County Calls for Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation

The Frederick Agricultural Land Preservation Program has opened up an application cycle for the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) Easement program. The MALPF program purchases agricultural preservation easements that forever restrict development on prime farmland and woodland. Since the MALPF program began in 1977, it has preserved more than 21,800 acres of farmland in Frederick County.

The Foundation was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1977 and is part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. MALPF is one of the most successful programs of its kind in the country. The State of Maryland, with the work of the Foundation and its state and local partners, has preserved in perpetuity more agricultural land than any other state in the country.

Applications will be accepted in the office of the Division of Planning & Permitting, 30 N. Market Street, until 4 p.m. on Monday, April 1. Information about the program may be found by visiting www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/agpres. For more details, contact Land Preservation Planner Shannon O’Neil at 301-600-1411 or via e-mail at soneil@frederickcountymd.gov.

New Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee

In response to citizen feedback, on Feb. 7, County Executive Jan Gardner announced the formation of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to help prioritize trail projects in the county’s six-year Capital Improvement Program.

"Citizens have advocated for a connected network of bikeways and trails across Frederick County," said Executive Gardner. "And now we want citizen input on which projects to build first in our six-year capital improvement budget."

The mission of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is to support implementation of the Bikeways & Trails Plan and promote bicycling and walking throughout the county.

Committee members include: Citizen representatives Shayne Boucher and Xavier Bruce; Executive Director John Fieseler, Tourism Council of Frederick County; Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird; Capital Programs Director Adnan Mamoon, Frederick County Public Schools, and County Council Member Jerry Donald.

Executive Gardner also announced members of her new Adequate Public Facilities Advisory Committee, which will provide recommendations to help shape budgets, make suggestions about the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and review information related to public school capacities, enrollments, facilities and growth trends.

Legislation to Better Manage Residential Growth

On Feb. 1st, Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner detailed legislation she is proposing that would better manage residential development outside of municipalities. During her public information briefing, Executive Gardner outlined a measure to limit the use of legal contracts known as Development Rights and Responsibilities Agreements, and to require any future agreements to include an enhanced public benefit for Frederick County taxpayers.

"Residential growth continues to be a hot topic in Frederick County," Executive Gardner said. "My goal is to ensure that new housing is timed with the County’s ability to provide roads, schools, and other services so that we maintain our high quality of life. Our citizens deserve nothing less."

The proposed legislation would limit the use of DRRAs to housing projects with 1,500 or more dwelling units. The bill would:

• require developers to provide enhanced public benefits, such as a new school, a regional road, or a recreational facility;
• prohibit the freezing of fees during the life of the agreement;
• clearly specify the laws and fees that apply to land developed under a DRRA;
• limit the term of a DRRA to no more than five years, with one possible extension of up to five years; and
• specify requirements for amending an agreement.

During the briefing, the County Executive also discussed two annually required reports that have been submitted to the County Council, one that recommends updates to the county’s impact fees and the other to school construction fees. A copy of both reports and the draft DRRA legislation is available online at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/ResidentialGrowth.

Department Of Social Services Awarded National Accreditation

The Frederick County Department of Social Services (FCDSS) announced this week that it has achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA). FCDSS, the local office of the Maryland Department of Human Services, is the only public human service agency in Frederick County. About half of the 24 local Departments of Social Services in Maryland have achieved accreditation.

FCDSS provides family and adult services and financial assistance through federal and state programs to include protective services, family preservation services, foster care, adoption, adult services, guardianship, food supplemental programs, medical assistance and temporary cash assistance. COA evaluated all aspects of FCDSS’s programs, services, management, and administration. Nearly 170 employees worked over 18 months to complete the accreditation process.

"We are pleased and excited to join the other local Departments of Social Services agencies across Maryland in achieving accreditation through the Council on Accreditation. This accomplishment validates the hard work the employees at FCDSS do on a regular basis to provide services that meet or exceed national standards of best practices in human services." said Martha Sprow, Director of Frederick County Department of Social Services. "During the accreditation process, FCDSS was thoroughly evaluated and was determined to meet or exceed national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for human services. This process helps to ensure that Frederick County is served by a high functioning public human service agency and workforce. We are proud of this accomplishment that shows our active engagement with community partners and our commitment to improving the safety and wellbeing of Frederick County residents."

COA accreditation is an objective, independent, and reliable validation of an agency’s performance. The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of an organization’s administration, management, and service delivery functions against international standards of best practice. The standards driving accreditation ensure that services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes oriented, and provided by a skilled and supported workforce. Following a review of written evidence and a three-day on-site review and interviews, the Accreditation Commission voted that FCDSS had successfully met the criteria of accreditation.

Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, not-for-profit accreditor of the full continuum of community–based behavioral health care and social service organizations in the United States and Canada. Over 2,000 organizations – voluntary, public and proprietary; local and statewide; large and small – have either successfully achieved COA accreditation or are currently engaged in the process. COA has been named by the US State Department and the US Department of Defense as the sole accrediting agency for their programs. To learn more about COA, please visit www.COAnet.org

Frederick County Partners with the National Weather Service

Do you have an interest in weather, specifically, heavy rain and flooding? Would you like to be able to help your local National Weather Service office by providing the ground truth on the atmosphere that we observe from radar, satellites and various reporting stations? Then consider attending the SKYWARN® program flood course.

By attending this course, you will be trained by NWS personnel to recognize different types of flooding, learn how it is forecast and what causes it to occur, and get an in-depth look into the science of hydrology. The SKYWARN® Basics course is not required prior to attending this course -- everyone is welcome!

At the end of the course, you will be assigned a SKYWARN® spotter number which will be maintained in the official database at the NWS in Sterling. You will also be directed on how to report this vital weather information. For those who have attended in the past but want a refresher, please feel free to attend. We would love to see you again!

This SKYWARN® Spotter Class is offered free of charge from the combined efforts of your local National Weather Service Forecast Office and the Frederick County Division of Emergency Management. A National Weather Service meteorologist will teach the class and provide related materials.

The course will be held Tuesday, March 26, from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Frederick Senior Center, 1440 Taney Avenue, Frederick. You must be at least 14 years old to become a Spotter. Registration is required to attend the class and is available on a first come, first served basis at www.tinyurl.com/SkywarnFrederick.

Contact the Division of Emergency Management at EM@frederickcountymd.gov for questions or concerns regarding the class.