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Health & Fitness

A Strategic Game Changer

What the Montgomery Village Foundation needs is a game changing strategy, that is, relocate the South Valley MVSA sports fields to the Montgomery Village Golf Course. 

With the second community meeting on the Montgomery Village golf course development project just held and a third one planned for September, the developer is moving forward towards his goal. 

But what about the goals of the Montgomery Village Foundation? At the meeting, Montgomery Village residents suggested a dog park, cemetery or community gardens as ideas for common areas within the Montgomery Village golf course development project. Montgomery Village EVP Dave Humpton said, “It’s a very savvy community”. Can anyone tell us how these two statements make sense? The developer and MVF leaders need to think out of the box and not settle for a dog park, cemetery or community gardens. 

With 147 acres, the golf course would be a wonderful site to relocate the MVSA sports fields from South Valley Park, a move that would address the following stresses:

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  1. It would eliminate the tension between the interests of recreation enthusiasts and nature preserve purists. The MVF Board would designate South Valley as a nature preserve. 
  2. It would eliminate the tension surrounding Senator Nancy King's Bond Bill sports toilet project. Relocating the MVSA sports fields and the South Valley Restroom and Concession stand to the golf course would eliminate the community tension entirely.
  3. It would eliminate the South Valley specific sports toilet project cost pressure stemming from sewer/water and electrical connections and permit costs along with a plat requirement for a natural resource inventory and forest conservation plan.
  4. It would eliminate the MVSA sports field scheduling conflicts and ensure fairness for both boys and girls teams.
  5. It would eliminate the disruption to the MVSA South Valley sports programs and the attendant health risks of M83 Mid-County Corridor Study Options 8 or 9 representing 40% of the alternatives retained for additional study and impacting 30-48 acres of parkland.

Adopting this game changing strategy would convert the challenge of developing the MV golf course into an opportunity to resolve these long held issues and stresses and an opportunity to demonstrate leadership by the Montgomery Village Board to deliver outcomes residents desire.

Surviving and thriving precede flourishing. Without these two conditions, flourishing as a brand becomes somewhat hollow. To flourish, the Montgomery Village Foundation needs to focus on delivering value. Here MVF must do a better job of distinguishing among problems, risks, and opportunities. 

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  1. Crime is a problem affecting surviving. 
  2. The M83 Mid-County Corridor Study outcome is a risk affecting both surviving and thriving. 
  3. The MV Golf Club represents an opportunity affecting flourishing. 

Just where is the MVF Board leadership in delivering on the golf club opportunity with outcomes residents expect?


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