The 28-mile Three Notch Trail is planned to run from Hughesville to Lexington Park 

St. Mary’s Board of Commissioners learned Tuesday the county will receive $20,000 less than expected from a National Recreational Trails grant to complete phase II of the Three Notch Trail at the north end of the county.

Phil Rollins, director of parks and recreation, told the Board $50,000 was requested by only $30,000 was awarded. The Board approved a memorandum of understanding and budget amendment to accept the award.

The completed non-motorized trail is proposed to run from on the former railroad right-of-way extending from Hughesville to Lexington Park.

Phase II of the 10-foot wide asphalt path is a 2.5 mile stretch from the Northern Senior Center in Charlotte Hall to the Charles County line. Construction is expected to begin in the summer.

Phase I of the trail, running from Thompson Corner Road, across New Market Road, to the Northern Senior Center on Old Charlotte Hall Road, is nearly complete. Rollins said the final layer of blacktop will be laid when the asphalt plants reopen in spring.

That one mile section of trail will provide access to the Charlotte Hall Public Library and the Veterans Home, and it will eventually be a connection to the Farmers’ Market. The trail will also provide a safe route for Amish buggies traveling to and from the Farmers’ Market.

When the first two sections are completed, the focus will be shifted to the southern portions of the trail. Some southern sections are planned to be completed by private developers, such as the section in front of Wal-Mart in California. Phase III is slated to run from Wildewood Boulevard to Chancellor’s Run Road.

Funding for the project comes from several sources, including $400,000 in county funds, and about $385,000 in state and federal grants.

The Board also approved a Capital Grant Application for the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum Bond Bill, in the total amount of $100,000.

The grant application is part of an on-going renovation project on the lighthouse, which will fund developing exhibits. The exhibits will focus on the construction and operation of the  lighthouse, the role of the U.S. Coast Guard, the attraction of the Piney Point area as a get away for the social elite, and the story of the Black Panther U-1105 German submarine sunk in the Potomac that now serves as Maryland’s first historic shipwreck dive preserve.

Museum Director Debra Pence said a considerable amount of work was completed last year and much more is in store, including a roof job, replacement windows and outside walkways and parking area.

“The project is coming along, and moving steadily,” Pence said.

The two-story museum is open to the public and currently houses the Lighthouse Lens Museum Store and offers restrooms and visitor information.