Community leaders urge county to add $400,000 to restore Scotland AME Zion Church

Community members and faith leaders told the Montgomery County Council at a public hearing that the county should add $400,000 to the FY26 capital budget to help complete restoration of the Scotland AME Zion Church in Potomac.

Speakers said decades of development and past stormwater decisions left the church vulnerable to flooding and that the congregation and private donors have already raised the majority of the restoration funds. Catherine Leggett, Co-chair of the Second Century Project for the Scotland community, said the church "serves the community, not only maintaining the fundamental and foundation goodness and faith, but also it stands to give us potential resources for engagement in the areas of community meetings, educational programs, health care screenings, preschool and after school child care." She told the council the county's $300,000 capital grant in 2022 covered only a small share of the project's cost and that the additional $400,000 would raise the county’s share to about 6 percent of the total budget while "94% is contributed by the church and private philanthropy."

David Marriott, who testified on behalf of the church, described a long history of community loss of land and services and said private donors including the Jay Willard and Alice Marriott Foundation and other funders have contributed more than $1.1 million over the last two years. "The project cost has grown by 28% due to inflation," Marriott said, adding that the work has been complicated by the cost of severing an aged pipeline owned by Washington Gas and permitting delays.

Reverend Dr. E. E. Huggins, pastor of Scotland AME Zion Church, framed the request as restorative work for a historically underserved Black community. "This reconstruction process is our opportunity for everyone to get to better know each other," he said. Rabbi Evan Grama and other faith leaders also urged the council to approve the allocation and described the church as a community gathering place that will host interfaith events.

Alan Barney, the project's civil engineer, described how changes to the nearby roadway and decades of upstream development altered drainage patterns and increased flood risk at the site. Richard Allen, a resident who spoke in support, recounted property and stormwater changes since the 1960s that he said contributed to repeated flooding and structural damage.

Multiple speakers noted a remaining funding gap despite substantial private support and referenced a proposed county executive allocation of $400,000 in the capital budget. Supporters said approval would help secure the building for community uses including preschool, after-school care, health screenings and meetings.

The public hearing closed at the end of the evening; council members heard dozens of speakers across panels on the FY26 capital budget and related CIP amendments. The county’s committee work sessions on the FY26 capital budget and related CIP amendments are scheduled through March, according to the hearing announcement.