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• 6/21/2007 3:12 PM Poe wrote:
  "......Hughesville charm......" ????? Where ,exactly, is that located? Perhaps Mr. Kanter is speaking of the now nearly dead downtown area which a year from now will have little to no commercial presence left... that will be charming, just ask any resident of S.E., D.C. Or maybe Mr. Kanter was speaking of the new speedway just installed to the east... I can see it now, families lining the guardrails and over-pass at Homeland to watch the twice daily race.... Ummmm..I mean commute..... Nah, Mr. Kanter must be referring to the historic landmark preserved by the state during the speedway construction... That charming structure located 75.01 feet off of the R/W line with the associated accessory buildings (somewhat intact).... Now that is Charm with a capital "C"....every visitor to Hughesville will be overcome by a sudden urge to yell, "Yaw, come back now, ya hear!!"
  
  Charm can never truly be recovered, but it can be remade, recreated in a more modern sense.....
  
  The stadium in Hughesville did have issues in my opinion, but those issues could have been planned out. Now, what would have provided a real world justification, political cover and corporate sponsorship/drive for millions of dollars in infra-structure improvements and additions to the area is gone…. Hughesville has now been by-passed and has nothing in the way of a major commercial entity to draw new businesses in or tap the wallets of the thousands of commuters that drive by every day. As if that wasn't enough, even more Hughesville tax dollars then before will be used to fund a stadium that will provide no benefit to Hughesville, due in part to the delay of changing sites...ouch! That's a victory? Just something to think about as one fills up their tank at the local WaWa after a wonderful sit-down dinner at St. MARY’S Landing………. I’m sure the Charlotte Hall business owner’s appreciate the fact that their value just doubled....... Gloat away St. Mary's....we deserve it........
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• 6/21/2007 4:30 PM Pauleen wrote:
  Poe - Thanks, for posting your opinion on my blog. I realize you work for a land development engineering company, however, with all due respect, that doesn't make you an expert on Hughesville...
  
  How long have you lived in Charles County? Have you ever lived in Hughesville? Do you know what it was like 40+ years ago? Do you give a hoot about Hughesville, its residents, or do you only see the potential $$$$ developers can make by destroying one of the soon to be, few places, left in Charles County that remains rural?
  
  I have lived in Hughesville my entire life and am very proud to say so. I have never said the word "Yaw" What does that mean? Oh, did you mean ya'll? Haven't used that one much, either. Did you know that Hughesville residents have an higher average income than most of the rest of the areas in Charles County? We actually even have a rocket scientist living in Hughesville, whom you mentioned in your comment - Mr. Kanter.
  
  Hughesville is a village...stadiums, big box stores & fast food restaurants, by definition, do NOT belong in a village. It will take some time, but, Hughesville will flourish, again. Will you stick around long enough to see it, or, would you (yaw) develop every square inch of the county into Waldorf North, South, East & West, and then retire down south where it's more rural?
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• 6/21/2007 6:01 PM cheryl wrote:
  I don't live in Hughesville as you all know, but I love you guys and support you 110%. I suspect this person is connected to developers when he says that Hughesville has "potential". When I hear that word, first think that comes to mind is "development"! I think this person needs to get out of his own little world and see what this county is really about!!
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• 6/22/2007 3:00 AM Poe wrote:
  I actually live on the outskirts of Hughesville. Where or who I work for isn't the point. Since it has been brought up though, I am no more then an hourly grunt and will never be more. When I say "Potential", I'm thinking balance... which is one of several reasons why I will never be more then a grunt in my field... The only balance that any developer I ever met really cared about was in their checkbook. I never claimed to be an expert on Hughesville. My great grandfather, like alot of other great grandfathers of the area, put food on the table by the auction house...I am the first generation of my family to not have exp. in cutting, staking and hanging, but I did have to endure the stories of Hotel Charles "back in the day". While I tend to be a bit sarcastic at times, I'm not normally so harsh with my comments. The harshness comes from giving a "hoot", not a lack there of. The introduction of the by-pass to the area has released the single most serious constraint on the development of the area. The stadium was a big project and because of that, the entire community had a real say in the process, a real chance to guide the future and force a balance. Now, the area will face an onslaught of individual "little" projects.... They will meet all of the county rules and regs., which will tie the county's hands regarding approvals. The community will scream foul, at least those few that are able to discover what's happening prior to the dozer's rolling in, and the developer will reply, "This is a village center and that is EXACTLY where we are supposed to put this stuff" "This is right where everyone from Charles, Clavert and St. Mary's can get to it... it is PERFECT" ....The zoning ordinance will support that position, at least in general and away we will go... My guess is that it will start with something on the northern edge of Hughesville proper...maybe a WaWa, they like to place one every six miles or so... Believe it or not, I don't want it to happen, I just see it happening and that upsets me. The article from the upsets me not so much for the gloating.... but for the simple fact that Charles County provided the chance for it to happen with a lack of proper planning. The post of Mr. Kanter's response got a comment from me because it talks about "shame on them".. well, If I were in their position, I would laugh at us too... it would start with the election in general, increase at the sight of the "sweetheart" deal we got on the stadium and go over the top at the possibility of us playing unwittingly in to the hands of predatory developers who could destroy what was so hard fought to protect. It may be shame on them but I think it's shame on us too. I understand why we are being laughed at, do you?
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• 6/22/2007 9:11 AM Pauleen wrote:
  Poe, I'm glad to have found someone else who cares about Hughesville. And, I will admit, I'm very defensive of Hughesville...Developers are lining up and salivating over it. I very much want to see the revitalization of Hughesville, but, don't trust the developers to necessarily have Hughesville's best interests at heart. And, yes you are right, developers have already started requesting peripheral development on the northern end of Hughesville...We've already had several discussions with them about it.
  
  We will have to agree to disagree about the stadium being in Hughesville, but, yes, I understand why we (as in Charles County) are being laughed at. It's shame on us for building a stadium with taxpayer dollars...More and more people have come forward opposing it, but, now it's too late. When we fought the stadium, it wasn't just about Hughesville, it was for all of Charles County. Not enough people joined us then.
  
  In any event, what's done is done. Now, our focus is on Hughesville's revitalization. Please do not underestimate our determination to see it through. As we have shown in the past, we are not afraid to fight for what we believe in...which is one of the reasons I created this blog - to help keep the residents of Hughesville informed and involved.
  
  If you have other ideas or advice on how we can achieve the vision defined in our revitalization plan, I would be glad to hear them...If you would rather email me privately, my email address is listed on the bottom left of the blog...Thanks for replying and clearing the air...
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