Mark Holt
Fort Washington, MD

Good evening.  My name is Mark Holt; I am a resident of Fort Washington and am speaking tonight on behalf of the Southern Prince George's Trails Coalition.  We are a coalition of 12 community associations who share a vision of a world-class hiker-biker-equestrian trail system in scenic Southern Prince George's County.

The good news is that some progress is being made.  In May, bike riders, horse riders, runners, and walkers joined state and county planners and elected officials to dedicate the new link between the northern and southern segments of the Henson Creek Trail.  It was such a beautiful event that we can hardly wait to have more!

However, we have watched with dismay as funding to extend the Henson Creek Trail to the Potomac River and Riverview Road has been delayed for the second year in a row.  This money is vital for allowing the planning and design process to proceed. $240,000 was provided in fiscal year 2001, but the project depends on the second installment of $250,000 that keeps getting pushed back.  The Henson Creek Trail is the County's number-one trail priority.  If the hours and hours of citizen input that was gathered to rank the County's trail projects is to have any meaning, the Henson Creek project must get moving again.

One issue in the Henson Creek trail extension has been the status of a waterfront trail easement in the Indian Queen South neighborhood.  Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission attorneys have recently determined that the portion of the easement through waterfront building lots can be used, but that the portion through community association land must first be approved by the community association, which has yet to be organized.  However, most of the trail extension project would traverse parkland in the Broad Creek Historic District and would not require the easement.  Therefore, we strongly urge that the rest of the project proceed while the easement issue is resolved.  Trail supporters and M-NCPPC planners are committed to working closely with the Broad Creek Historic District to design a trail system that will complement the goals of the Historic District.

We also urge an end to funding delays for the Potomac Heritage Trail, which is currently scheduled to receive $100,000 in each of FY05 and 06.  An especially scenic segment of this high-priority trail – between the Fort Washington Marina and my community of Piscataway Hills – could be built immediately if funding were available.

The Trails Coalition strongly supports the FY2003 funding in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the planned Piscataway Creek Trail, which will connect Cosca Regional Park with the Potomac Heritage Trail.  We hope that all our major parks will eventually be connected to the trail system.

We again strongly urge that the northern extension of the Henson Creek Trail to the Branch Avenue Metro Station be added to the Capital Improvement Program.  Federal matching funds are available for exactly this type of project.  State and county planners have walked the trail route and found it feasible; Branch Avenue and the Capital Beltway could be crossed through existing box culverts without the need for expensive bridges.

Thank you for this opportunity to present our views on these trail projects that are so important to improving the quality of life in Southern Prince George's County.

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Jim Hudnall
President, Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club
412 River Wood Drive
Fort Washington, MD 20744

Trails help Sell houses, according to a survey by the National Associa­tion of Realtors (NAR) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The survey report, Consumers' Survey on Smart Choices for Home Buyers, released in April, shows that 36 percent of 2,000 recent home buyers designated walking, jogging or hiking trails as either an "important" or "very important" community amenity. Trail availability outranked 16 other options including se­curity, ball fields, golf courses, parks and access to shopping or business centers. Only highway access, at 44 percent, was specified as a top amenity by more of the homebuyers surveyed. (quoted from the Fall 2002 issue of the Rails to Trails magazine.)

People are looking for trails where they and their families can bike, hike, walk and jog for recreation, exercise, physical fitness, and mental health. Trails also connect people to parks, schools, and other destinations. Spending tax dollars for improving and extending trails and linear parks is a good investment.

Our community appreciates what you have done in providing us with the Henson Creek Trail. We ask you to budget the funds to extend the trail south to the Potomac River and north to the Branch Avenue Metro Station and the Suitland Parkway.

The Henson Creek Trail is your only trail in Southern Prince George’s County. It is the county’s Bicycle and Trails Advisory Group’s number one priority. The trail is becoming more popular as more people move into the area and as more people learn the trail is here.

Spend a little time in the park and meet some of the people that enjoy the trail. Meet people like Alonso from Cheverly, who drives down several times a week to ride his bicycle on the trail. He first started coming down just to walk on the trail around the lake at the Tucker Road Athletic Complex. When he found out the bicycle trail ran six miles, he bought a bicycle and began to enjoy riding on the trail.

Meet Melvin, who has lived next to the trail in Tor Bryan for more than a decade. Melvin will tell you that the trail was a “selling point” when he bought his house and that he likes being so close to the trail. Meet Tom, who commutes by bicycle on the trail from Temple Hills to Tantallon. Meet Rita, who leads her friends on a weekly Friday evening bicycle ride. People enjoy being on the trail.

People want the trail improved and extended. They want to travel to the Potomac; they want to travel to the Branch Avenue Metro Station. You can make the vision become reality. Please include sufficient funding in the upcoming budget.

Thank you.  

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Jane Hudnall
Riverbend Estates Homeowners Association
412 River Wood Drive
Fort Washington, MD 20744

I am speaking as chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee of the Riverbend Estates Homeowners Association. The association has voted to express its support for several projects in the Henson Creek Stream Valley Park.

First, we would like to thank you for making the Tucker Road Ice Rink a year-round facility. It is exciting to see the reconstruction of the ice rink and know that it will soon be open for skating.

The association supports the proposed Tucker Road Science and Technology Center. Indoor basketball courts, computer and meeting rooms, and a water park and swimming pool are needed to provide recreational and educational opportunities for the citizens of southern Prince George’s County.

We also support the extension of the Henson Creek Trail south to the Potomac River and north to the Branch Avenue Metro Station. Money for these two projects must be included in the proposed budget. Money in this year’s budget should be used to get the southern extension started. The Henson Creek Stream Valley Park connects a series of community parks from Tor Bryan to Tucker Road to Temple Hills. By extending the trail south you add under used park land west of Oxon Hill Road and make the trail more assessable to the Indian Queen community. Citizens, both young and old, use the trail for walking and cycling, as well as a route to community parks.

Sections of the Henson Creek Trail need to be repaved. I have pictures of some of the problems: grass growing over the trail, tree roots creating a washboard surface, cracks in the trail surface, pot holes, and uneven ramps to some of the bridges. The adage: “a stitch in time saves nine,” applies here. Re-resurfacing the trail now will save many dollars in the future. The Southern Area Maintenance Office does a good job of mowing and trimming along the trail, but major resurfacing must be done now to prevent the trail from deteriorating. Money should be included in the budget not just for resurfacing but also to add spur trails to connect the Henson Creek Trail to nearby neighborhoods and to connect neighborhoods to the Tucker Road Complex.

Thank you for listening and for working to improve our parks and recreation facilities.