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Business owner raises concerns about dispatch reliability, schools and public facilities fees
Summary
A local business owner and community volunteer reported delays in sheriff dispatch, raised child-poverty and school outreach questions, criticized Route 5 redesign for lacking turn lanes and bike/ped facilities, and requested lower event fees for the county disc golf course.
Mike Schwartz, owner of Mike's Bikes in Lexington Park, told the commissioners he experienced a 45-minute delay in police response and said 911 responders later told him the original call was never received. He argued that dispatch should be part of the sheriff's department to increase accountability and professionalism.
Schwartz thanked the commissioners for funding improvements at Southern Maryland BMX but said the community needs more support for children in high-poverty schools, noting that "88% of the kids at Carver and Lexington Park elementary school are impoverished," and asked whether library bookmobiles would serve those neighborhoods. He criticized the recent Route 5 redesign for lacking continuous turn lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks and said that limits safe travel between Leonardtown and nearby shopping areas.
On parks and events, Schwartz quoted multiple fee examples for disc golf tournaments and pavilion use and said the current cost structure pushes tournaments to neighboring counties. His remarks combined public-safety concerns, infrastructure and recreation policy requests; the transcript records his statements but not an immediate commission response or formal action.
