(6/5) The Thurmont commissioners awarded a bid at their June 1 meeting that will advance work proposed on two trails in the municipality. The proposed work entails paving for the new Eyler Road exercise trail and the Thurmont Trolley trail extension.

The town received a number of bids for the work, but the winning low bidder was American Asphalt and Paving Company of Baltimore; who offered to provide for the paving in both parks for a combined bid of $47,835.

The commissioner voted to award the bid to American Asphalt based on a recommendation by Chief Administrative Officer James Humerick. Humerick said, "This company has done work with us here in town before," noting that the company was a "real good contractor to work with, we've had a good relationship with them. They do great work."

Under the approved contract, a little over half a mile of the Eyler Park trail and approximately 350 feet of the trolley trail's extension will be paved with asphalt.

The work will be paid by using two Project Open Space grants, amounting to $65,900. Town staff has performed work on the trails, and the town will be reimbursed for staff costs from the Project Open Space funds, and, after additionally paying the contractor, will still have about $3,000 of the grant money remaining, which they will utilize for additional work on the trails.

The Eyler Road Park Exercise Trail is approximately one half a mile. Upon completion, the park is expected to be three-quarters of a mile in length. The exercise trail is a circular trail that starts and ends in the front parking lot of the Eyler Road Park and was conceived and implemented this year by town staff and the Thurmont Parks and Recreation Commission.

The Thurmont Trolley Trail is a .716-mile trail that has been installed over the former Hagerstown and Frederick Railway trolley tracks that serviced Thurmont in the 1900s until 1954. The trolley serviced the area that ran from Frederick to Thurmont, and back.

Thurmont Trolley Trail starts at East Main Street and ends 350 feet south of Moser Road, with the connection to the library. Humerick told the News-Journal that much of the work on developing the trolley trail has been with the help of volunteers from the Hagerstown & Frederick Trolley Trail Association, such as adding a Library Loop Trail.

The trail was established beginning in 2004 when the Thurmont Lions' Club assumed the task of refurbishing the old trolley route into the now-existing trail.