Contributor Opinion By Carl Henn: One E-mail For A Better Rockville
Aug 5, 2009 9:00 - 11 Comments
>Back in March I asked folks to send two e-mails to help resolve the access and security issues between Rockville and Montgomery College. The process initially improved – the City became more aggressive in promoting a solution that would allow access for bikers and pedestrians while preserving security for nearby residents. The College, in announcing it was willing to allow a smoking area on City owned land that happened to be inside the college fence, took a big step toward implementing that solution.
But with a July 24 letter from Judy Ackerman, Vice President and Provost of the College, to Scott Ullery, Rockville’s City Manager, the College is reneging on this offer and appear happy to be a bad neighbor. They no longer intend to create a smoking area and open the fence.
They say that “such action, however well intended, would obscure our goal to be a smoke-free institution.” They intend to allow a misguided devotion to principle to block a healthier, pragmatic policy. If they don’t allow a smoking area away from the Princeton Place entrance, then students will be forced to walk through a cloud of smoke right at whatever entrance the smokers find most convenient. The smoking area/fence opening under consideration would reduce loitering in Princeton Place, would allow access for the hundreds of citizens who need it and would prevent the ‘entrance – smokers gauntlet effect”.
In March I asked folks to send e-mails to both the City and the College. I think the City is now acting appropriately and the College needs another firm kick in the pants. Please send an e-mail to Trustees@montgomerycollege.edu expressing support for a the City’s proposed Memorandum of Understanding. The City may need to compromise on a few details, but in broad outline has the right approach.
E-mails aren’t nearly as powerful as personal contact. It is the Montgomery College Board of Trustees that we must reach. The members are listed here. If you know any of the members, please reach out to them to ask that they be a better neighbor. Hopefully, this will be resolved before the next Board of Trustees meeting – September 22. But if not, you need to sign up at least a week in advance to speak.
This issue is too important to drop. Our citizens need access and the immediate neighbors need security. The City’s MOU would meet these goals. The College’s refusal to agree to this is truly sad.
Carl Henn
Carl Henn is a candidate for City Council.
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Where can we see a copy of the City’s MOU? (so we know what it is we’re supporting) Is there a URL?
The MOU and reply are here: >link (pdf).
Thank you, Brad. That’s a great public service to have that posted.
I can’t take credit; Carl provided it. Should have mentioned that earlier.
I find it continually interesting that people actually smoke anymore. I mean, this is 2009. There are still people who go and buy cigarettes and smoke them. If the Obamacare health thing passes I sure hope I don’t end up subsidizing smokers’ health care costs. Something they deliberately do to themselves. But I will i guess. Anyway, didn’t the residents ask to have the fence closed? And the City closed it? So the City can open it. Just re-open the fence anyway, and forbid smoking on the street in that neighborhood (or other places too). Call it a fire hazard, whatever. Oh, and we shouldn’t hear a word about tuition hikes from any of those students who can afford to buy cigarettes.
by Andrew: I sure hope I don’t end up subsidizing smokers’ health care costs. Something they deliberately do to themselves. But I will i guess. I’m not a smoker but…what about those who drink excessively, eat excessively? They deliberately do that. What a bout subsidizing their health care costs?But guess what? Only smokers are taxed out the wazoo.
Is Montgomery College imposing its own solution? I pedaled onto the MC campus yesterday (Sunday, August 9) to scope out a possible reconfiguration of the fence. This possibility was raised by City Manager Scott Ullery at the last Mayor and Council meeting. I was startled to see that the fence is already being reworked along the edge of the woods next to MC, and near where we thought that a smoking area would be put. There are new fence posts erected, and rolls of black mesh on the ground. Given what Ullery mentioned last Monday, an interpretation of what I saw is that there would be a windy path between the woods and the fence that would eventually open out onto campus (where wasn’t clear). If this is true, then there are several things wrong with this configuration and it could be even worse than the cattle chute idea run by the community several months ago. MC is also working on a fence next to Scarborough Square, though my understanding is that there would be timed gates along that property that would be open during daytime hours. It would be nice to have some communication from MC about what they’re doing. Whatever they’re up to is without community input. It would be nicer if MC wouild return to its previous acceptance of using the City property as a smoking area. Differences between MC and City MOUs can be ironed out if there is a will to do so.
Everyone keeps waiting for MC to cooperate as if were still the good neighbor it was under Bob Parilla and Charlene Nunley. But MC has changed dramatically in the past few years and has run into significant problems at all three of its campuses. Besides its treatment of Rockville, it has continuing problems with expansion in Takoma Park and last year proposed turning part of its Germantown campus into a hospital without any input from the neighbors, the county or even its own board of trustees. The Germantown campus is needed for educational growth and it is the only campus of the three with room to do so easily. Longtime followers of MC are very sad to see what has become of the great institution.
I too saw the additional fencing being added to MC this weekend and was surprised. As a direct neighbor of MC, I thought I should have been notified. My son and I both commute by foot or bicycle using the MC parking lot accesses and are concerned we may have to go back to driving if there is not neighborhood access points.
Here is a note from City Manager Scott Ullery on what is up at MC. Many thanks to Scott for responding quickly.” Beginning tomorrow, we will stake out a possible route for a bike/ped path in that general area; i.e., roughly along and outside the fenceline. The path would enter the campus at the end of the parking lot. We’re getting the word out that we’d like for anyone interested to take a look and tell us what they think of the idea. I’ve copied Orlando and request that he send to you more specific information, including a diagram.Scott”
I am support of the most of MOU put forth by the City. I walked up to fence from College Gardens and also drove into Montgomery College to see the suggested path from both the College Gardens/Anderson Park perspective as well as the Montgomery College perspective. The suggested path on the College Gardens/Anderson Park side seems fine. However, the proposal on the College side is too lengthy and potentially dangerous, particularly at night with a lack of lighting. The original proposal was for the pathway to be about half the length of what is now being proposed, which seemed much more satisfactory. It seems as though the increased length may be a result of the College retracting their agreement to have a designated smoking area on City property near this location. The College is definitely not being a good neighbor when they agree to putting options in place and then they retract them. When the fence was closed, the College said that it was a TEMPORARY measure while they worked with the neighborhood to come up with a solution. A very good solution that offered a smoking area on City property was originally agreed by the College, which they have also retracted. I can’t believe that it is really any better for the College to have crowds of students congregating at their entrances on 355 and Mannakee smoking? Not only does this not look very good, I would assume that it could be potentially dangerous. I don’t understand when there are so many voices in support of opening the fence and providing a smoking area on city property why the College is not responding. I have lived in the College Gardens neighborhood for more than 30 years, and the problems reported on Princeton Place were not a problem until the College instituted their no smoking policy. I would really like to see pressure put back on the College for the smoking area. I have a daughter that will be attending Montgomery College in the fall. I find it outrageous that she may need to drive to school when she could have a short walk to the campus. I am hoping that common sense might prevail and the College Board of Trustees will agree to reopen the fence and provide the previously agreed smoking area.