Montgomery County is hosting its first Open Data Town Hall on Thursday, November 21, offering residents an opportunity to speak up about the kinds of data they would like to access online. The meeting will be held from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Bethesda/Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, located at 4805 Edgemoor La., Bethesda.
Following a presentation to introduce open data and familiarize the audience with datamontgomery, Town Hall participants will be able to move around the room to individual data theme tables to discuss their thoughts and suggestions in smaller groups with facilitators. The facilitators will compile information during the Town Hall and report back to the group at the end of the evening. The reports will also be posted on the Innovation Program website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/innovate.
The expanding datasets are part of Montgomery County’s digital government strategy (pdf) and its open government website, both launched last December.
November 18, 2013
Volunteering: Always in Season
Learn more about this and other volunteer opportunities in the Volunteer Center’s newsletter or visit their website.
Free Bike Registration for Riders Parking at Metro Facilities
Metro Transit Police offer a free online registration service for bike riders who park their bikes at Metro facilities. Providing the make, model, serial number, color and frame size of the bike will assist Transit Police in identifying and recovering a bicycle if it is stolen or lost.
Police urge riders to practice basic security measures, such as locking their bike to an authorized rack (not a sign post or fence), keeping a copy of the bike’s serial number on hand, and hiding a business or index card with the owner’s name and phone number inside the bike frame.
Police urge riders to practice basic security measures, such as locking their bike to an authorized rack (not a sign post or fence), keeping a copy of the bike’s serial number on hand, and hiding a business or index card with the owner’s name and phone number inside the bike frame.
Public Forums on MCPS Proposal to Change Starting, Ending Times at Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is offering the community multiple opportunities over the coming months to provide feedback on proposed changes to school starting and ending times, also known as bell times.
Upcoming public forums will give residents an opportunity to ask questions and share feedback on Superintendent Joshua P. Starr’s recommendation that MCPS consider moving high school start times 50 minutes later (from 7:25 to 8:15 a.m.); moving middle school start times 10 minutes earlier (from 7:55 to 7:45 a.m.); and keeping elementary school start times at the current 8:50 and 9:15 a.m.), but extending the school day by 30 minutes.
The following community forums will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Monday, December 16: Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Dr., Rockville;
- Monday, January 6: Seneca Valley High School, 19401 Crystal Rock Dr., Germantown; and
- Monday, February 10: Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd., East, Silver Spring.
For more information, visit the Bell Times website.
Gaithersburg Library to Re-open January 4
The newly renovated Gaithersburg Library will celebrate its Grand Re-opening on Saturday, January 4, beginning at 9:30 a.m., with the ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. County Executive Ike Leggett and other elected officials will join Montgomery County Public Libraries and Department of General Services representatives, and local residents to mark the re-opening of the library located at 18330 Montgomery Village Ave.
Special programs, presented by the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, Inc. and the Friends of the Library, Gaithersburg Chapter will be held throughout the day. There also will be entertainment, refreshments and tours of the building.
Updated announcements about the re-opening activities will be posted on the Gaithersburg Library page as the day draws closer.
Local Veterans Day Message Part of New York City Parade
A 60-second taped Veterans Day Greeting from Montgomery County’s Commission on Veterans Affairs and County Executive Ike Leggett was aired during the New York City Veterans Day Parade on November 11, along with greetings from other jurisdictions across the country. Commissioners participating were (left to right): Bill Gray, Mike Subin, Wayne Miller, Kris Kumaroo, Randy Stone and Jerry Godwin.
County-based Business Recognized by Inc. Magazine Among Top Job Creators in Private Sector
DMI, a leading provider of mobile enterprise and big data solutions and services headquartered in Bethesda, generated 1,009 new jobs from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, placing it among the top nine private business job creators in the United States and the number one private job creator in Maryland.
This growth earned it Inc. Magazine's Hire Power Award, recognizing private businesses that have created the most jobs in the past 18 months. DMI was also ranked first nationally for job creation among IT services companies.
Read more about the recognition from the heraldonline.com piece.
This growth earned it Inc. Magazine's Hire Power Award, recognizing private businesses that have created the most jobs in the past 18 months. DMI was also ranked first nationally for job creation among IT services companies.
Read more about the recognition from the heraldonline.com piece.
October 31, 2013
The Capacity Crisis in Our Schools: Leggett, Council, Schools, County Delegation to Seek Additional Construction Funds
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| To address double-digit school enrollment, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett today joined County, school and State officials in urging the State to jumpstart a public school building program to increase capacity. Pictured (from left to right) are Delegate Sam Arora, County Councilmember George Leventhal, Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, Delegate Sheila Hixson, Council Vice President Craig Rice, Delegate Charles Barkley, Councilmember Roger Berliner (partially obscured), Leggett, Councilmember Valerie Ervin and Council President Nancy Navarro. See Press Release and Remarks of Janette Gilman, President, Montgomery County Council of PTAs. |
County Executive Ike Leggett joined County, school and State officials in urging the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly to support legislation -- similar to a bill passed last year for the Baltimore City Public Schools -- that would benefit Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The legislation would jumpstart a public school building program to increase capacity and modernize facilities in response to MCPS’ double-digit enrollment surge that is expected to continue unabated into the future.
As Baltimore City did, the County would seek $20 million from the State of Maryland to leverage a $40 million investment by the County. The funds provided in the legislation would supplement the County’s share of new state authorizations for school construction, which has historically been only 11 to 12 percent. The $60 million revenue stream would support a bond issuance of about $750 million, which would fund construction projects over the next five years. The funding would provide for construction of 56 projects to add capacity at severely impacted schools.
From 2000-2012, MCPS grew by 14,599 students -- more than the growth of Anne Arundel, Howard, Frederick and Baltimore counties COMBINED over the same period. The County’s unprecedented increase in enrollment is the highest in the State and nearly half of MCPS schools are projected to have seat deficits by the 2018-2019 school year.
Read more.
County Maintains Coveted Triple-A Bond Rating
The three agencies affirmed the “AAA” rating – the highest achievable -- for the County. and termed the outlook for Montgomery County as “stable.”
The Triple-A bond rating enables Montgomery County to sell long-term bonds at the most favorable rates, saving County taxpayers millions of dollars over the life of the bonds. The rating also serves as a benchmark for numerous other financial transactions, ensuring the lowest possible costs in those areas as well.
Read more.
See The Washington Post report.
New Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operations Center Opens
County Executive Ike Leggett joined local transportation and transit officials to mark the opening of the new David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operations Center (EMTOC) in Rockville.
The EMTOC is named for the late David F. Bone, Ride On’s senior planner from its creation in 1973 until 2000. He was the chief architect of Ride On’s service philosophy, route design and structure, creating the concept of Ride On as a neighborhood feeder system to Metrorail and Metrobus. Bone’s widow and two daughters were also present to help open the building.
This is another of the Executive’s Smart Growth Initiative (SGI) projects that is revitalizing an old industrial area by creating an urban village near the Shady Grove Metro station. Leggett’s SGI is a cost-neutral strategy that will provide substantial economic opportunities for future growth while implementing the goals of the Shady Grove Sector Plan.
The collection of 12 buildings serves the Department of Transportation’s divisions of Transit Services and Highway Services and the Department of General Services’ Division of Fleet Management. The onsite facilities include administrative buildings; parking for 200 buses; bus service lanes; bus wash facility; fare collection area; bus service maintenance bays; parts room; heavy equipment storage shed; soil/gravel storage area; salt barn; Highway Services bays; compressed natural gas fast-fill, gasoline and diesel fueling stations; and employee and visitor parking.
The Shady Grove Sector Plan, approved by the County Council in 2005, calls for transitioning the area around the Shady Grove Metro station from light industrial uses to transit-oriented development, including affordable and workforce housing.
To accomplish this goal, the County Service Park facilities, which are located in the heart of the planning area along Crabbs Branch Way, must be relocated. The facilities being moved include the former Equipment and Maintenance Operations Center, which contains the Highway Maintenance Depot; the Department of Liquor Control Headquarters and Warehouse; Montgomery County Public Schools Food Distribution Center, Bus Depot and Facilities Maintenance Depot; County Radio Shop; and Park and Planning Facilities Maintenance Depot.
The departments of Police and Fire and Rescue and the Office of Homeland Security have already moved to the Public Safety Headquarters building, which is also home to the divisions of Highway Services and Traffic Engineering in the Department of Transportation.
Read more in the news release.
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