(9/2022) I love the cooler weather that September brings to Frederick County. One of my favorite activities is to attend the annual Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show. This year marks the 66th annual celebration of our rich agricultural heritage. Be sure to stop by Catoctin High School during the weekend of September 9, 10 and 11th. There is something for everyone, from the auction of baked goods, to the petting zoo, log-sawing contest, dance performances, and of course the FFA’s sale of beef, goats, sheep and swine. After a busy time at the Community Show, relax on a train trip through Walkersville’s scenic railroad.

Speaking of the scenic railroad, I was excited to announce that Frederick County has been awarded $5.28 million to construct a walking and bike trail along the railroad line. The trail will connect the Fountain Rock Nature Center with East Street in the City of Frederick. This will provide a safe way for people to travel to jobs, get exercise, or simply enjoy the beauty around Tuscarora Creek and the Monocacy River. Funds to build the 10-foot-wide asphalt trail come from the federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program.

Ag Grants

Farmers have been struggling with steeply rising fertilizer prices this year. Costs have tripled, and sometimes climbed even higher, because of supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic, coupled with the war in Ukraine. Prices rose so rapidly that some farmers chose to leave fields fallow, which could lead to other shortages for consumers in the months ahead.

It is important that our farmers are able to continue growing crops. So we set aside $2.4 million of our American Rescue Plan Act to help cover the cost of fertilizer for Frederick County farmers. The Farmer Relief Grant program was incredibly popular in our agricultural community. Approximately 115 full-time agriculture operations qualified, representing over 72,500 acres. By investing $25 per planted acre, the program is ensuring our farmers can continue to grow crops.

Frederick County is the only jurisdiction in Maryland, and possibly the nation, that is supporting the agricultural industry in this way.

Supporting agriculture not only helps the industry, but it is consistent with our goals in Livable Frederick. To keep agriculture viable, we have to do two things: First, we have to preserve our best and most productive farmland, and we do that through our agriculture preservation initiatives, with a record level of investment. Second, we have to work to make sure that agriculture is an economically viable industry. We are doing that with our agriculture innovation grants and a recently begun study and focus group effort about creating a shared agriculture innovation space for value added agricultural products. Farmers are vitally important because they produce food and fiber for all of us.

Livable Frederick

You may have heard about the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Plan, which will preserve valuable farmland and protect the unique environmental features in the southeast part of Frederick County. The plan is an important piece of the overall Livable Frederick master plan. Livable Frederick is our roadmap to a prosperous and healthy future for everyone in Frederick County.

Livable Frederick is based on our shared vision of how the public wants our community to grow. Shaped by the input of thousands of residents, the vision is of a Frederick County that is a vibrant, unique community where people can live, work and thrive while enjoying a strong sense of place and belonging. The award-winning plan balances our community, our health, our economy, our education, and our environment.

The plan guides our actions and decisions across all of county government, including how we invest taxpayers’ money. Livable Frederick is wrapped into our budget priorities. Division directors must justify budget appeals by explaining how the project, position, or purchase will support the goals of Livable Frederick. We are working hard to preserve Frederick County’s cherished agricultural and natural lands.

Thurmont Elementary School

Before school started last month, I had an opportunity to tour the renovated Thurmont Elementary School. The building is full of bright new spaces. There is a new media center, a health suite, a parent resource room, halls, lights, lockers, doors and more. Most significant is that the open classroom design has been converted to individual classrooms. You can see some of the new space in the photos I have included.

Thurmont Elementary School was built in 1958 and renovated in 1975. To bring the building up to today’s educational standards, we tried something new. This was the county’s first limited renovation project. The work was completed during the summer months so it would not interfere with students. The new, modernized space will serve students for years to come. There are more renovations planned for next summer.

Students and families have been excited to see the newly renovated space.

Going Purple in September

Each September, during Recovery Month, we celebrate the success of people who are recovering from addiction and substance misuse. We light up Winchester Hall in purple to show our support. The month is also an excellent time to remind people that they are not alone. Frederick County provides many resources to support people in recovery.

Over the past eight years, we have made huge strides. We grew our peer support network. We expanded our mobile crisis response unit to 24/7 so people can get the help they need, where and when they need it most. And we added an integrated mobile health response program in our Division of Fire & Rescue Services. We also made it possible for a private detox facility to open so people wouldn’t have to leave the county to get the services they need.

I am excited to be working with our Federal delegation to bring a crisis stabilization center to our community. Congressman David Trone has worked with us to secure $700,000 in federal funds to renovate space for the center. We also received a $850,000 federal grant last year for start-up costs of the new center. The ongoing costs to operating the center will be at least partially funded from a legal settlement with opioid manufacturers.

Behavioral health issues account for 20% of the emergency department visits to Frederick Health Hospital. Across Maryland, Frederick County has some of the highest 911 call volume zip codes for behavioral health crises. Working in partnership with other providers, emergency first responders, law enforcement and the local hospital, the Crisis Stabilization Center will provide the last piece of the puzzle for the County’s crisis system of care, providing community-based, integrated service coordination and health care. In other words, the Crisis Stabilization Center will save lives.

I look forward to the day the new center opens. The center is one more example of how Frederick County is working to make life better for the people who live here.