Town Council Notes
Next meeting: Monday, April 8, 7:30 p.m.,
McCathran Hall.
The public is invited to attend. March Council
actions included
· Confirmed Mayor’s appointment of Kathryn
Lehman to Town Clerk and appointment of
Mary Challstrom to Town Treasurer.
Review of the Residential Development Proposal for the Casey Industrial Zoned Property Delayed
The review schedule for the high density Special
Exception proposal for residential development on
the Casey industrial zoned property has been
postponed pending submission of a revised
application by KSI Services, Inc.. The new schedule
for submission and review agreed to by the
interested parties is:
May 1: KSI re- filing due.
May 21: Park & Planning staff reviews completed.
May 29: Park & Planning staff rec’s to Planning
Bd.
June 6: Planning Bd. Hearing & approval of
recommendation
to Appeals Board.
June 17 – June 21: Hearing on Special Exception
application
before Hearing Examiner.
Status of the Oxbridge Proposal for Residential Development Adjacent to The Town
As a consequence of the change in the KSI Special
Exception process, the Oxbridge proposal for the
Casey property was not presented to the Planning
Board in February. Following the designation of the
13-acre field as an Historic Resource II property by
the Planning Board, Oxbridge Development
reviewed a new development plan with Town
representatives which included about 10 acres of
the field remaining undeveloped, larger lots nearest
Town, and other changes. The plan can be viewed
at the Town Office. Negotiations among County
planners, Oxbridge, the Town and the Amity Drive
neighborhood continue to resolve important
questions such as the standard of roads, reservation
of land for future County connection to I370, and
alignment of lots along Washington Grove. The
Planning Board has not yet scheduled a date for
presentation.
“City, Town or Taxing Area” Washington Grove – 1612
A reminder to Washington Grove residents! Please
fill in Washington Grove -1612 in the appropriate
box on your State income tax form. If someone else
prepares your tax forms, include this notice with
your tax information and if you file electronically,
be sure to select Washington Grove under City,
Town or Taxing Area. This does not increase your
taxes, but does help ensure that the Town receives
its proper share of local income tax revenue.
Thanks for your help.
Historic Preservation Commission Meeting
Thursday, March 21, 7:30pm Council Room
Items to be discussed will include modifications to
the zoning ordinance regarding height limitations
and review of the current subdivision regulations.
There are bills pending in the MD State Senate and
in the MD House of Delegates that will modify the
Heritage Tax credits available to residents who
renovate structures in the Grove. The effect is not
entirely clear yet, but the effect of the House
version would reduce credits from 25% of
expenditures to 20%. These bills HB 759 and
SB 496 were worked on again March 13. To view
or download pending bills and analyses of the bills
one can link to the Maryland Legislative
Information System at https://www.mlis.state.md.us.
On March 30, 2002 the TWG Planning
Commission forwarded an application by Mr. G.
Silber to construct a shed on his property at 110
Ridge Road. The Historic Preservation Commission
will hold a public hearing on that application during
its regular meeting on April 18, 2002.
Planning Commission News
Next meeting will be Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 p.m.,
Town Hall Council Room. The public is invited.
Desperately Seeking…Lifeguards and Swimming Instructors!
Maple Lake is in need of a swimming instructor for
the month of July. We are also looking for 4
lifeguards for the entire summer session. Job offers
competitive salary and beautiful work environment.
Please call Sharon Hurst at 301-948-2424.
Annual Egg Hunt Saturday, March 23, 10:30 am
All Grove Kids: Bring your baskets and join the
bunny at the Gazebo (McCathran Hall if rain) for
the Annual Egg Hunt. Fun and refreshments will
follow at McCathran Hall. Sponsored by the
Woman’s Club of Washington Grove. Questions?
Call Lawren Selby at 301-963-7073. More helpers
are welcome for this fun activity. If you would like
to help, please call Lawren
Two Bulk Trash Pickups Planned For Spring
Saturday, March 30 Saturday, April 27
Collection may include furniture, appliances (but
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 placed curbside.
Spring Leaf Collection
U. S. Lawns will make a service visit during the last
week of March with pickup completed by April 1,
weather permitting. Please don’t include brush or
limbs in the windrows that could foul the vacuum.
Rake or blow leaves into windrows within six feet
of any walkway or roadway, excluding Railroad
Street, 2nd Avenue, 3rd Avenue, 4th Avenue, 5th
Avenue and Boundary Street. Large piles
appreciated!
A Warm Welcome To Kathy Lehman, Washington Grove’s New Town Clerk!
Kathy Lehman, known by many in Town and
appreciated for her wonderful direction of the
Grove Singers, has been appointed Washington
Grove’s new Town Clerk by the Mayor and
Council. Kathy has energetically started the
formidable task of familiarizing herself with her
myriad duties and responsibilities. She is especially
excited about interacting with Town residents and
brings a real can-do positive outlook to the task of
providing the essential services the Town depends
upon to function. The Mayor and Town Council
warmly and enthusiastically welcome her to the
Clerk’s office! We hope Town residents will drop in
as appropriate to introduce themselves and offer
Kathy their own welcome and wishes for
satisfaction in her new and important role as Town
Clerk.
REMINDER–Mousetrap Concert
Sunday, April 14 3:00$nbsp;pm
JULIETTE KANG, violin and THOMAS
KRAINES, cello
music of Milhaud, Rodrigo, Kraines, Kodaly
For Mousetrap ticket information, call 301-926-
2858 or 301-926-6347
Yoga Classes Resume
Yoga classes will resume in McCathran Hall on
Wednesday evenings beginning March 6 from 7:00
to 8:30 p.m. Classes are led by Integral Yoga
instructor Terry Strother. Bring a mat and towel or
blanket and $10 in cash or check made out to Town
of Washington Grove. A great way to relax your
body and center your spirit!
Canine Good Citizen Class
We still need 2 – 3 more students to round out the
Canine Good Citizen class. If you are interested,
please contact Nancy Liptak at 301-869-7983
(evenings), or email: [email protected] Let her
know your preference for class night, plus a bit
about your dog.
Vandalism . . . McCathran Hall Furnace
Please talk to your children about this one! A
“bottle rocket” was thrown down a pipe that leads
to the gas furnace in McCathran Hall. The
explosive blew a hole in the pipe and caused a gas
leak in The Hall. The consequences of this “prank”
could have been a lot more than the money it cost to
fix the furnace. If you see kids on the roof of
McCathran Hall, please call Trish Knox or the
Mayor.
Second Printing, Places from the Past
Clare Cavicchi’s book on historic sites in
Montgomery County is available for $35.00. Call
Clare at 301-869-1827.
Old Street Signs Available
As you know the Town has been replacing its old
street signs. These old signs are being offered to
residents free of charge but only if you respond by
April 5th. Anyone interested should notify Jim
Fletcher at the maintenance office 301-963-5850.
Please make arrangements with Jim to pick up the
signs.
Dolls and Doll Houses
Woman’s Club Meeting, Clubhouse
Thursday, March 21 7:30 pm.
Former Grove resident and club member Sue
Grabill Morse will discuss and show doll houses.
We hope that others who have beautiful dollhouses
will bring them to show as well.
Forestry Committee News
The next Forestry Committee meeting will be
Wednesday, April 3 in the McCathran Hall Council
Room.
Don’t Forget! Arbor Day in Washington Grove
Saturday, April 20
Mark your calendar! Tod Erickson of the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources will make the
Tree City U.S.A. award in person at the Arbor Day
ceremony. Other activities will include planting
around McCathran Hall, and plantings along
Washington Grove Lane. Kid’s activities will also
be offered.
Voter Registration
To vote in Town elections, you must currently be
registered to vote with Montgomery County at an
address in Washington Grove. To verify your
registration with the County, please call County
Voter Registration Information at 240-777-8683. If
you need to register, please call soon so you will be
eligible to vote at Town elections and at Town
Meeting on Saturday, June 8.
Town Elections
Persons may be nominated for elective office in the
Town by filing a certificate of nomination on or
before the second Monday in April (April 8) with
the chairman of the Supervisors of Elections, Mary
Kay DuBois, 119 Maple Avenue, 301-926-8941.
The certificate of nomination must be in writing and
signed by at least two qualified voters of the Town.
No person may file for nomination to more than one
elective Town public office. All nominees must be
qualified voters of the Town. Councilors must have
resided in the Town for at least one year
immediately preceding the election. The Mayor
must have resided in the Town for at least two years
immediately preceding the election. The following
terms expire in June:
Mayor — 1-year term, Town Councilor — 3-year
term, Town Councilor — 3-year term.
Washington Grove Film Society
Presents
Sunday, April 7, McCathran Hall, 7:00 p.m.
FREE!
Death on the Nile with Peter Ustinov, Bette
Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven and more. Hercule
Poirot has a set of murder suspects on a boat in the
Nile after a rich heiress is killed. Can he find the
culprit before they reach port?
Summer in the Parks 2002
The Town’s summer program for children ages 4-11
will begin July 1 and run through July 26. This
relaxed program of creative projects, sports, nature
activities, and fun at the lake meets at McCathran
Hall. The program runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday with the exception of the
final Friday when the program does not meet during
the day but gathers for a potluck dinner and
overnight campout. Enrollment forms will be in the
April Bulletin.
This year the registration fee will be $100 per
child. There has been a change in the fees to allow
us to go forward and hire three teachers and three
paid aides this year. Over the last few years more
children have entered the program than have
“graduated”. To enable us to maintain this creative
and fun program whilst maintaining a safe and
enriching environment we needed to enhance the
number of teaching staff.
Another change is no snack sign up sheet this
year. This year the SITP team will purchase and
prepare the snacks for the month and supply any
necessary paper products. Thus taking the burden
off any one parent supplying the snack for 50
children!! A snack will be provided each day for
each child. We also anticipate there will be some
changes to lake days. We will still go to the lake but
in smaller groups and we will still need many
parent volunteers to come too.
As usual the program looks forward to the help
and support of the many parent volunteers. The
program is open to ideas and suggestions for
activities from any member of the community. If
you or someone you know has an interest or
expertise to share let us know. For questions or
ideas call Missy 301-947-4149 or Terry 240-631-
2759.
Hazardous Materials Disposal
Sunday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the
Shady Grove Transfer Station
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. Please allow at
least 10 days for review by the Commission. Call
John McClelland at 301-963-3328 if you have
questions about zoning code requirements. Interior
renovations, which involve electrical, plumbing, or
load-bearing changes, generally require a County
permit. The Town must first sign off all
applications for County-required building permits.
Building Permit Issued
McConnell, 10 Maple Avenue, shed and fences.
Please Stop at Stop Signs
Stop signs are for Town residents too!!
Website Volunteers Welcome
The Grove website is expanding! Helpers with
HTML coding knowledge will be appreciated.
Please call Diana Talbert 301-926-5283.
Please Don’t Let Your Dog Run At Large
Public Safety Councilor Tricia Knox has received
several reports from people who have felt
threatened by dogs running at large. Town
Ordinance states “it shall be unlawful for any owner
to permit his/her dog to run at large. A dog shall be
deemed to be at large if off the premises of its
owner and not under the immediate control of a
responsible person.” The definition of immediate
control should include having the dog under voice
command and within the person’s sight.
Speaking of Dogs . . .
If your dog soils the walkway or another residents
yard, please pick it up or be cited by the poop
police.
Turn on your VCR’s
Mayor John Compton was interviewed for the
MMC Channel 16 program,”Issues”. The program
will air the week of March 21 – March 24 at the
following times. Thursday 7pm; Friday 9:30pm;
Saturday 12:30pm, 4:30pm &9:30pm; Sunday
12:30pm & 4:30pm.
IMPORTANT! What a New Town Clerk Means to Residents of Washington Grove
To enable Kathy Lehman to effectively fill the
Clerk’s position, the Town Council has accepted the
need for a few changes to make her transition
easier. Everyone is probably aware that
management of Town operations has become more
complex and time-intensive than in former days. To
facilitate the performance of the Clerk’s operational
duties, and to maintain our ability to respond to the
various needs of Town residents, the Town Council
is implementing some adjustments as follows.
· Council members will be the first contact
for questions and requests from Town
residents in their areas of responsibility. See
contacts page.
· Where appropriate, the Clerk will direct
inquiries to the Mayor, Planning
Commission or Historic Preservation
Commission chairperson, but in general will
not serve as an intermediary in most matters.
· The Town Office will still remain closed on
Wednesday mornings to provide the Town
Clerk a period without distraction. This may
increase to 2 mornings if necessary.
Washington Grove Singers
Rehearsals for the Washington Grove Singers will
begin on Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 pm. Come one,
come all to rehearsals in McCathran Hall! For more
information call Kathy Lehman at the Town office
301-926-2256 or at 301-926-1253 Or use email:
[email protected].
Accompanist needed.Spread the word.
Plant Auction with Joan O’Rourke
Thursday, April 18, 7:30 p.m., Woman’s
Clubhouse
You may remember Joan’s expertise – she is a
Master! Start thinking of which plants, seeds or
cuttings you might have available including
anything associated with the fine art of gardens (e.g.
pots, vases) that you would like to share at auction.
Think of questions or issues you might like to
discuss. Don’t hesitate to make suggestions to
friends. Does anyone have Heleborus to spare?
Bring it all!
Woman’s Club Yard Sale–Spring Cleaning??
The annual yard sale to benefit the Woman’s Club
will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2002. Please
contact Mary Kay Dubois at 301-926-8941 or Kitty
Vogan at 301-840-9416 if you have items for the
sale. No clothing, please!
Memorials Committee Formed
Volunteers needed to he lp review and evaluate
proposed memorials for placement within the
Town.
Bob Brown’s Puppets
Sunday, April 7, 3:00 p.m., McCathran Hall
This children’s puppet show is appropriate for all
ages and will last about one hour. A hands-on
demonstration will follow the show.
Rent the Woman’s Club House!
Planning a surprise birthday bash, family reunion,
graduation gala, wedding reception, planning
session or business meeting? Consider the charming
wooded setting, spacious main room, screened
porch, kitchen and restroom facilities of the
Woman’s Club House. For information or
reservations call Kitty Vogan at 301-840-9416.
Heat and air conditioning!!
Calendar
MARCH 2002
Mar 21: Historic Preservation Commission, Council Room, 7:30 p.m.
Mar 21: Dolls and Doll Houses Woman’s Club, 7:30 p.m.
Mar 21 – 24: Mayor on TV
Mar 23: Egg Hunt
Mar 30: Special Trash Collection
APRIL 2002
April 2: Planning Commission Council Room, 7:30 p.m.
April 2: WG Singers Rehearsal McCathran Hall, 7:30 p.m.
April 3: Yoga, McCathran Hall, 7:00 p.m.
April 3: Forestry Committee Council Room, 7:30 p.m.
April 6: Historic Preservation Commission Work Session Town Hall, 9 – 11 a.m.
April 7: Death on the Nile Town Hall, 7:00 p.m.
April 7: Bob Brown’s Puppets McCathran Hall, 3:00 p.m.
April 8: Elections Nominations Deadline
April 8: Town Bulletin Deadline
April 8: Town Council Council Room, 7:30 p.m.
April 9: WG Singers Rehearsal McCathran Hall, 7:30 p.m.
April 10: Yoga, McCathran Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Apr 14: Mousetrap Concert McCathran Hall, 3:00 p.m.
Apr 14: Hazardous Materials Disposal 10:00 – 2:00
April 16: WG Singers Rehearsal McCathran Hall, 7:30 p.m.
April 17: Yoga, McCathran Hall, 7:00 p.m.
April 18: Historic Preservation Commission Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.
April 18: Plant Auction Woman’s Club, 7:30 p.m.
Apr 20: Arbor Day Celebration
April 23: WG Singers Rehearsal McCathran Hall, 7:30 p.m.
April 24: Yoga, McCathran Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Apr 27: Special Trash Collection
April 30: WG Singers Rehearsal McCathran Hall, 7:30 p.m.
JUNE 2002
June 1: Yard Sale Woman’s Club
June 8: Town Meeting and Elections