The Arts community has successfully found a place in
Charles County's Comprehensive Plan, under the
Special Issues section of Economic Development! We
are grateful to all who took the initiative to speak
up for the importance of the Arts in our community.
We are also grateful to the Charles County
Department of Planning and Growth Management for
composing and including the following three
paragraphs in the updated Comprehensive Plan, and to
the Charles County Commissioners for recognizing the
need for this insertion:
The Arts
The arts have risen to prominence as an important
quality of life issue affecting growth and economic
development in Charles County. Successful
competitiveness for economic growth requires the
ability to attract well-educated, talented,
innovative and creative people. Attracting such
people requires an environment rich in educational,
cultural, and recreational opportunities.
Charles County has a growing arts community
presence. Existing arts organizations include the
Mattawoman Creek Art Center, Port Tobacco Players,
Black Box Theater, College of Southern Maryland
Theater Company, and the Southern Maryland Concert
Band. The Charles County Arts Alliance is an
umbrella group founded in 1987 that works with the
Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the state
department of Business and Economic Development.
Among the Alliances activities are organizing the
annual River Artsfest in Indian Head, promoting
galleries and events both in Charles County and
across Southern Maryland, and fostering links and
connections with historical, heritage, educational,
and cultural organizations.
The arts can play an important role in creating the
types of communities people want. The Waldorf
Sub-Area Plan, for example (see Chapters 3 and 13),
mentions the arts in the context of helping create
vibrant activity centers. The County can play a
stronger role in actively supporting the arts and
integrating the arts and artistic enterprises into
land and economic development. Consideration should
be given to devoting a full section of the next
Comprehensive Plan to a more comprehensive treatment
of this issue.
Click here to see the
2006 Charles County Comprehensive Plan (http://www.charlescounty.org/pgm/planning/plans/commplanning/compplan/index.html) |
