Park and Trail Supporters: The Lake Frank Trail needs your urgent support!

What You Can Do

• Neil Pedersen, chief administrator of the State Highway Administration - npedersen@sha.state.md.us
• The Montgomery County Planning Board - mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org
• The Montgomery County Council - county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov
• Your Maryland state delegates and senator if you can, especially if you live upcounty. Find your elected officials using MdSelect.net. Then go to the Senate page or House page for contact info.

Key Points

• Tell them you support the Lake Frank connector trail (or Lake Frank Trail)
• Tell them the trail should be paid for as planned, using ICC Environmental Stewardship funds
• Tell them why you enjoy trails or give any other personal thoughts

Sample Letter

(It's helpful to add your own comments and personal perspective, such as why you use trails…)

To Mr. Neil Pedersen [or other recipient]:

I strongly support construction of the hard-surface Lake Frank Trail connecting the Rock Creek Trail to Lake Frank. I ask that it be built as soon as possible, and that it use state ICC stewardship funds as currently planned. I am a park user and will certainly benefit from this trail. The trail will be an important part of the countywide bikeway network and will support more trips by bike instead of by car. Please move the project forward. Thank you.

[signed, your name and city/community]

Additional Background

Opponents of the Lake Frank Trail first tried to reroute the trail to a much inferior location that would be farther from their homes. Having failed at that, they are now seeking to take away state funding already allocated for the trail. The state funds are provided by the ICC environmental stewardship program that's paying for many projects including trails. Opponents are pushing to implement a parking lot removal project with the same funds so that no funds will be left for the trail. The parking lot project is worthwhile but is already slated to be done later and is not at risk. The trail is very much at risk due to neighborhood opposition.

Neighbors are saying they were not directly notified of the county's intention to build the trail using ICC funds. But there were numerous Gazette articles talking about the Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan as it was being developed, and that plan clearly states the county's intention to use ICC funds and consider a new alignment.

We all respect the lake. It is a more natural and uncrowded setting than Lake Needwood. A single paved path passing through the lake area is very consistent with that. We also support construction of a continuous natural surface trail around the entire lake to ensure a hiking experience that for the most part stays away from the paved trail.

Neighbors opposing the trail are using the slogan "Take Back Our Lake". But we believe county parks belong to everyone and not just one community.

Index

• Gazette articles and to the trail changes opposed by neighbors.
• Plans and documents published by the county
• Printable flyer

Maps

The above map shows the full North Olney Trail. It is the orange dotted line starting roughly at the fork with the Rock Creek Trail (just south number "2") and ending at the number "7".

The above map shows the feasible route "B" embraced by FHWA, the state and the county Parks Department. It also shows the non-feasable route "A" requested by neighbors living on the streets shown. There is also an alternative "N" (not shown) that the neighbors have been supporting lately, but it is probably not a workable route due to length and tree cutting. Route "A" is not feasable because of considerably higher cost, rock cutting and greater environmental impact (clearing, switchbacks).

Gazette Articles

These articles focus on the Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan and most were written while the plan was being developed and public input was being taken. The plan clearly states the county's intention to use ICC funds to build the trail. The articles themselves actually note the change to the Lake Frank Trail alignment that neighbors say they were unaware of. Question: How could community associations that back up to Rock Creek Park be so inattentive that they were unaware of the development of the Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan despite all these articles in the county's newspaper? The VP of the umbrella Montgomery County Civic Federation even attended one of the public meetings. In most counties, a Parks Department that publicizes a plan through press releases and sees its verbiage quoted verbatim in several newspaper articles would consider its public notification responsibilites to have been fulfilled.

Mixed views aired on Upper Rock Creek hiker-biker trail (10/31/07)
-- Excerpt: Last week, Department of Parks staff hosted a community meeting in Derwood to discuss and gather suggestions on the Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan. The meeting was the second of its kind; the first was held in May of last year. ... Arnold Gordon, president of the Norbeck Meadows Civic Association in Olney and first vice president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation, expressed concern over the challenge course causing ‘‘environmental degradation.” ... Coleman said park staff tries to keep trails in designated park areas. She said if that cannot be accomplished because of environmentally sensitive areas or for other reasons, staff would create landscape buffers to separate the trails from residential properties. ... Others, though, seemed supportive of extending trails into neighborhoods so that they would not have to drive to a park in order to access the trails...

Upcounty trail gaps to be filled -- Connections will give hikers, bikers and riders a 30-mile path (6/26/08) -- Excerpt: The plan's highlights include almost doubling the length of trails now available in the corridor, endorsing the extension of a hard-surface trail from Rock Creek Regional Park to Olney, proposing a new alternative to link the Rock Creek hiker-biker trail to the Lake Frank trail network in Derwood, creating a mountain bike challenge course at Carson Farm Special Park in Gaithersburg and adding signs about historic mill sites along the way.

Public hearing set for Trail Corridor Plan -- Meeting to be held on Sept. 1 (9/10/08) -- Excerpt: ...proposing a new alternative to link the Rock Creek hiker-biker trail to the Lake Frank trail network in Derwood...

Residents urge board to fill out trail system (9/16/08) -- Excerpt (repeating ourselves): ...providing a new alternative to link the Rock Creek hiker-biker trail to the Lake Frank trail network in Derwood...

Planning Board approves trail corridor plan (9/30/08) -- Excerpt (repeating ourselves again): ...providing a new alternative to link the Rock Creek hiker-biker trail to the Lake Frank trail network in Derwood...

Documents

• 2008 Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan - http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkTrails/trail_planning/upper_rockcreek/documents/urctcp_sept25_2008_web.pdf
  • The full North Olney Trail is shown on page 2 (and also on this web page).
  • Lake Frank Trail alternatives are shown on page 22 (and also on this web page).
  • Excerpt: "Implementation Priorities: ... Implement the trail connection of Lake Frank and Lake Needwood as an ICC community enhancement project..."
  • Note the trail triangle formed by the North Olney Trail, ICC Trail and Rock Creek Trail (all paved), which will facilitate direct travel from each trail to each of the other two (as well as provide an attractive trail loop).
  • Trail Names -- We consider route "A" to be part of the Lake Frank Trail which runs along the east side of the lake. The Lake Frank Trail will be part of the North Olney Trail when it's built. It's largely semantics.
  • This is not a master plan.

• 2008 Countywide Park Trails Plan - http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkPlanning/documents/cwptp_sept08_web.pdf
  • This is not a master plan.

Other Contacts (FYI)

Montgomery County Planning Board

Donna Edwards, U.S. House of Representatives

Montgomery County Executive

Maryland Governor

Special mention...

We support the WABA (Washington Area Bicyclist Association)

This page sponsored by MoBike (Montgomery Bicycle Advocates) at www.mobike.org
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