Pittman and Friends Podcast
Welcome to Pittman and Friends, the curiously probing, sometimes awkward, but always revealing conversations between your host, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman - that’s me - and whatever brave and willing public servant, community leader, or elected official I can find who has something to say that you should hear.
This podcast is provided as a public service of Anne Arundel County Government, so don’t expect me to get all partisan here. This is about the age-old art of government - of, by, and for the people.
Pittman and Friends Podcast
Colonel Yolanda Gore on Community Impact at Fort Meade
Hear the inspiring journey of Colonel Yolanda Gore, the dynamic leader at the helm of Fort Meade, Maryland's largest economic powerhouse. From her humble beginnings in South Carolina to her crucial role in national defense operations, Colonel Gore shares her 22-year military career, the challenges she's faced, and the lessons she's learned along the way. With 66,000 employees under her command and a staggering $17 billion economic impact, Fort Meade stands as a testament to her dedication to both her country and community.
Communication and community service are at the heart of our discussion. We explore how leaders in the Fort Meade area are bridging resource gaps and strengthening ties with local communities, particularly in Anne Arundel County. This episode highlights the vital role of community centers in high-poverty neighborhoods and the transformative power of mentorship and female role models. These efforts are not just about providing resources but about fostering a sense of unity and support that challenges the status quo and promotes positive change.
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Welcome to Pittman and Friends. The curiously probing, sometimes awkward but always revealing conversations between your host, Anne Arundel County Executive Stuart Pittman. That's me, and whatever brave and willing public servant, community leader or elected official I can find who has something to say that you should hear. This podcast is provided as a public service of Anne Arundel County, so don't expect me to get all partisan here. This is about the age-old art of government of, by, and for the people. Welcome, everybody. I have an amazing guest with me this morning, Colonel Yolanda Gore, who is the Base Commander at Fort Meade, right here in Anne Arundel County. I could introduce her as the Mayor of Fort Meade because that's really her job. But, we'll talk about all that. So welcome, Colonel.
Yolanda Gore :Thank you, sir. I'm so glad to be here this morning. Thanks for having me.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:We're really glad to have you. There's a lot to talk about here. So, I think most people in the county know kind of where Fort Meade is. In the western part of the county. They may not know how big it is and what's there. What is Fort Meade to us?
Yolanda Gore :So, just a little bit about Fort Meade. Fort Meade has about 66,000 employees and that includes all six services, civilians and service members. We are the largest economic employer in the state of Maryland. We have $17 billion in economic impact, about 2,600 homes on the installation, 120 tenant organizations and we house 2,600 individuals on the place.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Wow, right there. Yes, yeah, it's, it's huge. That's why I call you the mayor, because you're about the size of my house. Right and exactly so. We really have two municipalities, but you're not organized that way.
Yolanda Gore :Not organized.
Yolanda Gore :No, sir.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah, and I know that because of Fort Meade, that part of the county is a huge, huge economic driver. Because, in addition to the government installations that are there and the agencies that are there, which I've heard the number 116. I don't know, maybe that includes private contractors. But, there's a whole network of businesses and contractors around Fort Meade.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Correct?
Yolanda Gore :That is correct, and it is continuing to grow.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay, and I think NSA, U. S. Cyber Command. Some really, really big agencies, but you're Army, correct?
Yolanda Gore :Army.
Yolanda Gore :Army Strong.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:If y'all could see the colonel here. Some really, really big agencies, but you're Army, correct?
Yolanda Gore :Army. Army strong.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:If you all could see the colonel here, you would see she was Army. Army strong. Yes. Yep, yep.
Yolanda Gore :We're not Army of One anymore. We're Army Strong now.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But, and we'll get into some of the things about the fact that Fort Meade is growing and what that means for the county and housing and transportation and all of that. But thank you for your service and thank you for what you do there. So, tell us a little bit about yourself.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I understand you've been 22 years.
Yolanda Gore :22 years active.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Active.
Yolanda Gore :28 service altogether, because I did in the National Guard prior to becoming an active duty.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So, where are you from? Why did you enlist and how'd you end up in this job?
Yolanda Gore :So, it was kind of strange. I came from a very small town in Estill, South Carolina, and didn't have much mentoring. Education wasn't that great. But, I knew there was two things you could do when you finish school. You could go to college or you can go in the military. So, I chose both. I joined the National Guard, which helped me pay to go to college. So, I kind of straddled the fence and I had the best of both worlds.
Yolanda Gore :And when I got to graduate, one of the recruiters came to me, and he said, "ou know what, if you join and you get commissioned, you can make thirty three thousand dollars a year. And back then, 25 years ago, that was a big jump for someone coming out of college. So I say "you know what, if I don't like this, after three years I can do something else. But here I am, twenty, two years later, I'm still here, yeah, serving my country. So that's kind of how I end up here. I wasn't one of those individuals that said, oh, I wanted to serve all my whole life.
Yolanda Gore :But, I realized I had a calling for it my whole life. And, I found my true passion here in the military, helping soldiers, helping civilians and helping communities.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Well, you must have been good at it because of where you are now. So, where have you been around the world? You get to travel, right.
Yolanda Gore :So, fun fact, I have not served. I've been stationed overseas, but of course, I've had two deployments. I've been to what we call now Fort Liberty. Used to be Fort Bragg, probably one of the best assignments I've had. I spent a lot of time in the Pentagon, a total of eight years. I've been to Fort Bliss. I've been to Fort Jackson and a host of Kona stations, but not overseas, which some found very interesting someone at my level did not make it overseas. But, I had several training in Korea and Germany where when I was in Special Forces, we went over there and trained with the Korean forces. So, I had the experience.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:They had you here, you know, figuring out how things work and making sure they do work.
Yolanda Gore :On the home station, right?
Yolanda Gore :So, I had to take care of home.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah. And so what was your last assignment before, uh, before you came to Fort Meade?
Yolanda Gore :So, before I came to Fort Meade, I was in the Army G One. I was the Chief of Strategic Initiatives, and that's basically the planner for all personnel management.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Where is that?
Yolanda Gore :That is, um, in the Pentagon.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:In the Pentagon.
Yolanda Gore :I had a PAO team. I had. I did all the Medal of Honor for the recipient.
Yolanda Gore :If you see all those going at the White House, they'd happen in in my office. I did a publication, so anything related to personnel, I had to update all the publications. Congressional liaison. So I liaison anything, so all the, um.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:That sounds like a back, like an office job, like it's behind the scenes.
Yolanda Gore :So it is so behind the scenes. So when they go to testimony, I organize the testimony for the general officers to go before Congress and testify. So I did a lot of that. So it was a fun job, very strenuous, but learned a lot.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, it's. It's kind of like in my world of politics. It's kind of like being a staffer. It's the person who does all the real work, and then you give it to the boss, who goes out there in front of the cameras.
Yolanda Gore :Exactly, it actually. You know, takes all that work that you've done behind the scenes and put it to to good use.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So, now you're in front of the cameras.
Yolanda Gore :Now, I'm in front of the cameras. And one thing about me I like to be behind the scenes. I am better behind the scenes. I am better making individuals. Like I get a joy out of making people happy.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Can I beg to differ?
Yolanda Gore :No.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Because you told me that one of the things that you love is the fact that in this job, you're dealing with people every day, every day, and you're connecting with people. You're not sitting behind a computer. So to me, connecting with people and connecting with the camera aren't that different.
Yolanda Gore :I see it different, like writing the speeches and preparing the boss for these big meetings. That's all boring, but when I can get in front of people and talk. Because people just want to be heard. Right? They just want to be heard and I just want to be that, that voice for them, because sometimes they just don't have that voice in the community. They don't have that voice in the army. So it's kind of different.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:That's why you're a natural at the job you're in.
Yolanda Gore :I think that's why. I'm my authentic self.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Somebody else saw something in you you didn't see when they put you here.
Yolanda Gore :I think so, and just a story. When I got this job, I was like I don't know what I'm going to do. I have never done anything like this. I do not know how to be a mayor, but I realized all the jobs that I had in the past has shaped me for this particular job.
Yolanda Gore :I didn't know, but they were perfect. They were perfect.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah well, so I've seen. I guess you're the third now base commander. They change every two years.
Yolanda Gore :Every two years.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I've got to say, unfortunately. I mean, if they didn't, we wouldn't have you. But I will say that everyone that's been there, I've felt a connection to and I've always been impressed. And I always think, going in, you know I'll be honest, I'm a little bit intimidated. I'm a little intimidated by police and I'm a little intimidated by military. I mean, y'all are trained, you're disciplined, and you expect things to go like clockwork and I'm not always like that. And so I think that, um, yeah, that that's a little bit intimidating. So, I've been really pleased that all the base commanders have been human beings with senses of humor and feelings. And it's been a relief to me and impressive.
Yolanda Gore :And you almost have to. And as a base commander, you wear two hats. You've got a commander hat and you've got a community hat. And how you balance those two is a very delicate balance, because sometimes you have some that lean more to the commander side and you have some that lean more to the community side.
Yolanda Gore :But you got to have that delicate balance in how you navigate both, because they both feed into each other.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And I think that's good training for being a, you know, we joke about being a mayor or a leader of people in the community where they live. You've got to. There are times when you've got to be firm and you can't let people push you around and that you're trained to be firm.
Yolanda Gore :That's all the time. Firm. Firm.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, but at the same time, really, truly listen.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So tell me, I mean, obviously, when you got this job, you thought about it and then you came. And you learned from Colonel Sapp, who was your predecessor, correct? And a great guy, by the way, yes, and so what did you think? You got two years. What's your approach and what do you want to accomplish?
Yolanda Gore :So, when I got here my PAO team. They beat me up. They said, "ey, what is your priority?
County Executive Steuart Pittman:What's PAO? Y'all and your initials.
Yolanda Gore :Public Affairs Office. Okay, that's the Chad and team.
Yolanda Gore :They kept bugging me. I was like what are your priorities, what do you want to do?
Yolanda Gore :I was like well, I gotta know who Fort Meade is like. I don't come into an organization with some little cliche words. Or you know, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do that. Because I don't know what the community needs. I do not know what the community needs. So when I figured it out, I came up with this acronym called SRP - Service, Relationships and Purpose. And I figured out, if you could get through those, you could do anything in life. Anything.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So you've gotten a sense of who, you know what the community is and needs and this thing. So where's that going to take you in the next couple of years?
Yolanda Gore :So in the next 18 months or so. Fort Meade has so many resources on the installation and off the installation. The one thing that I want to get accomplished before leaving this position is fixing the transparency and the communication. Communication is so important. We have county leaders. We have state leaders. We have internal leaders that lead programs that the government and the county feed money into every day, but it does not get down to the individuals that actually need them. I get briefed on things day in and day out, but I'm one person, so how do I get those other individuals in the room? How do I help the spouses? How do I help the soldiers? How do I reach out to the community? We all have great ideas, but we're so compartmentalized, we're so bottlenecked, so my goal is to bring us all together. That's one big community.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I'm glad to hear that.
Yolanda Gore :One big community.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah. And I know that there are probably some base commanders who come in and say, "okay, there's some brick-and-mortar thing I want to get done or deal with the traffic issue. But I remember the resilience facility, what's it called?
Yolanda Gore :Coon ?
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, at Coon Hall, um, going in, and the whole idea was to have a place where agencies could be to meet the folks who are on the fort and make sure that they had access to services. And um, actually, um, I should go back and you should give me another tour now that it's actually operating and see how how that's going. And because that is a location where exactly what you're saying can be done, if you can get people there.
Yolanda Gore :If you can get there.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But, you're right that getting the word out in the community. Yeah, you mentioned that public information officer and I've got to say that Chad guy is sitting right here listening. And, in other words, we're working harder, right?
Yolanda Gore :That's exactly why he's here. Yeah, and I made a point to say it everywhere we go, because it's so important. The resources are there.
Yolanda Gore :We're just not getting them where they need to be.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, good, good. So yeah, well, our agencies stand ready to help. I know you've had a lot of interaction with the school system.
Yolanda Gore :Yes, sir.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Dr. Bedell and Arnold County Public Schools. And you've got on the base. You've got Meade High School. Yes, you've got a middle school and an elementary school too, right?
Yolanda Gore :We do.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So what's that been like?
Yolanda Gore :I have been very active and I am planning on volunteering.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay. As a mentor?
Yolanda Gore :As a mentor. And and just kind of see where it goes, because they don't have a lot of female. And I I don't want to make this female. But walking through the schools, females need, you know, somebody besides their mom to say it's okay? You know, it's going to be okay, or ask the question of how can I help? Because, as a parent, you're never going to beat peer pressure. Peer pressure can win.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:In the military, you always say female. I say women. But anyway, strong women who have authority too. That makes a difference. Yeah, I mean, you show that with your uniform, right?
Yolanda Gore :Every day. Every day.
Yolanda Gore :So, I just want to give back to the community. I want them to see me. And you know, the last time we talked, I expressed getting out in the community.
Yolanda Gore :And like I said earlier, we went to Severance Center and we had our first, my second team meet, Friends of Meade, where we have all the individuals from the school district. You know, principals, community leaders come in and we talk about schools. And we was in Severn Center and they had these big windows and they were so amazed by the individuals that were in uniform. You would have thought.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Oh, people were looking through the window.
Yolanda Gore :They were looking through the window.
Yolanda Gore :But, that's what I want. I want them to see us. I want them to know we're here. We're not just Fort Meade. We're part of this community. We're part of Anne Arundel County, and that's what I want to get to.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I'm so glad you were there.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:The Severn Center. For people who don't know, it was a community center that the community fought to have created for over 30 years. There's a woman who just got a room named after her, Ms. G, who was the leader of that fight. But they were organized for many years and they were told that, Anne Arundel County doesn't do community centers. And so when I came in ,I had heard about it and didn't agree with that decision. And sure enough, we managed to cobble together the money to build it and now it's operating. And it's kind of one of the greatest things that we've done. We had a youth gun violence prevention weekend there last summer. We'll get you involved in that if that happens again, and a lot of things.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But for people who are listening, the community around Fort Meade, and then particularly where the Severn Center is, has some of the highest levels of poverty in the county, and there's Pioneer City. There's still Meadows 1 and 2, which were built to be affordable, but they're private. You know they're private owners of all the mostly townhouses. There's Meade Village that is in Arundel County's public housing commission. That is adjacent all to the Severn Center, and so the community really wanted a place, so they got a Boys and Girls Club there. Now they got the Senior Center there. They got a big gym and a lot of activities. And I can just imagine the young people looking through the window at the folks in uniform.
Yolanda Gore :And it goes back to. I like the fact that you said you changed the narrative for not having a community center, because that's what it's all about. Let individuals know that we don't have to have status quo.
Yolanda Gore :We can do things different. And, I think, going forward those Meade Heights and those surrounding areas. We just got to get them the resources. They can be better, but they don't know what they don't know, so how do we get it to them? Again, it's about communication. It's about being transparent. We have the resources. I know they're available in Anne Arundel County but if you don't know, you don't know.
Yolanda Gore :So getting out in the communities and said this is available. This is how we can help you. How we get you out of these housing situations. Because even where I come from, I've had individuals that's been in Section 8 housing for years because they don't know. They don't know how to get to the next level.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And the great and crazy thing is that we have all of these jobs right next door and a lot of folks in those communities don't even think about working at the Fort, on the Fort or any of the organizations that are around the Fort. And, how do you get into those jobs? So, fortunately, we've got you and your team welcoming folks and showing the uniforms and all that, and then we've got our community college. We've got our workforce development folks. We've got our school system. We've got, as you say, a lot of institutions that are there to help to make that transition from where people are and meet them where they are.
Yolanda Gore :Yes, sir, and I just want to put that disclaimer out there. Fort Meade does hire from in the community. So if you're looking for a job, please USA Jobs dot com. They're not just for individuals that are veterans or wear the uniform. USA Jobs dot gov.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:USA Jobs dot gov. Okay, okay, and I'm looking at some figures. You've got more civilian employees than military. You've got like 41,000 civilians.
Yolanda Gore :Yes, and that's largely because of NSA.
Yolanda Gore :Okay, largely that population is civilian.
Yolanda Gore :Yeah, and CyberCom and we have DISA. Those three organizations is the largest civilian population on post. Because the garrison. I have about 380 myself that just works directly for the garrison.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So you mentioned that you are planning to sign up to be a mentor at Meade High School. Are there other opportunities for folks on the Fort to volunteer or mentor or anything like that in the community?
Yolanda Gore :Yes, and one I do want to hit is Sarah's House. I go to a lot of community events and I get questioned what can I do? I need help at Sarah's House. I need mentor groups. We need to all teach you, whatever you can bring. We would love your time and anything that you could get. But, Sarah's House is one of the big ones that I often ask individuals to because it's off the fort. You don't need a pass to get there. It's easier to access.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And I will just throw in. Sarah's House is the only shelter in the county that allows families. Whole families and kids.
Yolanda Gore :Yes, sir, and that's why it's so important. I visited Sarah's House twice already and to see the moms and the kids. It's just put chills up my spine. But I'm due for another visit, so I'll be going back soon. I can't wait to just interact and sit down with the moms and figure out how I can help them navigate this tough time.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And every time a new commander comes in, the first thing I say and I think I said to you, is let's keep Sarah's house.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Let's do everything we can to keep Sarah's House operating. I know it's not high on the list for an Army base to have a homeless shelter. It just happens that it's there because the buildings were there and they were available. And I've got to say that the feds, you guys, the people above you, have been great in helping to keep those buildings from falling down. And then Catholic Charities actually runs it and they have been great at operating.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And I had the same experience as you visiting. In fact, I remember the first time I visited. They had the child care thing going on, with the little kids and even the babies. And they were napping and the lights were down. And they brought us in and they just said, "shh." And it just sort of hit me like these little kids are dreaming right now about what they, you know, their lives and wake up. And they're going to wake up and the dreams are going to have just been a dream and we want to make sure that their dreams come true. You know.
Yolanda Gore :Oh, wow.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And so when they asked for more money in the budget, it was like yes. It was a yes, and we've been able to increase our side, because Catholic Charities has not been able to increase theirs. In fact, they've reduced theirs. So they're becoming more dependent on county government. But for us it is a way, more efficient way, to deliver for our homeless and threatened with homeless population. And they've got this great program of transitional housing too, where folks move into these apartments. We did a service day where we were helping clean the apartments for the next tenant.
Yolanda Gore :Wow.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And you know, they move in for a year with services and then they work to get them into permanent housing from there. So, it's really they're doing the job.
Yolanda Gore :It's a great program over there and I say if you have not gone, you have to go check out Sarah's House.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah yeah, and you can volunteer there.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I shouldn't be saying this, but you can donate to them.
Yolanda Gore :Donate, volunteer.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:No, I think I'm allowed to advocate and encourage people to support nonprofits that the county is supporting. But, uh, yeah, support Sarah's House. I'll just say that, and if I get in trouble for it, so be it. Support Sarah's House.
Yolanda Gore :That's right. Sarah's House.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah. So then there's also that's sort of one end of the economic scale, and the other is the business community and the organizations that they run their businesses with contracts with the federal government. Many of them, because the Fort is there. So there's a thing called the Fort Meade Alliance. Have you participated in any of their meetings or gone?
Yolanda Gore :So I have participated in several meetings with the Fort Meade Alliance. A great, great organization. We're actually teaming up right now to develop a program to help spouses get employment, and I know we talked about Coon Hall. The Meade Alliance was a big, big driving factor in getting Coon Hall renovated and up and running.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And I will just say that these the alliance is businesses and agencies. But the businesses in the alliance provide donations that made it possible to build coon hall. I mean, the county stepped in and they did and and so, um, and they've done the same thing on transportation. It's, it's really a service organization, too. It is for me, yeah.
Yolanda Gore :And it hits to that piece I said earlier about those relationships. Keeping those relationships open. How do we keep those open to grow the fort, to help the community? And if we can't do that, then we're going to have a hard road to travel.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yep, yep. There was a former county executive who called because of all the activity at Fort Meade and then Arundel Mills comes along and grows. Called it the Gold Coast, because that's where all the money was being generated in the county. The economic growth of the county was that, and I don't call it that anymore. That just seems a little bit. I don't know. We're piling up bricks of gold. But it really is, because it's an economic driver. It's a place of opportunity.
Yolanda Gore :It is.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:That's what's so exciting about it.
Yolanda Gore :It is. And I remember when I first got here and I was just riding around. I didn't know what roads to travel, but I ended up at Live. Not a big gambler. But I ended up at Live, because I was looking for a seafood place and it was one nearby. And I can tell you, I was just so impressed with that area. And I was told it wasn't always that way, that a lot has been done in that area, and just to hear everybody talk about the change was very, very exciting.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Not everybody wanted that casino.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:There was a real movement to try to prevent it from happening. Actually, it was very complicated. I won't get into it with horse racing and gambling and all of these and the and all of the big corporate titans that were, that were fighting their fights. But it has been such a great job. The casino itself actually has a relationship with the Anne Arundel Community College to train people for the jobs, the many jobs that they have, that pay well. But being a dealer at the card tables, you've got to get training for that. And then being there next to the mall and having a hotel. So, it's been good. But you know what? It also creates a problem. In fact, the base realignment and the growth of Fort Meade has created a problem for the county, which is we've got to deliver housing or else everybody's going to be driving there from other counties. And then the roads are clogged up and we've got to make sure that transportation exists, that the roads aren't all jammed up.
Yolanda Gore :Jammed up.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And so what are you hearing on those things?
Yolanda Gore :So, I haven't heard a lot on those.
Yolanda Gore :But we are doing the same developments on post. As I said earlier, we are growing, we are continuing to grow. And I don't know if you've been on Fort Meade lately, but we're doing a widening of Cooper Road. We're looking at widening.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I have been on Fort Meade lately because I went to your house for your.
Yolanda Gore :Oh, that's right. That's right.
Yolanda Gore :How could I forget?
County Executive Steuart Pittman:For your New Year's?
County Executive Steuart Pittman:You know, late New Year's. You know, welcome in in the new year.
Yolanda Gore :You probably get a chance to ride around. So let's just say you probably get a chance to just check out the fort. But if you, it's been on Cooper, you can see that we're widening in that. And also, we're trying to widen one of our ACPs so that we can get a bigger throughput to the NSA in one hour gate. So there's a lot of things that's going on post that will help people off post.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So it's, and that gate moves fast until I get there. And then of course, everybody's ID is getting checked and everything. I got my ID now in the system, so I'm good.
Yolanda Gore :You're good.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But if I got anybody else in the car.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:No, their security is a serious matter there.
Yolanda Gore :It's a serious matter.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:As it should be.
Yolanda Gore :Yeah, because I am charged with the safety of everybody that live on the installation. And if the men and women who serve are not safe when they go to bed at night, then that's a problem.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah. Well, I will say that you know the county has known for years that we had to do more housing but hasn't always had public support to do more housing. And growth and development is not always welcomed by our residents and some of that's changing that. We have been able to get, you know, political and public support for housing. People understand we have a shortage. It's a crisis, it's a major, major problem and part of the cause of it is government regulations getting in the way of doing the kind of development we say we need. So, we have done some things to make it easier to do housing in areas zoned for commercial, for instance, and mixed use, so that you can do a higher percentage of housing. We used to say commercial is good for the county's tax base, but housing is not because we've got to do schools and you know the cost.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Now, we're saying we've got to do housing period for economic reasons, because our businesses need workers to exist and to grow.
Yolanda Gore :And sir, that is very good to hear. Because a lot of what's outside of our installation impacts who wants to come here. So we don't have housing. We don't have schools. We don't have childcare centers. Individuals don't want to come and work at Fort Meade because those resources are not available. So to hear you say that is great, because we need that outside of the installation, because we can only provide so many. I have three CDCs right now. I'm having one built in the coming years. In about two to three years, we'll probably break ground on the next CDC. But it is constantly growing and to see that the county is being more open to housing. Don't forget about those childcare centers, and that's why I'm so. When it comes to team meetings, we talk about schools. Schools play an important factor in where people live and where they want to work, so we have to make sure we take care of the schools as well.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, I've been. The governor has been trying to address the need for economic growth in the state of Maryland because we've been stagnant for many years, and we've got a budget crisis as a result of that. And he, fortunately, is talking about it in terms of, you know, to leave no one behind. That, that our businesses can only grow, if we have a healthy, housed workforce, well-educated workforce that has a place to live, close to where they're going to be working. And that's the greatest economic kind of driver that we can do.
Yolanda Gore :That's the greatest one here. We've got to build it here at home in Arundel County.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Well, yeah, you know, if you ever retire from the military, you might really want to think about government and even politics. I don't, you know?
Yolanda Gore :It's funny you said that. You said that to me. It's so funny. It's funny you said that. I said that today. It's so funny. On the ride here, I told Chad. I said, "ou know what, as I sit here in this uniform, I think I can do so much more outside of the uniform." Because I am bound by certain things that I can and cannot do and cannot say when I wear this uniform. But when I take it off, I feel I can be so more impactful. So, it has crossed my mind.
Yolanda Gore :It has definitely crossed my mind.
Yolanda Gore :So that's reassuring to hear you say that. Very reassuring to hear you say that. Chad wasn't convinced.
Yolanda Gore :But I think I got this one.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:As I'm walking away from politics, you can walk in. Okay, I got one more question. Last one, I think, which is for folks who are visiting or want to visit the fort. How do you get in? It's a big thing on the map.
Yolanda Gore :Yeah, it's a big thing, and sometimes it seems complicated, but it's a very, very easy process. You have to go to the Visitor Control Center. But I do want to make one announcement that we are opening Reece Gate. In the next two to three weeks, that will be our 24-hour gate. You no longer have to switch inspections and get checked from Rock and Bott Gate to MAPES 175. You now have one single point of entry that is open 24 hours, that can do your inspections, that can do your visitor control.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So that gate is called what for people to find on Google?
Yolanda Gore :Reece Gate.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:The Reece Gate. Reese Road.
Yolanda Gore :Reece Road, and it leads right into Reese Road. Good, so that is definitely a good news story.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay, good.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yes.
Yolanda Gore :Good, I'm excited.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Make that easier.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Um, anything. Anything happening that I've missed before we close out?
Yolanda Gore :Nothing happening. But I do want to say that this year is the Army's 250th birthday, so you'll see several celebrations that go on at the installation.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:That sounds like a lot happening to me.
Yolanda Gore :Yes.
Yolanda Gore :So, yeah, you're right, it's a lot happening.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:It's a happening.
Yolanda Gore :So, we're tying a lot of our events to the 250th year for the Army, which is near and dear to my heart.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:All right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And so for people to get information and follow what's going on at the Fort, where should they go?
Yolanda Gore :So they should probably go in. The easiest place to go is to join Facebook and like our page. Fort George G Meade, Maryland, and it's the same name for our Instagram, Facebook and our X. I think that's what they call it now. It's not Twitter, it's X. I got to get used to that.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Well, I still call it Twitter.
Yolanda Gore :No TikTok yet. No TikTok yet.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:You're not on TikTok.
Yolanda Gore :No, we're not on TikTok yet.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay, okay. Alright, well, thank you. You started about six months ago, so you got about 18 months to go. Let's make the most of it.
Yolanda Gore :Yes, I'm ready.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Al right, al right. Well, thank you so much for joining us. And if you are listening to this podcast and there is a subscribe button somewhere on the app that you're using, please punch it. And then you will get emails telling you who's the next guest. We've got some good ones coming up, but thank you.
Yolanda Gore :Thanks, sir, for having me.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Thank you, thank you, thank you.
