In honor of May as “Older Americans Month,” the Montgomery County Commission on Aging will host its annual free forum from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, in the Executive Office Building in Rockville. This year’s theme is "Reimagining Housing for Older Adults: Ideas and Actions to Make Housing Available, Affordable and Accessible.”
The Executive Office Building is located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville.
The forum will seek to identify modifications to governmental regulations, institutional policies and financing strategies to achieve increased affordability, accessibility and availability of a range of housing types.
"As we mark the occasion of Older Americans Month, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Montgomery County Commission on Aging for consistently addressing the ever-changing needs of our older adult population,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “This event serves as a poignant reminder of the critical importance of ensuring that our older residents have not just housing options, but ones that are both affordable and accessible. It's imperative that we come together as a community to engage in this essential dialogue. I urge all residents to actively participate in this vital conversation. Let's work hand in hand to cultivate communities that are truly inclusive and supportive of our older adults here in Montgomery County."
The public forum will seek to identify modifications to governmental regulations, institutional policies and financing strategies to achieve increased affordability, accessibility and availability of a range of housing types.
The forum will help identify the innovations and actions needed to overcome the obstacles that deter or disincentivize the public and private sectors from developing and offering housing to older adults with different characteristics (e.g., income, race, physical and mental status).
The outcomes from the forum will identify actions that the commission, the County and other stakeholders can take to advance the goal of increasing the affordability, availability and accessibility of housing to meet the needs of the older adult community. National and local leaders will describe what is currently being done to address housing for older adults and what can be done over the next three-to-five years to address the challenges.
For more information or to request accommodations needed to participate, contact Tremayne Jones with as much advance notice as possible, preferably at least four business days prior to the event, at Tremayne.Jones@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240-777-1262.
I was pleased to deliver the State of the County speech Thursday night in Rockville, where I laid out some of our major accomplishments, ongoing challenges and a pathway to addressing future challenges. We livestreamed it on the Montgomery County Facebook and on my X (formerly Twitter) account. You can also watch it on youtube.
I hope you will listen to it because I really tried to talk about our work and our plans in so many areas. I talked about our school system and how, even though my recommended budget provides the largest increase ever without an accompanying tax increase, the schools still have tremendous needs. I discussed how we are tackling public safety in a variety of ways, including increased recruitment of police officers, expansion of the “Drone as First Responder” safety program and our recognition that we must address root problems of mental health and drug misuse. I also briefly touched on our work to address climate change. We are already national leaders in our environmental work, but there is much more to be done, and we need everyone to do their part.
I mentioned how intensively we are working to preserve and produce affordable housing, and I noted how a study from Montgomery Planning showed that more housing is not being built because the developers cannot get the rents they want—even though there are 30,000 units approved that can start as soon as developers apply for permits. For for-profit housing developers, we are meeting the demand for market rate housing, but the demand for affordable housing is left unmet. Meeting the need for AFFORDABLE housing is the great challenge.
I talked about how we have built a County Business Center that is reaching out to businesses all over the County, and I mentioned some of our procurement successes, including 50 percent of our procurement contracts are to first-time County vendors, and a record 31 percent of the County's procurement—more than $350 million—is going to local companies.
I also explained how we analyze our budget through a racial equity lens. Today, every item in our budget is reviewed by the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice. Our first-ever Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice is advancing racial equity and dismantling structural racism within County Government to ensure that we are doing more than just paying lip service to this cause. Our employees and managers are consistently taking equity training and workshops.
I spent a bit of time discussing why we need tax reform. I explained that we have the lowest taxes on commercial property in the region. In Fairfax, commercial property tax rates are 20 percent higher. In one part of Fairfax—Tysons—they are about 50 percent higher than here. In Washington, D.C., the commercial property tax is even higher. In Virginia, those special taxes are used only to fund transportation. Those additional revenues have allowed them to build transportation infrastructure, including the Silver Line. Commercial property owners supported the implementation of higher taxes there because they realized that those investments are good for business. I also talked about a more progressive taxing system where a few might pay more, but the many would see reduced or no change in taxes. We can learn from our neighbors and better target our taxing structure in a way that makes economic and quality of life sense. You can watch this part of my speech here.
New Collaboration Announced for Regional Transit Partnerships
I participated in the first-ever joint board of directors meeting for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA, or Metro) and the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) this week. The shared goal is to create a unified vision for transit in the region and a sustainable funding model for WMATA. This is an unprecedented opportunity for regional collaboration and action.
Metro links the Capital Region and is essential for our entire area to function cohesively. Our area requires a robust and extensive transit system, but we have yet to consider integrating the transit networks so riders can easily depend on public transit between jurisdictions.
We all know the pain of traffic on our roadways—imagine how much worse it would be if all the people who rely on Metro were out on the road, too. Transit is also crucial for people who do not have cars, whether because of age, ability or means. Of course, more people on transit and out of their vehicles is also good for the environment.
The easier we make it for customers to use our extensive transit network of more than a dozen bus and rail systems, the more public transportation will be used.
In Montgomery County, our plans are focused on expanding the reach of the Red Line and Commuter Rail by building the Flash Bus Rapid Transit system that will link communities and will better connect the regional network operated by the State and WMATA. Flash currently runs along US 29, and we are investing to add Flash lines along Veirs Mill Road and MD 355.
In addition to these projects, we are planning additional routes to create a robust BRT network to include Old Georgetown Road, Randolph Road, Georgia Avenue, University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue and expanding the US 29 Flash route. These routes will connect the County and create an attractive alternative to driving for many more County residents.
When Montgomery County joined with Maryland to compete for Amazon’s then-proposed second headquarters more than six years ago, to accommodate development, the State included funding for three BRT lines in the Pike District of North Bethesda. That same kind of support is needed today. We need a commitment to building transit because that helps make our economic development possible.
You may not know this, but I planned out the BRT routes by hand more than 15 years ago. Those drawings became plans adopted by Montgomery Planning and the County Council, and it got us moving in the right direction—but there is still a long way to go. The partnership between WMATA and COG should lead to good things for Montgomery County residents and transit customers.
Launching the Zero Emissions Bus Transition Plan
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and the Department of General Services (DGS) have jointly released the Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Transition Plan which shows the path to zero-emission technology by 2035. You can view the plan on the MCDOT website under projects or via this link.
This plan will help guide our efforts to convert our entire fleet of nearly 400 Ride On buses to battery electric or green hydrogen-powered buses. This will substantially reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
By engaging the public and showing the world our path away from fossil fuels, we hope to inspire other governments and people to take action to reduce their carbon footprint.
This plan is just one component of the County’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2027 and 100 percent by 2035.
When we set a goal of zero emissions, we did not know how exactly it would be achieved. We could not foresee green hydrogen being a reliable energy source because the technology was nonexistent. As we continue this transition, we have purposely kept the plan flexible so that we can take advantage of new and evolving technology as it becomes available. I am proud of our departments, both MCDOT and DGS, for taking advantage of Federal grants and leveraging unique partnerships with companies like AlphaStruxure to implement solar-powered microgrids for clean bus charging.
We are pleased to be at the forefront of local governments promoting sustainable transportation and serving as a model for other counties.
Innovation Team Ironing Out Wrinkles in Government
Difficulties, frustration and seemingly impossible challenges are nothing anyone wants to deal with, especially when doing business with County Government. That is why we have a group of professionals working to smooth out wrinkles in our system for customers and our employees.
I have talked about our Innovation@MCG Team before. It is out with a new Impact Report that updates some of the work it has done over the last year. It works with teams across our organization to help us deliver a more effective, sustainable government.
Innovation Team projects can be anything that requires a process or organizational change to create a better product.
For example, the County has reduced the time behavioral health clients spend waiting to see a provider. It used to take up to 90 minutes to complete forms in person and wait for them to be processed. One innovation project resulted in updated the forms that dramatically reduced clients' time at our County facility.
The Innovation Team has tackled internal staffing issues causing low morale and high attrition. The team organized a framework for problem-solving committees and guided teams through workshops to resolve challenges. It also helped address a common public complaint by improving communications within the department.
The Impact Report also details how the Innovation Team helped clear up confusion and frustration in the lobby of our Health and Human Services offices by improving signage and creating simple directions in multiple languages.
The Innovation team works on projects with departments and also runs a course for employees to grow their ability to innovate. In this past year, 74 staff members joined our Innovation Accelerator course, putting them on the path to seek out and eliminate issues within departments, offices and public services. Let us know if you have an issue with any Montgomery County services. You can contact my office here.
Remembering Austin Heyman
I was very sad to learn of Austin Heyman's recent death. Mr. Heyman was the host of “Seniors Today” on the County cable channel and was a longtime friend of Montgomery County.
Mr. Heyman had an impressive list of accomplishments and service to the community. Once he retired as a public servant, he spent a lot of time serving Montgomery County.
Mr. Heyman founded the Jewish Council for the Aging’s Interages Center and served as its first executive director from 1973 until 1997. He also chaired the Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth, was president of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs and was a member of the Maryland Task Force on Guidance and Counseling. He was a founding member of Volunteer Partnership Montgomery and the Montgomery County Vital Living Steering Committee.
Unsurprisingly, he was presented with an AARP Maryland Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of service and was inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2008.
It is fitting that the organization he founded to help seniors in our area is now known as the “Heyman’s Interages Center.” I offer my condolences to his family members and friends on their loss.
National Small Business Week
We recognized National Small Business Week by doing a business tour in UpCounty.
My first stop took me to 61 Vineyard, the first winery in Damascus. County Councilmember Dawn Luedtke and I met Pam and Mark Giganti, who started their winemaking journey 10 years ago. They now have a successful business and awards and the owners recently learned that their 2022 Merlot was awarded “Double Gold” in the Maryland Winemaker’s Choice Competition. 61 Vineyard is located next to Stone Silo Brewery, so whether you have a taste for beer or wine, they have you covered.
Seeing agricultural-related businesses thrive in our Agriculture Reserve shows what a good decision it has been to stop the sprawl that threatened our farmland. Companies can grow from small beginnings, which is one reason we invested in The Crossvines in Poolesville.
Crossvines, which opened last summer, is a unique place and a concept I proposed to then-County Executive Ike Leggett about 12 years ago after touring California. It is home to a wine-crush pad, allowing farmers to enter the wine-making business without investing in large equipment upfront. The facility will enable farmers to plant and harvest their grapes and bring them to the crush pad where, as the name suggests, they get crushed. The juice is processed into wine, and the County provides stainless steel and wooden barrels for storage and a bottling line that lets the farmers bring their wine to market.
You can plan a visit to Crossvines and to other attractions through visitmontgomery.com and you can check out the Tastemakers Trail. If you are hungry, The Crossvines has an excellent restaurant that is open five days a week.
My next stop was Neighborhood Veterinary Associates in Clarksburg. Four veterinarians collaborated to open the practice on Newcut Road. County Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe and I presented the owner and staff with a certificate from the County. They serve 7,000 patients, which is not as hard to believe when you consider they treat dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, birds, reptiles, fish and more.
The final stop was at Fyzical Therapy & Balance in Germantown. Jarrett Shavitz and Tim Garrison showed me and Councilmember Balcombe around and told us about their practice. They have benefited from Germantown’s growth since expanding here from Frederick in 2022.
I am glad Fyzical Therapy and many other businesses have been able to use the free resources our County Business Center provides to start, grow or locate in Montgomery County. It is genuinely becoming what I envisioned—a one-stop shop for direct assistance for any business in the County. So far, we have tallied 1,900 businesses directly assisted by Business Center staff, and we expect those numbers to grow as we expand our resources and help people connect around the County.
For many years, local small businesses were not part of the economic development plan. We have changed that by introducing business incubators and extending direct help to small business owners. I am glad we have a team that can make a difference for small business owners. Visit montgomerycountymd.gov/business to learn more about the Business Center team and how it can help you.
Early Voting Underway
Early voting for the 2024 Maryland Primary is now underway at 14 sites around the County. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Thursday, May 9. You can get more information about this year’s primaries at elections.maryland.gov.
Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation (DOT) Ride On bus service has several routes to transport voters to the early voting centers. For a complete list of those routes, follow the link on the MCDOT website or click here.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) welcomes elementary schools from across the County to participate in “Bike and Roll to School Day” on Wednesday, May 8.
The annual national event invites the participants to experience the joy of active commuting while focusing on the importance and benefits of safe, travel to schools by biking and walking. The campaign helps bring awareness to issues such as pedestrian safety, increasing physical activity and environmental concerns.
The first Walk and Roll to School event was held in 2016 when The National Center For Safe Routes to School launched the Vision Zero for Youth initiative that included Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day events. Every year, the MCDOT Safe Routes to School team selects one elementary school in the County to promote the event and bring awareness to pedestrian safety.
MCDOT encourages all elementary schools in Montgomery County, with the support of students, parents and the community, to participate and help kids choose a safe route to bike and roll to their home school.
To learn more about Bike and Roll to School Day, view free programs and resources, visit the MCDOT Safe Routes To School website.
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration will hold seven Purple Line Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings in May. The virtual meetings will be targeted for specific neighborhoods and will include member-driven teams of representatives appointed by neighborhoods, community residents, civic and business associations and local governments.
The Maryland Transit Administration is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. The Purple Line will be a 16-mile, 21-station light rail line that will extend from New Carrollton in Prince George’s County to Bethesda in Montgomery County. It will directly connect to the Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton. The Purple Line also will connect to MARC, Amtrak and local bus services.
Update meetings could most impact the Montgomery communities of Silver Spring (May 7), University Boulevard (May 9), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (May 14), Greater Lyttonsville-Woodside (May 21) and Long Branch (May 23).
“Progress of the Purple Line has reached an exciting period, and our team looks forward to sharing this progress with the public,” said Purple Line Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II. “Our spring CAT meetings will show future Purple Line stations taking shape, miles of installed track and completed neighborhood improvements such as the Talbot Avenue Bridge.”
The Purple Line project team will include representatives from the concessionaire, Purple Line Transit Partners, and Maryland Transit Solutions, the design-builder. They will provide area-specific updates in addition to overall project information. Each meeting will incorporate dedicated time for CAT members and residents to ask questions.
The virtual meetings will be held via Microsoft Teams, offering captioning services in multiple languages. Instructions on how to enable live captioning are posted on the project website, purplelinemd.com. Questions on the CAT meetings can be directed to the outreach team at outreach@purplelinemd.com.
All meetings will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. The schedule for specific neighborhoods is as follows:
The Montgomery County Board of Elections has established 58 ballot drop boxes for voters to submit completed mail-in ballots for the 2024 Presidential primary election. The ballot drop boxes will remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 14.
Applications to receive a mail-in ballot via USPS must be received by May 7, and the deadline to request a print-at-home mail-in ballot delivered via the Internet is Friday, May 10.
Those choosing to return their mail-in ballots by using ballot drop boxes must do it by the final collection time for their ballot to count. If returning mail-in ballots via USPS, mail-in ballot returning envelope must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, May 14. Post offices generally close by 5 p.m.
To identify the nearest ballot drop box or post office, text BOX plus zip code (example: BOX 20879) to 77788 or visit 777vote.org. To request a mail-in ballot, text VBM to 77788 or visit 777vote.org.
The Montgomery County Board of Elections has the following drop boxes available now:
Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg
Albert Einstein High School, 11135 Newport Mill Road, Kensington
Asbury Methodist Village, 201 Russell Avenue, Gaithersburg (limited access)
Bauer Drive Community Rec Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda
Bette Carol Thompson Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center, 7700 Scotland Drive, Potomac
Clarksburg High School, 22500 Wims Road, Clarksburg
Col. Zadok Magruder High School, 5939 Muncaster Mill Road, Rockville
Damascus Community Rec Center, 25520 Oak Drive, Damascus
Damascus High School, 25921 Ridge Road, Damascus
East County Community Rec Center, 3310 Gateshead Manor Way, Silver Spring
Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville
Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue, Chevy Chase
Gaithersburg High School, 101 Education Boulevard, Gaithersburg
Germantown Community Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown
Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Recreation Center, 2450 Lyttonsville Road, Silver Spring
James Hubert Blake High School, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring
Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase
John F. Kennedy High School, 1901 Randolph Road, Silver Spring
Leisure World of Maryland, 3701 Rossmoor Blvd., Silver Spring (limited access)
Longwood Community Recreation Center, 19300 Georgia Avenue, Brookeville
Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Ctr, 1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring
Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring
Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring
Montgomery College - Germantown Bioscience Education Center, 20200 Observation Drive, Germantown
Montgomery College - Rockville Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Services Center, 51 Mannakee Street, Rockville
Montgomery College - Takoma Park Charlene Nunley Student Services Center, 7625 Fenton Street, Takoma Park
Montgomery County Board of Elections, 18753 North Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg (Drive-up Box)
Montgomery County Conference Center Marriott Bethesda North, 5967 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda
Nancy H. Dacek N. Potomac Community Recreation Center, 13850 Travilah Road, Rockville
Northwest High School, 13501 Richter Farm Road, Germantown
Northwood High School, 919 University Boulevard West, Silver Spring
Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
Poolesville High School, 17501 West Willard Road, Poolesville
Potomac Community Rec Center, 11315 Falls Road Potomac
Quince Orchard High School, 15800 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg
Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville
Riderwood Senior Living, 3140 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring (limited access)
Robertson Park Youth Center, 801 Rabbitt Road, Gaithersburg
Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville
Rockville High School, 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville
Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Dept., 17921 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring
Seneca Valley High School, 19401 Crystal Rock Drive, Germantown
Sherwood High School, 300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring
Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring
Springbrook High School, 201 Valley Brook Drive, Silver Spring
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park
Thomas S. Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Parkway, Rockville
Upper County Comm. Rec Center, 8201 Emory Grove Road, Gaithersburg
Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Boulevard, Bethesda
Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda
Watkins Mill High School, 10301 Apple Ridge Road, Gaithersburg
Wheaton High School, 12401 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring
Wheaton Library & Community Recreation Center, 11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton
White Oak Community Rec Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring
Wilson Wims Elementary School, 12520 Blue Sky Drive, Clarksburg
Winston Churchill High School, 11300 Gainsborough Road, Potomac
Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) inspectors will provide free residential deck maintenance inspections for homeowners during the month of May as part of the County’s annual “Building Safety Month” campaign. The DPS free deck inspection program is limited to 250 appointments.
“Mission Possible” is the theme for the 2024 Building Safety Month campaign to raise awareness about building safety and the importance of adopting modern and regularly updated building codes.
“This is the County’s 15th year providing residential deck inspections to educate homeowners about the importance of preventative deck maintenance for you and your visitors,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “During that time, inspectors have conducted more than 2,800 free residential deck inspections as part of our commitment to safety. We encourage homeowners who have questions about the status of their deck to book an appointment for this free service and to review the educational resources that are available on the DPS website.”
To request a deck maintenance inspection by telephone, homeowners should contact the County’s central call system at MC311 or 240-777-0311 beginning Wednesday, May 1. Homeowners also can schedule an inspection online by visiting the DPS website at montgomerycountymd.gov/dps and submitting a service request. The form is in the online services queue on the front page of the website. On the description section of the online form, residents should note they are requesting a deck maintenance inspection and include the property address and contact information at the top of the form. Requests cannot be anonymous and must be requested by the homeowner.
“Building safety is our mission 365 days a year and Building Safety Month is a great opportunity to reemphasize the importance of safeguarding our homes inside and out,” said DPS Director Rabbiah Sabbakhan. “A free deck maintenance inspection should take about 20 to 25 minutes. Once on site, an inspector will check the support structure of the deck, fastener conditions, ledger attachment and overall condition of the deck. Because of our inspectors’ workload at this busy time of the year, the program is limited to 250 appointments. Customers will find additional resources about decks and the permitting process on the DPS website, and we are always available to answer questions.”
One resource titled, “Plan Submittal Guidelines for Residential Decks,” is designed for homeowners submitting plans for a new deck. It contains information about the permitting and inspection process. There is also a video to watch on-demand with DPS inspector Jeremy Shupp, who provides an overview of a deck inspection and who encourages homeowners to contact a licensed contractor. Another resource for homeowners, “Deck Maintenance Inspection Guidelines,” may be of interest for those who were not able to schedule a deck inspection. For more information about these resources and others, including frequently asked questions and answers, visit the DPS website and search for “residential decks.”
DPS’ free deck inspection program does not extend to the city limits of Gaithersburg and Rockville as those municipalities have their own permitting departments and protocols.
The Montgomery County Council issued a joint Building Safety Month proclamation on April 30. An outreach table will be available in the DPS customer service lobby in Wheaton throughout the month of May with information about building safety and other permitting topics.
The weekly themes for this year’s Building Safety Month campaign include: “Understanding the Mission,” (May 1-4); “Preparing a Building Safety Plan,” (May 5-11); “Learning from the Pros,” (May 12-18); “Engaging Your Community,” (May 19-25); and “Celebrating Success in Building Safety,” (May 26-31).
Learn more about Building Safety Month on the DPS website and join the conversation on social media using #MoCoDPS, #BuildingSafetyMonth2024 and #BuildingSafety365.
The Department of Permitting Services is located at 2425 Reedie Drive, seventh floor, in Wheaton. The customer service lobby is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, and customers do not need an appointment to get assistance. For more information, visit the DPS website at montgomerycountymd.gov/dps.
The rich soil of Montgomery County has supported a wide variety of agricultural enterprises, ranging from millennia of crop cultivation by indigenous communities to tobacco plantations of the first colonial settlers of European descent. This evolved to market farming serving growing populations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The transformation of County farming is the subject of a free online presentation, "Montgomery Agriculture: From Tobacco to Today," from Montgomery History.
The presentation will be available on-demand for a one-week period starting Monday, May 6.
The agriculture of Montgomery County has diversified to include commodity grain production, landscaping and horse-riding operations, as well as a small but growing table-food and pick-your-own sector. The Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, a land-planning treasure, grants the assurance that farming will remain part of the story of the County forever.
Tom Farquhar leads the presentation, which originally aired at the 2023 Montgomery County History Conference.
The restrictive covenants that enforced segregation in communities throughout Montgomery County in 1900s will be the topic of a presentation by SPARKLE at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Silver Spring Civic Building.
The Silver Spring Civic Building is located at 1 Veterans Pl. in Downtown Silver Spring.
“Mapping Racial Segregation: Racial Restrictive Covenants in Montgomery County” will be led by County Cultural Resource Planner John Liebertz. He will talk about how restrictive covenants limited where certain groups of people could live. He also will address the efforts of activists eventually opened up suburban neighborhoods.
Mr. Liebertz is leading a team documenting the history of racial restrictive covenants in Montgomery County.
SPARKLE is a program of Silver Spring Village. It stands for “Senior Programs Aimed at Re-Kindling Lifetime Engagement.” Silver Spring Village is dedicated to helping people age in place.
The event is free to attend, but advance reservations are recommended. To RSVP, send a message to programs@silverspringvillage.org.
Montgomery Parks is gearing up to revitalize and strengthen safety along key park trails, courtesy of the United States Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Residents can learn more about the proposed improvements at an open house from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center.
The Wheaton Community Recreation Center is located at 11701 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton.
At the open house, plans will be presented for enhancing pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to and within the Sligo Creek Trail, Matthew Henson Trail and Wheaton Regional Park.
The projects will focus on improved access to trails, enhanced safety at trail crossings, construction of shared-use paths and neighborhood greenways.
Construction on the trails is expected to start in early 2025, with an estimated 24 months for completion.
Montgomery Parks Safe Streets and Roads For All projects build upon Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which is the County’s roadmap for enhancing road safety and reducing traffic-related fatalities and injuries.
The impact of climate change is already being felt in our
community, with more frequent heat emergencies, severe storms, flash floods and
droughts posing the greatest threats. Those threats can disproportionately
impact some of our highest risk communities, those with a reduced capacity to
adapt because of historical disinvestment and the marginalization of people of
color, immigrants, refugees and low-income residents. These communities can
experience more exposure and risk from climate hazards with limited resources
to mitigate the impacts. Resilience hubs can help.
As Montgomery County continues its work to reduce Green
House Gas (GHG) emissions and address climate-related risks through the Climate Action Plan, it
will hold a free workshop on Tuesday, May 21, on the role resilience hubs can
play in helping our community adapt and thrive. The “Resilience
Hub Workshop” will be from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic
Building, which is located at 1 Veterans Pl. in Downtown Silver Spring.
Resilience hubs are trusted gathering spaces that are
enhanced that are enhanced with solar microgrids and energy efficiency
improvements to ensure they stay operational during interruptions to the power
grid. They support and engage residents, distribute resources and reduce carbon
pollution while enhancing quality of life and assisting communities before,
during and after emergencies to minimize impacts and recover quickly. A
resilience hub may be located at a recreation center, faith-based or nonprofit
facility or multi-family housing building. They are designed to help
communities adapt to a changing climate and thrive.
The County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland
Security, in partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency
Response System and guidance from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network,
will host the workshop.
The workshop will be a dynamic, participatory training about
the underlying concepts and framework for building out effective resilience
hubs. It will feature discussions with experts about what a great resilience
hub looks like, and what is already happening locally. Panels will focus on how
to forge partnerships and maneuver logistical and financial hurdles in the
development of resilience hubs. Participants from County agencies, as well as
local nonprofit and faith-based partner organizations, are encouraged to
attend.
Learn more here about the workshop and register
now.
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