Town Council News
Next meeting: Monday, Sept. 8, 7:00 p.m., in the Council Room.
The meeting will begin with a public hearing.
August Council actions included:
Voted to continue the Public Hearing on lowering the Town speed limit to Sept. 8th at 7:00 p.m..
Approved road repairs where Pine Road meets Brown Street.
Approved the following re-appointments:
Bud O’Connor; Planning Comm.; 5-yr.
Bob Booher; HPC Chairman; 3-yr.
Chris Kirtz; HPC; 3-yr.
Ralph Hurst: Zoning Appeals; 3-yr.
Pat Deely; Fire Board; 1-yr.
Notice of Public Hearing
Text Amendment to the Code of Ordinances Article III, Section 7, Part b. The proposed ordinance would lower the Town speed limit from 25 to 15 mph.
Date: Monday, September 8, 2003 (Continued from August 11, 2003)
Place: McCathran Hall Council Room
Time: 7:00 p.m.
No Parking on Parkland, Please!
The Mayor, Town Council and the Planning Commission have tried “kinder, gentler” methods to help solve the problem of residents parking on Town parkland, but to no avail. If anything, the problem has become worse. Regular overnight parking on Town parkland is prohibited. We understand that over-flow parking for guests may occasionally occur. However, the regular use of non-designated areas for personal parking is against Town Ordinances (Article III, Section 5). Enforcement of Town Ordinances falls upon the Mayor and Town Council therefore; warnings may be issued on illegally parked vehicles which will be followed by towing at the owners expense.
Casey Field: Nothing New.
The latest plan for the Casey Field will not go before the Montgomery County Planning Board until September at the earliest. Residents may soon be asked to write letters expressing their continued concerns about this high density development. Please start thinking about what you would like to say in your letters. Stay tuned!
Planning Commission News
Next meeting: Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. Council Room.
The public is invited to attend.
Building Permits:
If you are going to erect a building or structure (including fences), make structural alterations to, or move any existing building or other structure, you must first obtain a building permit from the Washington Grove Planning Commission. The Town zoning ordinance governs setbacks, lot coverage and height. Applications are available at the Town Office at 301-926-2256. The permit fee is $10.00, payable to the Town of Washington Grove. Interior renovations, which involve electrical, plumbing, or load-bearing changes, generally require a County permit. A shed requires a County permit as well. The Town must first sign off all applications for County-required building permits. The Historic Preservation Commission will review most permits as well.
Historic Preservation News
Next meeting: August 26, 7:00 p.m. Council Room.
These meetings are open to the public. The Historic Preservation Commission was established to help safeguard the heritage of the Town by encouraging the preservation of its historic structures. The HPC encourages early consultations before residents submit a building permit application. This early consultation can take the form of informal discussion or a review of a tentative design to determine if there are any issues in the proposed plans that may concern the Commission. Such early reviews may help in the preparation of formal architectural drawings. If an applicant elects to adopt the HPC’s recommendations from the early consultation then the HPC should be able to expedite its review of the building permit application. When you file an application for a building permit with the Town, the submitted material will be compared with the written review(s) from the early consultation and if it shows sufficient attention to the HPC recommendations, it will be forwarded directly to the Planning Commission without a formal HPC review. If the final design is not in accord with the earlier HPC recommendations it may be added to the agenda of the next HPC meeting for formal review.
Board Of Zoning Appeals
At a hearing on July 19, 2003,”Twice Is Nice”, a consignment shop of ladies only clothes, fine china & antiques, was granted a special exception to do business in the Commercial Corner.
Recreation Committee News
Next meeting: September 10, 2003, 7:30 p.m. Council Room.
The public is invited to attend.
Labor Day Weekend Free Film:
Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times”.
The Washington Grove Film Society is sponsoring a free film on Sunday evening, August 31st at 8:00 p.m. in Chapel Park (across Center Street). Come and join your neighbors and friends to see “Modern Times”, starring Charlie Chaplin. This famous satire of the mechanized world, Chaplin’s last silent film, was selected by the AFI for the 100 Years/100 Movies and 100 Years/100 Laughs lists. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and popcorn and enjoy this classic film.
Washington Grove Singers Return
Rehearsals begin: Tuesday, September 23rd at 7:30 p.m. in McCathran Hall.
All voices (minimum age 15) are welcome, no audition is required. Rehearsals are every Tuesday night with the exception of concert week when they are on both Monday 12/8 and Wednesday 12/10. This year’s holiday concert will be on December 13, 2003. For more information call Kathy Lehman at 301-926-1253.
Get Caught in The Trap!
A wonderful fifth season of the Mousetrap Concert Series is upon us. Whether it’s the enthusiasm of the audience, or the glorious way sounds reflect from the wood floor, walls, and ceiling of McCathran Hall.world famous performers like playing here and want to come back. This fifth season is no exception! Expect to see brochures at the end of this month.
Still looking for Reinforcements!
The current leadership of the Recreation Committee will retire this year. Volunteers are needed to head this valuable committee. The Recreation Committee is responsible for many of the activities and programs that we have all come to know and love in our Town. Meetings are every other month and new members are always welcome. Don’t let this well-oiled machine stop running.volunteer today!
Summer In The Parks; Thanks From Karen Kelly!
Thanks to all the parents for their support and help through the month of July with special mention to the following;
Snack parents: Tari Cooper, Amy Porter, Lawren Selby
Barbeque: Kevin Ambrose, Ralph Hurst, Ted Yachup
Clean up crew: Jill Bloom, Liz McConnell, Ellen Price, and Nick Suzich.
T-Shirt design and execution: Tami Williams
Maple Lake News
The swimming lessons were over on August 1st, and we had a great pot luck breakfast party for our instructor and our lifeguards. Courtney went to great lengths to provide the children with individual reports of their skills and progress made. Happily for us, she is also indicating that she would like to return next summer if she can, which I’m sure we would all love to see happen. We had a problem with microscopic planktonic algae in early August which gave the water an eerie green hue but, on the advice of our consultant, we treated it with the usual Cutrine, and it has cleared up nicely. The summer season at the Lake is winding down. There will be no lifeguard available on Sunday, August 24th, and the last day that lifeguards will be there this summer will be Wednesday, August 27th. So, enjoy it while you can!
General Information.
Special Trash Collection – August 23, 2003
Collection may include furniture, appliances (not those with Freon), rugs, large toys, small auto parts etc. Materials may not include construction by-products, large automotive parts, or tires. ITEMS MUST BE “CURBSIDE” BY 7:00 a.m.. Any problems with trash or recycling should be directed to Tom Land, 301-869-4334 or [email protected]
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Sunday, September 7th, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Shady Solid Waste Transfer Station
(Route 355 & Shady Grove Rd.). For more information call 301-840-2370 or visit the website at www.mcrecycles.org.
Neighborhood Watch Formed
Report Crimes & Suspicious Activity!
Mont. Co. Police non-emergency: 301-279-8000
Town Office: 301-926-2256
Betsy Klinger: 301-977-3517
Washington Grove is launching a Neighborhood Watch program. Twenty-two residents have agreed to serve as block captains with responsibility for 9 – 11 houses each. They will soon be contacting the residents of each home and also distributing information about reporting crimes, identifying valuables, improving security around the home and about the Neighborhood Watch program. Special thanks to Chris Kirtz who has volunteered to be the program coordinator and has jumped in with both feet! For more information about the program, call Chris at 301-990-7935.
Other safety related news is that the police have stepped up patrols around Town and at Maple Lake. If you see a patrol car or bicycle, please let the officer(s) know that we appreciate having them here!
The following incidents occurred in the Grove since the July newsletter was published:
July 23: Car windshield of resident of Ridge Road extended was smashed during the night. Nothing was taken and the incident was reported to police.
July 28: Resident on Washington Grove Lane found a stolen wallet that had been discarded in his driveway. Wallet was turned over to police.
July 30: About 9:45 p.m., a car which had been parked alongside Brown St. began circling the block of Brown-Maple-Center-Ridge repeatedly. Incident lasted perhaps 45 minutes. Appeared to be a male driver and a passenger. License number was reported to police and a cruiser was sent to check out the situation, but the car left before police arrived.
July 31: Left rear window of a resident’s car parked near Locust Lane was smashed during the night and a carton of cigarettes was stolen from the car. Crime was reported to police.
August 12: Rear windshield of a car parked in the lot at Maple Lake was smashed and the installed CD player was stolen. The incident occurred between 11 and 11:30 a.m..
August 12: Signs near the lake crossing on Washington Grove Lane were defaced.
ALERT: A recent incident occurred on Langport Terrace, just on the other side of the East Woods. At about midnight, someone placed a ladder just below a second floor window of a house. The residents turned on an exterior light and saw a man climb down the ladder and run away. The ladder had been taken from the yard of the immediate neighbors and over a fence. A third neighbor in the area had a ladder stolen from their yard recently as well. PLEASE keep ladders locked up or out of view. An available ladder can contribute to a crime of opportunity!
Acorn Library News
Thank you to the many Acorn Library fans who came to the weekend book sale. The sale raised about $40 which helped pay for 8 new shelves in the library. Also, the library keeper Betsy was able to clear her house of many boxes of extra books and kids and parents went home very happy with their wonderful bargain books. Thank you also to Missy Yachup, Terry Strother, and Tad Stahnke who helped by sorting books before the sale and by setting aside the best volumes to be shelved. They persisted despite heat, gnats, sleepy baby and gathering darkness. YES, Acorn Library will still accept donations of books in good condition, but we are being much more selective about which books to shelve.
Non-fiction – we are actively seeking books about: Dinosaurs, Space, Plants (flowers, trees, weeds, mushrooms.); other countries; other cultures; Historic periods or events; Sports.
Fiction – we are seeking include the Harry Potter books (we have the first two) Magic Tree House Mystery series, and novels that appear on summer reading lists for elementary and middle school.
Lost and Found
Summer In The Parks caused the Lost & Found to grow by leaps and bounds. If you’ve lost something this summer, you might find it here. For more information you may call the Town Office, 301-926-2256.
Summertime Kudos from the Mayor & Council!
To Karen Kelly & Missy Yachup for all of their energy and efforts with the Summer In The Parks program. The program was a huge success again this year and it wouldn’t happen without their hard work.
Linda Baim and Company for the inspiring tennis instruction and major clay court work in July.
Dodie Tippens for her “energizer bunny-like” efforts with the lake and the lifeguards
Dan Tutas for his countless volunteer hours of trash collection on Railroad Street.
Jean Myers & Meredith Horan for cleaning out drainage ditches and endless pruning efforts.