There are many positive things that make Frederick County a place that people want to visit or call home. The vibrancy of downtown Frederick City with its many, varied restaurants, arts and entertainment scene, as well as our smaller, quieter towns. Our farms, parks, hiking and bike trails and the
Monocacy River. Our diverse thriving economy. The wonderful people who care about their community and for one another.
The challenge for all of us, and of the highest importance to me, is making sure that Frederick County remains a wonderful place to live, work, play and retire for many years to come, especially as it grows. And it will grow.
More than two years ago, County Executive Jan Gardner initiated a process known as Livable Frederick. Livable Frederick is to serve as a master plan to guide Frederick County into the future.
Per the county website: "Livable Frederick is a new approach to comprehensive planning in Frederick County. It is more than any single document. It is an ongoing process with a single focus: Creating and Maintaining Livability in Frederick County"
The process started by soliciting input from all county residents; asking what they wanted Frederick County to look and be like in the year 2040. Residents submitted over 2,000 responses and 15,000 qualitative comments. These comments were crafted into the Common Vision for our county’s future:
"It is the year 2040. Frederick County is a vibrant and unique community where people live, work, and thrive while enjoying a strong sense of place and belonging". The vision goes on with several vivid descriptions that further describe our shared values and vision.
The important thing to remember is that the Vision was crafted from input from many citizens throughout the county, which informed work groups of experts and stakeholders from various backgrounds who worked together to develop goals, plans and initiatives to implement the common vision. It wasn’t the work of a few staff people or elected
officials.
Livable Frederick is truly a collaborative effort made up by many of our engaged citizens. I applaud this creative process.
There are many more details about the structure of the Livable Frederick Master Plan and how it is to be implemented, but I am unable to address them all here due to space constraints. I suggest that everyone who is interested in the future of our county visit www.livablefrederick.org. It’s OUR plan for OUR future.
We, as a community, have decided that we want livable, healthy neighborhoods that are walkable, bicycle friendly, with services, entertainment and good jobs nearby. As a community, we have decided that we want excellent public schools and lifelong learning opportunities to ensure our economic prosperity. We have decided that we want clean
air, clean water and clean energy. We want to preserve our traditional economies such as farming, while embracing the new economies of the future. We, as a community, want both young and old to lead fulfilling lives and ensure that all people can be successful, enjoy a high-quality life and be free from poverty.
I embrace and support this shared Vision and I support the Livable Frederick Master Plan. I will continue to support it and work to implement it once elected to the County Council.
It’s important that we elect candidates who are committed to implementing the Plan and fulfilling our Vision.
