November 2007

By FRANK M. JOHNSON, Mayor, Town of Mt. Airy
As published Nov. 7, 2007

1. Downtown Recovery and Rebuilding. Approvals have either been issued or are in process for the buildings damaged, and rebuilding has already begun on some of the buildings. While the Olde Town Restaurant building was more badly damaged than originally estimated, and may be delayed until March 2008 before it can reopen, the temporary business park behind the Train Station is scheduled to open within the next week or so.

The target for the opening is the weekend of Nov. 10-11. Please shop downtown and support the merchants who’ve survived the fire, and those who are reopening! There are shops serving food as well as a variety of retail shops, and all of them will need our support to continue serving us.


2. Cable Franchises and the local government channels. Several months ago, Comcast suggested the possibility of combining the Town of Mt. Airy into a single franchise – either Frederick or Carroll. While perhaps not an issue in itself, the problem is that the result, at this point, would be that one side would lose access to the local government and educational channels for their county.

At this time Comcast is planning to combine the town into a single franchise on the Carroll side, meaning current Frederick County Comcast customers could lose their local and educational channels. The town is committed to preserving those channels for residents on both sides of the county border.

The Town Council has approved obtaining the assistance of legal counsel well-versed in cable franchising matters to help us on the Frederick side, and will also be working very closely with the Carroll Cable Regulatory Commission to protect cable customers on the Carroll side.


3. Growth Task Force Survey. Many have completed the resident survey, and to allow even more participation, the Growth Task Force has decided to extent the deadline into November. Completing the survey will only take a few moments and will provide town leaders with critical information about your desires for services, development and school, among other issues.

The survey can be returned by mail, dropped off at Town Hall or even downloaded from our website, www.carr.org/mtairy. Many thanks to the Growth and Development Task Force for their work


4. Water Exploration. Water exploration is continuing at the Gillis Falls site northeast of town. Some wells have been located that produce water. To maximize the yield and find the best areas of production, the town’s consultants are identifying additional sites based on the data and drilling results thus far.

While it is good news that water has been found, we want to ensure we find the best locations, ensure that we use locations which are the least costly to allow the town to connect and use the water, and of course we must note that the state has not formally approved any appropriations yet.


5. Commission memberships. If anyone is interested in serving on a commission, please contact me at frankmjohnson@verizon.net, or Town Hall at mtairy2@comcast.net or by calling Town Hall at 301/829-1424. The Recycling and Sanitation Commission and the Beautification Commission have current vacancies.

Those who are interested in serving in other ways are also encouraged to contact us, as vacancies on commissions do arise from time to time.


6. The Planning Process and Master Plan updates. Our Planning Commission meets monthly on the last Monday of every month, starting at 7:30 p.m. This commission reviews all development and redevelopment plans, and we encourage community involvement.

The commission is considering ways to ensure that new development serves as a community benefit by considering design guidelines, changes to the town’s sign ordinance, increasing open space requirements and other process changes that ensure better planning. In addition, the town will be updating the Master Plan over the next several months, laying out a new vision of growth and development for the future.