Notices from the Mayor and Council

Special Town Council Meeting Saturday November 2, 10 am, on the Proposed Restoration of the Conservation Meadow
The meeting will serve as an informational session for residents and the Town Council on the proposed restoration of the Conservation Meadow (Upper Field) and will also be a hearing for resident presentations and individual public appearances.  We will review the history of the field’s preservation, the 2013 draft joint agreement to maintain and operate the field as a meadow, and the restoration proposal. Review information about the meadow and the proposed restoration effort here and here.  Join the meeting via Zoom.

The Grove Remembers Former Resident Doris Gordon
Doris died Monday, October 14 at the Wilson Healthcare Center at Asbury. She was 95. A memorial service will be held at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church on Saturday, November 16 at 3:00 pm. Doris and her husband Gary lived in Washington Grove for more than 50 years and raised their four sons and daughter here.  Read more about Doris.

Sign up for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Workshop!
November 16, 9 am – noon
Provided for Washington Grove residents by Leadership Montgomery, this workshop will introduce you to key concepts related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) that will enhance your ability to create an atmosphere where all community members can thrive regardless of their backgrounds and identities. You will leave with practical takeaways to implement immediately:

• Build empathy and relationships with each other to understand various backgrounds, experiences, and identities to heal ruptured relationships.
• Demonstrate a baseline understanding of DEIB concepts through a shared common language.
• Identify the impact of assumptions, stereotypes, and unconscious bias in everyday interactions and apply tools to approaches to overcome/mitigate implicit biases.

Register here by November 1.

Attending Council Meetings via Zoom

• To view the agenda, click on “Town Council Meetings” under the “Latest Documents” heading on this page.
• To join a meeting, click here.  The link to join is also available from the agenda.
• To raise your hand during a meeting,
  • on a PC, click on Alt + Y at the same time
  • on a Mac, click on Option + Y at the same time

  Use the same combination of keys to lower your hand once you’ve had your say.

Want to write the Mayor and Council about Whatever’s on Your Mind?
There’s a NEW Way to Do It!
Starting immediately, should you wish to write the mayor and council, you can send your message to a single email address: [email protected].  Your message will be automatically redirected from that single email address to the addresses of the mayor, all councilors, the Town Clerk and the Town Web Manager (for posting on this page of the website).  PLEASE PUT THE CONTENT OF YOUR LETTER IN AN ATTACHMENT TO THE EMAIL (Word or PDF), NOT IN THE EMAIL ITSELF.  View more detailed information on the Written Testimony and Correspondence from Town Residents to the Town Council page.

Choo Choo!  Time for Toys for Tots

Starting November 5^th, Washington Grove will again be collecting new, unwrapped toys and books for children, from toddlers to age 12.  Please leave toys in the Toys for Tots box in the carport at 204 Ridge Road.  Text Terri Johnson with questions.  The donation deadline is Friday, December 13. Washington Grove has been very generous in the past!  Let’s do it again this year.

Composting the Town’s Leaves

Did you know?  The Sustainability Committee has been piloting an effort to compost the Town’s leaves with a couple of invaluable assists from:

• the Town’s contractor, RJ Landscaping, which collects, mulches, and delivers the leaves to the test site near the town maintenance building, and
• the King Farm Safeway Starbucks, which served as the chief donor of used coffee grounds.  The grounds increase the nitrogen content, helping to balance the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio that is necessary for effective decomposition.

Last year, the committee “harvested” roughly 2,500 pounds of shredded leaves and 400 pounds of coffee grounds. Compost created at the test site is being used to nourish the community garden and was also applied to the beds around the Town Hall and to protect several town trees. After these distributions, if compost remains, the committee will offer it to town residents. The overall goals are to improve soil health and water-holding capacity, enhance plant growth, and reduce greenhouse gas production associated with leaf management.