TOWN COUNCIL NEWS
Next meeting: Monday, October 8, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
Actions at the September meeting include:
- adoption of Resolution 2018-06; Washington Grove Dog Park Rules & Regulations.
- adoption of Resolution 2018-09; Authorizing the Construction of a Town Dog Park on Land Owned by the Town of Washington Grove.
New Process for Town Council Minutes
Unapproved, draft minutes of the Town Council meetings will now be available on the Town website or upon request to the Town Office approximately a week after the meeting date. In the near future Committee Minutes will be posted to the web as they become available.
Planning Commission News…
Next meeting: Wednesday, October 3, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. The public is invited to attend.
Modification to Building Permit Process
The Planning Commission is changing the building permit application deadline to 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 September:
- 3 Ridge Road Fence
- 127 WG Lane Renovations
Historic Preservation Commission News…
Next meeting: Tuesday, October 16, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. All meetings are open to the public.
Registration for MAHDC Washington Grove Tour
Sunday, October 21, 2018
HPC invites town residents to join the walking tour of Town that is being organized for the Maryland Association of Historic District Commissions (MAHDC) on Sunday, October 21. Clare Lise Kelly (author, architectural historian and former resident) has agreed to be the speaker for the event and lead the tour. The event will start at 2:00 pm in McCathran Hall with a seated presentation by Clare Lise Kelly, followed by the walking tour and an opportunity to see the interiors of a few homes.
Important: We expect a good turnout from the “historic preservation” community. It’s important for us to keep track of a headcount, so if you wish to join the tour, please register by email to [email protected]. Please register no later than October 10.
Maple Lake News…
Next meeting: Thursday, October 18, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. All meetings are open to the public.
With the end of summer, we are in a “Swim At Your Own Risk” mode until next year.
Streetlight Committee to Form …. Again!
Our old streetlight fixtures and bulbs are slipping into obsolescence. A Streetlight Committee will advise the Council on alternatives to our current fixtures. For more information about this group, please contact Darrell Anderson at 301-963-8555 or [email protected]
Dog Park Committee
Interested in joining the Dog Park Committee, or at least in attending the next meeting? Please contact co-chairs Mary Warfield ([email protected]) and Christine Dibble ([email protected]) to learn the date and time of the next meeting (as yet unscheduled).
Communications Working Group
Interested in joining the Communications Working Group, or at least in attending the next meeting? Please contact co-chairs Betsy Klinger ([email protected]) and Christine Dibble ([email protected]) to learn the date and time of the next meeting (as yet unscheduled).
Elections Modernization Committee
This committee will meet on Monday, October 22 at 7:30 PM in the Council Room.
Have You Lived in Your Home for 40 Consecutive Years?
If you have owned and lived in your home for 40 consecutive years, you may be eligible for a property tax credit. The assessment on your property must be $650,000 or less. Property Tax Credit for Elderly Individuals and for Military Retirees was enacted by the Montgomery County Council in March 2017. If you are eligible, a 20% credit on County property taxes only is granted for five consecutive years. For details call 311 or go to: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/finance/bill-42-16.html
Need Advice, Inspiration or Guidance for Your Home Restoration?
Take a look at issues of Old House Journal at the Town Office. Published since 1973, this magazine specializes in information about the restoration of old houses.
Forestry & Beautification News…
Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 10, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Old Council Room.
Woods Committee News…
Next Meeting: Monday, October 1, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. All are welcome to attend. Meetings are on the 1st Monday of each month. Our November meeting will be Monday, November 5.
The Woods Committee will sponsor a workday for Trail Maintenance in the East Woods on Saturday, October 13th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Help the Woods Committee do some trail maintenance! We will meet at the maintenance shed at 10:00 am. Bring gloves, rakes, and water. Coffee and snacks will be available on the screened porch at 400 Center Street from 9:30 to 9:50 am. Questions? Please contact Virginia Quesada 301-706-7933 or [email protected]
On Saturday, November 10th we will have a Volunteer Work Day in the West Woods focusing on the identification of native plants such as spicebush and blackhaw viburnum and the manual removal of competing non-native invasive plants such as Japanese barberry and bush honeysuckle. Come try your hand with our fancy new tool, the weed wrench. Details will follow in the November Bulletin.
Woods Committee Co-chairs, Pat and Joan, attended the annual conference of the Maryland Native Plant Society in September. Experts shared ideas and strategies for identifying and protecting Maryland’s native plant species in our threatened woodlands. We will use this valuable information as we continue to develop our Forest Restoration Plan for Washington Grove.
Looking ahead, the Woods Committee is preparing a Community Information meeting in Mid-November to explain our comprehensive approach to forest health which includes: control of non-native invasive plant species, deer management, and reforestation. The East and West Woods are a treasure to our Town. It will require the support of Town leadership and all residents to preserve the Woods for future generations.
Recreation Committee News…
Next Meeting: Wed., October 17, 2018; 7:30 p.m. in the Council Room. Open to the public.
Labor (Day) of Love
It is with sadness that we announce that Craig English has decided that this is to be his last year as Chairman of the Washington Grove Labor Day weekend activities.
Craig started chairing the traditional events AND actually created the now-famous Triathlon 35 years ago! His dedication, creativity and humor made this one of the most popular weekends in The Grove and a favorite of kids of all ages.
Joli McCathran also worked alongside Craig for most of those years, doing a valiant job of organizing, tracking and scoring the games, often under very difficult circumstances.
We all thank Craig and Joli for exemplifying the true spirit of volunteerism and for keeping this long standing tradition alive. But now it is time to pass the torch. Who will pick up the torch and keep the Labor Day tradition alive? The Recreation Committee is looking for 1 or 2 dedicated volunteers to take over the Labor Day weekend activities and make them their own. Please email Missy Yachup ([email protected]) or Emily Cavey ([email protected]) to volunteer or to get more information.
Congratulations to this year’s Super Grove Genevieve Hix!!
Meditation in The Grove/Mindfulness & Meditation Class in McCathran Hall
New resident Eleni Khan invites you to enjoy group guided meditations and mindfulness exercises. Calming our minds and deeply relaxing with guided breathing, singing bowls, interactive mindfulness and meditation practices for all levels. The class is geared towards adults, and is family friendly to “of age” individuals of interest.
- Hour long classes will take place on Wednesday evenings starting October 10.
- Cost: $10.00
- Monthly discounted rate for full month pass $30.00
- Please e-mail Eleni directly at: [email protected] for inquiries.
Taylor Made Squares
Mark your calendars! Betsy and Al Taylor, callers for Taylor Made Squares, are happy to announce we have scheduled a series of dances on the First and Third Mondays. Please join us on the following dates: October 1, October 15, November 5 and November 19. We will be dancing from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Questions? Call 301-977-8937 or email [email protected]
Yoga in The Grove
Ongoing Yoga Class is designed as an open/drop-in format 90 minute class for beginners to experience Hatha (poses), deep relaxation, chanting and breathing practices with an emphasis on listening to the body and stress reduction. Classes are on Tuesday nights from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Cost is $10.00.
Let There Be More Dancing!
Youth dance class starting at 12 years old and up. We start the class with a good stretch, and do a mix of ballet, modern and jazz. The class also does a couple of Zumba dances each week, and we typically perform twice a year. Class is tentatively scheduled for Wednesdays at 5:30. All levels of dance welcome. $7 a class. Call or text Samantha Beres for more info: 515-450-9167.
Film Society News…
On October 7, join us for the first movie of the 2018/2019 season: Do the Right Thing. This movie brought Spike Lee to the forefront of American directors in 1989. The story of a dynamic Brooklyn neighborhood simmering with racial and ethnic tension, it raises issues as important today as they were 30 years ago.
Strong language throughout. Directed by Spike Lee, 1989, US, English, shown with English subtitles, 120 minutes.
Please purchase your season subscription, 5 movies for $20. Send a check, made out to Town of Washington Grove, to Birgit Henninger, P.O. 355. Or pay $7 at the door.
The Holiday Show Needs You!!
Come one, come all, to McCathran Hall! An introductory meeting for the 2018 Washington Grove Holiday Show will take place on Sunday, October 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. If you are interested in participating in any way — as an actor, singer, musician or dancer, as a stage hand, helping with lighting and other technical aspects, assisting with costumes, makeup, art work, sets please join us. If you want to take part in this creative adventure, come to the meeting – or let us know if you want to be involved but can’t make that meeting.
Our Holiday Show is always a group effort! As the outline develops, the need for actors, musicians and backstage talent will evolve. We need many people to make this wonderful tradition come alive. There’s always something for everyone who wants to be involved. No one will be turned away and we welcome adults and children — the more the merrier!
If you’re new to Town, this is a great way to get to know people. Whether you are new to Town or not, if you want to take part, please contact either Judy Mroczka ([email protected] or 301-785-3491) or Marilynn Frey ([email protected]or 301-351-4784).
Check back here next month for more information about this always popular show. Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Irish Ceili Dance
Friday, October 12, 2018 from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. in McCathran Hall.
BluestoberFest
The 10th Annual Washington Grove BluestoberFest is on for Saturday, October 13th, 6:00 – 10:00 PM. Please come out and enjoy a fun musical; gathering with family and friends as we celebrate the autumn season with acoustic sounds from ELEANOR ELLIS from 6-7pm and then enjoy the return of South Carolina-based musician/singer/songwriter and purveyor of “Lowcountry blues and original songs,” Charleston, SC’s own SHRIMP CITY SLIM from 7:30-10pm. This event will be held at the Gazebo (McCathran Hall if it rains). Sausages, hot dogs, potato salad and condiments provided. Please bring a side dish to share. BYOB!
For more information on this year’s amazing artists, please feel free to check out their websites:
Eleanor Ellis: www.eleanorellis.com
Shrimp City Slim: www.shrimpcityslim.com
FREE PiYo Class…Get Fit….Have Fun!
October 19th at 7pm in McCathran Hall, there will be a free sample PiYo class. PiYo is a fast-paced, low impact fitness class that combines practices of pilates and yoga to help build strength, improve flexibility, lose weight and have fun doing it. Come try it out and see if you would like to join on a more regular basis.
Halloween Party and Trick or Treat!
Let’s try something new this year! Trick or treating in Town will take place on October 31 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. A N D there will be a fire pit, s’mores and apple cider for kids and adults outside the Town Hall from 7-9:00 PM. We will also have music inside the Hall to let kids exchange candies and socialize. Please come celebrate Halloween with us!
Woman’s Club News…
Thanks for a successful fundraiser
Once again, Washington Grove has proved itself to be the Little Town with a Big Heart! Our September Pot Luck Supper and Auctions raised over $2,000 for a Field Trip Fund to ensure that the neediest children at Washington Grove Elementary can always take part in the school’s field trips. A heartfelt thanks to all who made this such a great success.
Please join us on October 18th for a very special talk about growing up in foster care…
Since so many of our Outreach Programs are to help children, at our October 18th meeting we have asked Kitty Vogan to talk to us about what it was like growing up in foster care. It should be a very moving evening, and we invite everyone to join us at the Clubhouse at 7:00 PM.
Our Ongoing Outreach programs…
As part of our ongoing Outreach programs, we have decided that, since the needs we support are ongoing, to help meet them we should make our projects ongoing also. We will be collecting items all year long for the Washington Grove Elementary School children’s Coats, Hats, Scarves and Other Winter Wear; school supplies such as paper, pencils, pens, glue sticks, etc. to fill the Teachers’ Closet at the Elementary School; New Underwear for the County’s needy boys and girls, toddlers to teens; Birthday Gifts and Treasure Chest Items to be distributed by Interfaith Works; and white socks for the Gude Men’s Shelter. Each month we will focus on one of the projects but collecting for all of them will go on all year.
This month, as winter nears, we are helping to fill the need for white socks for the men at the Gude Shelter. Homeless people say that if they had to choose between food or warm socks, they would choose socks, because they can find food, but cold feet in the winter are unbearable, and frost bite can become life threatening.
Donation drop-offs
For your convenience, donations for all our projects can be dropped off on Wendy Weisbard’s porch at 119 Grove, or in the bins on the Clubhouse porch. You bring them, and we’ll sort them! Donation checks are always appreciated, and they should be made out to the Woman’s Club of Washington Grove, with a notation telling us if it’s to support a specific project.
Washington Grove UMC News
While making your Trick or Treat rounds, be sure to stop by the table in front of the Church for donuts and hot cider!
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for our Annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, November 17, 2018, starting at 9:00 AM! Again this year, we will be featuring a wide selection of handcrafted Christmas items.
Our joyful Sunday family worship services are led by Pastor Andy Peck-McClain. Please join us at 11:00 AM, at the Washington Grove United Methodist Church, 303 Chestnut Road, Washington Grove, MD 20880 (301-947-0532).
Washington Grove Cares News…
Extra! Extra!
Jeff McCrehan will share stories from his time as a reporter, producer, and editorial writer for NPR and the Christian Science Monitor on Sunday, November 4, at 3:00 pm in McCathran Hall. Hear his take on the state of American journalism, and throw in your two cents. This is the first in a series of talks by town residents sponsored by Washington Grove Cares and the Woman’s Club. Come and get to know your neighbors better! Do you have an area of interest of expertise, professional, avocational, or idiosyncratic, to share?”
Bulk Trash Collection Scheduled
Mark your calendars! The Town has scheduled a bulk trash collection for October 20, 2018. Materials may include furniture, appliances (nothing with freon like air conditioning units), rugs, large toys, small auto parts, etc. Material may NOT include construction by-products from your renovation projects, large automotive parts or tires. Items should not contain gasoline or motor oil. Please keep your metal separate from the rest of your trash.