La Plata, MD – The elected leaders from the towns of La Plata and Indian Head met with the Charles County Commissioners Tuesday, Feb. 10 in the town hall at La Plata.
Of the two, it is clear Indian Head faces the greater challenges. As anyone who has driven through the long Route 210 corridor leading into the town, closed down, boarded up former stores and businesses line both sides of the street.
Gary Hodge, former Charles County Commissioner and director of the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland, has been retained by the town to put together a strategy, an initiative he said was aimed “to change that appearance in a more positive direction.”
Hodge noted the town’s proximity to Washington,DC, the Potomac River, and other assets are things that could be accented and promoted to put the town on more positive footing going forward.
“I would describe this effort as a three-dimensional strategy,” he said. “We need to engage local, state and federal officials in the process of implementation, bringing resources that the town itself can’t bring to bear on a strategy of this magnitude.”
He said Comptroller Peter Franchot on a recent visit was “very enthusiastic” about procuring state resources.
“There are a whole range of new elected players at the local, state and federal level, all of which have to be with the town in order for this to go forward,” he said.
He will begin working with the town to begin structure of a draft strategy, and while he called the initiative “an exciting opportunity,” but cautioned, “We have to approach this with some realism.
“It’s taken decades for the 210 corridor to fall back,” he said. “This will require the kind of attention going to take more than a day or months to reverse the process. I believe dramatic change is possible. We have clear signals from some of the key players, but we’re going to need your help,” he told the commissioners.
“Things are starting to look up,” Indian Head Mayor Dennis J. Scheessele said. “The environment is becoming more favorable.”
He pointed out the Indian Head Center for the Arts recently awarded a contract for the building they’re in to renovate the structure. Scheessele stressed the importance of arts-related programs to serve the children and citizens of the community and citizens on the western side of the county.
The town has completed the connector trail, which will begin on Mattingly Avenue.
“We decided last summer to dedicate that to John Thomas Parran,” he said, which will provide an opportunity for families to bring their children together on the village green, assemble their party and start off on the trail. He said the town plans to have ribbon cutting this spring.
“Additionally, we received word just before Christmas that the boardwalk project was moving forward again,” Scheessele said. “A new memorandum of understanding has been fully executed and funding is being reinstated. We’re hoping to have the go ahead to bid the project in a couple of weeks.”
Charles County Commissioner Vice President Ken Robinson [D-District 1] said it was his understanding that the town was having issues with permitting from the State of Maryland
“They held it up for a long time.” Scheessele admitted. “The Chesapeake Bay Critical Area part of it drug on for too long. It’s been resolved. Unfortunately, we had to get some of the permits reapproved. We hope to begin work in the summer. I think it can proceed pretty quickly.
“Once it gets on the land side, it will be running over tidal stream, that will take a little bit longer,” he added.
Scheessele said the proposed boardwalk over the Potomac River will be about 1,300 feet long, 15 feet above water and running between 15 and 209 feet off the shoreline. Under the boardwalk will be a living shoreline, Scheessele noted.
“It’s going to be about 2,024 feet of board walk, about a half mile,” he explained. Access to the boardwalk will be a nature trail.
Another project blossoming is the Eli property, he added, three families of two generations working with the developer to bring major office space retail space and commercial space to the town.
“A major renovation will provide an attractive entrance to the town of Indian Head, certainly better than the boarded up buildings we have today,” he said.
La Plata is facing a different challenge, Mayor Roy G. Hale noted.
The University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center (UMCRMC) may be in the process of acquiring the building currently housing the town library, Hale stated. A spokeswoman for UMCRMC declined to comment on the possibility of a property transaction, only affirming that the hospital does not currently own the parcel.
“The library is to be closed,” Hale said. “The La Plata Town Center Redevelopment Corp is looking at the redevelopment of downtown on the notion that a facility that would be important to that town center is the library.”
He said three parcels of land the town has acquired at St. Mary’s Avenue and Queen Anne’s would also be a possible location.
“We really feel strong how important that library is to our community,” Hale said. “I would hate to see that close without having some plan in place to replace it.”
Councilman Lynn D. Gilroy told county leaders, “If the library is closed, there will be nothing to replace it. There will be no library resources, nothing in La Plata. “I’d hate to see that lost by the fact of being frugal.”
La Plata Councilman Joe Norris asked Charles County Commissioners’ President Peter Murphy [D], “Has there been any thought or discussion on what your thoughts are?”
“We have not had any discussion, but we are well aware of your concern,” Murphy said.
Town Manager Daniel Mears informed the commissioners of a new project proposed for the town, The Hub, a 470-acre office complex submitted to the town which contains 5 million square feet proposed for the community.
“This is a large project,” Mears said.
“Its impact is more than to just the town,” he added. “The size and scope of the project lends itself to thousands of jobs within the town of La Plata.”
“There are lots of incentives to keep people in the county as opposed to going outside our borders,” Murphy agreed.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com