For people living at the Aqualand property in Newburg, signing up for a free county ride can start with a seven-page form filled out on a prepaid phone.
Jacqueline Moore, who has had a home on Cobb Island since 1998, raised that problem during public comment at the Charles County Commissioners’ Oct. 6 evening session. She asked whether the county’s Department of Community Services would make a return visit to Aqualand “to find out which residents are still having trouble accessing services.”
“Keep in mind that the residents have to do most of their computer-related business on phones that they must recharge with expensive phone cards,” Moore said. “Wi-Fi is not an option.”
A free ride, a long form
Moore pointed to VanGO, the county’s public transit system, as an example. VanGO offers rides to people who do not have vehicles or who have disabilities. “Yay, that’s a good thing,” she said. “However, the application form is seven pages long. Seven. That’s not easy to do on your phone, especially when you’re paying by the minute.”
The county’s Specialized Services Application is seven pages. It covers VanGO’s door-to-door service for seniors and people with disabilities, rides to dialysis and senior centers, and reduced-fare cards. Applicants describe their disability and how it keeps them from using regular buses, list destinations, and give directions to their home. The last two pages are a verification form for a health care professional to complete. The county warns that incomplete applications will be returned.
Completed applications go to VanGO by email or fax, according to the county’s VanGO Specialized Services page. A review committee meets weekly, and applicants are told whether they qualify within two weeks. The rides themselves are free.
What commissioners said
Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling III said county staff “has worked diligently with the Aqualand folks,” connecting residents with state and county resources, and that he has taken food there himself.
“It is a private business, but we’re doing everything we can to support the community,” Bowling said. He encouraged anyone who wants to donate food or time to contact the county. “I think it’s going to take a village to make it work for those folks down there.”
Commissioner Thomasina Coates said she would refer the internet question to staff. “I thought that we had covered all aspects of internet,” she said. “So I’m just kind of surprised.” Someone in the room responded that service there is “very spotty.”
Moore also said she hoped Commissioner Ralph Patterson had been able to make a grocery delivery visit she said he had promised.
No one from the Department of Community Services spoke to the issue at the meeting, and commissioners did not say whether staff would return to Aqualand.
The same session drew comments on the county’s data center debate and a resident’s push for an update on the county inspector general. Charles County is also seeking federal money to replace 11 VanGO buses.
