Published: May 23, 2006 09:08 am         

Reality Check Plus to explore growth in Western Maryland

HAGERSTOWN — A unique statewide coalition of more than 100 organizations known as Reality Check Plus will hold a series of sessions to explore and foster visioning about growth in Western Maryland and in the state overall on June 2.

The four-county regional event, which starts at 1:30 pm, will be held at the Kepler Theatre at Hagerstown Community College.

Tom Hylton, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and host of an hour-long public television documentary called “Save Our Land, Save Our Towns,” will be the keynote speaker. Hylton is president of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns Inc., a nonprofit corporation that is an advocate of traditional towns that house people of all ages, races and incomes.

The sessions will include a report on the results of an invitation-only, growth-visioning exercise to be held that morning. A total of 160 individuals — including elected officials, government staff and community, civic and business leaders from throughout Western Maryland — will participate in the exercise, using blocks to represent the increment of new homes and jobs projected to come to the four-county region by 2030.

Invitees from across Western Maryland were selected by the Western Maryland Reality Check Plus organizing committee to represent stakeholder interests throughout Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties. The invitation list was further balanced by race, gender and other factors to ensure that a balance of stakeholder views and interests are reflected.

There is cost for the public afternoon sessions. To register, call (800) 321-5011 or log on to www.realitycheckmaryland.org. To request a waiver of the fee, call (410) 889-4112.

The June 2 western regional exercise is one of four regional Reality Check Plus exercises that will take place in Maryland. The results from each regional event will provide the basis for a statewide vision for growth and a report that will compare this vision with existing development trends and identify the implications of current patterns of development.

For more information about Reality Check Plus, contact John Bambacus at (301) 689-3727 or Beth Offenbacker at (703) 933-0520, ext. 202.