WICOMICO COUNTY EXECUTIVE RICHARD M. POLLITT, JR., ON WEST METRO CORE PARK PROJECT

On Tuesday evening of this week the Wicomico County Council hosted a public hearing on a proposal to purchase land familiarly known as The Humphries Farm for future use as a community park serving the West Metro Core, a district defined by the county’s comprehensive plan for recreation and parks and adopted several years ago by the then-county council. The hearing followed a meeting of my own held last year at the Rockawalkin Methodist Community Hall which was itself preceded by a hearing at the Civic Center sponsored by the county recreation and parks department.

That a community park designed to serve the growing needs of a population center expected to top 14,000 residents in the next several years is not in dispute. For a period of ten years, county officials have been attempting to identify property that would comply with established criteria for a park and meet State requirements for funding under Program Open Space. The Humphries property, subsequently known as the Davis property fit all of the criteria.

From the start there were significant and well-grounded concerns expressed about traffic control and roads conditions that caused many to oppose location of a park at this particular location. Following my own hearing last year I believed if we could address the traffic safety issues satisfactorily, much of the opposition would turn to support. That has not happened. In fact, other issues have been raised since that time that have turned what should be a positive exercise in community improvement into a serious dispute pitting neighbor against neighbor and citizens against their government. The tone of the discussion has taken an ugly tone and quite, frankly, it’s time to bring it to a stop.

Without getting into the merits of the various elements of this debate I will say simply that a project such as this, the development of a community park to serve the recreational needs of a specific segment of our population should be one that is embraced by the hosting neighborhood with enthusiasm and excited anticipation. It should be an occasion for neighborhoods to come together, united in a common cause…a positive cause, rather than one based on suspicion and distrust. For whatever reason, we have lost that opportunity in this case and I announce today that I am withdrawing our proposal to purchase the property.

We are often taught that when one door closes another opens. One of the benefits of Tuesday’s public hearing is that several other property owners have contacted the county indicating their interest in selling land for the West Metro Core Park. Indeed, through the last year, I have held conversations over other potential sites. Some of these alternatives are quite promising and I assure you that we will follow every lead until we can identify and secure a place to provide for the legitimate recreational needs of our citizens.

In closing I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. John Davis for their patience and forbearance over this past year as we confronted the challenges before us. I expect they will proceed to build upon their preliminary approval from planning and zoning for a residential subdivision and, of course, we wish them well in that regard.