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Health Care in the USA - We Can Do Better! by Carol Antoniewicz Housing Supply Exceeds Demand by Janice Wiles Frederick Deserves Better! by Ken Berlin And So, It Begins... and Something in the Water by Diana Halleman Jack Lynch, Editor Horse Sense for Frederick County? Kudzu and Million Dollar Homes Who are Your Friends New Market? Passion, People and Politics in Frederick City A Frederick Leader of Distinction Frederick
Water Serving the Frederick, Maryland Community Proudly! Hairly There by Constance Trump West Virginia Glen Looks at Frederick Against Gun Control by Jesse Atchison Republican Fissures by Ted Waddelow
Note: Commentary and viewpoints on this website are the sole opinions of the writers and do not represent in any way any organizations of which they may belong, promote, or by which they are employed. |
 Why its Time for an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance In Frederick City July 26, 2005 by Ken Berlin I have long been a proponent for an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO), for many reasons. One reason in particular, is to achieve what our city needs for a smart and responsible growth plan for the future. Our city planning seems to be more concerned with new developments or additions to existing ones, without the proper infrastructure to maintain them, now and most importantly in the future. There is currently nothing in the recently adopted Land Management Code to address having an APFO. One good example of this problem is the proposed 204 apartments to be built at Tuscanney Drive at Walnut Ridge. While this entire development, including the apartments was approved many years ago, it drives home the point of the problems of not doing an adequate infrastructure analysis for the future of the community affected. Traffic in that area now, is at times intolerable feeding into Rosemont Avenue, and will only get worse. Schools are overcrowded, and not producing the standards for educational achievement that they are required to do. A six acre park was contemplated in that area around 9-10 years ago - where did that go? The list goes on, and what the by-product is, are upset neighbors at what is happening in their community, as well as the fact that they do not have any say in the project’s direction until the last minute. Now, the apartments will be built; it just depends on how the site plan develops as to type of units, ingress and egress plans for the community, etc. We must ensure that we have a city government that looks to the future and plans appropriately, so that all neighborhoods have a viable forum to discuss their concerns in enough time, before the decision is made, and that they feel that their needs and values have been addressed. An APFO is the type of remedy that will help our city be responsive to both our residents and builders/developers, so that they can work together to build the best type of neighborhood for the future, and not just for a few years. We must do all we can to make it a reality. If elected, I’ll be in the forefront of this issue, doing all I can to make the APFO an everyday, required part of the planning process, and not just a campaign slogan. |
Don’t Look! A Gift Horse… by Jack Lynch If there is one local issue that gets more politicians in the rough, it’s golf courses. In the City, it was all about Aldermen getting to play free golf at the City owned course. Now, in the County, it’s about owning a golf facility out near Mt Airy by trading development rights for another property. And it’s expected to lose money! And it is not projected to attract enough players to pay for it, over five years at least. It’s in a market crowded with both, nicer courses at higher fees and other lower fee courses. It has some potential of course. It is contiguous to a coming county park, and it has a nice landscape and trees, so it is green space, if not truly open space. But should taxpayers, most of who will never see the place or likely use it, support this project? Absolutely not! Frederick County has not provided a reasonable amount of parkland for public use. We’re adding citizens, but not places for them to recreate. To fund a loss on a golf course is not in the public interest. And let's not even talk about the county running a business, especially one that competes against other taxpaying golf course businesses. Municipalities generally only tread these areas when an interest is unmet. Let’s see, putting out big money for horse and golf parks, what’s next? A yacht club? We could sell it if it was a great big new reservoir for drinking water for Frederick in 2040. That’s needed. So what would we call it given the areas highly erodable soils and muddy waters? Murky Vista? Frederick Folly? Sprawl Lake?
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Jack Lynch, Editor