voices of the reserve
The Other Dimension
of the Ag Reserve
By The fair Access committee
Those of us who live in the Ag that do not comply with the Americans
Reserve in western Montgomery
County have a special inner roofing. The western county
with Disabilities Act to asbestos in the
affinity for its beauty, its environmental
benefits, and the economic getting to needed medical care is a ten
has only two doctors and for many,
contributions of its farms. It would not to fifteen-mile one-way trip. Almost
exist were it not for laws enacted by all county residents have nearby access
to community and senior centers
farsighted county leaders prohibiting
investment in large-scale development and in many areas clinics or wellness
and facilities in the Reserve.
centers, but not those who live in the
Preventing private and public Ag Reserve.
investment in actual buildings should Not only are people suffering from
not mean the county fails to invest in the lack of county services and investments,
the Ag Reserve is under stress
the people who live in the Ag Reserve.
Until the recent vote to fund the long as repeated studies have shown. As
overdue rebuilding of Poolesville High one recent study noted, since the turn
School, the lack of county investment of the century, pressure for residential
development in the Reserve has
in Western County residents has been
startling, both in the
short and long term. Too often, the Reserve is thought of in terms of
The Fair Access simply open and pristine lands, divorced from
Committee for the the people and businesses who are located here.
western county was
established to ensure the needs of increased. A successful agricultural
western county residents in the Ag sector helps ensure that farmers won’t
Reserve are treated on par with those be forced to succumb to the pressures
in the rest of the county. Through of selling their farmsteads.
its work, the committee has demonstrated
that despite promises made and social, as well as environmental
The Ag Reserve has an economic
when the Reserve was established, the and land preservation dimension.
county has for many years ignored the Without a strong agricultural sector,
need for investments in our area in a backed by strong local economies and
new high school and in the kinds of healthy communities, the stresses on
facilities and services that are available the continued existence of the Reserve
to most other residents in the county, are made much worse. The Ag Reserve
resulting in a “services desert”.
thrives, in part, because of those who
Poolesville High School, the core work and live here and the communities
that call it home.
of which is nearing 70 years old, has
numerous problems from bathrooms The Fair Access Committee has
been working for two years to change
the way county leaders view the Ag
Reserve and get them to pay attention
to the needs of those who live in
it. While studies are done from time
to time explaining the stresses on the
Reserve, it can be too easy to think it
is doing just fine, especially given the
higher visibility of more urbanized
areas of the county. Too often, the Reserve
is thought of in terms of simply
open and pristine lands, divorced from
the people and businesses who are
located here.
Despite these challenges, we have
been heartened by the response of
county leaders to the Committee’s
advocacy. The county council just approved
the first tranche of funding to
replace our high school. Our concerns
about the lack of medical services and
services for seniors and the broader
community which are available in
most of the county are being taken
more seriously.
Much more work needs to be
done and our experience in the past
convinces us that letting up is not an
option. Our effort to strengthen and
support the economies, communities
and people who live in the Ag Reserve
is another important chapter in maintaining
it for generations to come.
The Fair Access Committee is comprised
of residents representing the interests of
students and parents, senior citizens, farmers,
and non-profit organizations in support
of a much-needed new Poolesville High
School, collocated with health and public
safety services. Fair Access serves to engage
Montgomery County and state elected
representatives to promote fair access to
facilities and services provided elsewhere
in the County. For more information on Fair
Access for Western Montgomery County,
visit www.poolesvillemd.gov/fairaccess.
46 plenty I Summer growing 2020