Route 30

Maryland's latest fight between community activists and retail giant Wal-Mart is about to enter round one -- this time outside Hampstead.About 40 people are expected to attend a county Subdivision Advisory Committee meeting this morning to protest construction of the proposed discount giant store in North Carroll Shopping Plaza on Route 30 between Hampstead and Manchester.Formal plans for the 101,194-square-foot Wal-Mart will be unveiled during the public meeting, ending months of speculation over the use of the property, which was rezoned in November in anticipation of a "big box" retail development.

FiresLineboro: Firefighters from Lineboro and Manchester responded at 3: 25 p.m. Wednesday to assist on a three-alarm building fire in York County.Hampstead: Firefighters responded at 8: 54 a.m. Wednesday to a gas leak on Northwoods Trail at Route 30. Units were out 90 minutes.

FireHampstead: Firefighters from Hampstead and Arcadia in Baltimore County responded at 2: 33 p.m. Friday to a hazardous materials call on Route 30 at Trenton Mill Road. Units were out 13 minutes.

A Hampstead man died of injuries in a one-car accident on Route 30 south of Manchester early yesterday, state police said.Donald E. Toms Sr., 50, was airlifted to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he died after the crash at 12: 50 a.m. at Cape Horn Road.According to state police, a 1978 Ford Econoline van driven by Toms was traveling south on Route 30 when the vehicle went out of control, ran off the right side of the two-lane roadway and slammed into a utility pole.Hampstead council meeting rescheduled for TuesdayThe mayor and Town Council of Hampstead have rescheduled the regular monthly council meeting to 7: 30 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall.

About 50 people, many of them small-business owners, packed a meeting room at the County Office Building yesterday to oppose construction of a Wal-Mart at a Route 30 shopping plaza between Hampstead and Manchester.The Arkansas retail giant unveiled its plans for a 101,194-square-foot store and attached 3,100-square-foot fast-food restaurant during a public meeting of the county's Subdivision Advisory Committee, ending months of speculation over the use of the property. The site was rezoned in November to make way for a "big box" retail development.

Several Hampstead-area residents are fuming because local and state officials did not require a traffic study as they brokered in private a deal for a new 1 million-square-foot distribution center off Route 30 outside the town.Sweetheart Cup Co.'s distribution center will be one of the largest warehouses in Maryland and will have 75 to 125 tractor-trailers rolling every day onto a congested Route 30.Mayor Christopher M. Nevin and town council members, including Lawrence Hentz, are frustrated that concerns they raised in closed meetings as recently as March were ignored, after they were excluded from the final negotiation stage.

Traffic engineers have their own term for an intersection with a built-in problem: a "misfunction junction."The residents of four homes on Hampshire Road face such an intersection every day at the end of their street: a traffic signal that serves the other three directions of traffic but turns a blind eye to them.The signal was not meant for their road, but for the entrance to the Black & Decker Corp. plant on Route 30 just south of Hampstead, and it is about 30 feet off center from Hampshire Road.

Two boxes will arrive at Hampstead's door next year: One is called Wal-Mart; the other, Sweetheart Cup Co.When the boxes are opened, cars and trucks will stream out and come back in, sometimes as many as 623 more per hour than usual along congested Route 30.Residents fear not so much that things in Hampstead will change, but that they will get worse.The owners of Bob's Variety Store worry that the increased traffic will go beyond the rush-hour crawl that already keeps patrons from their doors.

FireManchester: Firefighters responded at 1: 22 a.m. Sunday to a fire alarm on Tracy Mill Road at Route 30. Units were out 24 minutes.Pub Date: 3/30/99

Many of the 150-plus residents who crowded a public information meeting last night denounced proposed state alternatives to a Manchester bypass.Several people said the plan to add left-turn lanes and remove parking spaces on Route 30, the main street through the northern Carroll County town, was a Band-Aid approach and wouldn't resolve traffic congestion."

Rob Gonzalez seldom gets caught in the gridlock that snarls Route 30 in Hampstead each weekday morning - neither would you if you got to work at 3:30 a.m. But rush hour is another matter. "It can take 20 minutes to go three miles; you literally have to plan for that," said Gonzalez, owner of Snickerdoodles, a bakery-cafe on Route 30. During rush hour, he and other local residents all but avoid the road frequented by ex-Marylanders who now live as far as 15 miles to the north in Hanover, Pa., but still work and do business here.

The State Highway Administration will temporarily close the Cranberry Road Bridge (Route 852H) over the West Branch of the Patapsco River near Westminster TownMall in Westminster. Weather permitting, the closure will begin tomorrow for approximately one month while the bridge is repaired. The $89,000 project should be completed by Aug. 24. The project includes reconstruction of the roadway at the bridge approaches. Motorists will be detoured approximately three miles in each direction along Cranberry Road as follows: Route 140 to Route 27 to Route 852 (Old Manchester Road)

Expanding municipal water capacity to support future development, seeing the proposed Northeast area high school to completion and reducing traffic along Route 30 are the issues cropping up as Manchester's May 15 municipal election approaches. Two candidates are running for mayor, and five are vying for two council seats. Incumbent Mayor Christopher D'Amario will face Doug Myers, a former Manchester wastewater supervisor and recent Carroll County commissioner candidate. Incumbent councilmen Joseph Jordan and Ryan M. Warner will be challenged by Raymond W. Badders, who does promotional advertising for small businesses; David Richardson, the general manager of a horse farm; and Wendall Sisler, a retired electrician and synagogue superintendent.

Wrong roads getting attention Just when I thought the county commissioners had been educated on the road issue - they bring in a new one. What does newly elected Commissioner Michael D. Zimmer tell us? He tells us U.S. Route 29 and Route 32, which happen to be the major routes in and out of his neighborhood, need attention. Come on commissioner, get on board to fix problem roads. Route 30 is obviously the most dangerous road in the county. (By the way, it does NOT run anywhere near my house and I seldom use it.)

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.

Beginning riders looking to enjoy their motorcycles away from the press of heavy traffic will find that Maryland boasts a number of roads less traveled. Riders may have to pass through some heavily traveled highways to get to them, though. With that in mind, here are five routes that offer beginners rides with lighter traffic and pleasant scenery. Falls Road to Route 30 --Beginning in Baltimore, catch Falls Road and take it north. At the Falls Road and Joppa Road intersection, turn left to stay on Falls Road.

On August 9, 2005, STEFAN J. SR.; beloved husband of Helen L. Roman (nee Sommer); loving father of Joanna Smith, Charlotte Doy and Stefan J. Roman, Jr. Also survived by ten grandchildren. Friends may call at the ECKHARDT FUNERAL CHAPEL, P.A. of Manchester, Route 30 & Charmil Drive on Thursday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Interment private. Memorials in his name may be made to the American Diabetes Association.

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.

On June 26, 2005, WILMA (nee Garland). Beloved wife of Thomas Robert Watts; mother of Linda Watts, Thomas Watts, Jr. and Vicki Hait; sister of Claude Garland and Ione Saylor. Also survived by eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Services will be held at the Eckhardt Funeral Chapel, P.A., route 30 and Charmil Drive, Manchester, on Thursday at 11 A.M. Interment Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Friends may call on Wednesday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. If desired, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 1850 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

On February 23, 2005, SPENCER W.; beloved husband of Ida Gorsuch (nee Watts); devoted father of Tracie Bosley-Beam and the late Thomas and Timothy Gorsuch; grandfather of Daniel and Alexandria Bosley and Brandon and Valerie Beam; brother of Irvin and Ray Gorsuch; brother-in-law of Joyce and Joann Gorsuch. Also survived by many friends. Services at ECKHARDT FUNERAL CHAPEL, P.A., route 30 and Charmil Drive, Manchester, Friday at 1 P.M. Interment in Lake View Memorial Park. Friends may call Thursday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M.