(3/2021) I am very excited to share some good news! Near the end of February, the County purchased 152 acres of land from Mount Saint Mary’s University to develop a new North County Regional Park conveniently located between Emmitsburg and Thurmont. The property straddles Motters Station Road just east of US Route 15. The land is adjacent to the campus to the south and east of the highway.

Throughout the pandemic, one of the best and safest activities for people has been outdoor activity. Frederick County parks have been busy with people coming to walk, bike, run, exercise or simply enjoy nature. The fresh air and the wide-open spaces at our parks provides a respite and solution to cabin fever.

Our county parks are always a wonderful place to visit. Over the past year, they became a refuge for many of us. In fact, in 2020, our parks saw more than 3 million visitors. That is an amazing 44% increase over the previous year! We know the pandemic is only one reason for the increase.

Our staff in the Division of Parks and Recreation, under the leadership of Director Jeremy Kortright, have been working with Mount Saint Mary’s for many months to make this park land purchase a reality. The land includes open fields as well as forested sections, making the location ideal for a park that can offer both active and passive recreation.

The Mount had an architect draw up a plan with some possible features of a park which helps people visualize what the future park might look like. This concept plan includes courts for basketball, volleyball, tennis and pickleball. There could be a dog park, synthetic and natural turf sports fields, picnic shelters, a multi-purpose building, a playground, and a trail. There is a small cemetery located on the property, which will be preserved and maintained. Until we are ready to start constructing features, the land will continue to be leased as farmland. You can see a short video of the park location and the concept plan overlay by going to www.frederick.granicus.com

As with any proposed park, the development of the North County Regional Park will follow a public process, with many opportunities for the public to engage and provide input to shape the final plan. A Master Plan Advisory Committee will be formed, which will include representatives from local recreation councils and sports leagues that might want to use the park, as well as civic associations and community members. Adjacent property owners will also be represented.

I am excited to be moving forward with a North County Regional Park. The need for a park in this area has been on the County’s priority list for many years. Initial conversations with Mount St. Mary’s University occurred more than ten years ago when I was serving as President of the County Commissioners between 2006 and 2010. The purchase was close to being finalized when a new board of commissioners was elected and nixed the plan along with all other park development in the county.

I want to thank Dr. Tim Trainor, President of Mount St. Mary’s University and the Board of Trustees for agreeing to the land acquisition. This is the beginning of a productive partnership between the Mount and the County as the park develops. The park will benefit the athletic program at the Mount as well as provide greatly needed park amenities to all of north county residents. I am excited to see this park move forward and look forward to the day it opens.

Covid And Vaccination Update

Health metrics related to new cases of coronavirus have steadily improved in Frederick County in recent weeks. Our positivity rate and the number of cases per 100,000 population have declined though we continue to track worse than the state average. While the number of new cases has declined, hospitalizations are declining at a slower rate.

Unfortunately, we continue to lose long-time members of our community to the virus. As I write this column, 263 of our Frederick County neighbors have lost their lives to Covid. This is just five fewer than the number of opioid-related deaths in Frederick County over the past five years combined.

While health metrics are improving, the spread of the virus remains much higher than it was last summer and fall. It is important for everyone to stay vigilant and do their part. To win the battle against the virus requires a combination of vaccination and personal responsibility to wear a mask, physical distance and wash your hands.

You can track the health statistics about the county progress with the coronavirus and with vaccinations on the county’s coronavirus dashboard which is updated daily at 10 a.m. The website is FrederickCountyMD.Gov/Covid Stats.

The county continues to make progress with vaccinating our residents even in the face of bad weather and reduced quantities of vaccine as the Governor has decided to shift doses away from public health departments to mass vaccination sites.

The Frederick County Health Department is scheduling vaccination clinics on both weekdays and weekends including some evenings and is operating mobile clinics to vaccinate some senior independent living facilities and group homes. Both the Health Department and Frederick Health Hospital administer all the vaccine they receive within the week they receive it.

If you are 65 years of age or older and have not yet been vaccinated, you are encouraged to contact our call center at 301-600-7900 to schedule an appointment. If you are in this age group your turn is NOW. The health department is currently vaccinating people age 74 or older and will move on to age 73 and lower as vaccinations are completed for each age.

The health department has focused on vaccinating older adults because most of the worse health outcomes including death have occurred in people over age 65. Our vaccination clinics are operated in an efficient and effective manner and get people vaccinated and on their way quickly.

I have been greatly concerned about the limited supply of vaccine and the reduction in doses to our local health department and hospital. I have shared my concerns with state officials including the Secretary of the Maryland Health Department and will continue to advocate for our fair share of vaccine doses based on our population. I have also advocated for a private sector pharmacy location to get vaccine in North County.

While we are currently struggling with the demand for the vaccine far exceeding the supply of vaccine, I am optimistic that this will improve in the coming weeks as a third vaccine is authorized and production of vaccine increases.

When the opportunity becomes available for you to be vaccinated, you are urged to take advantage of the opportunity. To win the battle against the virus, we need the majority of people to be vaccinated to effectively stop the spread and end this terrible health pandemic. The vaccines are safe and are effective. We have already witnessed positive results with reduced cases in nursing homes and among healthcare workers.

We are in a race to get people vaccinated before new coronavirus variants, which are more contagious, become more prevalent. The new variants have caused an increase in cases and hospitalizations in other places and we don’t want that to happen here. It is critically important for everyone to take personal responsibility for our actions and do our part by wearing a mask, physical distancing, and practicing good hygiene. These are our best defenses against the virus.

We all look forward to warmer weather and brighter days ahead with a return to our more usual activities. Stay informed, do your part, and be well.