Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller Visit Frederick

Per the State of Maryland (11.14.23): “Today, Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller visited Frederick County. During the visit, the governor and lieutenant governor learned about community-based support organizations for veterans and immigrant populations, in addition to touring the site for the future Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center.

During the day’s first stop at Platoon 22, the governor, lieutenant governor, and Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Woods learned about care, peer support, and veteran services available in the community. They then joined veterans for a roundtable discussion about the administration’s recent initiatives to support for service members and prevent veteran suicide.

“The north star of our administration is to “leave no one behind.” The beauty of the work you’re doing at Platoon 22 is that you’re applying that mindset of leaving no one behind to the work you do every day with our veterans,” said Gov. Moore. “Veterans are our future business owners, and teachers, and elected officials. I look forward to hearing your stories and listening to how we can continue moving in partnership to ensure we leave no one behind.”

The governor and lieutenant governor, joined by Department of Service and Civic Innovation Secretary Paul Monteiro, then toured the new Asian American Center of Frederick’s Early Childhood Development and Family Support Center. The center is a community-based organization that has served low-income and underserved immigrants and minority populations since 2004 by providing early childhood education services, workforce development, language interpretation services, adult literacy courses, senior programs, healthcare services, and events to promote cultural traditions of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders communities.

“This is what service looks like. Service looks like helping our families access health care, free of charge. Service looks like investing in adult literacy to support a community that represents twenty-five different countries,” said Gov. Moore. “I’m very proud that the State of Maryland has contributed $1.7 million to this project. Maryland will be the state that serves and that work continues today.”

“I was honored to spend the day in Frederick meeting with individuals who exemplify the meaning of service and getting to bear witness to the work they do,” said Lt. Gov. Miller. “Whether it’s people providing child care and community resources in the Asian American community, veterans who have served our country, or the phenomenal slate of local and county elected officials in Frederick – our entire state is full of individuals who have dedicated their lives to serving others.”

For the final stop in Frederick County, Governor Moore and Lieutenant Governor Miller visited the site for the future Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center where they received a project plan presentation from Frederick County Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Rick Weldon, Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, and Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater.

The conference center project encompasses 21,500 square feet, including 207 rooms and a 250-space public parking garage, and incorporates a fully renovated historic trolley building as well as food and beverage options across rooftops, terraces, and more. The new full-service hotel will be an anchor on world-class Carroll Creek Park in the heart of downtown Frederick–which, despite being Maryland’s second largest city, has no full-service hotel in the county and no hotels downtown.

The proposed Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center is a long-planned economic development project by the city of Frederick and Frederick County with partners to bring lodging, jobs, and revitalization to the community.”