After nearly twenty years of communication and growing partnerships, the Ma & Pa Trail announces connection.
The Ma & Pa Heritage Trail Foundation held a celebration yesterday at the trail head in Downtown Bel Air on Williams Street to celebrate the connection of the trail. For years, communications were held between the Harford Country Government, Town of Bel Air, the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail Foundation and the Hooper family to find an easement through the property which stood between the two parts of the trail. The easement for the trail, which the county will own, was settled earlier this week and is about 13,000 square feet.
The connection of the trail will create a nearly 8 mile continuous trail from Annie’s Playground in Fallston to Jarrettsville Road in Forest Hill. For the first time in history, the Ma & Pa Trail will go through Main Street in Downtown Bel Air. Click here to see the proposed connection. It is estimated that construction will begin in the spring of 2018 with the hopes of the connection being finished in 2019.
With hundreds of people using the trail monthly, The Ma & Pa Trail is the most heavily used park in Harford County. The trail is an important asset in Downtown Bel Air and the connection of it to Main Street will spur new economic development and tourism to Downtown Bel Air.
The Bel Air Downtown Alliance envisions visitors who come to recreate in Bel Air to have easy and clear access to downtown’s shops and restaurants. In a partnership with the Town of Bel Air, the Alliance is currently working on 4 informational kiosks to be placed through Downtown Bel Air, one of which will be on the Ma & Pa Trail. Learn more about the Alliance’s Wayfinding Project here.
Congratulations to Phil Hosmer, Board President, and the entire foundation on this success. Learn more about what the Ma & Pa Foundation is doing here.
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