A view of Allegany County

The growth of Allegany County

As our county searches for a long anticipated period of growth, it becomes more important than ever that we have a clear plan for our future. We need sustainable growth, not just spurts. We need growth that benefits all of our citizens, and all regions of the county. To accomplish this, I believe we must first identify, the weaknesses and strengths of our county. Our strengths must be preserved as we grow. We do not want to harm those things that have benefited our county in the past, in the name of “new growth”. The weaknesses must be identified so that our plans may be designed to help overcome those weaknesses. Merely ignoring a weakness will never cure that weakness
1) Geography:
Mom Nature gave us a beautiful region in which to live, but the mountains that lend us their beauty, also create obstacles to our growth. Construction is not permitted, or feasible on steep slopes or in flood plains. To make things more challenging, our Ridge and Valley topography does not offer good ground water supply in many areas, and much of our soil is poor for septic discharge. These factors make it absolutely imperative that we expand our municipal water and sewer systems, and direct major developments to areas where these resources are available. It has been stated for over a decade that a water loop for the county is important for our growth, but to this point we are still only talking.
The topography has also hampered highway development. Our growth should be designed with large-scale industry locating near Interstate 68, and Route 220. Even large-scale housing developments should be located with easy access to these two major highways, to lessen the burden on our small county roads. The Route 51 corridor offers our shortest route to major markets to the southeast, but the highway needs major improvements for safety and ease of travel
2) Education:
Allegany County presently has a population of high quality, certified teachers, but that teacher population is aging. Our county’s pay/benefit package offers little to lure new teachers here, in such a competitive market. A strong public school system is mandatory if we are truly committed to growth, in both the residential and business sectors.
For too long, we have failed to properly utilize the benefits available to us from having two high quality college campuses in the county. These institutions are educating many future entrepreneurs who could begin their business futures in Allegany County. Representatives from our Economic Development division should be on-campus daily, identifying these entrepreneurs and offering any help possible to lure them into beginning their businesses here. The county could help with business plans, buildings, workforce development, etc
3) Housing:
The new housing market has been stalled for the last twenty years. For each of the last five years, we have averaged just 50 new homes a year in the county. New homes, and readily available building sites are an important tool in trying to attract new business to our area. We, however, need to be careful with inflating property values while seeing very little growth in average household income. We have already reached a point where the average cost of all homes on the market in Allegany County is beyond the affordability of the average wage earning family. We need to identify developers with the best interest of Allegany County in mind. Most counties levee rather large impact fees on developers. We do not need impact fees as large of some neighboring counties, but developers of 5 or more lots should be charged impact fees. These funds could then be directed to capital improvement needs, and educational needs. Infrastructure needs should be the expense of the developer.
We also need to begin looking at the cumulative effects of developments. At present, each proposal is looked at separately, with no thought towards how numerous projects will affect our county. The student population, the traffic flow increase, the water and sewer usage, etc, from any one development may not cause a large impact, but what is the impact when these factors from several developments are added? Increased demand for classroom seats, increased use of the land-fill, increased use of highways, increased demand for water and sewer, etc, all lead to increased costs for the county and municipalities. For these reasons, the county and municipalities need to combine their comprehensive plans so they are working together, and not in opposition to each other
Because our municipal water supply, and waste treatment capabilities have limitations, we need to survey these resources and set aside a substantial portion of each towards industrial/commercial use. The same should be true of our build able land inventory. Residential expansion has been found to cost more than it returns in property taxes. Many of the new units we are seeing promoted are aimed at retired seniors, and “empty nesters”. Neither of these groups offers the needed expansion of our workforce.
As our cities find it necessary to replace subsidized housing, those units should become part of “mixed” neighborhoods. Blocks of housing dedicated to subsidized housing are a failed idea from the past.
4) Workforce:
Despite the fact that we have advertised a large, ready to work workforce here, that is no longer true. For too many years, our high school students have graduated, and left the area for “greener pastures” According to the last census, the percentage of our population that is in the “workforce age” (16 and over) is only 54%, while the National average is 64%. We find ourselves in a Catch 22 situation: our students leave because there are no jobs; we find it hard to attract new employers because we lack a workforce with employees in the 25-35 years of age range.
We need to create school-to work programs in the county. A plan I would like to see would actually begin in the elementary grades. Teachers, parents, and business would work together to make students aware of different career possibilities. Students would be familiarized with the occupations of their parents and others in the county. Reading books, doing projects, taking field trips and in-class speakers could promote career awareness
In the middle schools, more emphasis would be placed on career paths. Counselors and local business could help prepare students for certain career fields. Once again, speakers, field trips, and after-class projects would be used to expose students to the numerous careers available to them
The high school years would be spent working towards their career choice. Students would be encouraged to do internships with local businesses to experience first hand what it takes to be competitive in a chosen field. The students would not be “trapped” into studying one particular field, but would be encouraged to experiment with “real life experiences” in areas of interest. Local business people would assume a mentoring role, showing students how to apply the knowledge they’ve gained. Such programs have been used and found to be very valuable to an area
5) Marketing our area:
We need to market Allegany County to the rest of the world. Tourism brings thousands of people to Allegany County each year. We need to market the idea to them that their next visit, instead of an over-night stay, should be much more permanent. Tourism brings outside dollars into the area increasing our economic wealth, and is also a tool to increase our population, both private and business
In this electronic age, I see no reason to not create an area on the county’s web site that would be a partnership between local realtors and the county. This area of the site would be targeted at developers, businesses and anyone looking to locate. The information contained would list all areas available for development, including zoning, topography, traffic counts, water and sewer info, and demographics of the immediate area. (Schools, libraries, entertainment options, distances to metropolitan areas, etc)
We have many of the tools in place needed to build sustainable growth cycle for our county. We need to use our resources wisely, since they are limited. Our growth can succeed only with partnerships between government, business and education. We need to break down the old walls of distrust, and start with some fresh thought. Our growth MUST be slow, steady, and include every citizen of our county.
Allegany County does not have to “invent the wheel”. But only look at the counties surrounding us, to see what they have allowed to go wrong with growth in those areas. Many areas of Maryland have out-grown their water supplies; Washington County needs to build an additional six schools, while we find ourselves struggling to afford just one new school in the last 50 years. Growth is needed, but it has to be planned and controlled, or it could do more damage than good. We are working on a required review of our Comprehensive Plan. This Plan should be created with growth in mind, but be created with strong input from our general public. If growth is to be for the benefit of the public, then the public must have a voice in designing that growth

NIMBYs, or Concerned Citizens

For the last 25 years, or so, virtually anyone that has opposed the construction of a project near their home, has been labeled a NIMBY. The term is an acronym for Not In My Back Yard. It is frequently used to dismiss a citizen, or group of citizens, as selfish, or ill-informed. Proponents of a project will often use the term NIMBY to try to discredit their opponents, and to avoid dealing with substantive issues that may arise.
Years ago, when a group of Little Orleans citizens formed to oppose the construction of a horse racing facility and slots parlor, in a quiet, rural setting,they were immediately labeled as NIMBYs. The main issues raised were a lack of ground water to support such a facility, plus a suspicion that the project would host slots only, no horse racing. It has now been proven that the availability of ground water anywhere in the county is an issue. Cas Taylor, a strong proponent of the project, and one of the first to use the term NIMBY to describe the citizen group, has since admitted that there was never any intention of having horse racing at the facility, only slots. It seems the NIMBYs were right. It seems the NIMBYs had every right to stand up and protect their home area.
We are now hearing the term NIMBY being used by proponents of the U.S.Windforce project, to describe the citizens living in the Harwood area who oppose the project. These citizens are worried about the loss of home values, and the possible disruption of water supply to their wells. These are legitimate concerns that need to be properly addressed. It is sad that citizens are encouraged to participate in community planning, but are demonized for becoming neighborhood activists when publically challenging issues involved with local projects.
I believe the NIMBYs should be held in high esteem when presenting their arguments in a logical and professional manner. Why should a citizen not fight to protect his or her home and neighborhood? Citizens should be concerned about the adverse health, safety, noise, environmental, and ecological effects a project located near their homes, schools and places of employment may cause. Residents and project proponents will have differences in opinions of the values they consider important.
Are citizens such as those residing in Harwood NIMBYs or Concerned Citizens trying to protect their properties, families and way of life? I applaud the NIMBYs of the world who are willing to raise issues that need to be addressed. Citizen rights must be respected. Citizen input must be respected. Many terms that are considered derogatory towards individuals are no longer considered “politically correct”. NIMBY should also be tossed into our language garbage pile.

Public participation in government

Allegany County absolutely must do a better job of increasing public participation in decisions affecting our future. Simply scheduling a public meeting does little to gain true input from the public at large. Many in our county have become cynical of the process, often feeling that government will do what it wants, not necessarily what the public wants. Any agency that asks for public participation and accepts input, establishes the expectation that it will be responsive and produce the desired results. Soliciting public comment without clarifying how that information will be used can create cynicism.
Before any public meetings to discuss a project, or problem, the County needs to do a better job of getting information to the public. They need to provide the public with balanced and objective information to help them better understand the problem, alternatives, and opportunities. The County must also make sure the public has a clear understanding of the process. Only in this way can the public become a true partner in the decision making process. Government must promise the public they will look to them for direct advice and innovation in creating solutions and incorporate their advice and recommendations into the decision making to the maximum extent possible. The County must also provide feedback to the public on how public comment influenced the final decision.
One of the largest challenges for the County in seeking community input is to find ways to obtain the views of people who do not, or can not typically involve themselves in public forums. The County all too often complains that the views of “the silent majority” are often overlooked and the public meetings only attract “the usual suspects” If Commissioner meetings were held at a time more easily attended by the public, perhaps there would be more than just “ the usual suspects” in attendance. An interactive section of the County website could offer better access to those at work, the elderly, shut-ins and all others.
With better public participation, the County would find it much easier to move forward. Government must consider a wider range of public participation techniques and level of public involvement in decision making. Government must be clear about why and how they are using public participation in the process. Government must provide timely feedback to participants and county residents in general. Only with County/public unity will this county be able to make the decisions that will lead to a better tomorrow for our citizens

We the People video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KzYlpMyYPo

Identifying true issues

I find it amazing what “issues” our community seems to be most concerned about. It seems as though there are daily stories, either in the paper, or on the radio about the Sheriff/Commissioners issue and the use of county credit cards for the purchase of alcohol. These are not the issues that can move this county forward, or hold it back. These are not the issues critical in improving the quality of life in Allegany County. In identifying important issues, we have to separate problems from their symptoms. A headache is a symptom of an illness, stress, or some other condition. The Sheriff/Commissioner battle, and the credit card questions, is a symptom- the true issue is the lack of open communication between government and the public. This issue – the lack of transparency is a problem that must be corrected if Allegany County is to move forward, but we seem to be stuck on discussing the symptoms, not the problem.
We need to identify our true issues and divide them into three specific categories:
Current Issues: are obvious here and now. Public interest is high and action is needed
Emerging Issues: are harder to identify, but their negative impacts can be controlled by identifying them early and creating plans for future action
Potential Issues: are always there, but once again, can be controlled with proper planning and evaluation.
Most people tend to deal with the here and now, instead of what lurks ahead. To be ready for tomorrow and to make tomorrow what we want it to be, requires thinking about and identifying emerging issues- those threats and opportunities that will impact our county in the months and years ahead.
Some of the current issues we should be discussing are The lack of county-wide high-speed internet
Combined sewer overflows dumping tens of millions gallons of untreated sewerage into our streams on a regular basis
The lack of quality employment for our citizens and the lack of a qualified workforce should a major employer come knocking
Some emerging & potential issues are A shortage of healthcare workers
A large state budget shortfall that will hamper growth for years
Our aged infrastructure
Possible further decline in our county’s population
Let’s change the topics of our political discussions, and begin talking about true issues- the things that can help move us forward or that could prevent our growth. Let’s change the discussion away from arguments and battles and begin open, honest dialogue between citizens and government about what is wanted and needed. If we are ever to create a better tomorrow, we must improve what we are doing today

Looking for volunteer hosts

Folks,
I'm looking for volunteer hosts throughout Allegany County willing to invite friends and associates to their home for an evening of open discussion about local issues and possible solutions. I will facilitate the evening, and am willing to supply pizza, etc. If you are\truly concerned about the future of Allegany County, we need to begin to formulate citizen input based plans. I can be contacted at:
billv@valentineplumbing.com
301-478-2537- home
301-724-0212- business

Truth in Government?

“Is there truth in our Government?” seems to be a question asked more and more in Allegany County. Were the Commissioners honest and open with their constituents about the formation of the Bureau of Police? Are the Commissioners being honest with their constituents about the use of County credit cards for the purchase and consumption of alcohol? Most citizens seem to feel the answer to these questions is “definitely not!” Citizens are filing Freedom of Information requests to try to find the truth.
I feel the conduct of political leaders filters down through the community. Lies, distortions, and “spin-doctoring” seem to have become the norm in all forms of politics, and it is a trend that greatly worries me. Once we lose faith in our political leaders, the community becomes fractured, making it harder to achieve the goals the Public desires and deserves. With truth, come integrity, and trust, morals and ethics. Without these, how can Government earn respect and have dignity?
The truthfulness of a statement is often hard to determine. What is fact and what is the truth can be open to interpretation depending on your social values, and the accumulated knowledge of the subject that you have. Most issues are not black or white. It is for this reason that Government must establish a record of being truthful with their constituents. People will judge Government by their past actions and statements. The maintenance of power and position should never be more potent than integrity, for a person that is elected to represent the Public.
Political life must be seen as a role of service, where the common good is always the driving force of thought. Political leaders must also be willing to face wrath and un-kind remarks. It is not justifiable to mislead the Public in an attempt to gain the Public’s support. Political leaders can never please everyone. For every person they make happy, they will anger another, but they must accept that fate. In today’s world though, it seems as though too many politicians hear only what they want to hear, and say only what they feel is good for election, or re-election.
Were the Commissioners less than truthful about why the Bureau of Police was formed? I can not answer definitively, but after nearly a year, I have not yet received a valid explanation of the Public Safety Crisis that was supposed to have been the catalyst for the change. After nearly two months, no one has seen documentation about the change in policy allowing the use of a County credit card to purchase and consume alcohol. It is bad enough if the Commissioners mis-lead their constituents, but to continue the cover-up can only destroy all faith in our government