Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services Launches Winter Lotteries to Purchase Highly Sought Spirits

Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) will help warm up the winter season with the next in its series of whiskey lotteries that provide opportunities for residents to purchase highly sought spirits. The lotteries are free to enter, but have varying residency requirements.

ABS has set up two resident lotteries this winter. The first lottery will be open to Maryland residents 21 and over. The second lottery will be open to Montgomery County residents 21 and over only. Each includes a wide range of spirits bottles, with some overlap. County residents will be able to enter both the State and the County lottery, boosting the potential access to County residents.

A total of 1,132 bottles will be available to customers for purchase in the lotteries. An increased number of bottles is being distributed through this lottery due to the COVID-19 related cancellation of ABS’ Whiskey Rocks event.

Registration for the lottery begins at noon on Monday, Feb. 21. Consumers will have until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, to enter the lotteries. After each lottery closes, a random drawing will be conducted and the winning numbers will be posted online at noon on Thursday, March 4.

Winners will be able to purchase their bottles from a designated store from Monday, March 8, through Saturday, March 20. There may be extended hours during this timeframe to accommodate pickups.

Each resident entering the lottery will be able to select their top six preferences from the list of bottles available. Bottle counts are listed on the registration forms. Details on how to enter the lottery, including an entry form, are available on the ABS website at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/abs/lottery.

A third lottery will be open to Montgomery County alcohol license holders who are authorized to sell spirits on their premises. The licensee lottery will run at the same time as the residents’ lottery and will boost availability of allocated items available by the glass in the County.

“ABS is able to procure items that neighboring jurisdictions can’t get, or get very little of, and we offer them at fair pricing to give people access,” said ABS Retail Chief Kent Massie. “You just do not see this happening elsewhere locally.”

ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County. ABS operates 25 beer, wine and spirits stores and one spirits-only store in Poolesville. It manages alcohol licensing, enforcement, and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, ABS profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the County general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.

County to Host COVID-19 Economic Revitalization and Recovery Virtual Town Hall on Friday, Feb. 19, with Focus on ‘Human Resources Issues During the Pandemic’

“Human Resources Issues During the Pandemic” will be the theme from noon-12:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, when Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Economic Revitalization and Recovery program continues its series of virtual town hall meetings to keep businesses informed on strategies for doing business as the health crisis continues. The upcoming town hall will feature Silvia Kinch, the County’s chief of the Division of Labor Relations and Public Safety in the Office of the County Attorney.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich initiated the series of town halls held every other Friday as a way to share timely updates on COVID-19 topics of interest to the business community. The town halls give businesses an opportunity to hear directly from County leaders.

Jerome Fletcher, the County’s assistant chief administrative officer (ACAO) for economic development, hosts the sessions. He also provides updates on grant programs available to County businesses and offers ideas that can help economic recovery.

During the town hall, Ms. Kinch will focus on human resources topics that businesses may be grappling with during the pandemic. The Feb. 19 town hall overall will address how employers should prioritize and incentivize employees for getting vaccines and whether vaccines can be mandatory.

The town hall will be broadcast live via Teams. To join the broadcast, go to tinyurl.com/3tjv2nb5.

The town hall will be broadcast on County Cable Montgomery (cable station CCM), which is available on Comcast and RCN (channels 6 and HD996) and Verizon (channel 30). The town hall can be viewed live via County social media at https://www.facebook.com/montgomerycountyinfo.

Town halls are recorded and available for 90 days at the Montgomery County Business Portal at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/biz-resources/covid19/.

“We know the business community has been stifled by the pandemic,” said ACAO Fletcher. “The Economic Revitalization and Recovery Town Halls are designed to give businesses access to information that will help them get through the emergency and recover when the pandemic is behind us. Businesses have a lot of questions about how to handle employee issues in these difficult times, and we hope that attendees will benefit from Silvia’s knowledge of labor and employment law.”

County ‘Speed-to-Market’ Initiative Will Ease Regulatory Burdens for Business Development

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A public-private working group that included the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, its Department of Transportation, Montgomery Planning and private industry is recommending a series of initiatives to streamline business development and growth in the County. The Economic Advisory Group’s (EAG) “Speed-to-Market” Working Group’s initiative would potentially cut entitlement time in half, while ensuring substantive community participation.

The initiative was inspired by the immediate desire to assist businesses that have suffered economic losses due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The long-term impact of the initiative will ease many of the regulatory burdens for development in the County.

The EAG, which is composed of elected officials, business representatives and residents, convened in late 2020 to create an action plan that would identify short- and long-term strategies to address COVID-related and historic barriers to sustained, diverse economic prosperity countywide. Another effort at regulatory reform has started with the County Commerce Cabinet, a 14-member interagency coordination body that will provide additional initiatives to assist with the County’s recovery efforts.

Since many regulatory and permitting entities are involved in the initiative, approval and implementation of the working group’s recommendations will come at various stages. EAG’s intent was to have all entities implement changes as soon as possible.

“I am very pleased that we are finding some ways to help economic development during this difficult time without compromising standards,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “We hope to build on the cooperative spirit that has been created among the various public-sector agencies involved in land-use, zoning, planning and approval processes to facilitate a more streamlined process that we believe will have long-lasting benefits and help in our post-COVID economic recovery.”

The major goals of the Speed-to-Market Initiative will be to streamline the approval process for development projects by consolidating the processes of planning and land-use approvals.

Streamlining/consolidating planning and land-use approval processes: Montgomery County requires three major approvals for development projects that occur over two sequential hearings by the County Planning Board of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The working group is recommending for certain projects—for example, Strategic Economic Development Projects or projects offering public benefits in excess of standard requirements—one concurrent hearing that would reduce the approval process by as much as one year. This would speed key time to market while respecting community input. Planning staff expects to forward recommendations for the Planning Board’s consideration this month.

Reinvigorate the Development Review Committee (DRC) process: The DRC brings together multiple public and private entities that must coordinate on all development projects. Given the diversity of parties involved, the process can be challenging to navigate in an efficient and timely way. The work group supported efforts to add value and efficiency early in the entitlement review process so applicants can easily identify critical issues and better determine project viability. The group recommended immediate improvement to the DRC process and is committed to provide further actions for improvement by April 30.

Post-approval process integration: The working group recommended a concurrent review framework for post-review process be established for certification to condense the current arduous sequential, item-by-item review process. Improvement of the DRC process would provide more project certainty and efficiency. Further actions for improvement will be provided by April 30.

Revamping the County sign ordinance: EAG recommended that a comprehensive review of the County Sign Ordinance be conducted with the goal of updating it to reflect development and urbanization patterns of the past 30 years. The proposed regulations will be presented to County Executive Elrich and the County Council by May 31.

Libraries Offer Virtual Programs to Commemorate Black History Month

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) is celebrating Black History Month with special virtual programs during February.

The MCPL Black History Month schedule includes:

• George Crum, a Potato Chip STEM Challenge. Monday, Feb. 22, 3:30 p.m. Learn about the man who invented one of America's favorite snack foods and join a potato chip-themed STEM challenge. Elementary school age.
• From Slave Ship to Harvard, Yarrow Mamout and the History of an African American Family. Friday, Feb. 26, 3:30 p.m. Yarrow Mamout was a Fulani Muslim who came to Maryland on a slave ship in 1752. Jim Johnston’s book follows later generations of the family through Robert Turner Ford, who graduated from Harvard in 1923.
• No Pressure! Social Justice Discussion Group. Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m. Each month, participants will meet to discuss social justice and how to make a difference in the world. Discussion is for fourth to eighth grade students with an adult.

For more information about MCPL programs, visit the website.

Montgomery Parks Offering Programs to Celebrate Black History Month and Other February Events

Programs to celebrate Black History Month and other special February events are being offered by Montgomery Parks, which is part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

The Black History Month series will feature programs that highlight the stories, struggles and successes of African Americans. Those programs will include:

• Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Time Team America: The Search for Josiah Henson (virtual screening).
• Thursday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m. Josiah Henson Museum and Park Black History Month Panel Discussion and Musical Performance (virtual program).

Other Montgomery Parks special programs in February will include:

• Waterfowl Festival. Black Hill Nature Programs is celebrating waterfowl with in-person and virtual programs and events during the Virtual Waterfowl Festival throughout the month of February. Watch waterfowl from the Black Hill Visitor Center deck, learn how to make a soap duck and play waterfowl trivia.
  
• Maple Sugaring Self-Guided Walk. Currently ongoing. Learn about the maple sugaring process through a self-guided trail at Brookside Nature Center. Visitors can look for maple leaf signs starting at the parking lot at 1400 Glenallan Ave. The walk includes interpretative panels explaining the history and process of making maple sugar. The Maple Trail walk is free and open from dawn to dusk. Bottles of maple syrup and maple sugar treats will be on sale on the Nature Center deck on Saturdays from 11 a.m.– 2:30 p.m. and on Sundays 1-4 p.m.
• Virtual Winter Bingo. Virtual Bingo provides a safe, fun way for residents to enjoy and explore parks this winter. To participate, residents can download the February bingo card filled with 24 winter activities. Complete five activity squares in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row to collect bingo. Individuals who submit photos of the completed activities will be entered into a drawing to receive a $50 Active Montgomery credit that can be used for Montgomery Parks’ classes, programs or facility rentals.

Visit MontgomeryParks.org for a complete list of virtual and outdoor programming.

Montgomery County Preserved and Produced More than 6,300 Units of Affordable Housing in Fiscal Year 2020

Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs committed $58.9 million in Fiscal Year 2020 to reduce the housing cost burden of residents through a range of strategies that preserved and produced a significant amount of affordable housing. The County made the commitments in addition to leveraging $18.2 million of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) for affordable housing.

The County supported 6,367 affordable housing units through financing to establish long-term affordability, rental assistance to maintain affordability, support for home purchasing and maintenance and MPDU (moderately priced dwelling units) requirements.

“I am pleased that the County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs helped preserve and produce affordable housing units for residents of all ages and abilities,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “We have used a variety of effective strategies to help residents of low and moderate income afford a home. Affordable housing continues to be on the top of my priority list and it is critical that we continue to leverage County resources to preserve, maintain and expand our affordable housing stock. I look forward to continuing this important effort.”

A breakdown of FY20 affordable housing preservation and production includes:

• Low or no-interest loans: The County committed $34,461,788 in low- or no-interest loans from the Housing Initiative Fund (HIF) to preserve 329 units and produce 202 units of long-term affordable rental housing for individuals, families, seniors and persons with special needs.
• Rental assistance: The County committed $20,358,930 in rental assistance for 5,325 affordable housing units. This included rental assistance for persons with very low income, persons with special needs and persons exiting homelessness.
• Homeownership assistance:
• The County provided $2,976,268 in down payment assistance to 190 first-time homebuyers with modest incomes.
• The County provided $1,077,401 in grants for weatherization to 242 homeowners with low to modest incomes to preserve utility affordability.
• Moderately priced dwelling units (MPDU's): In new housing developments, 79 MPDUs were produced according to County requirements, without commitment of County funds.

Affordable units provide rent that is affordable to people with income up to 70 percent of Washington Metro Area Median Income (AMI), which was $126,000 for a family of four in 2020, As an example, affordable units serving those with incomes up to 70 percent AMI were limited to households with a maximum annual income of $70,560 for a family of two. However, most units supported provide affordability for households with income of 30 percent AMI ($30,250 for a family of two) to 60 percent of AMI ($60,480 for a family of two).

Narcotics Anonymous Meetings Available to County Residents Seeking Help for Themselves—or Friends—With Addiction

COVID-19 has increased stresses for many people through increased social isolation, work changes and life disruptions. Major unfortunate consequences in Montgomery County have been increases in suicides and drug overdoses. Narcotics Anonymous (NA), a nonprofit, 12-step program, is helping residents for whom drugs have become a major problem and is available for others confronting drug addiction.

Traditionally, NA holds more than 60 on-site meetings each week throughout the County, but due to the COVID health crisis, meetings are currently being held virtually via Zoom.

NA is a free community resource, financially supported only by donations from its members. The NA program is based on peer-to-peer support. NA members share their experiences, strength and hope with newcomers to NA and help them feel welcome. By working through the 12 steps with a sponsor, new members learn the language and process of recovery from active addiction. A NA meeting might be attended by someone who has been clean for a week, a year, 15 years or 30 years.

Parents, spouses and friends of those with drug problems are welcome at NA meetings.

The only requirement for attending an NA meeting is a desire to be free from active addiction. NA was formed in 1953 and adopted the 12-step framework of recovery originally created by Alcoholics Anonymous. NA’s program addresses the disease of addiction and is not directed toward specific drugs. The “narcotic” part of its name is about the 1950’s-era referral to any illegal drug as a narcotic.

The meetings are the primary vehicle for someone in active addiction to hear the NA message, “That anyone—any addict—can stop using drugs, lose the desire/obsession to use and find a new way of life.”

NA service members bring NA meetings into many County facilities including the Avery Road Combined Care Facility, the County’s Pre-Release Service, correctional facilities, the County emergency shelters and centers and several halfway homes for recovering addicts. NA has worked closely with Montgomery County’s Drug Court and its Parole and Probation services. In some cases, NA meeting attendance becomes mandatory for certain offenders.

NA meetings on Zoom are accessible by land line phones, smart phones and computer. Meeting information can be found at the NA website at www.cprna.org/meetings or by calling the NA help line at 800-543-4670.

More information on NA, and about addiction, is available at https://virtual-na.org.

What to do When Devices That Use Rechargeable Batteries No Longer Can Hold a Recharge

The great thing about appliances, tools and devices that use rechargeable batteries is that they produce a lot of performance just by plugging them in for a period and being ready to go again. However, everyone has eventually learned that rechargeable batteries (and their devices), at some point, no longer hold a charge. The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection wants those batteries and devices to be disposed of in a safe and proper way.

Sometimes rechargeable batteries can be removed from the devices. In other devices, the batteries are part of the interior of the product. When the battery can no longer hold a charge, they render the device useless.

Appliances, tools and devices that run on rechargeable batteries should not be thrown into the regular trash or into a recycling bin. These devices release toxic chemicals and cause serious fires when punctured, cracked or crushed.

When possible, remove useless rechargeable batteries from devices before getting rid of the device. Take the batteries to the County’s Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station located at 16101 Frederick Rd. in Derwood. The batteries can also be taken to select retailers that offer to properly recycle batteries.

If the battery cannot be removed, bring the whole appliance to Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off for safe disposal.

For more information on recycling batteries and to locate battery drop-off locations, click here.

Message from County Executive Marc Elrich

Dear Friends:

We are going to overcome the COVID-19 health crisis that has gripped our lives for almost a year. And the best way to do this is by staying informed and exercising some patience.

Many of us are eager to be vaccinated as soon as possible. As I think you are well aware, the number of people eligible is much greater than the number of vaccines available.

We have all seen stories of people who want appointments and cannot get them because of the limited doses. Unfortunately, we have also seen stories of people who are becoming overly stressed because the lack of vaccine doses has left them endlessly frustrated.

I ask everyone to remain patient. We are going to get there, but it will take some time.

More than 94,000 Montgomery residents have received their first vaccine, about nine percent of our County population. Just about everyone knows people who have received vaccinations because they are in Priority Group 1A (primarily frontline workers), Group 1B (which includes those 75 and over and educators) and Group 1C (including those 65 and over).

Be patient. Your turn is coming. The priority groupings that we are following, how you can preregister for appointments and where shots are being distributed can be found at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/.

The Biden Administration has said that it will be receiving greatly increased number of vaccines starting next week. So I am hopeful that the number of doses coming to Montgomery County will increase. We are ready to administer additional vaccines as soon as they arrive.

If you are seeking vaccine appointments, you can check multiple sites. I know it can be discouraging. You can keep checking and you can put your name on several websites, including at the County site.

You can also receive updates from the County by signing up here.

In some positive news, our efforts to get control of the virus have been making inroads. As of today, our seven-day average of new positive cases per 100,000 was 18.7. That is a drop by more than half since our high in January when it was almost 50 new cases per 100,000. The number of positive cases among those being tested in our County has decreased to 4.8 percent on a 14-day average. In January, it was eight percent.

Because the transmission rates have been reduced, I have issued, and the County Council has approved, Executive Order 19-21AM to allow restaurants to resume indoor seating at 25 percent capacity starting Sunday, Feb. 14. I understand how tough these times have been on our restaurants and their employees. We are taking a cautious reopening stance to balance the opportunity for some indoor dining with the need to protect the public health.

Additionally, the Board of Education has announced a reopening plan for students. You can read more about it here.

To all who celebrate the Lunar New Year starting tomorrow, I want to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. And to all, lets use Valentines Day as a reminder to show our love for our family, friends and neighbors by continuing to maintain physical distance, wash hands frequently and MaskUpMoco.

Let’s continue to work together to get through the frustration and difficulties. We are finding a path out, but it will continue to take time. Your understanding is greatly appreciated.



Marc Elrich
County Executive

COVID-19 Updates: Indoor Dining in Restaurants to be Allowed Up to 25 Percent Starting Sunday; Progress Being Made on Vaccinations

Montgomery County restaurants and food service businesses will be allowed to operate with indoor dining at 25 percent capacity starting at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, after County Executive Marc Elrich’s Executive Order 19-21AM was approved by the County Council this week. Since December, County restaurants were restricted to only serve outdoors in the County’s efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The County Executive, in consultation with County health officials, decided to ease restaurant restrictions as the number of new positive cases of COVID-19 has been reduced to an average of less than 200 a day over the past two weeks—similar to numbers last recorded in early November. However, after the holiday season, the number of new cases in the County exceeded more than 600 per day numerous times and for several weeks in January, averaged more than 400 per day.

The number of COVID-19 vaccines being supplied by the State to the County health department, County hospitals and health care services and some private pharmacies is gradually increasing each week. However, the supply still is significantly less than the number of people in COVID Priority Groups 1A (including frontline workers), 1B (including residents 75 and over) and 1C (including residents 65 and over) who are eligible to receive vaccines under current State guidelines.

The County is making progress toward getting vaccinations to the top priority groups. Through Tuesday of this week, more than 22,566 County residents 75 and older have been vaccinated. That is about one-third of the County’s 73,000 residents in that age group.

As more residents are vaccinated, and the number of new COVID cases steadily decreases, the decision was made to allow restaurants to have indoor seating up to 25 percent capacity. The Executive Order will prohibit alcohol sales at the food service businesses after 10 p.m. each night and will limit dining guests to 90 minutes of seating (amended from an original proposal of 60 minutes). County Executive Elrich said that provision would increase turnover of tables to help the businesses, while also limiting exposure of diners to possible COVID infections. Restaurants will be required to get the name and contact information of at least one member of each party in case they are needed for contact tracing if a positive test is recorded of someone in the restaurant.

The State of Maryland is receiving approximately 70,000-80,000 doses per week from the Federal government. As production of the vaccine continues to ramp up, that amount will increase, but it may take some weeks.

Vaccine shipments are sent to providers in Montgomery County, including the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS, which is the County health department) and non-County providers (hospitals, health systems and retail pharmacies). Together, the County receives an average of 15,000 doses per week.

Of 15,000 doses sent to the County, DHHS has received as many as 8,500 doses some weeks, but over the past week, it received only 4,500 doses to use in the clinics operated by the County.

Although the State has increased the supply to private pharmacies (Rite Aid, Giant and Safeway) and hospitals/health care systems (Adventist Healthcare, Holy Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Suburban and Medstar Montgomery), the overall the number of weekly doses received in Montgomery County has not increased substantially.

The County is working to make sure distribution of the vaccine is equitable throughout the County. DHHS is studying records of recipients, including zip codes, to make sure an equitable number of vaccines go to residents in areas of the County that may be underserved in receiving vaccines.

Residents can sign up on the vaccine website for weekly vaccine updates. A Vaccine Dashboard, which is operated by the State, is on the site and provides updated information on the distribution of vaccines. The information includes the number of vaccines received and the number distributed.

The dashboard also establishes the priority list for the order of people to receive vaccines in Montgomery County. Additional details on the County’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines can be found at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/.

Residents in Priority Groups 1B or 1C who have preregistered on the County’s website and have not yet received a confirmation email should check the spam/junk folder of your email service. If a confirmation email is not in the inbox or the spam/junk folder, preregister again with the correct email address.