Jump to full article: The Washington Post, 2009-07-11
Author: CHRISTINE BORGER
Intro: My street lies at the heart of a neighborhood problem that has mired the mayor and city council of Rockville and threatens to draw in state Sen. Jennie Forehand and even Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Unfortunately, the problem has no easy solution.
For more than 40 years, my quiet cul-de-sac lived at peace with the Rockville campus of Montgomery College, while hosting a small pedestrian opening to a parking lot on that campus. In August 2008, Montgomery College enacted a campus-wide anti-tobacco policy. Suddenly, our street was flooded with smokers and loiterers. Large groups of people gathered to smoke in the cul-de-sac for hours each day.
The area quickly became a living ashtray . . .
My immediate neighbors and I would prefer that the college's fence remain closed because closure has eradicated a host of problems, some of which had been growing as the campus grew.
However, given the vocal nature and greater numbers of area residents opposed to the fence closure, the mayor and council of Rockville no longer support Montgomery College's decision to close the entryway. Most recently, they have decided to approach Montgomery College with a proposal that would require reopening the fence
I understand that for elected officials there are no easy answers, because votes matter. But no one would want what happened on my street to happen on his or her street. Ultimately, the fence belongs to Montgomery College, and it must act in accordance with its mission. Hopefully, that mission includes protecting its immediate neighbors from the harm even a well-intended policy can do.
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