Bel Air's Newest Park: Look At Plans For Emily Bayless Graham Park

BEL AIR, MD — The newest park in the pipeline for Bel Air will include walking trails and may eventually be used for community gardens and agricultural education.

Emily Bayless Graham, for whom the park will be named, donated the 69-acre site, which is located south of Wheel Road between MD 924 and MD 24.

Focused on natural space, the park will reflect minimal changes from its current state, in accordance with Graham's wishes.

"What you're seeing from [Route] 924 today...is essentially what it's going to look like," Harford County Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation Paul Magness said at a community meeting about the project this week.

A picnic area, pavilion and walking trails are part of the plan for the park, which Magness said also has the potential for community gardens and conservation areas.

• New Park For Bel Air: Emily Bayless Graham Park Under Development

Walking Trails, Sensory Trail Planned

The idea of a passive park is for people to enjoy open space.

Emily Bayless Graham Park will include a 1-mile looped trail and two shorter, 0.5-mile trails for walkers and joggers. They will be made out of stone dust and in steeper parts, asphalt.

A sensory trail running beside the main trail will also be available for those who have developmental disabilities.

People will be allowed to bring their leashed dogs. "It will be pet friendly, but it will not be a dog park — that's going to open in Abingdon," Harford County Capital Projects expert Angela Hoover said. Horses will not be allowed, she noted.

In accordance with Graham's vision, the area will be minimally developed.

"Pretty much the only clearing will be for the trail itself," Hoover said.

Based on the acreage, Hoover said plans call for 75 parking spots. Port-o-potties may be installed near the lot.

Boy Scout Pack 313 and Troop 313 adopted the park and will help weed out invasive plants, which will be the only clearing that Hoover said the public may notice around the exterior.

Upon request, the scouts may create spur trails leading from nearby communities to the park. The nearest townhouses are 1,300 feet from the property line, according to Hoover.

Otherwise, the sole entry into and out of the park will be on Wheel Road. Hoover said the county will install a sign on Wheel Road near the entrance drive as well as signage on MD 24 directing people to the entrance.

Old Buildings On Site

The 69-acre property used to be used for farming. The deed was transferred from Graham to Harford County in 2015; since then, crews have demolished structures that were dilapidated and not of historical value.

A handful of buildings have been preserved, according to Magness. They include a Georgian house, livestock barn, hay barn and corn crib.

The farmhouse, built in the 1700s, is "severely degraded inside," Magness said. The county cleared ivy, covered the roof and is working with a structural engineer on "how we can button up the house," he added.

Within the next three months, he said the county will hire a caretaker for the buildings. A fence will also be erected to protect them during the park's development.

Also in the cluster of buildings is a corn crib that dates from the mid 1800s. It was part of the farm operation, Magness said, noting: "It hasn't been a working farm for a number of decades."

A livestock barn and hay barn from the 1800s are also on site, and crews working to clear out the structures found "everything from toilets to beach balls" inside as well as a tree growing through the roof, Magness said.

In the future, Harford County may use the structures for educational programs about agriculture and related topics.

"We're looking at the feasability of what we might be able to do in the long term," Magness said, in the scheme of the overall park.

Development Under Review

Design and engineering work will take place over the next year, with construction estimated for the second half of 2018, Magness said.

Next, planners will appear before the Development Advisory Committee meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 21, in the first floor conference room at 220 South Main Street, Bel Air.

Photos from the June 13 community meeting at the Emmorton Recreation and Tennis Center by Elizabeth Janney.