On July 13 ^th , NeighborSpace, in cooperation with leaders from Dundalk and staff from the Neighborhood Design Center (NDC), hosted a design workshop on a proposed trail along Bear Creek, which has been variously called the “Bear Creek Trail” and the “Md. Line Trail.” (Coming up with a proper name is something that will be tackled with community representatives in coming months).  The effort is being funded by a grant from the Baltimore Community Foundation, donations from a 2018 Giving Tuesday campaign, and open space waiver fee proceeds that come to NeighborSpace from Baltimore County pursuant to a County law.

The proposed trail (shown below) commemorates the historic Battle of North Point, where the Maryland Militia heroically held off the British during the War of 1812, preventing their advance on Baltimore.  NeighborSpace holds an easement on the only piece of private land needed to complete the trail, which runs behind the Charlesmont Apartment Complex.

The workshop was led by NDC members Rachel McNamara (Landscape Designer) and Marita Roos (Landscape Architect). Among the attendees were local Councilman, Todd Crandell, from the County Executive’s Office, Brad Kroger, and the trail’s most enthusiastic proponent, Robert Reyes . Bear Creek Elementary Principal Richard Corner also attended along with Vice Principal, Kathleen Kelbaugh. Other local leaders who were present included Alex Montanio, Board President of the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation, Sam Weaver and Karen Wynn from Back River Restoration, and project leaders Bud Staigerwald and Rob Zacherl.  NeighborSpace board members and staff who attended included Klaus Philipsen (President), Marsha McLaughlin (Vice President), John Alexander (Board Member and Retired 7 ^th District Planner for Baltimore County), Carolyn Cecil (Board Member), Barbara Hopkins (Executive Director) and Patrick Filbert (Program Manager).

The workshop was focused on creating an interactive trail that achieves more than a simple line of connectivity between the water and the War of 1812 sites, especially Battle Acre and the North Point State Battlefield. The workshop leaders broke the trail into 4 zones, as shown in the map below:

Participants were presented with sets of precedent images of water features, vegetation/viewshed management, trail surfaces, standard site elements, signage and educational features, and special features. Using colored dots, they were asked to vote on which images represented what they thought should go in each zone. You can view the precedent images on the trail page of the NeighborSpace website.

Participants were also given the opportunity to let the NDC staff know what they missed, i.e.,  items that should go in each zone but for which there were no precedent images.

Next, participants broke into three groups to further refine and prioritize their choices. Featured in the image below is Alex Montanio, President of the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation, explaining the priorities from the break-out group she led.  Click on the image to watch the short video. There are additional videos on the trail webpage.

The next step is for the NDC staff to process the feedback from the workshop and create a summary booklet demonstrating what it means for each of the four trail zones.  Once completed, the booklet will be shared with community members and other constituents and additional feedback will be sought. This will likely mean another community meeting in September.

If you are not on the email list for the trail and would like to receive updates about future meetings, just send an email to shannon@neighborspacebaltimorecounty.org and we will be happy to add you.