This question appears on the home page of the HM website.

"Do you think the new University System of Maryland at Hagerstown will attract students and others to downtown Hagerstown?"

Is it just me, or is this a poor question? My answer is, of course it will attract "students and others" to downtown. If you wanna go to a 4 year college locally, you'll have to go downtown -- you have no other choice.

More interesting, and pertainent, in my opinion, would be how many of these people think this is the best location for it, or what are their thoughts or concerns about the location, or what could be done to make the location more attractive, or how many will not attend school there because of the location, etc.

Thoughts?

UofM? Michigan? Of course such an awsome university such as Michigan would attract students. Kidding of course. I was wrongfully tricked into thinking this topic would be about Michigan.

The new """"University System of Maryland-Hagerstown Educational Center"""" should attract more students who want to pursue their bachelors degree to the downtown area... no doubt. Simply due to the fact that the classes/degrees at FSU (H-town) are limited compared to what will be offered at the new UMD center. ---I know i will be taking classes at the new place---

As long as parking is plentiful, i am all about it being downtown. Hopefully there will be plenty of LIGHT, Light, LIGHT, for the scaredy-cats walking downtown at night.

Who is going to put the first cafe in next to the center???

Your right Snoopy it is a stupid question. What a big plus for downtown Hagerstown I don't know what all the fuss is about. Downtown Hagerstown H-town is not that scary of a place.. yes even at night. I would like too hear some of your scary tales about downtown.. not what could happen but what did happen. you know rapes, robberies, muggings. stuff like that, most of what I read in the police log of the H-M doesn't seem to happen downtown if we use that as a guide line we should be afraid of the mall or Wal Mart or many other places other than downtown. Am I the only one who sees this?

GMan, your assignment tonight, is to park on the Market House Parking lot around 9:30pm or 10:00pm. Walk over to Church, down to Jonathan and Past the Post Office. Take the Alley down to Washington St and walk a couple blocks down S Potomac ST. Cross over Antietam and up Summit. Turn down Washington toward the square and take the alley back up to the post office. Have a drink at the Broad Ax and continue back to your car through the walkway. This should take an hour or so.

Report back on your findings.

Don't just take the Paper's word for it, experience it yourself. You'll have a lovely time.

Yoss I work downtown I'm there day and night. And common sense tells me don't go down dark alleys in any town. And again give me proof of all the major crime in this area. Besides you should be in bed by 10 oclock on a school night

Point taken, GMan. But these aren't dark allys. These are the same walkways that the future college students will probably travel from their cars to the University building. And there will probably be classes until 10pm. I agree, that downtown is probably no more dangerous than the WalMart parking lot. Or, the Valley Mall. I'm also not so sure that "everything" gets reported to the Herald-Mail.

As far as major crime (I'm assuming major crime to be any of the personal contact crimes of assault and robbery, purse snatchings, yoke and chokes, assault, etc, i.e., anything that brings a ne'er do well in contact with fine upstanding citizens), Hagerstown is not a hotbed of activity.

Whistling thru a cemetary. Yeah, probably nothing's going to happen. The best thing that people can do in any of these areas is to be aware of their surroundings. Aware people are usually not victims.

So, I agree with you. Hagerstown is probably no less safe than the Mall or WalMart. But, again it goes back to perception. Hgr NEEDS a good Public Relations person to better the perception of downtown.

I am in bed by 10.

Amen on the downtown PR person.

That PR person better tell the Mayor and Council to stop acting like H-town in 90% of Washington county and stop demanding that everything be located there. The majority of "customers" and potential "customers" of both the U of MD and hospital would prefer them to be located outside of the city, but the city politicians basically say "to he** with you".

Maybe not 90% but maybe 65% and I don't fault Mayor and Council their just looking out for the best interest of the city. And correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that the reason they were elected? And before you say it I live in the county.

I agree with GMAN. I don't see what the big deal is downtown. Am I going to aimlessly stroll the paths pointed out by Yossarian, expecting something to happen at any second? No. That's ridiculous. You would look ridiculous, and yeah you'd appear to be an easy target. If you've got somewhere to go, something to do, business in the area, you won't be checking over your shoulder and you won't be evaluating or sizing up the people you encounter. Don't look at everyone like they are criminals and thugs and dirt and you won't get beat up. I've been to the Broad Axe on weekend nights to see a band a couple of times. I used to cut through J Street to get to my apartment in the North End just because it was quicker. Maybe there is stuff going on right under my gaze and I just don't see it.

Oh, so now I'm ridiculous?

Actually Heather, those that wander aimlessly, unaware of their surroundings, are going to be the targets.

Those that look people in the eye, walk purposely, and are aware of their surroundings are unlikely to be hit.

You shouldn't be paranoid. Just aware. Anywhere.

I didn't mean to cast aspersions on Broad Axe. It's a great little place, good entertainment and good food. Just not in the greatest location - perception-wise, that is.

Thats the point I was hastily trying to make. Or so I thought.



I never really liked the place.

Okay, as long as you make that clear.

I still want my virgin.

The "big deal" about the U of MD being located downtown is that the majority of the potential customers (i.e. students) and the general public did not feel that downtown was the best location for it, for several reasons. Yet the city, with help from the former Governor, ignored what was best for the majority of citizens. They don't seem to "get it" -- if you have to essentially force people to locate in or come to your city by governmental interference you have a problem. Fix the problem so that people want to come voluntarily.

By the way, the city of Hagerstown represents 28% of the population of Washington County as a whole.

Thanks snoopy

Er, wasn't the problem that the city and the county could not agree on the site, which is typical...they don't agree on anything. Since USM is a state institution, what's wrong with the Governor making the decision, even if it was the wrong one?
Oh my, I can't believe I'm defending Glendenning

I thought HCC was the best place. There's additional land for growth and USM could have been in operation by now. But that was before the hospital announced its move and before Allegheny Power decided to move their corporate HQ.

Also folks, please do not forget that USM is NOT a four year school. It will teach junior and senior level courses as well as grad courses. Right now, of the 11 schools in USM, only FSU has signed up to have courses in the new center. In time, maybe there will be a four year school, if more of the USM institutions sign up.

Check out the article in the FSU Hagerstown Center's Notes and News.

It's at www.frostburg.edu click on centers and news (the first article).

[quote=iron horse,Jun 8 2004, 10:08 PM][quote=Snoopy,Jun 8 2004, 08:38 PM] Since USM is a state institution, what's wrong with the Governor making the decision, even if it was the wrong one?
Oh my, I can't believe I'm defending Glendenning [/quote]
I can't believe you said that. How about if a governor makes the "wrong" decision to, say, close half the DMV offices in the state, including the one in Hagerstown, resulting in long drives for Washington county residents and longer lines.

Government needs to be more like business as far as looking out for the needs of customers.

I can't find one!

[quote=Snoopy,Jun 9 2004, 12:47 PM][/quote]

I can't believe you said that. How about if a governor makes the "wrong" decision to, say, close half the DMV offices in the state, including the one in Hagerstown, resulting in long drives for Washington county residents and longer lines.

Government needs to be more like business as far as looking out for the needs of customers.[/quote]


First, the decision to place USM in Hagerstown was already made. The location was to be decided by the city and the county. They (the task force) couldn't agree. What next? A referendum? How long would that take to get on the ballot. He wanted action, he didn't get it. He could have told USM to look elsewhere.

Now, with the financial crisis in this and many other states, what if the governor decided to close half the the MVA offices. They've already raised registration fees, so what's the next step? You asked a hypothetical question. What if? You can renew registrations by mail or internet. Licenses would be a problem. But you only have to do that every six years. If the MVA offices are a burden on the state treasury, what would the state's recourse be? Cut services, either hours, personnel or offices. I would hope it wouldn't come to this but it could. I'm sure, though, that there would be long and serious discussion in the state legislature before anything like this would happen. Again this is all what if.

Why do you think that the Governor shouldn't have made the decision on the location for the school, even if I think he made the wrong one (at the time)?

I don't care that the Governor made the decision, but I think he made the wrong one. If I'm in his shoes, I consult with the local politicians at all levels, get their input, and look at the citizen input, of which there was a great deal. Had he done that, it would have been clear that downtown was the least attractive location to the majority.

[quote=Snoopy,Jun 9 2004, 02:15 PM][/quote]

[/quote]
I don't care that the Governor made the decision, but I think he made the wrong one. If I'm in his shoes, I consult with the local politicians at all levels, get their input, and look at the citizen input, of which there was a great deal. Had he done that, it would have been clear that downtown was the least attractive location to the majority.[/quote]
There was that task force and he did meet with the local politicians. I can give you his reasoning in two words..."SMART GROWTH". I didn't agree with it, and still don't. Whether he was right or wrong doesn't matter. He made a decision, unpopular as it may be. If he hadn't we could still be waiting.

I also believe that the local population was misled on the function of USM. Everyone thinks it's University of Maryland-Hagerstown Campus.

Sounds like you're up on all this -- why not give us an overview of exactly what its function is?

Thought I did this two posts ago. Check out www.frostburg.edu Click on centers and then news. There is an article quoting Lew Muth, the FSU interim director for the FSU Hagerstown and Frederick centers.
It states " ...According to Muth, USM will offer junior and senior level undergraduate coursework and graduate programs. "Exactly which programs are coming to Hagerstown are being negotiated," he says."

http://www.usmd.edu/Leadership/Chancellor/...s/hagedctr.html

Long, but factual.

To be honest, I will enjoy this new institution, and here is why:

I work RIGHT next to where they are building the campus, and if you've seen what was there before anything that is a stable building that looks nice will be a fantastic addendum. What was there before was digusting and uninviting, thank god they tore it down!

Will traffic increase? Yes. Will frustration because of such increase? Yes.

I can only see this influx of hopefully responsible young people to be a good thing for downtown, though. This town needs the college - simply because if it didn't exist then we'd be stuck with the rotten old building that would've stayed there for a coon's age..and with more young people in the city hopefully we can progress into 2004 - for real! No offense, but it's not the 80's anymore [as much as we all want it to be].

I can't wait to take my lunch break and sit in the hypothetical park area that will reside next to the building. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful small campus, and we could use something like that in this section of the city.

Yo has begun the endless search.

???

Christopher,

No question, the UoM is good for the city. But maybe it is good for the city if the government decides the DMV should be located downtown, too, and the hospital, and the Board of Ed, and a few other things. If this happened, it would improve the city, but the cost to the citizens must be considered. If the city cannot draw people and organizations without force of law then they deserve their fate, IMO. The majority of citizens should not have to suffer to benefit Hagerstown.

An interesting article is in today's paper on on the HM website about the finishing of the Baldwin House. I was struck by the last two lines.

"University system officials are still working on the academic programs to be offered there.

At the very least, the center will open with the programs now offered by Frostburg, Warner said."

Warner is C. David Warner III, the exec director of USM-H. I hope he didn't really say that. He sounds as pessimistic as I am.

While I think that USM-H is a good thing, I'm afraid it's still going to be a night school.

Christopher, you better eat your dinner, not lunch, in the park in order to see the students.

Sorry, Yo, I guess Heather has begun the endless search. You guys gotta stop carrying over thoughts from other threads. I can't keep up with these conversations anymore!

How will the majority of citizens "suffer" from UofM being placed downtown?

Would placing the UofM on the HCC Campus (or other rural location) be a better option? All you need at a college like this is: safe parking, a sidewalk to go to walk to and from classes, and a good educational environment inside. I believe we will get that downtown. -- At least we will be able to check out the shops or other food choices downtown between classes. Hanging out in a school cafeteria/lounge or library gets old after a while... Also, we don’t need to destroy 100 acres of farmland to make a college environment.

I feel that this center would bring prosperity in the future to downtown Hagerstown, and maybe parking. I would think people would be happy that something of importance would be coming to downtown Hagerstown.

It's not really so much the students I care to see, I just rather have another place closeby other than the Broad Axe to eat. It'll be sublime to sit and eat lunch in the park.

I just wish I were older and richer so I could throw together a nice alternative to a library. I was thinking an internet cafe with outdoor street seating, a bar, and good food in very close proximity. Now I just have to find the proximity and the outdoor street seating. Oh yeah, and the money.

I was going to do that, but that market is quickly becoming diluted around here with Port City Java on the way, and maybe Starbucks... The other problem is, not too many peeps in H-town have ever heard of a macchiato or chai.

Agreed 100% I was one of them until I went to college. I still prefer Red Bull, caffeine pills, or Sheetz's energy drink from the fountain

So, when is this new UMD center supposed to be completed and launched? And are the degrees they're offering the full 4-year plus graduate education or are they only doing the final 2 years (like Univ of Maryland Baltimore's campus)? Is there an informational website about the project (I didn't want to read the Secretary's full speech about it.)

It will be open for the Spring 2005 Semester.

I would contact FSU for more info about it... I believe they will be in charge of some of the admin functions for a lil while.