus said.

Paniati said the extra cost comes from combining the parking lot renovations with the reconfiguring of the entrance on Glenallan Avenue. By designing and constructing the two projects at once, the park can save money on the permitting process, consultants and staff. Brookside can also streamline construction so it disrupts visitors for the shortest amount of time possible, she said.

"Doing the whole process one time versus two times will have savings throughout both design and construction," she said.

And Stephanie Oberle, the director of Brookside Gardens, said joining the two "saves so many problems." She admitted the gardens will likely need to fundraise to make it all happen, "but given our profile in the community, that shouldn't be a problem."

Royce Hanson, the chairman of the Planning Board, agreed that Brookside is worth the money.

"It will be a change, but it is also a tribute to the success of Brookside Gardens that we need to make the changes," he said in the hearing. "It's going to make it work even better than it does now."

The total cost for the parking lot project, which will add 63 new spaces to the existing 124 and integrate cobblestone and gravel walking paths, is $3 million. Renovating the gate entrance with art, decorative paving and reconfiguring parts of Glenallan Avenue to merge better with the garden's entrance will cost $2 million, according to planning estimates.

The project is still in the concept level, but construction on both projects could start by 2012 and finish in 2013. The Planning Board's approval was one more hurdle toward that goal.

A week ago, the County Council's Planning, Housing and Economic Development committee unanimously approved the renovations with the higher cost. The last step is the full council's approval in May.