HEREFORD — Residents expressed their concerns over the impending Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project at a town hall meeting held in the Hereford High School auditorium.
Organized by Delegate Nino Mangione, the meeting aimed to inform community members about the potential impact of the project, which could see vast swaths of land seized through eminent domain.
Attorney Harris Eisenstein, a partner at Rosenberg Martin Greenberg, provided insight on property rights and the legal options available to residents facing land acquisition.
"We’re going to fight, we’re going to fight hard, we’re going to fight aggressively, and we’re going to develop the best possible case that we can,” Eisenstein said.
Among the attendees was Joanna Frederick, a Baltimore County resident who runs Cinnamon Farms, which produces an Italian liqueur crafted from walnut trees on her property. Frederick has been passionately working to perfect her recipe for the past three years, and there’s a family legacy tied to her land.
"I can't cut down these trees because they are protected by two conservation facilities... If the Piedmont Reliability Project receives permits, those same protected trees will be cut down.”
Frederick tells WMAR 2 News that five acres of trees, primarily walnut, would be destroyed to accommodate the project.
“Those are the trees that allow us to create our products. How can I stand by and watch them destroy five acres of this farm?”
She said, referencing the historic fence lines set by her great-grandfather that still exist on the property.
Eisenstein further clarified the concept of eminent domain, explaining, “Eminent domain is essentially the process by which the government or a quasi-government body forces citizens to turn over their land in exchange for just compensation.”
He expressed the importance of understanding property rights and ensuring fair market value for affected properties.
Delegate Mangione has taken an activist stance, urging Maryland Governor Wes Moore to side with the residents and halt the project. Mangione said they are prepared to fight against the project's advances and preserve their land and community.
“Going through our farms, going through people's homes, going through people's backyards is not an option, period, not in North Baltimore County,” Mangione asserted.
Frederick expressed hope for alternative solutions, suggesting that improvements to existing infrastructure should be prioritized.
“At the very least, we should start with optimizing and upgrading all of our existing infrastructure, which would be less expensive, before we think about taking away land and destroying the environment,” she proposed.