Hampstead Bypass

Hampstead town officials have asked the Carroll County commissioners to consider a zoning amendment to prohibit billboards along the $83.4 million Hampstead Bypass to emphasize the 4 1/2 -mile roadway's role as a scenic gateway, when it opens to traffic at the end of 2008. "We'll have this new road going through pristine countryside," Hampstead Mayor Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. said. "We'd like to keep it as blemish-free as possible and maintain the rural character of our community." Hampstead passed an ordinance in 2001 to prohibit all billboards from being erected within the municipal boundaries, town officials said.

BOG TURTLES don't vote. Bog turtles don't contribute to political candidates or to special-interest Political Action Committees. In fact, they're not interested in politics at all.So they don't get much respect from the Carroll County commissioners, who've sounded off on the federally protected small turtles.Consider proposed plans for the 6-mile Hampstead bypass project, which would divert through traffic from Route 30 around the town. Surprisingly untouched by the hand of Governor Smart Growth, the 35-year-old Hampstead bypass project is bogged down (for the second or third time this decade)

A proposed bypass around the town of Manchester is introuble at the state level, Carroll's planning director told the County Commissioners yesterday, urging them to express their support again for the project."

Construction of a long-awaited $36 million Hampstead bypass could begin in three or four years, state highway officials said yesterday.Engineering plans for a six-mile, two-lane road that would take Route 30 around Hampstead are 65 percent complete, said State Highway Administrator Parker F. Williams. Fifteen to 20 percent of the rights of way have been acquired, he said.But when State Sen. Larry E. Haines, a Westminster Republican, pressed Williams for a timetable, Williams hesitated. The bypass is "not ready for construction," he said.

Commuters on Route 30 who endure the bumper-to-bumper traffic that jams Hampstead's two-lane Main Street every rush hour got a boost from the governor yesterday -- the promise of $5 million in state money to buy land for a 5.8-mile bypass."

State highway officials are close to mapping the final route of a long-awaited Hampstead bypass and say the latest design changes will reduce the project's cost by $3 million.With alignment near completion, the State Highway Administration can determine with greater accuracy the portions properties along the proposed route that would be affected in the land-acquisition process."We know pretty much what we're building," said Ed Smith, the project's senior engineer. "Now we can start producing the right-of-way plats to determine what property we need to support the road."

YOU GOTTA PAY to play, state transportation officials told Hampstead this month as the east Carroll community renewed its plea for state funding for a badly needed Route 30 downtown bypass."

Nearly two decades after transportation planners first envisioned a Route 30 bypass around Manchester, the project looks like it will finally become a reality.Del. Richard N. Dixon and Maryland highway officials announced this week that $1 million has been set aside to begin project planning, which will include environmental studies, mapping of historic properties and planning any alternate routes."I'm elated," Mr. Dixon said yesterday. "It's something we've been working on for a long time.

Hampstead Mayor C. Clinton Becker came away from a meeting Tuesday encouraged that the proposed Hampstead Route 30 bypass remains the State Highway Administration's priority for Carroll County.But, because a mix-up prevented all parties from showing up in the same place for it, the meeting has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. today at the State Highway Administration office on Airport Drive in Westminster.When Del. Richard N. Dixon, D-Carroll, set up the meeting between local officials and the state, he suggested meeting at the State Highway Administration office "near the airport."

One of Maryland's shyest, most elusive creatures -- the North American bog turtle, or Clemmys muhlenbergii -- may delay the construction of Carroll County's long-sought Hampstead bypass. State officials told the county's elected leaders last week that the small reptile was recently spotted in a wetland located on the north end of the highway's proposed path. Because of that sighting, transportation officials said they may be forced to design a new route for the $35 million highway to avoid the turtle's habitat.

A herd of goats coming to the rescue of a handful of imperiled turtles may sound like the plot of a Saturday morning children's cartoon show, but that's just what's happening in the Carroll County town of Hampstead. The State Highway Administration has enlisted the help of about 40 goats to devour invasive plant species in wetlands along the path of the soon-to-open, 4.4-mile Hampstead Bypass to protect the habitat of the bog turtle - a species listed as threatened in Maryland. State highway officials decided to give the goats a tryout as four-legged lawn mowers rather than to attack the unwanted vegetation with mechanical mowers that might have killed the diminutive reptiles or damaged their boggy habitat on the fringe of Hampstead.

Hampstead town officials have asked the Carroll County commissioners to consider a zoning amendment to prohibit billboards along the $83.4 million Hampstead Bypass to emphasize the 4 1/2 -mile roadway's role as a scenic gateway, when it opens to traffic at the end of 2008. "We'll have this new road going through pristine countryside," Hampstead Mayor Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. said. "We'd like to keep it as blemish-free as possible and maintain the rural character of our community." Hampstead passed an ordinance in 2001 to prohibit all billboards from being erected within the municipal boundaries, town officials said.

Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley could redirect state funding priorities away from roads and toward public transportation - which could disrupt some desired projects in Carroll County, said South Carroll Del. Susan W. Krebs. O'Malley, who questioned highway projects similar to the Hampstead Bypass, favors growth plans that overlook the need for new highways to manage increased traffic, she said. O'Malley, a Democrat, will succeed Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. in January. "Ehrlich got roads back on the map," said Krebs, a Republican.

Better workplace is workshop's goal The Carroll County Business & Employment Center will hold a human resource workshop, "Tools for Building a Strong Workplace Foundation," from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday at the BERC office, 224 N. Center St., Westminster. The workshop will cover workplace issues that professionals deal with daily. Registration is required. Information: 410-386-2820. Carroll Chiropractic sponsors coat drive Carroll Chiropractic will hold a Coats for Kids drive Oct. 23 to 27 at its office, 330 140 Village Road, Unit 9A, Westminster.

Other candidates' tax promises empty I wish I had a nickel for every time a politician promised lower taxes. I might end up with a budget surplus the size of Maryland's. Right now the "Free" State has a $1.2 billion budget surplus. The two Republican incumbents in District 5A are running for the House of Delegates on a "lower taxes" promise. They have not delivered tax relief with over a billion dollars in the state coffers. Can anyone take their promise of lower taxes seriously? These same delegates are criticizing Carroll County for having a cash reserve.

Changes coming to Hampstead Far too often, the state transportation budget has been raided for other priorities. I want to thank Gov. Ehrlich and Secretary of Transportation Robert Flanagan for protecting our transportation funding and for awarding Hampstead monies needed to do the engineering for a major streetscape project. The allocation of roughly $750,000 moves us closer to the goal of rebuilding our Main Street quickly after the Hampstead Bypass is constructed. When I started as a town councilman, we had an ambitious agenda - bring residential growth under control, update our water system, build a police station, expand our park system, save the old school, construct the Hampstead Bypass and revitalize Main Street.

In keeping with his promise to visit all of the state's municipalities, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele spent several hours touring Hampstead and Manchester last week and focused many of his remarks on bypasses for both towns. Although rumors abound that Steele is considering a run for a U.S. Senate seat, Carroll residents and local politicians were more interested in talking about traffic congestion than politics. In Hampstead, the State Highway Administration plans to break ground for a $76 million bypass around the town's Main Street in April.

State highway officials say they will reconsider plans to erect a chain-link fence to separate Shiloh Middle from the soon-to-be-constructed Hampstead bypass after Carroll County school officials asked the state for a more substantial buffer between the school and the busy highway. "We're confident there are very good solutions that can be developed" to address local worries about safety and noise concerns, Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan said Friday. A solid 8-foot wall or a wrought-iron fence with heavy landscaping are two alternatives that will be considered, Flanagan said.

State highway officials say they will reconsider plans to erect a chain-link fence to separate Shiloh Middle from the soon-to-be-constructed Hampstead bypass after Carroll County school officials asked the state for a more substantial buffer between the school and the busy highway. "We're confident there are very good solutions that can be developed" to address local worries about safety and noise concerns, Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan said Friday. A solid 8-foot wall or a wrought-iron fence with heavy landscaping are two alternatives that will be considered, Flanagan said.

State highway officials say they will reconsider plans to erect a chain-link fence to separate Shiloh Middle from the soon-to-be-constructed Hampstead bypass after Carroll County school officials asked the state for a more substantial buffer between the school and the busy highway. "We're confident there are very good solutions that can be developed" to address local worries about safety and noise concerns, Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan said Friday. A solid 8-foot wall or a wrought-iron fence with heavy landscaping are two alternatives that will be considered, Flanagan said.