Published: March 24, 2008 09:05 am         

Barton Gets Upgrades

Barton mayor shows off town's projects

BARTON - On the second, albeit cold, day of spring, longtime Barton Mayor John Bean proudly gives a walking tour of his small Georges Creek community, pointing out that the residents now have a new hiking trail, a new concession stand at the ballfield and no longer have to worry about dams breaking on Bartlett's Run.

Until the spring of 2007, the town's water supply came from two reservoirs on Bartlett's Run, the steep mountain waterway snaking down a hollow, traveling through town and joining with Georges Creek.

"The federal government said we had to breach the dams for safety," Bean said Friday morning.

With the help of Paul Kahl, the county's deputy director of public works, a contract was awarded to Manno Construction Inc., which removed the dams and lined the creek with boulders.

With the loss of its own potable water source, Barton entered into an agreement to attach to Lonaconing's water system. "With only 300 customers, we couldn't afford to do it ourselves," said Bean, a mayor since 1994 and a councilman since 1981.

Before Bartlett's Run enters Georges Creek, it flows beneath an arching wooden bridge that is part of the town's new half-mile hiking trail, paid for by a grant from the State Highway Administration. The bridge was prebuilt, trucked to Barton, and set down in one piece, according to the mayor.

"People really like the bridge. We hear there is one couple that wants to get married on it."

Meadow Trail parallels the creek and connects to Meadow Park Ballfield, where another, circular trail adds a quarter mile for additional legwork.

At the ballfield, a nearly finished concession stand, built via a $100,000 grant from Program Open Space, awaits the year's first pitch and the year's first grilled hot dog.

The structure will have new toilet facilities, including for the disabled.

On Friday, piles of infield dirt awaited only a driver and tractor that would spread the material from first to third and home to second.

Town officials are considering the construction of a soccer field, alongside Meadow Trail.

"This is all fill dirt," Bean said, of the level land 25 feet or so higher than Georges Creek. "It came from a creek cleanup, highway project and sewer project."

Bean said he believes it is projects like these that make Barton the community it is.

"We think Barton is the nicest little town on the creek," he said.