TC REPORTS – February 2017

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION – Georgette Cole

Review Session: #15 The Circle (Bittersweet Cottage): Taunton Paine arranged a slide presentation showing plans for modification and repair to the property. Taunton’s contractor, David Weimer, was available to answer any questions regarding the proposed project. Part 1 of the slide show consisted of a “walk through” – including exterior photographs of the front, middle extension, side extension and rear; as well as several interior photographs of the kitchen and family room areas; Part 2 of the slide show consisted of redlined photographs showing rough plans for the areas in need of repair and demolition. Mimi will prepare an early consultation review and it was suggested that Taunton contact Peter Nagrod (PC Chair) to get an overview of the process involving building and demolition permits that will be required for this project.
Taunton was also made aware that the front porch of his property encroaches onto Town land and the Commission discussed the permanent easement application process with him. This item will be added to a future agenda so the HPC can begin to prepare documentation on the historic integrity features description of the property. Taunton stated that he hopes to have the house ready to go on the market sometime in mid-2017, so, it would be beneficial to have the permanent easement resolved by then.

Old Business: Bud & Carolyn O’Connor were present to discuss their concerns and displeasure with Exhibit C to the Deed of Easement for 409 5th Avenue. They believe the scope greatly exceeds what is necessary and they are very uncomfortable with the language that currently exists in the document. Acting Chairman David Stopak explained that since the Town Council approved the Easement Resolution on November 14, 2016 the HPC could not make changes in the existing document unless the entire easement process was started over from the beginning.

Design Guidelines Working Group Report: Wendy met with Pat and Mimi on January 16th to review and discuss design guidelines for other historic districts and communities. The group’s goal is to update and refine the scope of the existing guidelines and focus on specific house design elements. Proposed additions to the guidelines include:
A map of the entire Washington Grove historic district in order to show the distribution of resources.
Illustrations of the various house design elements that are described in the guidelines.
A new section of the design guidelines devoted to open spaces and streetscapes.
The work group intends to meet once a month to pursue these issues.

Vacant Properties: Vacant Houses was removed from the Joint Meeting Agenda on January 31 because the task force has not yet submitted their findings.

New Business: The Town Council liaison spoke about the possible zoning violations on Oakmont Avenue and asked if the HPC wished to take a formal stand on the matter. The HPC members discussed the location of the violation and concluded it was not within the purview of the Commission.

PLAYGROUNDS – Georgette Cole

Nothing to report.

WASHINGTON GROVE MEADOW CONSERVATION PARK – Georgette Cole

The MNCPPC Parks Department has planted a total of 29 new trees in the Meadow. There are nine American Hornbeam trees along the Ridge Road tree line between #112 and #118. There is a cluster of ten trees on the north and ten trees on the south side of the transverse path on the eastern tree line side of the meadow. These twenty trees are a mixture of pin oak (Quercus palustris), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tuipifera), Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus), Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa), and redbud (Cercis canadensis). These are species native to the Piedmont and will be large trees when they attain full growth, with the exception of the redbud which will be smaller.

SHADY GROVE CROSSING – Georgette Cole

It has been slightly over a year since the last Shady Grove Crossing house was sold by Toll Brothers. They have applied to the town for release of the well bond which was held in escrow against possible well failure along lower Ridge Road. I have emailed these residents to let them know the one year period has ended and ask if anyone has documents showing well failure. If no information is received by February 13 the Town will proceed with returning the bond to Toll Brothers.

MAPLE LAKE – Patrice Klein

The Lake Committee is on winter break. Next meeting will be Thursday, March 16th at 7:30 PM.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS– Patrice Klein

EPC held its monthly meeting on January 19, 2017. Regularly scheduled meeting dates will be monthly on the fourth Thursday. One committee member will be the AED coordinator and has registered the Town Hall AED unit. The AED metal cabinet was ordered by the Town Treasurer and has been delivered. Installation of the device and cabinet is pending to be placed on the wall between bathrooms in the Town Council room hallway. Another committee member is exploring availability of CPR/AED awareness training and certification training classes for Town residents and staff, respectively.

Recent town vandalism encouraged discussion on reactivating Neighborhood Watch (NW). The previous NW coordinator agreed to help the Committee to review the previous list and distribution of block captains. The Committee also will identify the current MC police liaison officer to establish direct contact on NW issues and report back at the next meeting. Mark Frederiksen offered to assist the Committee and Town Maintenance Supervisor on the purchase and installation site of the emergency back-up generator for the Town Hall. Approval by the Maryland Historic Trust is necessary because of the historic easement.

Final arrangements were made for a presentation to Town residents by Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (MCOEMHS) Outreach Coordinator, Joe Corona, which was held on January 28, 2017 in McCathran Hall. MC Fire Captain DeMent also presented emergency preparedness information at this meeting. Approximately 30 people attended.

The Committee will be requesting a dedicated space in the Town Bulletin for monthly notices.

Further discussion on working through the Emergency Preparedness Task Force recommendations will occur at the next meeting scheduled on February 9, 2017.

FORESTRY & BEAUTIFICATION – Audrey Maskery

Nothing to report.

MAINTENANCE – Audrey Maskery

• Removed Christmas tree and decorations from Town Hall, collected Christmas trees throughout Town and took to dump.
• Cleaned vandalized bench and rock in Morgan Park.
• Installed power flush kit in woman’s bathroom; purchased and installed motion switch on lift light in Town Hall.
• Purchased sand for roads; put plow and sander on truck ready for use if needed.
• Removed broken benches and started repairing concrete portion of the bench.
• Worked in playground: placed drainage fabric; wood chips; and installed two new pieces of equipment. Continued working on drainage around play equipment.
• Removed debris out of ditch at lake, fencing moved due to erosion; dug new post holes and poured concrete. Fencing to be hung when concrete ‘sets up’.

MEMORIALS – Audrey Maskery

Nothing to report.

PLANNING COMMISSION – John McClelland

Building Permit Applications:

• 118 Grove Ave – Fence approved
• 114 Ridge Rd Addition – Meets Town ordinance but needs HPC review
• 201 Brown St – Fence was previously denied due to lack of boundary survey and height. PC Chair and Mayor to contact property owner to have noncompliant fence removed.

Commercial Corner: Aaron Pollard of the Highway Christian Church delivered a letter requesting to schedule a BZA hearing. Lease/occupancy is expected in next few months contingent upon results of the BZA hearing.

Easements: HPC reports for all encroaching properties are encouraged – especially after the Town’s legal counsel advised of Town liability exposures.

National Flood Insurance Program Representative: Charlie Challstrom has agreed to continue in this capacity.

House Files: 92 properties completed.

Master Plan and Ordinances:
Current “single family” zoning to be examined due to a number of purported two family residences.
The Mayor will contact the owner of 304 Chestnut Ave for violation of the single family dwelling structure ordinance. (Brought to the attention of the Town by a craigslist advertisement promoting the rental of two basement apartments apparently built in the basement of the home).
Consideration of incorporating “fences” into Article VII Section 5.3 Non Complying Buildings
Oakmont Ave: Montgomery County zoning being investigated for legality of truck parking and auto sales/storage. A complaint from the Town was requested to be filed with MoCo.

MCCATHRAN HALL – John McClelland

Nothing to report.

WOODS COMMITTEE – Greg Silber

The Committee made a presentation on Committee activities including a proposed deer fence exclosure in the East Woods to the 30 January joint meeting of the Council/Historic Preservation Commission/Planning Commission. The goal was to solicit views and feedback from members of these groups. A related presentation on the proposed exclosure and non-native plant control in the East Woods will be given at an informational Town meeting on Monday evening 27 February. This is to inform residents of activities in the woods and to get feedback on these actions. Representatives from IPC will attend.

At its last meeting, the Committee discussed, among other things, review and update of Committee information and activities on the Town web site; the Committee’s presentation at the upcoming Town informational meeting; considerations for the Committee’s 2018 budget request; and status of the East Woods border survey. The Committee also interviewed USDA biologist Kurt Vercauteren about his studies of white-tailed deer and the make-up of deer exclusion fencing, as a compliment to advice provided by previously consulted experts on these and related topics.

The Committee will meet again on Monday, 6 March, 7:30 p.m.

CONTRACTS – Greg Silber

At its December meeting the Council selected Snider & Associates for a contract to survey and mark the eastern boundary of the East Woods and associated areas. The work is expected to start soon and should be completed by May.

The Council accepted a bid, and has entered into a contract, with Invasive Plant Control, Inc (IPC) to address non-native vegetation (e.g., wisteria, stilt grass) in the East Woods. This work is expected to begin this spring.

Collection of recyclable yard waste by Potomac Disposal ended on the 29th of December. The collection of bulk leaves by GreenEarth ended early January.

RECREATION – Shelley Winkler

The Contra Dance held on February 4 attracted a nice sized crowd of dancers, and beginning dancers. People also came just to watch and listen to the music. We hired a caller and 2 musicians, and during the night more and more musicians came to play with the band, resulting in a community gathering of both music and dance.
Exercise classes in the Hall resume in February until mid-May.

A Ceili dance is scheduled for March 10. The Recreation Committee is working on ideas for a children’s program in the spring.

ROADS & WALKWAYS – Shelley Winkler

The RFP for spring road repairs is being distributed for review, focusing on the part of Brown Street from Ridge Road to just before Maple Road (including repair of a soft spot in that area), and on a part of Center Street between Grove Road and McCathran Hall (where the Grove Avenue walkway crosses Center Street). The RFP is in a new form, updated by the Town’s lawyer.

We received an inquiry into the re-sodded portion of Oak Street between Maple Road and Cherry Avenue. The area is cordoned off to pedestrian traffic until spring, so that the sod has time to set in the underlying soil. This is part of a larger effort to manage water flow and drainage.

WEBSITE – Shelley Winkler

Councilmembers, please continue to review, or ask commissions/committees you work with to review, portions of the website relating to your areas and send to me any items that need correction or changes. Many of the pages could use new or more complete information from each group. Thanks in advance for taking this request back to any committee or commission meetings you attend.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL – Joli A. McCathran

The Maryland Mayor’s Conference was held in Annapolis and I attended. Guest speakers included Christopher Shank, Chief Legislative Officer, Office of the Governor, Hon. Ben Grumbles, Secretary, Department of the Environment, Hon. Rona Kraemer, Secretary, Department of Aging, and Hon. Peter Franchot, Comptroller. The day ended with a reception at the Governor’s House.

The second day, presentations were given by Hon. David Brinkley, Secretary, Department of Budget & Management and Gregory Slater, Deputy Administrator & Chief Engineer, State Highway Administration. Then we visited local legislators to lobby for support of the Maryland Municipal League’s Legislative Priorities. Four mayors from Montgomery County presented the information before the Montgomery County Delegation Meeting.

Thanks to friends David and Sandra Drew for offering their home to me during this event.