Town to consider buying 12-acre lot for trail

(1/12) At its January 11th meeting, the Town Council was briefed by the Dave Tpohey, of the Walkersville Parks Commission, on the potential benefits of purchasing the vacant lot behind the Walkersville Bowling Center. The 11.8-acre lot, a hold over from the original Mill Run development, is currently zoned agriculture.

Toohey proposed that if the town purchased it, a trail could be laid through the lot that would allow easier access to Community Park from Old Town & the Mill Run development. The proposed trail would connect with an existing trail in Community Park, which runs north to the old Georgetown area of Walkersville, and which will eventually connect on the south side with the Frederick County’s Rail Trail – which when completed, will connect Frederick and Walkersville for walkers and bicyclist.

The County’s Rail Trail project has been eyed for several years to make use of the old rail beds of the area. In July of 2022, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments approved a $5.28 million grant to Frederick County for the long-discussed rail trail project.

Phase I consists of a 1.8-mile section of trail from Monocacy Boulevard to Fountain Rock Nature Center. The 10-foot-wide asphalt path will follow the railroad right of way owned by the Maryland Transportation Authority and leased to the Walkersville Southern Railroad.

The County just received $280,000 for phase II of the planning of project that will connect Fountain Rock and Heritage Farm Park and the county hopes to begin work on this portion of the trail this year. Phase III will connect the trail with Woodsboro.

According to Toohey, the lot is currently listed for $295,000. Commissioner Gary Baker noted that the lot has been on the market for 203 days, so there was a good chance that the town could negotiate a better price. Toohey concurred, noting that close to 80% of it in the flood plane, which would make building upon it difficult at best. Toohey said that keeping the lot natural would "would benefit the dear and other wildlife who use it as a superhighway."

Hercules Custom Iron, whose property abuts the lot, had at one time expressed interest in the property for a storage building, but that would require the lot to be rezoned for light industrial. No action has been taken by the planning commission since the initial briefing by Hercules back in the Fall of 2022.

Commissioner Mary Ann Brodie-Ennis suggested that the town could use Project Open Space funds to pay up to 75% of the cost of the purchase price. Ennis said that while in the past the town only requested Project Open Space funding for infrastructures improvements, the fund also has money for accusation of land.

Toohey said the town could also consider applying for a grant from Municipal Separate Strom Sewer Systems (MS4) program. MS4, a program of the US Environmental Protection agency, was develop, in part, to promote local measures to control the quality of storm water discharged to storm drains. Tooney noted that as the property is natural fit for the program as it in the flood plan and catches and filters much of the overflow from Glade Creek during heavy rains.