Town Council News
Next meeting: Monday » 07.12.10 @ 7:30 p.m. & Monday » 07.26.10 @ 7:30 p.m. in Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
Actions at the June Council meeting included:
- adoption of Resolution No. 2010-07; Budget Transfers FY 2010 (3)
Welcome Maintenance Supervisor Steve Werts!
Town resident Steve Werts was selected for the Maintenance Supervisor’s position left vacant by the retirement of Jim Fletcher. Selected from over 80 applicants for the job, Steve has the qualities and experience which provided the best fit for what the Town was seeking. His background as a small business owner, machinery repair and operation, building repair and supervision of maintenance and construction work provides the Town with the experience needed for maintaining the grounds, buildings and amenities of Washington Grove.
Steve will start working for the Town on July 6, 2010. Please remember to send questions, observations or requests to the Councilman in charge of maintenance, Joe Clark ([email protected]) or at 301-869-7944. You may also contact the Town Office, 301-926-2256 or [email protected] and the message will be passed along.
Thank you to all who participated in the process of selecting a new person for this job. Special thanks go to the committee of Bud O’Connor, John Tomlin, Sylvie Favret, Sandy Klingenberg and Joe Clark who worked to define the job and outline the needed skills.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The Town Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 7:30 PM in McCathran Hall. The purpose of this hearing is to take public comment on proposed Ordinance 2010-06. This ordinance would authorize the exchange of deeds to resolve boundary problems for Block 9, bounded by Grove Road, Center Street, First Avenue, the Circle and Seventh Avenue. The exchanges of deeds between the Town and the owners of the two affected properties would: 1) resolve the Town’s 10-foot width of Seventh Avenue, 2) eliminate encroachment of Peter Nagrod’s porch and fence on public property, and 3) remove the 5-foot jogs in block boundaries at both the front and the rear of property owned by Rebecca Richters. Each exchange would result in a swap of approximately equal land area. Copies of the proposed ordinance are available at the Town Office.
CSX/Humpback Bridge Meeting July 13th
CSX will be visiting Washington Grove for an information session to be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13, in McCathran Hall. They will be showing us a new proposal for gaining the clearance needed to run double-stack trains on the CSX tracks by 2015. The Deer Park Committee of residents and representatives of Deer Park have seen the proposal and are discussing our response. The basic outline of their proposal is listed below.
- Raise the bridge approximately 1 foot.
- No retaining walls on Railroad Street.
- Raise Railroad Street approximately 1 foot at the top of the hump, but smooth out the ascent and descent from the top of the hump to make a less steep grade. This will mean Railroad Street at Chestnut will only be raised 1-2 inches and at Hickory Road around 7 inches.
- By not widening Railroad Street or having retaining walls, the County has demanded a lowering of the speed limit on Railroad Street from 25 to 20 mph.
- Changes to East Deer Park on the west side of the bridge will be minimal and should hardly be noticed–they need about a foot on that side also but can gain that by smoothing out the rise from East Deer Park and Central Ave. No major changes.
- They may have to cut trees along the edge of Railroad back to 1 foot. I checked this and this will only impact the scrawny locust trees, but no large oaks.
- They will work with us to landscape as needed to replace the trees or bushes they have to extract.
- All work on the bridge will be signed off by the Maryland Historic Trust and Washington Grove.
There still are some issues to work out, but it is a proposal that is worth listening to and discussing. Please come to the information session.
Be Responsible for Your Own Yard Waste
As has been the Town’s expectations in the past, residents are responsible for disposing of their own yard waste. This can be done in a variety of ways, among them:
- Bag them and place the bags at the “curb” on trash pick-up days.
- Compost it on your own property.
- Place it in a container (e.g., old trash can/plastic container) with the green “YARD TRIM” signs (available in the Town Office) on the can and place them at the “curb” on trash pick-up days.
- Take the yard waste to the Shady Grove recycling center yourself or with the help of a friend.
Putting your yard waste in piles next to the avenue or roadway is no longer an option-it will not be picked up.
For those residents who trim back the walkways and avenues, you must arrange this with the new maintenance person-they will assist you in trimming the walkways and will be responsible for taking the trimmings away-this is not considered yard waste.
Council Agrees to Trial Lemonade Stand
After a thorough presentation from Julia Cavicchi, Haley McClelland and Sita Strother, followed by questions from the Mayor and Town Council, a proposal for the “Ann’s Folly Refreshment Stand” at the tennis courts was approved. The proceeds will go to the publishing costs of the Squirrelly Times newspaper and supplies for the stand. The stand will be in operation from June 30th – July 30th and will be open during the breaks between SITP, swimming lessons and tennis instruction. Watch for signs!!
Second Fire Board Member Still Needed
The Fire Board is an integral part of the Town’s safety program and will require that members meet with the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department Fire Board once a month to discuss issues related to fire safety and logistics. In Washington Grove, this is vitally important because it allows us to “train” the Fire Department response teams on directions to each resident address, as well as to keep our input into issues of concern to us.
If you want to volunteer for this position, please call the Town Office, 301-926-2256.
Planning Commission News
Next meeting: Wednesday » 07.07.07 @ 7:30 p.m. in Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
At its June meeting, the Commission considered and approved a building permit application for an accessory building at 358 Ridge Road, considered two recent reports from the Town Code Inspector, and discussed preparation for the Town Forum on mansionization. At its July meeting, the Commission will review an application for the construction of a fence at 115 Washington Grove Lane and a resubmission of an application for 313 Brown Street and will discuss next steps on the mansionization issue.
PC Contact Information
- PC Chair » Bob Evans 301-869-7816
- Permits » Eric Gleason 301-977-3135
- For Code Insp. » Steve Werts 301-926-1668
- Fence Insp. » Samantha Beres 301-330-8509
- Council Rep. » Georgette Cole 301-330-6740
Town Forum on Mansionization Update
Mansionization Group Wants You!
The joint Planning Commission/Historic Preservation Commission working group on mansionization earnestly solicits your input.
At the Town Forum held June16, the working group presented information about the threats posed by mansionization to the Town and various options which might be considered by the Town to address it. The PDF from that Forum can be found at https://washingtongrovemd.org/government/hpc/hpc_news.php, and we encourage residents to visit the site and familiarize themselves with the issues.
The group received good feedback and suggestions from the 30 residents who attended the meeting. We would very much like to hear from others about their views and their reactions to the options presented, as well as any other ideas they have for addressing the issue. Please send your views to a special address we have created for this purpose: [email protected].
The group is reviewing all input and assessing what recommendations it wishes to make. The hope is to have a proposal or proposals for consideration by the Town by September and to then solicit further reaction before sending any proposals on to the Town Council later this fall for their consideration.
This is an issue which potentially affects every resident. We look forward to your participation in this development process.
Historic Preservation News
Next meeting: Tuesday » 07.20.10 @ 7:30 p.m. in Council Room. Meetings are open to the public. The HPC encourages residents to come for an early consultation when planning a renovation.
Lake Committee News
Next meeting: Thursday » 07.15.07 @ 7:30 p.m. in Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
Party Permits: They are required if you want to have a group at the lake. Please call Sally Mansfield (301-977-3189) for a Party permit.
Recreation Committee News
Next meeting: Wednesday » 07.21.10 @ 7:30 p.m. in Council Room. The public is invited to attend. New members always welcome!
JULY 4TH FESTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Woodward Park
- 11 AM Costume Judging
- 12 Noon Flag Raising/Parade
McCathran Hall
- 12:30 PM Ceremony/Awards
Woodward Park
- 4:00 PM Softball Game: Bring gloves and bats if you have them
- 6:00 PM Potluck Picnic: Bring a dish to share, a blanket & a chair
The Muskrat Band Needs You
Get out those band instruments and make the Muskrat Band your Fourth of July tradition. No audition required! Both young and old are welcome! Please contact Eric Selby; [email protected] or 301-963-7073.
Come to the picnic, get into the Game… (Tippens)
Join the Town July 4 revival of the 4pm ballgame! Men, Women, former residents and guests are urged to be part of this fine old tradition! Call 301-926-6347 for details.
Town potluck picnic follows in the Park at 6 pm.
Woman’s Club News
All are invited to the Woman’s Club meeting on July 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club House. Pat DiBella and her daughter, Alessa Kreger, have started a new online business called “the Savage Poodle Boutique.” This enterprise features vintage clothing and other designer fashion items. Come hear about vintage clothing, some of which may be in your closet, and about starting an online business. If you have any questions, please contact Joli McCathran, 301-869-5358 or via e-mail at [email protected].
WGUMC News
- Yard Sale – July 3rd! A Church Yard Sale will take place on Saturday, July 3rd– 8 am to 1 pm, at the parsonage, 101 Center St. Left-over clothing from the yard sale will also serve as the starting point for our Sunday school summer charity clothing drive.
- Check the website for photos of the June 12th Walk and 100th anniversary Celebration. Many thanks to all who took part! 62 church and town members, including 7 members of the Emory Grove church and choir, enjoyed our historic walk from the train station on June 12th. Tim Warner also attended, representing County Executive Ike Leggett and the Office of Community Partnerships. We sang in the sacred circle, enjoyed a pot-luck at the church, and more singing and historic memories, with a special presentation of framed photos of the church’s first pastor, Dr. Albert Osborn, by his descendants, Bob Farmer, Jean McCathran, and Joan Mahaffey. Photos on website at www.washingtongroveumc.org
Neighborhood Watch News
Report Crimes & Suspicious Activity!
Mont. Co. Police non-emergency: 301-279-8000
Town Office: 301-926-2256
Joe Clark: 301-869-7944
Keith Gillis/Leigh Partington: 301-208-1437
Incident Report:
- May 25 – June 30 Incident Report:
June 28: Attempted break-in. 300 block Grove Ave – Resident reported window screens raised and hand prints on outside windows indicating that someone had tried to open the home’s first floor windows. Police were notified.
Reminder: This time of year we often experience a rise in incidents, especially break-ins and theft. Please remember to lock your home doors and accessible windows when you are away even for a short time. Lock your car doors. Do not leave any valuables in your car. Small electronic devices are prime targets.
Please report criminal or suspicious activity to your Neighborhood Watch Block Captain or Coordinators. Filing a police report, too, helps the police department keep track of criminal incidents and is necessary for police to take action. Of course, for emergency situations call 911.
The Montgomery County Police Department has implemented a new online system for residents to report non-emergency crimes. The new system called On-Line Citizen Reporting System went into effect September 21. Note that you must have a valid email address to file a report online. You may file an online report for a crime if: (1) it is not an emergency, (2) it occurred within Montgomery County, (3) it is not motor vehicle accident, (4) property stolen is valued less than $10,000, (5) there are no known suspects, and (6) it did not occur on the interstate. The new reporting system may be accessed at
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/poltmpl.asp?url=/content/pol/coplogic/cologic.asp
Drive 15, enjoy the scene!
Summer In The Parks will run through the month of July. Please be mindful of the participants as they walk to and from Woodward Park, McCathran Hall and Maple Lake. Here’s to another safe summer!