WABA Alert: Show Your Support for the Lake Frank Trail

An important proposed trail that will connect the Rock Creek Trail to Lake Frank in Rockville is in jeopardy due to aggressive homeowner opposition. This paved hiker-biker trail will be a key link in a five-mile long future trail that will link the Rock Creek Trail to Olney. The trail will be a superb park amenity that will improve access to the park, provide recreational and health benefits and serve as an important upcounty bikeway, benefiting the environment by supporting bike trips instead of driving. But there is a group of neighbors who live adjacent to Lake Frank who are vociferously opposing the trail, a problem we face all too often when new trails are built. The Lake Frank Trail needs your support!

What You Can Do
There is a public meeting on Tuesday May 11th at 7 pm to discuss the trail. The opponents plan to attend to express their opposition. It's imperative that park and trail supporters make their voices heard.  Please SEND EMAILS soon to the officials listed below, and attend the meeting if you can. You can find meeting details with location info at http://tinyurl.com/2w4g2ox.

Send emails and letters to:

Neil Pedersen. Chief administrator of the State Highway Administration at npedersen@sha.state.md.us
Montgomery County Planning Board - mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org
Montgomery County Council - county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov

If you know your elected statehouse representatives, you can send it to them also.  To determine your state senator and delegates go to http://mdelect.net .

Sample Letter -
(it's helpful to add your own comments and personal perspective, for example you take your kids on trails, you bike to get around, you live near Lake Frank, etc.)

Dear Neil Pedersen: (or other recipient)

I strongly support construction of the hard-surface trail connecting the Rock Creek Trail to Lake Frank. I ask that it be built as soon as possible, and that it use environmental stewardship funding as currently planned. I am a park user and will certainly benefit from this trail. The trail will be an important link of the planned trail from the Rock Creek Trail to Olney. These trails are among Montgomery County's treasures.

(signed... your name and city/community)

Additional Background
Opponents of the Lake Frank Trail first sought to reroute the trail to a much inferior location that would be farther from their homes. Since they failed to do that, they are now seeking to take away state ICC stewardship funding.  They're 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 opposition.
  
Thank you for your support!

Comments

[Alison Horton]

Please come to the meeting and speak up. The meeting is at Shady Grove Maintenance Yard
Training Room, Building B
16641 Crabbs Branch Way
Rockville, MD 20855 which is right around the corner (so to speak) from the Shady Grove Metro. Its at 7 pm.

[TurbineBlade]

Sent my letter of support!

[bicycle are NOT a WMD]

Personally the most frustrating part of all this is that the effort to get this trail has been all above the table and legal. Now we have a NIMBY group shouting propaganda to keep limited access to a public park.

The pavement they want removed will still be removed, the staff recommended alignment has far less environmental disturbance that the other option suggest.
Then there are the politicians who are now backing these NIMBYS. They claim to not be against the trail but the process. The Process was legal and above the table. The message I’ve receiving is there is little to no support for bicycle trails via the politicians.

[Louis Wilen]

A petition in SUPPORT of the Lake Frank trail connector will be available for signing at the Olney Farmers and Artists Market on Sunday, May 29. Please stop by and sign the petition.

The Olney Farmers & Artists Market is located at Montgomery General Hospital's Thrift Shop
2801 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd., at the corner of Prince Phillip Dr. & Rt. 108

Public parking available behind the Thrift Shop.
Enter off of Prince Phillip Drive.

More information here:
http://www.olneyfarmersmarket.org/index.html

[Louis Wilen]

Just to close this out -- the Planning Board approved Alignment B of the Lake Frank Trail Connector.