Safety in the 6th District

When County Executive Ike Leggett’s Capital Improvement Plan for the coming fiscal year landed on my desk, I eagerly leafed through it to find out what’s in store for Montgomery Village.

I can’t tell you how angry and disappointed I was to find that the new District 6 police station, to be located on Watkins Mill Road's extension west of Route 355, has been delayed again.

It took us years to get the County to admit that residents of Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village needed a police station closer than the one in Germantown. The County finally created District 6, the Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village police station. It was housed in a strip shopping center on Route 355/Frederick Road, near the Flaming Pit Restaurant.

From the start, it was a very cramped space. Almost immediately, the County made plans for a new, state-of-the-art police station to be built adjacent to IBM and Lockheed Martin, along Watkins Mill Road extended and Route 355. A couple of years ago, bursting at the seams, the District 6 office was relocated to temporary quarters off Clopper Road on the other side of I-270.

Now, it looks as if construction on the new District 6 station will not begin until 2014 at the earliest, but in the worst-case scenario, it could be 2020. Meanwhile, Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village continue to grow. The latest Census figures show that Montgomery Village now has 45,000 residents as empty nesters leave and are replaced by families with children.

Whether due to a traffic accident or something more serious, it is critically important for our police officers to be able to respond quickly. Right now, response times are compromised because the temporary station is on the wrong side of I-270. It is difficult to get to us, particularly during rush hour.

Public safety is one of the basic and critical services provided by County government. The new District 6 station should be under construction right now. The Montgomery Village Foundation has already expressed its concern to elected officials. I hope everyone will send a message to our County Executive, Ike Leggett, and to our County Council members -– Craig Rice and Phil Andrews -- to let them know that construction of the new District 6 police station is too important to postpone.

OFFICERS ON PATROL

The police officers in our 6th District are doing a great job. The problem is that there are just not  enough officers being hired by Montgomery County. We keep hearing that there is not enough money in the operating budget. The County Executive and County Council need to look at every line of the upcoming operating budget and make the funds available. Safety and security must be the priority here.

Please make your voices heard on both the CIP (build the new District 6 police station) and the Operating budget (hire more officers). These are two separate budgets: CIP funds are from revenue bonds and operating funds come directly from taxes. Thanks!