February ___ ,
2014
County
Council President Craig Rice
100
Maryland Avenue
Rockville,
Maryland 20850
Dear
Council President Rice:
As consistently stated in previous letters, WUDAC does not
support historic preservation of the Wheaton Youth Center and respectfully
urges this Council to reject the Planning Board’s recommendation to add the
Youth Center to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation.
The members of WUDAC represent a cross section of the Wheaton
community, including residents and homeowners, small and large businesses, and
the Wheaton-Kensington Chamber of Commerce. We understand and respect the value
in preserving structures that are truly historic. However, preservation in
perpetuity must be counterbalanced with the effect on the surrounding
community. The Wheaton community has been asking and waiting for a modern
facility for years. It is ironic that the historic preservation effort of a
center built to serve Wheaton’s youth in 1963 has already delayed and may
further compromise the modern facilities that would best serve Wheaton’s youth
of 2014 and beyond. Ultimately, WUDAC fears that the result of historic
preservation would be retention of a structure for the benefit of those in
other communities at the expense of those surrounding the Wheaton area. This is
particularly telling when, as in this case, the nomination of the Wheaton Youth
Center did not originate from within the local Wheaton community.
WUDAC does not seek to question the historic significance
generally of the Wheaton Youth Center, nor its technical fitness for inclusion
in the Master Plan for Historic Preservation. However, we are very concerned
that approval of this nomination will unacceptably delay construction of the
new Wheaton Library/Recreation Center. In addition, we see no evidence that
this Council is prepared to expend taxpayer dollars if historic preservation of
the current structure and its incorporation into the new Wheaton facility would
require additional financial resources.
Thank you again for allowing WUDAC to present its views to the
Council. And, we appreciate the efforts
of the Planning Board and this Council to accommodate our request for an open,
transparent, and convenient process, ensuring that the public was well informed
on the historic preservation process. We look forward to working with the
Council, the County Executive and others to expedite the construction of a new
Wheaton Youth Center that truly fulfills the needs of the Wheaton community.
Sincerely,
Henriot St. Gerard
cc: Executive Leggett, Montgomery County Council