Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Bioretention and Raingarden Facilities
Olney Elementary School, 3401 Queen Mary Drive, Olney
Ceremonies scheduled for rain garden area adjacent to parking lot in front of school
As prepared
Thanks Principal Glawe. Good morning; and thank you all for being here today.
When we have events at schools, I am always glad to see students not only attending the ceremonies, but being part of those ceremonies.
As our County, and the entire world, becomes more conscious about protecting every aspect of our environment, one of the most important things we must address is the health of our waterways.
Yes, we are close to downtown Olney. So I know that it may be a bit hard to imagine this:
Rain that falls here – or snow that falls here in winter and melts – can have a major impact on the long-term condition of the Chesapeake Bay.
The water from these rain gardens at Olney Elementary School will drain into Rock Creek, which flows into the Potomac River and ultimately ends up in the Chesapeake Bay.
If that water leaves, polluted, from Olney, that polluted water could harm aquatic life and plants that are important to our eco system. So it all starts here.
A raingarden helps collect and filter that water. It also keeps more of the water here. This helps our trees, our plants and the streams in our parks.
It is wonderful when our school system and our Department of Environmental Protection can work together in a major step to improve the stormwater management of our County and our planet.
The raingarden we will dedicate today is part of Montgomery County’s ongoing commitment to improving the quality of life for our generation, and the generations that follow.
I want to thank some of the people that have helped create this raingarden.
The Board of Education.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Smith and Mr. Zuckerman.
Patty Bubar, Doug Marshall, Frank Dawson, Ryan Zerbe and other members of the Department of Environmental Protection.
Principal Glawe
And most of all, the students in Mrs. McClellan’s fourth-grade class, who are here today to be part of this dedication.
Thank you all for your efforts to make all of this possible.
# # #
Release ID: 18-087
November 1; 10 a.m.