TOWN COUNCIL NEWS
TO CATCH UP ON ALL TOWN COUNCIL ACTIVITY, INCLUDING NOVEMBER MINUTES (DRAFT AND UNAPPROVED), AND THE LATEST TOWN COUNCILOR REPORTS, e.g TC Minutes (unapproved draft) – November 2018.
Next meeting: Monday, December 10, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The public is invited to attend. Actions at the November meeting included:
- approval of the Mayor’s appointment of Robyn Renas as Alternate on the Historic Preservation Commission.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The Washington Grove Town Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, December 10, 2018, 7:30 p.m. in McCathran Hall, 300 Grove Ave. Washington Grove, MD. The purpose of this meeting is to take public comment regarding the proposed Ordinance No. 2018-13; Ordinance Adopting Amendments to the Washington Grove Code of Ordinances Article X Election Procedures for Absentee Balloting, Provisional Balloting, Resolution of Tie Votes, and Bar to Political Activities. Copies of the proposed ordinance are available for inspection upon request to the Town at P.O. Box 216, Washington Grove, MD 20880 (301-926-2256)
Planning Commission News…
Next meeting: Wednesday, December 5, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
Building Permit Submission Deadline
The deadline to submit a building permit application for approval by the Planning Commission and review by the Historic Preservation Commission is the 2nd Wednesday of the month prior to the PC meeting at which the permit will be reviewed (this will be in the following month). This timing ensures the HPC will be able to complete a formal review before the PC meeting as this review is required for the PC to approve the permit in a timely fashion.
If you are considering any renovation or building project at your house, be sure to get a copy of the procedures to apply for a Town Building Permit which will help you through the Town’s process.
Permits approved in November:
- 116 Ridge Road » Addition
Historic Preservation Commission News…
Next meeting: Tuesday, December 18, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. All meetings are open to the public.
The HPC welcomes and encourages residents to come for an early consultation when considering an addition or renovation/changes to the exterior of their home. HPC can offer valuable advice early in the planning process and provide guidance with designs that are compatible with the character of the existing house and the Town. Please consider coming to the HPC as your first stop when contemplating options for your home improvement.
Forestry & Beautification News…
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 13, 2019; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room.
The fall trees have arrived! Seven beautiful new hardwoods were planted in November. You can spot the “newbies” by the new mulch and planting stakes around them. There is a gorgeous Scarlet Oak at the corner of Brown Street and Grove Avenue, a Princeton Elm on Chestnut Avenue near Oak St, a Red Maple near the basketball court in Woodward Park, and an assortment of four others in Woodward Park near Maple Avenue between Center and Brown streets. Check them out!
The next Forestry and Beautification meeting will be in March (see above). Please do join us! We’ll be working on plans for the spring tree planting. If you have any ideas for a new tree location please call, email, talk to Georgette ([email protected]) or Audrey ([email protected]) or any other member of the Forestry and Beautification Committee.
Woods Committee News…
Next Meeting: Monday, December 3, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The January meeting will be on the 7th. All are welcome to attend. Meetings are on the 1st Monday of each month.
The Woods Committee sponsored an Informational Meeting for Town residents on November 13. The meeting was recorded and has been posted Woods Committee Informational Meeting (11.13.18) – Video.
Invited Speakers were experts from the Montgomery County Department of Deer Management and from the University of Maryland Forestry Extension who described the threat of deer over browsing as the driving force in damage to both our East and West Woods forest ecosystems and facilitating introduction of non-native invasive plants. A survey by Town resident attendees showed overwhelming support for the Woods Committee’s three-pronged integrated approach: deer management, non-native invasive plant control, and reforestation.
To solicit additional feedback, we are asking for more Town residents to view the recorded meeting and then complete the same feedback questionaire included as an insert in this Town Bulletin. This is voluntary and anonymous. Please drop the completed survey in the designated sealed box in the Town Office or anonymously mail to Joan Mahaffey at her General Delivery address. Responses are appreciated by December 9th. The Woods Committee will post the tallied results in the next Bulletin.
In cooperation with the Mayor and the Town Council, the Woods Committee will continue implementing programs to restore the health of the East and West Woods. We are also working with the Dog Park Committee to assure minimum environmental damage in the construction of the Washington Grove Dog Park in the West Woods adjacent to the parking area.
Recreation Committee News…
Next Meeting: Wed., January 16, 2019; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. Open to the public. The Recreation Committee would love to have more volunteers to help keep our traditions going and bring in new ones. Anyone interested in joining should come to the next meeting!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE HOLIDAY SHOW…DECEMBER 15TH AT 7:30 PM
What’s the best way to kick off the holidays? By joining us at McCathran Hall on Saturday night, December 15th at 7:30 PM, to enjoy your friends and neighbors starring in The Brothers Grinch and the Grove: A Mystery.
This year, the cast and crew hopes that you will join us in supporting the EVAN Foundation by donating new toys or wrapped candies, to be distributed to children enduring long and difficult stays in the hospital. There will be a box for donations at the show, as well as a bin on the porch of the Woman’s Club until the end of December.
Mindfulness & Meditation Class in McCathran Hall
Hour long classes started on October 10th and will take place on Wednesday evenings at 7:45 PM. Please e-mail Eleni directly at: [email protected] for inquiries.
Yoga in The Grove
Ongoing Yoga Classes are on Tuesday nights from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Cost is $10.00.
Youth Dance Class
Youth dance class starting at 12 years old and up. Classes are Wednesdays at 5:30 PM. All levels of dance welcome. $7 a class. Call or text Samantha Beres for more info: 515-450-9167.
Washington Grove Forest Health Restoration Plan – Questionnaire
The Woods Committee would appreciate your filling out a feedback questionaire on the updates presented and expert speaker discussion at the Informational Meeting on November 13th. Please select one answer for each question below and drop your survey in the box provided at the end of the meeting. All questionnaires are anonymous.
A Dialogue About Muslims in America
A recent poll indicates that only one-third of residents in the DC/Maryland/Virginia metropolitan area know a Muslim person. Such a situation leads to many misconceptions and stereotypes, and it is often difficult to sift through fact and fiction. And even if you want to learn about Islam or Muslims, who do you ask and how do you ask politely? Join panel of American Muslims for an interactive discussion in a safe space to ask questions and to learn. The program has been organized by Shahid Rahman of the DC-based American Muslim Institution. It will be held on Saturday, January 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. in McCathran Hall. The Recreation Committee will provide refreshments. If you have questions, please call Judy Mroczka at 301 785-3491.
Washington Grove UMC News…
Washington Grove United Methodist Church Invites You to Join Us On Christmas Eve.
You are cordially invited to join us for our Candlelight Family Christmas Eve Service on December 24th at 7:00 PM, at the Church. Many of our friends and neighbors will be joining in the evening’s songs and readings.
Woman’s Club News…
The Washington Grove Woman’s Club looks back on 2018 and forward to 2019
Closing the Clubhouse for the winter is always a time to look back and look forward. And what a wonderful year of Town events and outreach programs it was! We started January with our annual White Elephant sale then moved on to February for the traditional Chili Supper. Spring brought our Egg Hunt for the kids and the Flower Show for everyone. June was our Progressive Porch Party and in July we hosted a Greyhound Rescue talk. In the heat of August, we had a board meeting and started selling Washington Grove Magnets. September was a banner month with our Pot Luck Supper and Auctions to raise money to start a Field Trip Fund for Washington Grove Elementary. In October we hosted a talk by one of our residents, and November was our last meeting of the year. Remember, it’s never too early to start searching for those wonderful White Elephants for our January sale!
Though our Clubhouse is closed for the winter, we will still be working on our Community Outreach Programs to help the less fortunate of our neighbors. Whatever pulls at your heart strings, we have a need you can fulfill.
The Washington Grove Elementary School’s Teachers Closet
We continue to collect school supplies for the Teachers Closet. We hope to keep it filled with things like glue sticks, pencils and sharpeners, paper, hand sanitizers and tissues, and other supplies. Without our help, teachers will all too often end up buying these things out of their own pockets.
Working with Interfaith Works
While the less fortunate children of our County need essentials, they also need occasional treats in their lives, and we help provide these by collecting Birthday Presents and small Treasure Chest items to be distributed through Interfaith works. This year, for the first time, Interfaith is also collecting holiday presents for 250 families, and we’re hoping to help contribute. They’re asking for gifts for children 12 years old and under, and gift cards in any amount for Giant, Safeway and Target.
There is also an ongoing need for new underwear for boys and girls from toddlers to teens. Last summer they put out an urgent request for these, and through the incredible generosity of our Town, we were able to provide over 250 pair. We have developed sources for purchasing the underwear, so the easiest way to help with this need is through money donations.
White Socks for the Gude Men’s Shelter
Winter is hard enough for the homeless without going without socks! This winter we are continuing to collect new white socks for the men at the Shelter.
The Linus Project
For those who like the spend the long winter months on indoor projects, we are supporting The Linus Project, which makes fleece blankets for children in need of comfort when they are in the hospital or foster care. If you are interest in helping with this, contact Marilynn Frey to get a set of the instructions.
Where to Bring Your Contributions
You can drop off your contributions in the painted can on Wendy Weisbard’s porch at 119 Grove Road, or you can leave them in the plastic bins on the Clubhouse porch. Drop them off and we’ll sort where they go! Checks are always appreciated too, just put in the memo field if you want your donation to go to a specific project.
General Information
Leaves Are Falling
New and long-time residents alike are reminded of the Town contract for bulk leaf removal each autumn. The contractor, Green Earth, Inc., will make regular but unscheduled pickups of leaves raked or blown into windrows within six (6) feet of any roadway or walkway, excluding Railroad Street, 2nd Ave., 3rd Ave., 4th Ave., 5th Ave., and Boundary Street. This service began October 31, 2018 and ends January 4, 2019, or as soon thereafter as we agree the work is complete. This is the only time to have FALL leaves removed without bagging for recycling. The contract includes return visits with the leaf vacuum in the spring. The last day for that is around April 1, 2019.
The contractor will time pickups based on the availability of full truckloads for vacuuming. One or two spectacular fall weekends in November or early December usually have most of us raking at the same time. If you rake when most others are raking, the windrows will probably disappear relatively quickly. Please place your windrows within six (6) feet of the road or walkway (keeping in mind car & pedestrian traffic).
Green Earth will collect leaves by working from one end of the Town to the other, typically starting with Ridge Road working their way across the community, first removing piles along roads for safety reasons. After making one pass along roads, they will focus on walkways. If roads become obstructed before walkways are completed, roads will be cleared until they are safe. Then collection will resume along walkways. Weather may affect this process. Rain can restrict movement of large trucks on the avenues and accumulated snow or freezing rain may make piles too heavy to vacuum.
The contractor will not remove leaf piles that contain branches, brush, pruned limbs, and cut ornamental grasses. Please do not add these to leaf piles. They foul the vacuum and Green Earth will not collect piles containing this material.
If a particular leaf pile has lingered for an inordinate amount of time, please call the Town Office.
Happy raking! It’s the rite of autumn, particularly in a town graced by so many beautiful deciduous trees.
Christmas Tree Disposal
Beginning in late December, Christmas trees will be picked up roadside by Town Maintenance staff. When you place your tree out for collection, please remove all tinsel, ornaments, the stand and any other metal.
Holiday Town Office Hours
The Town Office will be closed December 25 – January 1st. Office will open on January 2, 2019.
Recyclable Yard Waste Collection Ends
Please note that December 27, 2018 will be the last date for collection of recyclable yard waste by Potomac Disposal this year. This service will resume in early March.
Deer Fences Down…
Residents are reminded that deer fencing must be down by November 30th per Town Ordinance 3.328(g). Thanks!
Dog Owners
Please be mindful of where your dog does his/her “business.” No one likes stepping in it. This includes the Washington Grove Meadow Park and the Town woods. Thank you!
Elections
Residents new and old are reminded that Washington Grove is an incorporated municipality governed by its citizens on a volunteer basis. The office of Mayor and at least two of the six Town Council seats are open each year. Any Town resident who is a qualified voter may participate. To run for Mayor a candidate must have lived in Town for at least two years prior to the election. To run for Council a candidate must have resided in Town for at least one year prior to the election. Election Day 2019 will be May 11. Nominations will close April 8.
A qualified voter, both for the purpose of running for office and participating as a voter, is defined as a Town resident registered to vote in Montgomery County at a Town address. Subsequent notices in the Bulletin will provide instructions for checking your voter registration status with the County and explain the nomination process.
Cleaning Person Needed
The Town is looking for a person to clean McCathran Hall. This is a pretty good part-time job for a responsible person in Town year round. The job takes 3 – 4 hours per week, usually done in the late afternoon or evening. The Town provides cleaning supplies and equipment. Interested parties should contact the Town Office at 301-926-2256 or Charlie Challstrom at 301-926-4498. A list of janitorial tasks for McCathran Hall is available upon request to [email protected]. This job pays $15.00 – $20.00 per hour to start commensurate with experience.
Washington Grove Cares News…
Thanks to all the Grovers who joined us on November 4 for Jeff McCrehan’s talk on the state of U.S. journalism (co-sponsored by WGC and the Woman’s Club). We had a great crowd to listen to Jeff’s take on this important topic, including a lively give and take among audience members. Stay tuned for announcements about future talks by town residents who will share their expertise and passions with all of us.
Happy Holidays from Washington Grove Cares, and remember if you need help getting ready for the holidays—trimming the tree, putting up decorations—let your neighbors know via WGC.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!