TOWN COUNCIL NEWS
Next meeting: Monday, March 14, 2016; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The public is invited to attend. Actions at the February meeting included:
- a decision to keep the record open for Ordinance 2016-02; Ordinance Granting a Non-Exclusive Cable Franchise Agreement to Comcast of Potomac, LLC, an additional 30 days.
From the Mayor…
Grove Alerts: It was brought to my attention there is often more than one e-mail address per household in Town. If you do have multiply addresses and are not receiving Grove Alerts on all of the accounts where you wish to receive them, please contact Town Clerk Kathy Lehman to let her know of additional addresses you wish to add to receive these messages.
Maple Lake: The legislation which will allow the Town to monitor our lake now is House Bill-1101.
This legislation provides that specified closed swimming lakes located within and maintained by a municipal corporation and only accessible to residents of the municipal corporation are not subject to specified State or county regulations; requiring that a municipal corporation that maintains a closed swimming lake establish a policy to assess and monitor the water quality of the lake. On February 2, this bill had its first reading in the House Environment and Transportation Committee. The hearing date is yet to be determined. No action is required at this time.
Trees: The Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services is taking requests to have a tree installed and maintained on your property by the County. To learn more about this program and to sign up on line, please see https://www3.montgomerycountymd.gov/311/SolutionView.aspx?SolutionId=1-EBMIV.
If you are interested in this program, but want to sign up via phone, please call 311. This is a great opportunity to help increase our tree canopy on private property in Town.
301-869-5358
[email protected]
Important Message for Washington Grove Taxpayers
Every year the Town of Washington Grove receives a portion of the Maryland State income tax paid by Town residents. Because our residents do not have mail delivered to street addresses, this presents a challenge for the State Comptroller’s office when attributing the taxes collected to Washington Grove. It is critical that all Washington Grove residents (including renters!) designate “Washington Grove.” For Maryland iFile, under “Name of county and incorporated city, town, or special taxing area in which you were a resident on the last day of the taxable period”, select “Montgomery, Washington
Grove” from the drop down menu. This block is separate from the address blocks. Turbo Tax and H&R Block software also include drop down menus where you may select “Montgomery County” and then “Washington Grove.” Please share this information with your renters and your tax preparer, if appropriate. This DOES NOT increase your taxes, but DOES help ensure that the Town receives its proper share of local income tax revenue. Thanks for your help! Questions, call Treasurer Mary Challstrom at 301-926-4498.
Budget Work Session
The Budget Work Session has been scheduled for March 21, 2016 at 7:30 pm in the Council Room.
Town Elections
Nominations for Mayor and Council should be sent to Chair Meredith Horan at P.O. Box 337 or 127 Maple Ave. There is still time for more nominations. The candidate must agree to being nominated and have been a Town resident for at least two (2) years for the position as Mayor and for at least one (1) year for Town Council. So far, the nominees are;
Mayor (1-year term) Joli McCathran
Council (3-year term) Patrice Klein
Council (3-year term) vacant
Planning Commission News…
Next meeting: Wed., March 2, 2016; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
If you are considering any renovation or building project at your house, be sure to get a copy of the revised procedures to apply for a Town Building Permit which will help you through the Town’s process. The procedures are available from the Town Clerk or from the Town’s website. In addition, the house files in the Town Hall, another resource when planning home modifications, may have some helpful information on your property. The Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission are here to help you with your project.
Permits approved on February 3, 2016:
There were none.
Historic Preservation Commission News…
Next meeting: Tuesday, March 15, 2016; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. All meetings are open to the public.
If you are considering changes to your home, we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you, most preferably early in your planning process, at one of our monthly meetings, which are scheduled on the third Tuesday of each month, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room.
Recreation Committee News…
Next Meeting: Wed., March 16, 2016; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room.
St. Patrick’s — So Nice We’re Doing it Twice! First up: On Friday, March 11 from 7 to 10:30 p.m., the Blackthorn Ceili Dancers return for one of our favorite events, with a potluck dinner about halfway through. Come enjoy the music and even kick up your heels if you like. (Though the event is free, a little contribution might earn you a blessing.)
Then on Friday, March 18th, Grovers are going green at the roots, with a variety of multi-generational musical and dance performances, candlelight poetry readings (in English and Gaelic!) and maybe even a few limericks. BYOB (Irish preferred, of course!) Bring buddies, beverages, bodhrans and all instruments. Toast and tittle from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. If you want in on the action, contact Meredith Horan in the evening at 301-926-1054. Slan go foill!
Music weekend update: It’s an encore with Jr. Cline and the Recliners, but with a slight schedule twist. This time the Recliners are scheduled for Friday, June 17 in the Gazebo (if the weather gods are with us!) and the Grove talent show moves to McCathran Hall on Saturday, June 18. More news to come!
SUMMER IN THE PARKS – Grove Scouts get ready for SUMMER !!
Making plans for summer camp? Our Town’s Summer-in-the-Parks program will be running from Tuesday July 5th to Friday July 29th with our annual campout on the last night. This is a great time for our kids to create some spontaneous fun with their friends! Campers must be ENTERING grades K-8. We will be accepting applications for both volunteer and paid positions, so contact us for more information if you are interested in applying for a job!
Contact:Emily Brown [email protected]
Film Society News…
Our last film of the 2015/2016 season is Safe in Hell, airing on Sunday, March 20, 2016. In this crime classic, produced in 1931, A New Orleans woman, played by Dorothy Mackaill, flees to a Caribbean island to escape a sordid past. That’s when her real troubles start. This “talkie” preceded the Hays Code era; studios had not yet begun to follow guidelines about what was morally acceptable in movies. Directed by William A. Wellman, 1931, US, b&w, 73 min.,$7 at the door. This film will be shown without subtitles.
Forestry & Beautification News…
Next Meeting: Thursday, March 17, 2016; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. This meeting is open to the public.
Woods Group
Next Meeting: Monday, March 7, 2016; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room.
West Woods Clean-up Day
Come one, come all — all ages invited — to clean up our West Woods on Saturday, March 12! Meet in the Maple Lake parking lot at 10:00 AM, and please bring work gloves and appropriate outerwear/boots for picking up trash in the woods.
Please note that children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
Refreshments will be provided, and Student Service Learning hours earned will be approved. If postponed due to inclement weather, the clean-up will be rescheduled for Sunday, March 13 or the following Saturday, March 19. Thanks for your help!
A Town Without a Forest?
Washington Grove has been identified with its unrivaled arboreal canopy for generations, but now our legendary trees need your help to ensure their health – and the Town’s legacy. An effort is underway to identify, treat, and maintain our most ancient and majestic trees, and we are inviting you to participate.
What is the problem?
All trees, especially older trees in established neighborhoods, are vulnerable to soil compaction. This deprives them of essential nutrients, proper moisture levels, and adequate drainage, without which they can weaken and fall prematurely.
How can you help?
The Town’s current efforts include planting, trimming, pest control, and similar measures. But with help from the community, we can also treat soil compaction on select, individual trees. We are inviting residents to adopt a Town tree of their choice and finance its treatment. The treatment approved by the Town may include deep root aeration, soil amendment, fertilization, mulch, and pest control. We have already seen remarkable results here in the Grove.
If you are interested in adopting a tree, please contact Carolyn O’Connor at 301-963-7735 or by email at [email protected].
Maple Lake News…
Next Meeting: Thurs., March 10, 2016; 7:30 p.m.; Council Room.
It is time to get together to plan for lessons, lifeguards and making our lake even better for this season. New members are welcome and encouraged. Call John Hutchinson (301-926-8767) if you have any suggestions or questions.
Annual Lake Clean-up Scheduled
The annual lake clean-up will be on Saturday, April 9th at 10:00 a.m. Please join in and bring your leaf rake, shovel, and wheelbarrow if you have one. Rain date is Sunday, April 10th at Noon. Call John Hutchison at 301-926-8767 for details or questions.
Geese Visitors at Maple Lake
We are using the Humane Society’s protocol again to humanely prevent eggs from hatching this spring. In the past several years a pair of geese has nested in an area easily accessible to our egg-oiling team. They drive away the other geese during nesting season and then leave when their eggs do not hatch. Please do not feed or harass the nesting pair or disturb the nest. If you see a nest built, please call Ann Philips or John Hutchinson. We encourage visitors to the lake to take along a plastic bag and scoop droppings. THANKS!
Lifeguards Needed for Maple Lake This Summer
We have a couple of applicants, but need one or two more lifeguards. Hours are from 12-6, seven days a week. Lifeguards must be certified in Lifesaving, CPR, and First Aid. (We can help you pay for the training.) Pay is $10 to $12 per hour. Call John Hutchinson at 301-926-8767, for details.
Woman’s Club News…
The Woman’s Club is holding a talk on the Aging in Place Movement on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in McCathran Hall.
For those who love the Grove and would like to live here for the rest of their lives, come hear how we might be able to help each other make that happen. Pazit Aviv, Village Coordinator from the Aging and Disability Services of Montgomery County Health and Human Services will be coming to talk about Aging in Place and Senior Villages. Learn about what resources are available in Montgomery County
and how other communities have formed Villages to help each other stay in the neighborhood.
Thursday evening, March 24that 7:00 PM is our annual Egg Filling Night at the Clubhouse, and as always, we need lots of help, and many bags of small, wrapped candies (no bigger than Hershey’s kisses) to go into the eggs.
Saturday, March 26th at 12:30 PM is our annual Egg Hunt at McCathran Hall, for your kids, grandkids, nieces & nephews and young friends. Helping hands are needed, starting at noon, to help hide the eggs, and then supervise the hunt and craft events afterwards.
Thanks to Sylvia Appleby and her family and everyone else who helped make this year’s Chili Supper another great success!
WGUMC News…
If you are looking for a centering time during Lent and Easter Season;
March 20 Palm Sunday – Egg hunt and Salad Bar Luncheon following Worship Service at 11: 00 a.m.
March 24th, 7:30 p.m. Holy Thursday Communion Service
March 25th 7:30 p.m. Good Friday Tenebrae Service: (Tenebrae – Latin for “shadows” or “darkness”)
March 27th, 6:45 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service on Ridge Rd. Hearty Easter breakfast will be provided at the church immediately after Sunrise service.
Easter Celebration 11:00 AM
General Information
Vacant Homes Task Force
The next meeting of this Task Force will be on March 22, 2016, at 7:30 PM in the Council Room. This meeting is open to the public.
Emergency Preparedness Committee
The Washington Grove Emergency Preparedness Task Force will meet in the Council Room at
McCathran Hall on: Thursday, March 3, 2016 AND Thursday, March 24, 2016. Both meeting start at 7:00 PM. All are welcome to attend!
It’s Baaaaack!! Recyclable Yard Waste Pick Up
Recyclable yard waste pick up by Potomac Disposal will resume on March 2, 2016. Our trash contractor will pick up recyclable yard waste from your properly marked containers and/or large brown bags. You may also bundle your brush and tie it with twine. Bundles should be no larger than 30” in diameter and 4 feet in length. No individual pieces larger than 4 inches in diameter. Please keep in mind your container is being picked up by a human being and should not be too heavy.