Havre de Grace council agrees to apply for funding for trolley-bus, downtown signs

The Havre de Grace City Council has agreed to apply for state grants to fund a proposed a downtown trolley-bus system and to erect more visitors signage.The council approved two resolutions Tuesday night allowing the city to apply for Department of Housing and Community Development funding for wayfinding and signage, as well as an electric trolley system.The two grants are a Main Street Improvement Grant and a Technical Assistance Grant, according to information given by Councilwoman Monica Worrell.Only four council members were present for the post-Labor Day meeting, as councilmen David Martin and Mike Hitchings were out.Mayor Bill Martin explained he has been hoping to establish an electric trolley system, with each electric-powered bus holding 20 to 25 people, to help move people around the downtown area.Martin said Havre de Grace would not be the first city to have such a system, and Councilman Dave Glenn gave the example of Rock Hall, on the Eastern Shore, having a tram system to take visitors around the town.Glenn said Rock Hall's trams have advertising on the side and that maybe Havre de Grace could do something similar.Councilman Randy Craig said he was fine with seeking grants for the wayfinding signs but had two &quot;minor concerns&quot; about the trolley proposal.Such a system is &quot;going to take a lot of time and funding to maintain,&quot; Craig noted, explaining he wants to make sure the city is able to sustain it for the future.He added he nevertheless does not want to turn away state tax dollars that could come back to the city.Craig said Aberdeen has a circulating bus route in its downtown area through Harford Transit and said he would like to get some kind of grant from the county to support a &quot;minor transit system&quot; for Havre de Grace.Worrell said the idea was so well-received by state officials that they were happy to see how the city could get more state funding.Bill Martin, mayor of Havre de Grace, discusses some steps the city has taken and plans for the future to help protect the environment and the Chesapeake Bay. (Bryna Zumer and Dan Griffin, Baltimore Sun Media Group)She said the city does not want to launch a system it cannot maintain, but the more she looks into the idea of an electric trolley, the more feasible it seems.&quot;I think we are going to find that it is a sustainable program,&quot; Worrell said, noting it would boost tourism and help people get from one place to another.&quot;It's an idea that has been discussed in the community for a long time,&quot; said added.Council president Steve Gamatoria said the idea was discussed at a recent administrative meeting and the city director of administration is putting together some information on what the costs would be and how to maintain such a system.Craig then said he is &quot;willing to try&quot; to apply for the state funding and get the system running, because too often, local governments do not try new ideas because they are afraid to be unsustainable.&quot;It's going to be beneficial not just to our city but to the county in general,&quot; he said of the trolley-bus plan.

Havre de Grace council agrees to apply for funding for trolley-bus, downtown signs

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