Panel Supports Montgomery's Plan for Third Laborer Center

Montgomery County's planning advisers yesterday endorsed County Executive Isiah Leggett's proposal to open a third county-funded day-laborer center between Rockville and Gaithersburg.

The unanimous decision by the Planning Board moves Leggett a step closer to bringing an end to a contentious chapter in the local debate on immigration.

Dozens of residents turned out at the hearing, portraying the proposed center as a public nuisance, as ineffective in preventing workers from gathering on street corners, or as a community benefit that will provide a formal spot where workers and employers can connect.

For the past year, Gaithersburg leaders and the county have tangled over where to locate a center for the more than 40 mostly immigrant workers who gather next to a residential neighborhood to look for temporary jobs in tasks such as landscaping and painting.

Gaithersburg's elected officials rejected more than 25 sites because of opposition from business owners and residents. Leggett's plan to open a center in a double-wide trailer on industrial public land beyond the Gaithersburg border gives the county the flexibility to act quickly.

But the location -- bound by Shady Grove Road and Interstate 370 on Crabbs Branch Way -- is not without critics. One by one, opponents directed much of their criticism at Leggett, whom they accused of trying to circumvent public scrutiny. The Planning Board's review yesterday was advisory, and the site is not subject to approval by the County Council.

That a location was selected and the land cleared before yesterday's public hearing, critics said, was at odds with Leggett's message of creating a more transparent government.

"This hearing is no more than an exercise in futility," Michael Sugrue, a Damascus resident, testified.

Proponents said the plan recognized the reality that as many as 75 workers have been gathering daily in Gaithersburg in search of work. Gaithersburg resident Charles Brown said, "We don't solve issues by pretending that they don't exist."

In the audience, a half-dozen Spanish-speaking workers listened to translated testimony through headsets. The Rev. David Rocha, who spoke on behalf of the workers, praised Leggett's plan as a "victory for humanity" that recognizes the "dignity of the workers." He said the day laborers had unanimously agreed to relocate to the new site, nearly two miles away.

Before the vote, Leggett acknowledged the differences in opinion, including objections to spending taxpayer money for the potential benefit of illegal immigrants. But he said he wants to move "as quickly as possible" to open the doors.

"It's cold outside, and people are standing around on sidewalks," he said. "That doesn't reflect the dignity that I think our community should display."

Chuck Short, Leggett's special assistant, said the county intends to open the center by early next month, perhaps March 1.

County workers have cleared land on the industrial lot, between a transportation maintenance facility and a county warehouse. The property is across the street from a school bus storage yard and is a quarter-mile from the Grove Shopping Center. It is within walking distance of the Shady Grove Metro station and five bus routes.

CASA de Maryland Inc., which runs the county's two other centers, in Silver Spring and Wheaton, would also run the new center. In addition to providing an organized place to assemble and bathroom facilities, the center would offer English-language classes, legal services, worker ID cards and technical advice for workers who want to start businesses. The county anticipates spending $24,000 a year, in addition to $45,000 in start-up costs.

The Planning Board's endorsement came with advice. Chairman Royce Hanson urged the county to prevent a nearby shopping center from becoming an alternative pickup spot for employers. Commissioner Meredith Wellington asked the county to report back with a timeline for the center, which Leggett has said he does not consider a permanent solution.

"There's a difference between temporary and indefinite," she said.