Elkridge Man Leads Effort to Get Patapsco Certified as Maryland Heritage Site

Kevin Doyle likes to walk the wooded trails of the near his Elkridge home, especially as winter recedes and the park springs to life again.

This year, it's not only flora and fauna being resurrected in the valley; there's also an old idea that may be given new life.

It's deja vu for Doyle and others, now faced with an idea brought to the Greater Elkridge Community Association (GECA) 10 years ago when the nonprofit group Friends of Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway asked for support in certifying the Patapsco Valley Greenway as a Maryland Heritage Area.

The goal of such certification, Doyle said, would be to "enhance the Greenway" through linking trails, conservation, historic restoration and eco-tourism and possibly projects like streetscaping.

If certified, money will also be available from the state for loans, grants and tax credits for property owners, nonprofits and target zones in the heritage area.

Doyle, who was GECA president 10 years ago, didn't jump on board the project then, as he wanted to be very deliberate in his assessment of it before making a commitment.

“GECA never really took a formal vote on the issue as it faded away before we had time to do our homework,” said Doyle.

But last year, County Councilwoman Courtney Watson introduced legislation to have the Patapsco Heritage Greenway certified as a Maryland Heritage Area, and it's Doyle who's tasked with spearheading the effort to gather entities together and examine the merits of the proposal.

Since December, Doyle—now working for the Social Security Administration—has been on loan to Howard County from the federal government through a Senior Executive Service Candidate development program. Doyle now has put together a team, which met for the first time last month.

Consisting of representatives from Elkridge and Ellicott City, Howard County's Office of Environmental Sustainability, planning and zoning, recreation and parks, Howard County Tourism and Friends of Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway, the group planned to meet every other week. 

Not everyone on the team was in favor of the proposal a decade ago, and not much has changed. But Doyle sees this as a positive.

“I want this to be as transparent as possible. There are always going to be differences in opinions. There are differences even within environmental groups as to which way to go," he said. "But I want everyone at the table to come up with a plan that is acceptable."

He added, "I believe in having those who support and oppose a project there from the developmental stages of the project so that differences are ironed out during the development. At the very least, everyone is informed and has had their viewpoints considered."

While Howard County Executive Ken Ulman has given support to a review of the project, Doyle was hoping Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz would also be on board. But in late March he learned Baltimore County would not be participating, leaving Howard County to pick up more of the tab. 

“It’s not a big-ticket item. They may only need to pay for the cost of a consultant,” said Doyle. But he admitted being a little disappointed by not receiving the support from Baltimore County. "I can understand, though. It often now is not enough staffing to take on a project," he said.

At this stage of the tentative project, physical scale and parameters haven’t yet been established, but about 80 percent of the proposed heritage area is state park land. There are already several certified heritage areas in the state. (The 104-year old Patapsco Valley State Park encompasses over 16,000 acres.)

Kit Valentine is President of the Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway (FPVHG), a nonprofit that promotes the health and well-being of the Valley through various methods, including stream clean-ups and tree plantings.

Valentine says he is interested in the project, but how it evolves is up to the team.

"We want to preserve what we have in the Valley, but this project might make the park more accessible. Right now the park is divided in sections from the Baltimore Harbor to the McKeldein area and you really have to know your way around," said Valentine. He added that the heritage area may also provide programs for environmental education, along with more interpretive signs about the history of the park.

"One example is the Union Dam, which was removed, but a sign should be there to show what it looked like. It was the longest mill race in the U.S. at one time," Valentine noted.

The entity which would ultimately oversee the project would be an issue resolved by team members, but it may be a group appointed by the county council, said Doyle, whose stint with the county ends in May. 

Like Valentine, Doyle also believes the interpretive history could be an important part of the heritage area, and although he's been a local resident for many years, he too is continually learning about the surroundings.     

“The more I learn the history of the area, the more I’m fascinated by it all," said Doyle. "I walk by the Bloede Dam and I think, ‘This is was the first underground hydroelectric dam in America.'"