Council Hosts Public Hearing on Wheaton Redevelopment

The Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, on Expedited Bill 33-14 that will help the Wheaton Redevelopment Program move ahead. The program would authorize the planning, design and construction of the planned office building, public parking garage and a town square on the site of Parking Lot 13 and the Mid-County Regional Services Center in the Kensington-Wheaton Policy Area (Project No. 150401).

The hearing will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville.

Sign up to testify by calling 240-777-7803. To obtain copies of the bill, call 240-777-7910 or go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council

The hearing will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM -- Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and can be viewed via streaming through the County website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council.

Public Paper Shredding/Recycling Event at Montgomery College Rockville June 21

Residents can shred and recycle personal confidential papers free of charge at the NBC4-Allstate Community Shred event scheduled for Saturday, June 21 from 8 to 11 a.m. at Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus. The event will be held – rain or shine -- in Parking Lot #13 at the intersection of Route 355 (Hungerford Dr.) and Mannakee St. Cars must be in line by 11 a.m.

Residents may bring up to five cardboard boxes and/or paper bags of personal papers for shredding. All paper will be shredded on-site. In the interest of safety and traffic flow, residents must remain in their vehicles at all times and will not be able to observe their papers being shredded.

See the flyer (pdf) for details about what can and cannot be brought for shredding

County Files Brief against Pepco’s Latest Rate Increase Request

Montgomery County has filed its initial brief with the Maryland Public Service Commission in Case No. 9336, in opposition to Pepco’s most recent rate increase request.

The utility has requested a distribution rate increase of $37.4 million, an approximately 2.8% increase for the typical residential customer total bill. The County has concluded that Pepco has a revenue surplus, or excess earnings, and that the rates should be reduced by $1.5 million.

Pepco has also requested an increase in their Rate of Return to 7.92%. The County supports a 7.31% Rate of Return.

Due in part to past aggressive County opposition, $50 million in PEPCO increase requests were rejected by the Maryland Public Service Commission in 2013.

See a copy of the County’s brief.

Heritage Days Weekend 2014: Bigger than Ever and Still Free

Local history and culture, outdoor recreation, family activities, music, food … and fun for every age are all a part of the 17th Annual Heritage Days to be held June 28 and 29 at 40 sites around Montgomery County, from noon to 4 p.m.each day.

Programs and activities with appeal to visitors of all ages will include distinctive musical performances; re-enactments; games, crafts and other activities for children; refreshments; and history. The event is sponsored by the Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County (Heritage Montgomery).

Get details on Heritage Days Weekend online or call 301-515-0753.

Board of Public Works Funds Five More Down County Bikeshare Stations

The State Board of Public Works (BPW) recently approved $250,000 to purchase and construct five new Capital Bikeshare Down County stations to augment the County’s existing 49-station system.

Two more stations will be added upon arrival of the additional station equipment. The five new stations are expected to be installed in spring 2016. The County will fund the bikes and operating expenses.

Usage of the County’s Bikeshare program nearly doubled from 1,630 in March to 3,182 in April, an increase of 95 percent. The total number of trips since the program began, in September 2013, through April 2014 is 11,533.

Get more information about Capital Bikeshare.

Read more about the BPW funding.

Sports Study Shows Total Gross Impact for Soccer Tournaments at SoccerPlex $20 Million+

A study was commissioned in 2012 by the Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Montgomery County, MD Inc. and the Maryland SoccerPlex to measure the economic activity associated with the SoccerPlex, specifically the 12 major tournaments held annually.

Surveys were conducted at three tournaments at the Maryland SoccerPlex between July and December, 2012. Objectives were to estimate the annual economic contribution of visitors at all 12 major tournaments  to determine the characteristics of visitors.

Highlights from the survey include:

• Tournament visitors spent close to $13.9 million dollars while in the Montgomery County area on food, lodging, entertainment, local transportation and retail purchases. Tournament organizers spent another $1,476,372 locally. 
• When considering the multiplier effect, the total gross economic impact of the 12 tournaments alone is $20,396,736. Adding in the facility’s annual operating expenses of $4.5 million, the overall impact is $24,896,736. 

The Sports Economic Impact Study was conducted by researchers at George Washington University.

Nominations Open for Human Rights Hall of Fame

The Office of Human Rights (OHR) is accepting nominations for its Eighth Human Rights Hall of Fame. Individuals – either living or deceased – whose ongoing work, service and contributions have positively impacted human and civil rights in the county may be nominated. See a list of previous inductees.

The deadline for nominations is August 22. Nomination forms are available online, or by calling the Office of Human Rights at 240-777-8456. .

A select number of nominees will be recommended for the Hall of Fame by a panel of community judges. The induction ceremony is planned for Sunday, October 12 at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown.

Local Biotech Company Receives $1 Million Investment from State Program

Cellphire, a Rockville biotechnology company, has received a $1 million investment through the State’s InvestMaryland program, according to an announcement by Governor Martin O’Malley and The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

The company is developing stabilized cellular products, including freeze-dried platelets that can be stored for years, for use in a range of advanced therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

Last year, Cellphire received a contract worth up to $57 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research Defense Authority, a division of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The funding will be used to continue development of the company’s freeze-dried platelet product, Thrombosomes, and move it closer to winning Food and Drug Administration approval.

Read more about Cellphire and the investment program.

Three County Employers Honored for Hiring Older Workers

Three County employers were honored recently as the first recipients of the Experience Counts Awards for engaging innovative strategies to employ capable and talented older workers.

The National Institutes of Health, Sandy Spring Bank and Adventist HealthCare received the awards presented by Montgomery County, the Jewish Council for the Aging and the Workforce Investment Board at the 50+ Employment Expo held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

The trio was recognized for strategies such as flexible/alternative work options; employee assistance programs that include elder care referrals; seminars and lectures that presented intergenerational differences; and using training formats that accommodate learning styles of older workers.

The annual free expo allowed the nearly 3,100 attendees over age 50 to meet with employers and attend seminars, get resume reviews, and go to an Internet Café where job seekers received help in searching the Internet, creating LinkedIn profiles and applying for positions online.

The Experience Counts awards will be presented annually. To join the distribution list for the 2015 call for nominations, email EC-Awards.ded@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov.

Brookside Gardens Selected as 2014 Maryland Green Center

Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, announces that Brookside Gardens has been certified as a 2014 Maryland Green Center by The Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE).

Maryland Green Centers are part of the Maryland Green School Program, a nationally recognized program that promotes environmental literacy, sustainability and best practices. Brookside Gardens’ certification was earned through a holistic, integrated approach to incorporating environmental education and practices with community stewardship.

Brookside Gardens, a 50-acre public display garden located within Wheaton Regional Park, supports environmental literacy through curriculum-based programs that have reached more than 3,000 students in the past two years.

Read the news release for more information about the Green Center selection.