Carroll Life
The Carroll County Citizen’s Rights Alliance
813 Lucabaugh Mill Road, Westminster, MD 21157

February 12, 1999

The Honorable Parris N. Glendening
State House
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Governor Glendening:

On behalf of the members of Carroll Life, a local citizens group dedicated to preserving the rural character of Carroll County, we want to give you our earnest thanks for eliminating further consideration of the ill-conceived Westminster Bypass. We are tremendously grateful that you and your staff at the Department of Transportation have finally assessed the Westminster Bypass for what it is -- a wasteful, destructive, sprawl-generating road. We applaud your bold action to, once and for all, say no to this needless highway project which has been hanging over our heads for decades. We commend your integrity to stand by the principles of Smart Growth. Your leadership is making Maryland a national model in the fight to enhance the quality of life of our communities.

We have worked for years to redirect Maryland Department of Transportation's (MDOT) from its fixation on building a second bypass. We have continuously advocated that state transportation investments go into addressing the real needs of our community -- making Route 140 a well-functioning road, and reinvesting in our historic downtown. Most residents in our community have never wanted the second bypass, but rather, want a thriving main street and functional Route 140. We have documented this community consensus with several thousand signatures on a petition advocating maintaining our rural legacy and by a vast mailing to the MDOT. We have provided extensive comments and advice on how to correct traffic problems on Route 140. Although not all, many of our recommendations appear to have been accepted by MDOT.

We do not need a new bypass because it would only create more sprawl development in a time when our drinking water wells are being pumped dry, our property taxes continue to climb and our children are attending school in trailers. In addition, a new road would again cause us to turn our backs on our historic downtown. Another bypass would accelerate the drift of our community towards placelessness and continued abandonment of our established
businesses and neighborhoods.

Carroll Life has developed some ideas about how to restore the vitality of our historic downtown. Our downtown is a place full of rich Civil War history and distinctive buildings. We invite the state to work with us to make our town the center of our unique rural community.

Thank you again for your leadership in making Smart Growth the standard for state investments. The proposed Westminster Bypass has languished for years as a misguided plan to undermine our communities and harm our rural and natural environment. Finally, we are relieved of worrying about this monstrous project looming over our community. We are anxious to get on with the work of Smart Growth and revitalization of our town.

Sincerely,
Ken Davidson
Co-Chair
Carroll Life

Paula Monroe-Davidson
Co-Chair
Carroll Life

CC: Carroll County State Delegation
Carroll County Commissioners
John D. Porcari, Secretary, Maryland Department of Transportation