Campus News
September 18th, 2023
Partners dedicating Mosser Rd. Heritage Trail
Half-dozen organizations came together to address safety and recreation needs
The Mosser Road Heritage Trail – jointly developed by a half-dozen local organizations – will be dedicated on Tuesday, October 10th.
Garrett College, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA), Garrett Trails, Garrett County Government, the Garrett County Agricultural Fair, and the McHenry United Methodist Church all partnered on the ¾-mile trail, which opened in June 2022 to address safety issues and recreational needs.
The dedication begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College Conference Center with a buffet-style breakfast. Senator Mike McKay and Delegate Jim Hinebaugh will speak on behalf of the state, with Garrett County Commissioners Chair Paul Edwards doing the same for the county, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Representatives of the trail partners will also speak on behalf of their organizations.
Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president, said the dedication is meant to thank the partners who came together to deal with both safety concerns and recreational possibilities.
"This trail was critical to the College to address pedestrian safety issues – we had too many students walking right down Mosser Road because there was no alternative," said Midcap. "Our students now use the trail to walk into McHenry, which solved a huge problem."
Mike Dreisbach, president of Garrett Trails, said his organization wanted to help the College address the safety challenges while broadening recreational opportunities.
"Garrett Trails has been wanting to make this trail happen for a long time from a safety standpoint to protect the college students who walk along Mosser Road," said Dreisbach. "At the same time, this is part of a bigger plan for us that would eventually connect this trail to Deep Creek Trail so students can walk from the College to the Wisp for recreation – and if they have jobs at the Wisp, they won’t need transportation to get there."
The trail runs from Garrett College to Mosser Road’s intersection with Route 219 thanks to $200,000 in funding and multiple easements provided by the partner organizations.
The Garrett County Agricultural Fair and McHenry United Methodist Church provided essential easements in order to make trail construction possible. Garrett College committed $35,000 to the project, which also received a grant of $45,000 from the County via Program Open Space and a contribution of $20,000 from Garrett Trails to qualify for a $100,000 MHAA matching grant.
Fair Board President Jason Rush, who also serves as vice chair of the Garrett College Board of Trustees, said the Fair Board was approached several years ago about "granting an easement so the Mosser Road Heritage Trail could be completed."
"There is a lot of pedestrian traffic, including many students from Garrett College that walk along Mosser Road throughout the day and into the evening getting to retail locations on Garrett Highway," said Rush. "The shoulders of Mosser are narrow and made for a dangerous situation for the students as well as the drivers of vehicles on Mosser Road."
The trail design was developed by the County, and construction was overseen by Excavating Associates, Inc., located in Hyndman, PA. The trail starts at Garrett College’s Parking Lot D on Mosser Road, running past the College library and the Garrett Information Enterprise Center (GIEC), crossing from one side of Mosser Road to the other at the McHenry United Methodist Church.
The trail then continues past the Fairgrounds to state highway property down to the Route 219 intersection. ###
For more information on Garrett College, please contact Richard Midcap at 301-387-3056 or richard.midcap@garrettcollege.edu.
