(8/12) Town Planner Susan Hauver presented expected updates to the community services chapter in the updated Town of Walkersville Comprehensive Plan to the town’s planning commission at its most recent meeting. This chapter of the Plan covers schools, parks, a library, and a senior center.
The updates to schools will be based on the Frederick County Public Schools Educational Facilities Master Plan. The preliminary plan determined that Walkersville Elementary School is now overcapacity, whereas it was previously predicted to remain under capacity over the next ten years. Walkersville High School is also now projected to be overcapacity within the next ten years.
When the meeting opened to public comment, Jeremy Holder, of Ausherman Properties, took to the stand to explain the overcrowding is not necessarily due to growth but changing capacity limits. He commented that the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) that Frederick County has in place takes care of growth naturally and "in a way that it prefers to grow." Holder also reminded the commissioners that any changes would be made over time, not immediately.
Holder went on to explain that APFO demographics and growth can impact school populations, but it is often policy and reevaluating the schools’ population that controls capacity. According to Holder, Walkersville Elementary’s capacity limit has been reduced by 61 seats since 2010. In the same amount of time, Walkersville High’s capacity has been reduced by 158 seats. "That means the same number of kids could go there today that went there ten years ago and it would be 158 students over capacity in the way that the county measures capacity," Holder said.
However, previous to opening for public comments, Hauver explained that the kindergarten class at Walkersville Elementary was larger than average this year. The Master Plan proposes a new elementary school in northwest Frederick as well as potentially a new high school in east Frederick. Hauver explained that these new schools could cause redistricting over the next ten years, which could lessen the overcrowding at Walkersville Elementary. With a potential new high school and fewer students attending its feeder school Walkersville Elementary, the overcrowding at Walkersville High could also decrease with these changes.
Hauver has also added park recommendations to the Walkersville Comprehensive Plan which includes the idea of water access in the new potential parks. The plan entails buying property along the Monocacy River and the Century Center property. They also hope to acquire property along Israel Creek and Walker Farm. The idea is to "develop a park that focuses on river access," Hauver said.
Hauver also mentioned a new senior center to be included in the comprehensive plan but did not go into details.
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