Northwood News ♦ February 2008

President’s Message

After Five Years, It’s Nice to Be Heard

By Carole Barth

For five years MNCPPC staff derided our community’s sense of park stewardship.  We were told repeatedly that North Four Corners Park does not belong to the citizens of Four Corners and that the regional need for adult soccer fields outweighs every other public good the park can conceivably provide.  We were told that MNCPPC would never buy such expensive land for a “passive” nature park.  We were called NIMBYs and staff said we were “afraid of changing demographics.”  We were exhorted to “pay the price” and accept that the County needs to “spread the pain.”  Despite overwhelming community opposition, Park and Planning has remained obdurate.

In December of 2006, I took hope from two points in Ike Leggett’s inaugural speech.  First he said, “I will make every effort to establish a highly inclusionary, transparent form of government.  Those affected by our decisions must be involved from the very beginning, not when assumptions about projects have hardened into stone, and the train has all but left the proverbial station.”  Later in the speech, he said, “It is not a bad thing to care about preserving the quality of life for your family and your neighbors — the quality of life that drew most of us here in the first place.  That’s anything but selfish; it’s honorable!”

In January of this year, my hope became a reality as Mr. Leggett’s North Four Corners Park CIP recommendation stated, “The Executive does not support this project due to significant community concerns that have not been fully addressed.”  (See “Proposed Adult Soccer Field Dropped from Executive’s Budget.”)  Interestingly, NFCCA was not the only community whose concerns were cited in the CIP.  In his comments on the Revenue Authority’s capital budget request to expand Sligo Creek Golf Course, Ike Leggett states, “The Executive recommends deferring this project until community concerns have been resolved.”

So thank you, Mr. Leggett, for your efforts to make Montgomery County government both responsive and responsible.   ■