One of my priorities has been to develop new trails and sidewalk connections throughout Baltimore County. Trails and sidewalks not only offer an alternative to driving, but they encourage physical fitness. In February, the County Council passed legislation I sponsored with Councilman Tom Quirk that created a Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. This panel will hopefully help us develop a more integrated transportation system.
I am very happy that the county has been awarded $30,000 to extend the trail at Indian Rock Park in Perry Hall. The funding comes from the Maryland State Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. Our office wrote the grant application with help from the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. The Department will supply the 25 percent ($10,000) local match. The county has generally not taken advantage of this funding source.
Indian Rock Park is a wooded area west of Perry Hall High School. The county created a short trail at the park in 2009, but the pathway is barely noticed from Ebenezer Road. Currently, it forms a little loop several hundred feet in the park. My goal has been to connect this looped path to Ebenezer Road, then extend the entire route to Silver Spring Road, where it will eventually become part of the Northeast Trail. Neighborhoods will be actively consulted as the specific alignment is chosen.
I look forward to developing more transportation options for all residents of the Fifth District.