EASTON — At a Talbot County Council workshop Tuesday afternoon, residents expressed concerns during public comment about potential plans to convert an inactive rail corridor into a bike and pedestrian trail.
Much of the one-hour discussion centered around the proposed 9.5-mile Frederick Douglass Rail Trail, which begins north of Queen Anne and Route 404, runs through Cordova and ends just north of Easton at Black Dog Alley.
“We have a wonderful rural area, but safety is a major concern,” Sharon Pahlman, who lives and owns a farm that is divided by the inactive railroad track. “It is of utmost importance to me … and my neighbors who are in the same setting.”
Hunting and equipment dangers were also brought up as a concerns if the trail is designed to encourage biking and walking. Chip Nagel spoke on behalf of Mountaire Farms, which bought a Cordova grain facility from Nagel Farm Services last year that sits adjacent to the potential bike and walking trail.
“While they’re not opposed to the idea of the trail, going through their property just will not work,” Nagel said. “One of the unique things about that facility is it’s seasonal in nature. One of the concerns is it goes from a sleepy Sunday or a Tuesday after a rain to 150 trucks going in and out of the facility.”
A project plan states that “a curb and grass buffer is proposed between the trail and the access roadways along the frontage” of the Nagel property and other retailers on Cordova Road.
“ … I just do not see, having been in this business all of my adult life, how a trail will work safely through that,” Nagel said. “There’s just no way a trail can continue without our involvement to mitigate the safety factors.”
Cathy Weems, a local business owner and resident, shared worry that “homeless people are going to set up on this rails and trails,” adding that she thinks it’ll be difficult for police to access.
“People hunt, people live there,” Weems said. “We’ve lived there our whole lives, it’s really sad. I’m really concerned for the folks that live on this trail that it’s possibly going to happen.”
Jeff Schneider, manager of the Easton Hampton Inn and a member of the Talbot County Tourism Board, said that biking is growing in the county and can be an economic boost.
“They stay in our hotels, they eat in our restaurants, they shop in our shops,” Schneider said. “So it’s a big economic driver for the area.”
REQUESTS of COUNCIL
In a letter to the council before the work session, Cassandra Vanhooser, the director of economic development and tourism, said that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources received a grant from the National Park Service to assess the feasibility of transforming the rail corridor into the Frederick Douglass Rail Trail.
While Vanhooser told hesitant residents that it’s not a “done deal” by any means and that the project is just in its first steps, she stressed that the economic development for rural communities in such projects is substantial.
One of the listed requests of the council is for it to grant the county permission to work with DNR and the Maryland Department of Transportation on the 9.5-mile rail trail. Heather Grant, executive director of Talbot Thrive, also asked that the council create a bike and pedestrian advisory committee.
“The committee would be appointed by the council and act as a liaison between the public and the county to advise and make recommendations to the county on bike and pedestrian access issues,” Grant said.
Thomas Mackay, the rail program and policy manager at MDOT, said that the state prefers to spend money on projects where trains still operate. Leveraging local and DNR support for the project will be a way forward, he said at the work session.
“We apologize, this is probably the first time we’ve come out and talked to Talbot County, but no time like the present,” Mackay said. “We’re looking for more local partnership to help us understand the local interests and the local perspectives on the planning.”
Council President Chuck Callahan thanked the many farmers for attending and assured attendees that any projects will “have to go through this council in years to come.”
“We got a lot to consider,” Callahan said. “This isn’t going to happen overnight, that’s for sure.”
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