Hobbyist Jim Maier’s schematics and early drawings for a remote control car track he hopes to install outside his business, BOE Marine, on Kent Island.

Hobbyist Jim Maier’s schematics and early drawings for a remote control car track he hopes to install outside his business, BOE Marine, on Kent Island.

STEVENSVILLE — A local hobbyist and small business owner is looking to install an off-road track for remote control cars on Kent Island, hoping to reinstate a staple of his childhood and localize a long-cherished passion.

Jim Maier, who operates BOE Marine and RV in Stevensville, said he plans to construct a track — some 107 feet long and 40 feet wide — on his business property. Currently working with the Queen Anne’s County Department of Planning and Zoning to approve the use, Maier said the track will feature ramps and hills, as well as a segment for oval racing.

With the county’s cooperation and support, Maier said the track could, at the earliest, be approved, built and ready for action by May.

Certain operational details, like fees, are to be determined.

Maier said he wants to give local hobbyists a more thrilling RC experience, as well as provide kids the chance for community he knew growing up.

A long-time RC driver, Maier witnessed the internet’s catastrophic impact on hobby stores and local tracks, an effect felt in many niche markets and small industries.

“They’re so far and few between nowadays,” Maier said of RC tracks and stores.

However, having picked up his first RC car at a young age, Maier’s track is only his latest effort to combine his personal and professional interests. Inside his store, which sells a range of electronic equipment from audio speakers to fishfinders, Maier runs his own hobby shop.

According its social media page, Jim’s RC Hobby Shop hosts a variety of remote control vehicles and accessories, including RC boats, cars and planes.

Maier said a new track would be a fun, almost natural addition to his businesses — adding that, like his hobby shop, money is not his priority.

“If I get one customer a month, that’s cool. If I get one a year, that’s cool. If I get 12 a day, that’s cool,” Maier said. “I don’t really care. It’s just here for people.”

Maier’s March 9 Facebook announcement indicated a good deal of public interest in the project. A flurry of commenters reminisced about past Kent Island tracks, featured photos of RC cars ready to roll and initiated plans for families and friends.

Several commenters also offered to lend Maier a helping hand to get the track up and running. Maier said a lot of the track’s construction will be based on donations, having already secured dirt and other materials from supporters.

Maier said he was still looking for cinder blocks for the perimeter and pressure-treated wood for a driver’s stand.

Maier’s Facebook post also caught the attention of Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Phil Dumenil, who thanked Maier for his effort.

“It seems in the past that one of the things we hear as commissioners is that there’s nothing for the kids to do — which I’ve never really bought into,” Dumenil said. “But this is certainly an activity that families can get involved in.”

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