“Partnerships and Professionals” will be the theme from noon-1 p.m. on Friday, March 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 Anthony Featherstone, new executive director of WorkSource 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 March 19 town hall, Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Featherstone will discuss getting the County’s unemployment rate back to where it was before COVID-19, which was well-below the national average.
Topics they will cover include the public workforce system, special initiatives during the pandemic, services for job seekers and services for businesses.
“Even though Anthony has been executive director for a short period of time, he has hit the ground running,” said ACAO Fletcher. “I am excited about the initiatives that he is proposing, and I look forward to working with him.”
The town hall will be broadcast County Cable Montgomery—Channel 6 and HD 996 on Comcast; Channel 6 and HD 1056 on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon. The town hall can be viewed live via County social media at https://www.facebook.com/montgomerycountyinfo.
The Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA), which traditionally holds a single, huge employment expo in Montgomery County each year, instead is holding several free virtual events this year. The next County Virtual Employment Expo for Job-seekers Age 50 and Over will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23. It will be held via Zoom.
Multiple employers with available full-time and part-time salaried job opportunities will be represented at the employment expo.
The latest episode of the “What’s Happening MoCo “podcast, which highlights people and programs important to the residents of Montgomery County, will feature a conversation with Elizabeth Qiu, an organizer of “MoCoHacks,” a 36-hour hackathon for all public high school students in the County. It also will address some of the challenges that women face in the IT field.
The new episode is now available.
The goal of MoCoHacks, said Ms. Qiu, “is to get [youth] really interested in computer science, teach them basic coding and other skills needed in the tech field.” She said that the hack-a-thon was an opportunity for students to compete, win awards and collaborate with peers.
MoCoHacks is a free, all-inclusive, 36-hour hackathon for all public high school students in Montgomery County. A hackathon is a coding marathon where students create a ‘hack’ (programming solution) addressing a problem they see around them. The hack can be big or small, serious or comedic. Throughout the event, there will be talks, workshops and tournaments.
MoCoHacks will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday. Learn more about the event at https://mocohacks.org/.
Two senior County technology professionals join Ms. Qiu during the episode. Shayna Taqi, who works in the County’s Change Management division, and Skyler Grubbs, Change Management specialist, share advice for women work who in or aspire to work in the information technology field.
In past episodes, host Derrick Kenny has talked with guests on a wide variety of subjects. The show’s guests have included elected officials, Montgomery employees who specialize in specific aspects of government, business leaders and entertainers who live in the County. New podcasts are released twice a month.
Residents and others interested in asking a question or suggesting a topic to be addressed in a future episode are encouraged to engage via the Facebook page or via e-mail at derrick.kenny@montgomerycountymd.gov.
The intersection of Executive Boulevard and Old Georgetown Road
The intersection of Executive Boulevard and Old Georgetown Road in the White Flint area will be completely closed to vehicle traffic starting on Monday, March 22, for issues related to a construction project. It is expected that the intersection will be closed through late August.
The project is called the “White Flint West Workaround.” The County Capital Improvements Project includes reconstruction of the pedestrian, bicycle and road network that includes Old Georgetown Road, Towne Road, Executive Boulevard, Grand Park Avenue and Banneker Avenue.
Prior to the closing, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation worked to open a new section of Grand Park Avenue between Old Georgetown Road and Banneker Avenue. In addition, improvements have been made along Executive Boulevard between Nicholson Lane and Banneker Avenue.
The opening of Grand Park Avenue and the improvements to Executive Boulevard will lessen the impact to traffic getting to the Bethesda North Marriott/Montgomery County Conference Center on Marinelli Road and to nearby Pike & Rose residences and businesses.
Work hours on the project will be from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. No overnight shifts are planned at this time.
The temporary traffic flow and detour plan around the intersection, which has been developed by MCDOT and the Maryland Department of Transportation/State Highway Administration, will include the following:
Eastbound traffic on Executive Boulevard will end at the traffic signal for 6000 Executive Boulevard.
Southbound traffic on Old Georgetown Road coming from Rockville Pike can only go as far as Grand Park Avenue.
Local southbound traffic on Old Georgetown Road coming from Rockville Pike will have access to the Pallas Apartment Parking Garage and to the T-Mobile parking lot.
Local northbound traffic on Old Georgetown Road will be permitted to get to the service entrance to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Aquatic Center and Wall Park.
Northbound through traffic on Old Georgetown Road should use Nicholson Lane to get to northbound MD 355.
Local traffic on Executive Boulevard will be able to access the medical offices and other businesses down to 6000 and 6001 Executive Boulevard; traffic moving in and out of the 6001 Executive Boulevard offices from Towne Road will continue to enter and exit unimpeded.
During the closure, Montgomery County Ride On buses will continue to serve Executive Boulevard stops. Ride On buses will make a U-turn just past the traffic signal for 6000/6001 Executive Boulevard to be able to proceed with their routes. ONLY Ride On buses will be allowed to proceed past the traffic signal.
Questions or concerns during the intersection closure can be directed to Paul Bender, senior resident engineer, at: 301-343-1527 or via email at paul.bender@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Montgomery County Recreation is moving toward reopening programs in step with the County’s recovery from the COVID-19 health crisis. Its spring programs will include those that feature a medley of glow-in-the dark and other sports activities for youth and young adults with disabilities.
Kickball and bocce are planned to be glow-in-the-dark activities. Whiffle ball and basic soccer are skill-building activities that round out this non-competitive sports program called Sports Medley. The program provides safe, in-person activities to get youth with disabilities safely back to in-person fitness and social activities.
“The pandemic has been hard on everyone,” said Program Manager Trish Gill. “Sports Medley is a fun, non-competitive fitness activity. Many people have been isolated in their homes to protect themselves from COVID-19 and this is a way for our young people to safely return to in-person activities.”
Sports Medley will be offered at Plum Gar Community Recreation Center beginning today, Thursday, March 18, and at the Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center beginning Saturday, March 20. Prompt registration is encouraged as the programs are expected to fill. Registration is available at ActiveMontgomery.
There are many other therapeutic recreation programs, including in-person and virtual dance and social time activities. Programs are available for youth and adults.
Montgomery County-supported “innovation centers” provide local start-up high-tech and life science companies with shared resources and space that enable them to stabilize financially as they work on potential business success and add jobs. Each time an innovation center business (or graduate company) reaches a milestone, it is a victory in the County’s determination to increase entrepreneurial success. Recently, one of those companies did just that.
Gaithersburg-based biotech company VLP Therapeutics, Inc. (VLPT) has announced that it has raised $16 million in funding for research and development of a cancer treatment vaccine that is designed to treat patients who already have cancer, rather than to be used as a preventative tool.
With the funding, VLPT will accelerate a project well underway and move into clinical trials at the earliest date possible. The investment will come from MIYAKO Capital Co., Ltd., Sojitz Corporation and Konishiyasu Co., Ltd., in Japan, and U.S. investors Robert G. Hisaoka, SK Impact Fund, LLC and RJ Fund, LLC.
There currently are three County-sponsored innovation centers in Montgomery County dedicated to businesses in a variety of fields. The companies in the innovation centers work to commercialize products, increase revenue and add high-paying jobs, often with guidance from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation and other partners and resources.
New and established companies can use innovation center assistance for business development, financial and human resource needs, grant writing and guidance in gaining Federal funding.
VLPT was co-founded in 2013 by Wataru Akahata, Ryuji Ueno and Sachiko Kuno. VLPT is currently engaged in research and development of a cancer treatment vaccine, as well as prophylactic vaccines against malaria, dengue and novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Women's History Month will be celebrated by Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) with free online events throughout the month of March with the series “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced." The programs—suitable for all ages—will feature lectures, discussions and story times.
Spring is almost here and with that comes spring cleaning. The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) wants to remind residents who are cleaning out closets, garages, basements and attics that when they find rechargeable batteries that have reached the end of their usefulness in cordless appliances and tools, those batteries must be recycled and not thrown out in the trash.
Rechargeable batteries can release toxic chemicals and cause serious fires when punctured, cracked or crushed. That is why they should not be tossed into the trash or recycling bin.
Useless rechargeable batteries should be removed from devices—including from devices that themselves will not have further useful lives. The batteries can be taken to the County’s Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station, which is located at 16101 Frederick Rd. in Derwood. In addition, select retail stores accept rechargeable batteries for recycling.
Devices with batteries that cannot be removed should be taken to the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off.
Governor Hogan on Tuesday made a surprise announcement that on Friday, he would end most of the restrictions that are in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It almost felt as though spring fever clouded some good judgement. Yes, more people are getting vaccinated, and yes, our case counts are down. However, only about 20 percent of our population is vaccinated, and our case count is still significantly higher than it was this past summer, as you can see on the County COVID dashboard. Maryland is one of only two states (as of yesterday) where all three new variants of the Covid-19 virus have been found.
Clearly, continued careful balance is in the best public interest—this is not a time to throw caution to the wind. I support increased re-opening, but it needs to be done deliberatively and carefully. At least part of the reason our County has reduced infection and hospitalization rates is because of our efforts—guidelines and restrictions that keep interactions minimized—and because of our residents, who understand why it is important to follow these rules and regulations.
Here in Montgomery County, our situation is improving, but our situation is still precarious and we should not jeopardize it. I am not inclined to follow the guidance of the Governor’s newly appointed health adviser, who was an integral part of the Trump Administration’s COVID response team. We have been patient for the past 12 months, and we have managed to have some of the lowest rates of infection. This is not the time for reckless behavior.
Additionally the three new variants—all of which have been seen in Maryland—are very concerning. They seem to spread faster and more easily, which could lead to more COVID-19 cases, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC also said, “An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially, more deaths.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html
Recent guidance from the CDC is very clear that restrictions on indoor dining help reduce the spread of covid. So do mask requirements.
On a promising note, the County health department has begun vaccinating people 65 and older. We have been able to move to this category because most people 75 and older have either been vaccinated or have received an invitation to schedule an appointment. We also will soon be vaccinating frontline and essential workers. We continue to ask the State to locate a mass vaccination site here in the most populous County in the State—we are ready to host it and get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Even for those who have been vaccinated, the CDC is still uncertain about how well the vaccine prevents the spread of COVID-19 if you do not have symptoms. It is still determining how long the vaccine is effective. For these reasons, everyone in public places should continue to follow the guidelines of physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask, as is detailed at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythingstoknow.html.
I know that trying to get a vaccine appointment continues to be time consuming and frustrating. As you may know, the County health department receives a very limited amount of doses from the State—only about 4,500 each week for the more than 100,000 people in our County who are not yet vaccinated, but are eligible for a dose. The State has sent doses to a variety of other sites, and each one requires separate registration. We continue to ask for a more streamlined process, but we do not have one yet. Please do not let the frustration overtake you. We will all be vaccinated—it just will take some time. I am hopeful that, by summer, we will all be vaccinated. It is only a few more months—we will get there.
I hope all of you are able to get outside a little in this beautiful weather. It helps lift the spirits and maintain a sense of balance.
Again, thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Marc Elrich
County Executive
P.S. Despite it all, our County government continues to operate and innovate. Here is a link to my State of the County message from last week, in case you missed it. And Monday, I will send my recommended Fiscal Year 2022 Operating Budget to the County Council for its consideration. It will be available on the County website on Monday and under review by the Council for the next two months.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will present his recommended 2022 County Operating Budget in a live broadcast at noon on Monday, March 15. The event will be broadcast and streamed on County Cable Montgomery and through the County’s Facebook page.
By County law, the County Executive is required to present a recommended operating budget to the County Council by March 15 of each year. The Council will review the budget and adopt it in late May. The FY22 budget year begins July 1.
To view the address on cable, go to County Cable Montgomery (CCM), which is Channel 6 and HD Channel 996 on Comcast; Channel 6 and HD Channel 1056 on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon.
