Town hall planned for Wild Yough; Kurtz to be confirmed

Feb. 13—ANNAPOLIS — Plans are underway for a public meeting to discuss the future of proposed trails, and $4.7 million allocated for them, along the Wild Youghiogheny River in Garrett County.

Senate Bill 291, signed last year by Gov. Larry Hogan, included a $700,000 grant to the Garrett County Board of Commissioners "for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement and capital equipping of capital improvements at Sang Run State Park at Youghiogheny River Trail Section 2 from Swallow Falls to Sang Run, including maintenance and repair projects."

The bill also allocated $4 million, which was modified from an earlier $1 million listing, into the Department of Natural Resources budget for the Yough River Trail Section 3 from Sang Run to the Kendall trail in Garrett County.

But the money was set aside without a plan for the trails.

Sen. Mike McKay on Monday said he and Josh Kurtz, acting Department of Natural Resources secretary, will hold a town hall that would include public input on the issue.

Hopefully, speakers "on both sides" of the proposed trails "will be organized in their thoughts ... and really give the DNR secretary a pulse of what is happening in the community and kind of where the community would like to see things go," McKay said and added he wants the upcoming meeting to be "open and transparent."

McKay said he has not seen any new legislation that pertains to the $4.7 million.

"One of the things that I have communicated to (Kurtz) and to basically anybody that will listen is to make sure that the money stays and remains in Garrett County," McKay said. "There are some other trails that have been approved or ... have more community support than others."

McKay, a member of the Executive Nominations Committee, said Kurtz "is being brought up to speed from staff" about the Yough, and added the two discussed the Garrett County town hall to happen in mid-March, although no date has been made definite.

ConfirmationKurtz served as the Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Prior to CBF, Kurtz served as policy and government relations director for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland and Washington.

Kurtz, a Maryland native who has a master's degree in public policy from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware, also led advocacy campaigns at the Maryland General Assembly and D.C. City Council to protect habitat and deliver clean water and air.

McKay said he understands Kurtz's science-based background.

"I appreciate that," McKay said. "I'm very, very encouraged to have him as the (DNR) secretary."

Last week, the executive nominations committee unanimously approved Kurtz as the new DNR secretary, McKay said.

Kurtz was scheduled Monday night to be confirmed by the full Senate as the department's leader, he said.

"I expect that to go without any problems," McKay said.

Teresa McMinn is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.