County Exec Weighs in on Muddy Creek Road

County Executive Larua Neuman discussed a myriad of south county issues at Tuesday night’s Harwood Civic Association’s meeting in Galesville.

Among two of the more impassioned items that were brought up by those in attendance focused on the Muddy Creek Road intersection and the county’s libraries.

Neuman spoke briefly in the beginning about her background and then turned the conversation over to questions from the audience.

The construction at the Muddy Creek Road intersection was a hot topic, as many residents are frustrated with the amount of time the project has taken.

“We see progress everyday,” Neuman said of her time so far in office. “But there is so much pent up demand from the last several years that we can’t get it all done right away. We are trying and that is one of the projects that is on our radar screen.”

Another issue that attendees were passionate about was the library situation not only in south county but in all of Anne Arundel County. Neuman said they have launched a project to revamp the library system and are looking into different possibilities. Neuman included expanded hours and technology improvements for libraries in her proposed budget for the county.

Neuman said she herself is a frequent user of the library and is often frustrated with the inconsistent hours at county branches.

"I am the person that orders library books through the system, and I can’t get there within six days [to pick them up] because I can’t figure out when they are open or closed," Neuman joked.

County councilman Jerry Walker (R-7th District) was also in attendace at Tuesday's meeting. While it is an issue he has heard discussed before, Walker said he found the open discussion on the libraries interesting.

“The library conversation was intense and people believe strongly about expanding the hours,” Walker said. “I thought it was interesting the conversation about the additional library on the other side of south county as well.”

Some south county residents mentioned the area could use another library. Neuman recognized the need, but said at this time the county is looking to build a new library in Annapolis. A plan for an additional south county library is not currently in the works, instead they are looking to revamp and fully utilize the libraries that are already there.

Numerous topics were discussed at the meeting, but the night merely served as an opportunity for south county residents to share their concerns with the county executive, which seemed to be well received on both ends.

“It’s important for her to hear from people in south county because they are very unique in their needs,” Walker said. “I think she was well received and I think most people were there to get a feel for her … it was more of an educational experience.”

Click here to read part one of Laura Neuman’s south county discussions at Tuesday’s meeting.