Carroll County staff hopes to evaluate the feasibility of creating bicycle and walking paths in Finksburg and will ask commissioners this morning to approve the submission of an $80,000 grant request that will do just that.
The county’s Bureau of Comprehensive Planning and the Department of Planning and Land Management are seeking approval to apply for a Transportation and Land Use Connections grant from the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board in order to conduct the Finksburg Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Feasibility Study.
“There are two parts regarding this agenda item tomorrow,” Chris Heyn, director of the county’s Department of Planning and Land Management stated in an email Wednesday. “First, we must submit the application and then if chosen, we would accept the award.
“It’s important to note that this is a competitive process among the jurisdictions that are part of the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, and we do not yet know if our application will be chosen.”
The commissioners will consider approval of the submission and acceptance of the grant, which would fully fund the study, according to a county briefing paper. The grant does not require the county to produce matching funds.
“The study is an important initiative that addresses the need for safe and accessible non-motorized transportation options in the Finksburg community,” a county briefing paper states. “The project will focus on safety and the creation of comfortable routes for pedestrians and cyclists with the sustainable community.”
A Finksburg corridor planning document, compiled by the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission in 2010, states that there are no safe pedestrian and bicycle paths in the area.
“There are no facilities within the study area that promote pedestrian or bicycle travel,” the study states. “There is limited opportunity for cycling along state and county roadways within the study area.”
Although Routes 91 and 140 in Finksburg have 10-foot shoulders, the study states that cycling is “not practical” due to the volume and speed of vehicle traffic.
Heyn said that the feasibility study would be managed by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council.
“They would do all the work, including hiring and managing consultant support for the project,” he said. “The extent of the county involvement would be to provide local knowledge and information during the course of the project. We would benefit from the study having been performed by [the council].”
Also on the commissioners’ agenda this week is a request from the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks to award a contract to Linwood Lawn & Landscape, LLC, in Westminster, for mowing services in 23 locations around the county, in the amount of $441,630.90.
The Department of Recreation and Parks will also ask commissioners to award a contract, not to exceed $135,000 for the year, to Mead Tree & Turf Care Inc., in Woodbine. The company would provide tree trimming and maintenance services when needed.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., in Room 311 at the County Office Building, 225 N. Center St., in Westminster. The meeting is livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@CarrollCountyGov. Anyone can make public comment at the meeting, in person or online. Those wishing to attend online should call 872-240-3212 and enter access code 317-923-893 to join the meeting.