Silver Spring Neighborhoods

Old Blair Auditorium Funded by Montgomery County Council

2010-06-26T19:25:00.000-04:00

We wanted to make sure you heard the exciting news: On May 27, 2010, the Montgomery County Council voted to formally establish the Old Blair Auditorium Re-use project and fund it in the Fiscal Years 2011-16 Capital Improvements Program (CIP)! (Note that construction projects are funded from the capital budget, which has increased this year, and is not subject to the constraints of this year's reduced operating budget.)

Architectural planning and design will take place in FY12 and the construction work is planned for FY16. "Option 3" of the feasibility study was selected. This option, which calls for a 750-seat auditorium, four adjacent multi-purpose rooms, and an elevator to provide accessible access to the 2nd floor multi-purpose rooms, was the option recommended by the community.

The county's FY12 funding ($600,000) will serve as matching funds for the 2005 state bond bill funds of $600,000.

We are extremely grateful to Councilmember Valerie Ervin, who proposed the community oriented multi-use solution and pressed for full funding. We also thank Councilmembers George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro, and Duchy Trachtenberg, who voted for the project in committee, and Councilmember Marc Elrich for his strong support, as well as the full council for passing the final budget that includes this project.

Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin and Maryland Delegates Sheila Hixson, Heather Mizeur, and Tom Hucker also deserve our thanks for ensuring that the state bond bill funding was extended to meet the project schedule.

Special thanks also to former Senator Ida Ruben who, along with Delegate Hixson in the House of Delegates, who got the bond bill process rolling in the state Senate in 2005.

Visit our web site (http://oldblairauditorium.org/) to learn more about the selection renovation option.

Thanks for all your wonderful support over the years!

Stuart Moore
President
Old Blair Auditorium Project, Inc. Board of Directors

Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. to Produce "Opening Day" Celebration at new Silver Spring Civic Building - July 8, 2010

2010-06-26T19:21:00.002-04:00

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce the line-up for its “Opening Day” production at the new Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Plaza. Our performances begin at 1:30 pm at the Civic Building’s “Portico.”

On July 8th at 6:30 pm, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett will preside over a inaugural ceremony ribbon cutting for the new building located at the intersection of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the public is invited to come inside the building and experience the wonderful new community space. The festivities continue with the first "Silver Spring Swings Summer Concert" featuring a performance by the Fabulous Bel Airs 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.’s (SSTCi) “Opening Day” celebration will feature local dancers, dramatic performers, choral groups, and jazz, blues, and latin musicians from early afternoon until the beginning of the official inaugural program for the new building. We welcome the participation and support of Round House Theatre as co-producers of this event.

6:00 to 6:30 Washington Revels
5:30 to 6:00 Memphis Gold Band
5:00 to 5:30 Contradiction Dance
4:30 to 5:00 Los Charlys Nativos
4:00 to 4:30 Hey Dey Players - Mighty Shock
3:30 to 4:00 Jonny Grave
3:00 to 3:30 Truu Soul
2:30 to 3:00 Truth
2:00 to 2:30 Groove Jet

Alan Bowser of Silver Spring is Executive Producer of the SSTCi’s “Opening Day” celebration. “We are enormously gratified at the strong community support that we have for our opening day program. Thanks to all of our Silver Spring neighbors and the non-profit groups that have generously offered their time and support for this historic program. The Silver Spring Civic Building will be our community’s “living room, so this is a great way to celebrate its opening,” said Bowser.

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is a community non-profit organization to provide arts & entertainment program for the Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Plaza.

Parking is available at the Town Square Garage on Ellsworth Drive. The Silver Spring Metro is three blocks away.

For more information please visit www.silverspringdowntown.com

Opening Night for the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts at Montgomery Blair HS

2010-06-04T16:58:00.000-04:00

The Thunderbolts open the 2010 season tonight at 7:00 pm against Youse's Orioles. As always, there will be concessions, raffles, a trivia contest, races around the bases and great college baseball. Fans will also be given a chance to vote on whether the MLB Commissioner should award a perfect game to Armando Galarraga!

On Sunday, June 6, the T-Bolts opponent will be the Rockville Express. It is Silver Spring International Middle School Teacher Appreciation Night. The School's Advanced Band will be in attendance to provide live music! Game time is 6 pm.!

Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring offers wares not found at big-box stores - Washington Post

2010-05-21T08:53:00.000-04:00

Friday, May 21, 2010

Scenario One:

"Cool necklace! Where did you get it?"

"Ann Taylor Loft in Silver Spring."

Scenario Two:

"Cool necklace! Where did you get it?"

"The Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring."

If the idea of being a hip consumer, one who supports artisans and independent businesses, appeals, then this weekend go shopping where you can be sure to walk away with something you won't see anyone else in the neighborhood wearing.

The new Fenton Street Market is just a few blocks from downtown Silver Spring and yet miles and miles from the brand-name stores that line the city's walking mall. On a recent Saturday, onetime graduate school English majors Heather Rellihan and Kelley Squazzo sold their casual and fun handbags, cutely called "Pocketful of Posy," Julianne Fuchs-Musgrave sold her "wearable art," bags, accessories and shirts made from reclaimed material, and Layla Niebrugge sold silver jewelry with a nature theme. Hand-painted note cards, antique tables, leather baseball hats, old LPs, a crocheted poncho: Unique is the word for this market.

Variety is another word. Every week, about half of the 50 to 60 vendors are new. Prices run from a couple of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars.

Don't miss the food. You might have to wait in line for a homemade doughnut or crepe, but do it. Sweet or savory, the crepes are fresh and the doughnuts sweet. (Ask for chocolate sauce on your doughnut for a supreme sugar rush.)

If that's not enough, the market features a different local band every week to complete the community feeling.

This is the first full season for the market, which was started by Silver Spring resident Hannah McCann in the vacant parking lot that is slated to become a Marriott Hotel. This week, architects will be at the market to discuss the future of Silver Spring. Bring your ideas along with your wallet.

Continue your corporation-free day and buy a non-Starbucks cup of joe at Highland Origin Coffee across the street from the market. Or for something a little different, and a lot refreshing, try Highland's Italian cream soda, flavored any way you want.

-- Moira E. McLaughlin

Where is it? The corner of Silver Spring Avenue and Fenton Street, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. every Saturday. Free neighborhood parking is available around the market.

How much? Free -- until you buy something of course!

What else? Want to eat local as well as wear local? Walk to the Silver Spring mall for fresh produce. The Silver Spring Farmers Market runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday on Ellsworth Drive between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. For another opportunity to check out (and buy) unique crafts, stop by Handmade Mart from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday also on Ellsworth between Fenton and Georgia.

Schedule of Performances - Silver Spring Blues Festival 2010

2010-05-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

Harmonica Workshop 3pm - 4pm
Choo Choo Charlie teaches anyone to play!
Bring your harmonica (Key of C) to learn techniques and songs.

Under the Big Top 2pm - 6pm
Musical Instrument Petting Zoo by Dale Music

On the Fountain Stage*
2:00-2:20pm
Choo Choo Charlie Williams and Baltimore Red Jones – acoustic Delta, Piedmont, Ragtime, and Texas style blues featuring harmonica and guitar

2:25-2:55pm
Jonny Grave - acoustic blues from the Heartland, steeped in the traditions of R.L. Burnside, Fred McDowell and others.

3:05-3:50pm
Andy Poxon Band – get up and go with this 15-year-old who's writing his own blues songs and has a blues groove of his own!

4:00-4:50pm
Daryl Davis Band – a Montgomery County local performing nationally with legendary greats such as Chuck Berry – featuring festival MC / WPFW89.3fm "Don't Forget the Blues" Friday host, Ida Campbell.

5:00-5:50pm
DC Blues Society Band - DCBS brings you Clarence "The Bluesman" Turner and more entertainment coming from the local blues scene!

6:00-6:50pm
Mary Shaver and the Smokin' Polecats – Muddy Waters style with a female touch – featuring Pete Ragusa (Nighthawks drummer for 35 years).

7:00-7:50pm
The Nighthawks – world renowned and legendary blues group – WAMMIE winners of Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) best duo/group and best recording for 2009's "American Landscape," in the Blues/Traditional R&B category. Get your signed award-winning CD at the festival!

* Schedule Subject to Change

Website: http://www.silverspringblues.com/ Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ssbluesfest

Great Performers at Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring, May 22

2010-05-13T09:18:00.001-04:00

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce this exciting line-up of performers for the Silver Spring Blues Festival to be held Saturday, May 22, 2010 in downtown Silver Spring.

Come see some of the best blues in the DC area!

The Nighthawks
Silver Spring's Jonny Grave
Choo Choo Charlie Williams
The Andy Poxon Band
The Daryl Davis Band featuring Ida Campbell
The DC Blues Society Band
Mary Shaver and the Smokin' Polecats

Performances will be held at the Silver Fountain on Ellsworth Drive, between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The festival venue is close to Metro, and parking is free in area garages!

For festival information, visit www.silverspringblues.com

Silver Spring Civic Building & Veterans Plaza - Grand Opening Conversation

2010-05-07T13:22:00.002-04:00

Message from the Silver Spring Regional Center--

The date for the opening is set for Thursday, July 8th, coinciding with our first of six summer concerts (starting at 7pm.) Our opening of the facility will also include honoring our veterans and the dedication of Veterans Plaza.

But we need your ideas; and we need you!

Please come help us plan this unforgettable evening:

TUESDAY, MAY 11, 7:00 p.m.

Round House Theatre Education Center in the Orange Room
925 Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring, MD (parking available at the Wayne Avenue Garage)

Come ready to share what you'd like to see for the opening; and come ready to offer how you'd like to help... We are counting on you!

Many of you have already provided wonderful advice and guidance in the various sessions and meetings we've had recently... And to you we say "thanks!"

Also, if you feel you can't wait till next Tuesday, we welcome your comments and ideas on our blog:

http://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/05/sscb-grand-opening-seeking-input-help.html

A New Library for Silver Spring Is On the Way

2010-04-18T16:15:00.002-04:00

For design details, including beautiful pictures and floor plans, visit the County’s web-site at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/DGS/DBDC/RegionalProjectPages/SilverSpringProjects/sslibrary.asp

Plans for the New Library

► It will be about 63,000 square feet—three times larger than the current library!
► It will be centrally located adjacent to the new Downtown Silver Spring and across from the Wayne Avenue Parking Garage.
► It will include an expanded circulating collection, more computers, more study and meeting space, and an expanded children’s section and activity space.
► A countywide disability resource center with expanded services for disabled county residents will be housed in the new library.
► More services for foreign language and immigrant residents, and more services for businesses will be available.

What’s Happening Now?

► The County has acquired the land at the site—the southwest corner of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue and has started clearing the old buildings.
► Funds for the facility are in the current County Executive’s Capital Improvement Program budget.
► Groundbreaking for the new Library facility will be this summer.

Mixed-Use Concept

The building housing the new library will face Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street. It will be a joint use project that includes:

► A Purple Line Station running through the site from Bonifant Street to the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street
► Ground floor retail space
► An Arts Center on the ground and first floors
► The Library occupying the third, fourth, and fifth floors
► County office space on the sixth floor.

Sharing the site facing Bonifant Street will be a residential building with approximately 160 apartment units. Parking for the Library facility will be provided across the street in the Wayne Avenue Garage.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:

Friends of the Library and Silver Spring Library Advisory Committee,
Kathlyn Smith, Chair kathinbernie@rcn.com

Silver Spring Heritage Trail Dedication, April 17, 2010

2010-04-17T23:03:00.004-04:00

Pictures from the Fenton Street Market

2010-04-17T23:00:00.002-04:00

Silver Spring's Homegrown Fenton Street Market Opens The Season on April 17th!

2010-04-12T23:25:00.001-04:00

Fenton Street Market, the exciting new outdoor market that made its Silver Spring debut last fall with two highly successful test runs, kicks off its inaugural weekly season on Saturday, April 17th from 9 am to 3 pm. Created by resident Hannah McCann as a way to bring together and celebrate the eclectic and vibrant Silver Spring community, Fenton Street Market promises fun and excitement from week to week! There will be 60+ vendors selling antiques, imported goods, crafts, art, and food, including delicious hot donuts and crepes. The Market Stage will keep shoppers entertained with live music and a DJ spinning excellent oldies.

A new addition to Fenton Street Market this season will be the exciting Village Square. Sponsored by Downtown Silver Spring, the Village Square will feature fresh and inventive cultural programs that share one key idea: interaction. By showcasing the diverse and mulit-faceted talents, knowledge, and skills of area residents, businesses, and institutions, the Village Square will provide a space where the community can come together to learn and explore. The wonderful Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center will be there opening day from 11 am to 2 pm to demonstrate and instruct shoppers how to screen print and letterpress their own items! All shoppers are encouraged to bring their own blank printable items such as tee shirts and tote bags to print with a special image created for the occasion.

Fenton Street Market is held at the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring. The Silver Spring Metro is a short walk away, and there is free parking in the public lots across Fenton Street. A number of wonderful independent stores and restaurants are in the immediate area for shoppers to visit and support while they're in the neighborhood, and Fresh Farm market runs a weekly Saturday farm market 4 blocks away.

What: Fenton Street Market
When: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 9 am to 3 pm
Where: The corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue, Downtown Silver Spring, MD
Info: www.fentonstreetmarket.com
_______________________________________________________________________
For more information contact Debbie Lee at debbie@fentonstreetmarket.com
Hannah McCann
Market Advisor
Fenton Street Market
www.fentonstreetmarket.com
cell: 301-787-6749
Twitter: @FentonStMarket

Silver Spring Heritage Trail Signs Unveiling Ceremony - April 17, 2010 at 1 pm

2010-04-12T22:58:00.003-04:00

The Silver Spring Heritage Trail is the first official Montgomery County Main Street Heritage Trail—A joint endeavor between the County Executive's Office, the County Council, the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, the Silver Spring Historical Society, and the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission Staff.

The Silver Spring Heritage Trail is the County's legal mitigation requirement from the 1998 loss through demolition of the historic 1927 Silver Spring National Guard Armory on Wayne Avenue for redevelopment of the core of Silver Spring's Central Business District.

Stroll One of Silver Spring's Original Main Streets, Georgia Avenue! Discover where Silver Spring's Central Business District was born! and Its First Newspaper, "The Maryland News"! Discover where Silver Spring's first Department Store was located! Discover where Silver Spring's first Bank was located! Discover where Silver Spring's first Bakery was located! These Pioneering Structures are Enlivened "now and then" by multi-cultural small independent businesses and a variety of institutions! Experience Adaptive Reuse at Its Best! Heritage Tourism is economic development, also known as "Sense of Place Economics!”

Participants: Montgomery County Executive Isiah (Ike) Leggett, Montgomery County Council Member Valerie Ervin, D-5th, Montgomery County Council Member Marc Elrich, D-At Large & Mara Parker, Elrich Staff Member, Montgomery County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg, D-At Large, & Alan Bowser, Trachtenberg Chief of Staff, Former Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board Member, U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen Represented by Aide Julius West, Maryland State Representatives including State Senator Jamie Raskin, Delegates Sheila Hixson & Tom Hucker, D-20th , Silver Spring Historical Society Jerry A. McCoy, President & Founder, Marcie Stickle & George French, Marilyn Slatick, Board, Silver Spring Regional Services Center Representative Mel Tull, Historic Preservation Commission Staff Representative Scott Whipple, HPC Supervisor, & Tom Jester, Acting HPC Chair, Auras Design Inc. Representatives Rob Sugar & Sharri Wolfgang, Montgomery Preservation Inc. Representative Eileen McGuckian, Maryland Historical Trust Invited, National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Marcie Stickle, Silver Spring Historical Society, Advocacy Chair, 301-585-3817 (Voice Mail & Direct), MarciPro@aol.com
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Silver Spring's Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival - April 23-25

2010-04-12T22:51:00.002-04:00

The first ever Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival, a unique celebration promoting the arts and human rights, will be held throughout downtown Silver Spring, Maryland April 23-25. The festival will present over 400 artists and performers and more than 200 arts and advocacy events at 40 venues in downtown Silver Spring. The activities will begin at 4 pm on Friday, April 23 and run through late night on Sunday, April 25. All events will be free and open to the public.

The springtime festival will include art exhibits, film, theater, dance, music, poetry, photography, digital arts and a sculpture garden as well as dozens of workshops, book readings, performance art, a flash mob dance and activities for children. A dozen advocacy groups will also be running “Festivals within the Festival.”

“Since the founding of Amnesty International, art and artists have played a central role in Amnesty International’s fight for human rights,” said Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. “We believe the arts are a powerful way to further our goals,” he said.

For more information about the event, go to www.humanrightsartfestival.com

The "Nighthawks” to Headline 2010 Silver Spring Blues Festival

2010-04-11T12:40:00.001-04:00

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is very pleased to announce that the legendary blues group the "Nighthawks” will headline this year’s Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring.

The Silver Spring Blues Festival will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010, on Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Over the last 30+ years, the Nighthawks have earned a reputation as one of the best and hardest working bands around.

They are among the top musical acts to come out of the Washington, D.C. area—and are still based here. They were a roots rock band before there was such a thing as “roots rock.”

They play a wide variety of music that has appeal to a diverse audience, mixing the blues, rock and soul—along with rockabilly and swing. They’ve played all over the U.S., with the East Coast and Midwest being particular strongholds. And they’ve toured around the world, establishing especially strong followings in Germany and Japan.

Three of the four band members have been playing together for 30 years, a stretch that few in rock or blues can match. They continue to bring great musical skills and energy to all that they do—it’s a remarkable road they’ve traveled and story they have to tell.

The Nighthawks were founded in 1972 by vocalist/harmonica player Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, and joined early on by bass player Jan Zukowski and drummer Pete Ragusa. Based in Washington, D.C., they built on their Chicago blues roots to create a unique musical repertoire that features blues, roots rock, rockabilly and soul.

They’ve played as the opening act or backing band for such legendary blues artists as Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Big Walter Horton and Elvin Bishop. They also played in the Rosebud Agency's blues all-star tours with Pinetop Perkins, John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite and John Lee Hooker. Some of the guitarists who have played with the band over the years include Bob Margolin, Steuart Smith, Warren Haynes, Jim Solbery, Pete Kennedy, Phil Petroff and Ratso (Jim Silman).

Visit the Nighthawks at their website http://www.thenighthawks.com/

SAVE THE DATE: Silver Spring Blues Festival, May 22, 2010 in Downtown Silver Spring

2010-04-11T12:36:00.003-04:00

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Second Silver Spring Blues Festival will take place on Saturday, May 22, 2010 in Downtown Silver Spring!

Watch this space for news about the Festival bands, schedule, and list of Festival events.

This year's Festival will be sponsored by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., the DC Blues Society, and Downtown Silver Spring.

For more information, check out our Blues Festival website at www.silverspringblues

Questions? Email silverspringtowncenter@gmail.com

It's gonna be a good, good time!

Harry Sanders dies; activist led Purple Line campaign - Washington Post

2010-03-12T12:21:00.002-05:00

By Katherine Shaver, Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 12, 2010; B07

Harry Sanders, 63, a retired federal computer analyst and Montgomery County transit activist who led the campaign for an east-west rail link through the Maryland suburbs that eventually became the Purple Line project, died March 10 at Casey House hospice in Rockville of complications from kidney cancer.

Mr. Sanders, who lived in Silver Spring, co-founded the Action Committee for Transit in 1986 to rally public support for a trolley line between Bethesda and Silver Spring. The Maryland Transit Administration later expanded county plans for the four-mile trolley line into a 16-mile light rail Purple Line linking Maryland's spokes of the Metro system between Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

The state has begun to seek federal funding for the $1.68 billion project.

In 2002, Mr. Sanders co-founded the Coalition to Build the Inner Purple Line, and in 2007, he helped expand the group into Purple Line NOW, a coalition of business, environmental and civic groups. He was Purple Line NOW's president at the time of his death.

Although Mr. Sanders was a purple-shirted fixture at rallies, fellow advocates said the mild-mannered activist was most effective behind the scenes, quietly pressing government officials about the project's progress, particularly when the state's Purple Line plans stalled in the 1990s.

Henry Kay, the MTA's deputy administrator for planning and engineering, said Mr. Sanders encouraged planners under then-Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) to "think big" about expanding an east-west rail line beyond Montgomery.

"I think he saw the potential to link together communities all across the inner Beltway corridor," Kay said. "He was always there to remind us of how important that was."

The Purple Line has been controversial because under the state's chosen route between Bethesda and Silver Spring, trains would run along a popular jogging and biking trail, which would require cutting hundreds of mature trees. Opponents say a transit line would destroy the trail's wooded, park-like feel to benefit developers planning to build around future Purple Line stations.

Mr. Sanders, an avid walker, said he believed building a transit line would help complete the Bethesda-to-Silver Spring gravel trail as an extension of the paved Capital Crescent trail, friends said. He said transit lines focus growth and offer alternatives to driving, particularly for lower-income people.

"He saw [transit] as the key to a different kind of community that was more livable," said Ben Ross, president of Action Committee for Transit. "That was a much less widespread view 25 years ago than it is now."

Webb Smedley, a board member for Purple Line NOW, said Mr. Sanders was also active in the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring and pushed in the late 1980s for sidewalks to be installed near the Silver Spring Metro station. He was also interested in affordable housing issues and helped the needy through St. Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, family and friends said.

"The thread that tied them all together was a progressive 'help the little guy' outlook toward life," Smedley said. "I think transit just happened to be the issue that he thought he could make his mark on."

Harry Lee Sanders was a native of Springfield, Ill., and a 1968 graduate of the University of Illinois. He moved to the Washington area to work as a computer analyst for the National Security Agency from 1968 to 1976, said his wife, Barbara Marsh Sanders. He then worked as a computer analyst for the U.S. House of Representatives. He retired in 1997.

He also had served as his local Democratic precinct chairman since the early 1980s and as transportation committee chairman for the Montgomery chapter of the League of Women Voters, his wife said.

In addition to his wife, of Silver Spring, survivors include a son, Gregory S. Sanders of Ellicott City; and a sister.

Click here for Harry Sanders' obituary

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/11/AR2010031104513_pf.html

County Opens Final Segment Of Pedestrian Linkages Project In South Silver Spring

2010-01-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

The South Silver Spring Pedestrian Linkages Project -- a key County project designed to enhance pedestrian safety, business development and overall livability in an emerging South Silver Spring community -- was completed today when officials opened Bottleworks Lane, a one-way street connecting East-West Highway and Kennett Street. The roadway runs beside Gramax Towers, the 15-story former office building that stood vacant for 15 years before being converted to 182 housing units.

Cutting a “ribbon” of plastic Canada Dry bottles, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett was joined by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), 8th District Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), County Council President Nancy Floreen, Council Vice President Valerie Ervin (Dist. 5), the County’s Department of Housing and Community Development Director Richard Y. Nelson Jr., County Transportation Deputy Director Al Roshdieh and John Marcolin, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Community Planner for the area. Also participating were Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center who emceed the event, and from the Community Planning and Development Division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were Senior CPD Representative Tasleem Albaari, Frances Bush and Lorraine Richardson.

Developed by the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) over a 10-year period, the project consists of eight segments of convenient, safe and attractive pedestrian walkways links through South Silver Spring. The objective of the project was to overcome the inconvenience and isolation created by the unusually large block pattern in the area.

“These pedestrian links are crucial to the character of South Silver Spring on many fronts,” Leggett said. “They improve connections between businesses, parking facilities, Montgomery College and recent commercial redevelopment and have already supported a significant increase in housing construction -- approximately 2,000 existing units nearby. And, there are more in the pipeline.”

“I am so pleased that Silver Spring has taken advantage of this opportunity for economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner. By making it easier and safer for people to get around South Silver Spring without their cars, the Pedestrian Linkages Project, including Bottleworks Lane, will help reduce carbon emissions, save people money and improve the public’s health and well being,” said Senator Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This project is a positive example of how federal investments through Community Development Block Grants can best be put to use to revitalize an entire neighborhood.”

Montgomery County has been a leader in ensuring communities are safe and accessible, and this pedestrian linkages project is an integral piece of this effort,” said Congressman Van Hollen (D-MD). “I want to commend the efforts and vision of the state, the county, and the community, and I am pleased we were able to secure federal funding to help complete this award-winning venture.”

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission reviewed the recommendations and required subsequent private development to include the recommended pedestrian linkages in their development plan.

“With Bottleworks Lane, we’ve hit the trifecta,” said Floreen. “This project improves pedestrian safety, promotes business and helps to make Silver Spring a generally great place to live. That’s something to celebrate.”

The name Bottleworks Lane was selected for the final segment in recognition of the formal industrial history of the area and specifically, the Canada Dry Factory which was located near this link.

Bottleworks Lane includes pedestrian lighting, parking meters (administered by the Parking Authority) and a bifiltration structure that collects runoff before it enters the storm water management system.

“The construction of Bottleworks Lane is a symbol of the commitment that the County has made to ensure that our neighborhoods are accessible and walkable for all of our residents,” said Ervin, who serves as the Council’s representative on the County’s Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee and represents Silver Spring. “This connection will more easily enable residents in South Silver Spring to access downtown amenities and will help local small businesses in South Silver Spring attract new customers.

“The name Bottleworks Lane is extremely appropriate as we create this linkage near the Canada Dry Building, one of Silver Spring’s historic landmarks and an icon of the industrial building boom.”

Five of the segments were constructed through private redevelopment projects, and the remaining three were constructed by the public sector and funded by Community Development Black Grants. The project represents an investment of more than five million dollars from Federal Community Development Block Grant funds in South Silver Spring. The $1.5 million cost of the final segment included land acquisition, demolition and construction. The County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) built the roadway.

In 2006, Montgomery County received an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties for the Silver Spring Pedestrian Linkages Project.

More information about the project is available on the DHCA website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/DHCA/index.asp, click on Community Programs.

Silver Spring Digs Out from the Blizzard of '09

2009-12-23T20:54:00.002-05:00

Silver Spring Snow

2009-12-23T20:51:00.002-05:00

Silver Spring's Blizzard of 2009

2009-12-23T20:48:00.000-05:00

Officials Ask Residents and Businesses to Assist Disabled and Elderly in Removing Sidewalk Snow

2009-12-21T09:27:00.001-05:00

Montgomery County officials ask residents and business owners to assist disabled and elderly residents who may need help in clearing snow and ice from their sidewalks. County law requires all residential and commercial property owners to clear their public sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm.

All residents are strongly encouraged to be good neighbors by clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes, as well as assisting those who may not be physically able to do so.

For more information or the latest snow-related updates, go to the County's website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/snow. Montgomery County's Highway Services, Department of Transportation, continues to staff its Call Center to respond to residents’ road-related questions and concerns at 240-777-6000.

Watch Out for Pedestrians!

2009-12-20T13:44:00.002-05:00

Montgomery County officials are urging drivers to be especially alert for pedestrians walking in the roads because of snow-covered sidewalks. Drivers should also be cautious when pulling out of side streets onto main roads.

Pedestrians should:

• Be careful crossing the street.
• Wear appropriate shoes and brightly colored clothing while walking in snowy or icy conditions.
• Be cautious of slippery crosswalks and sidewalks.
• Be aware that drivers may have difficulty maneuvering or stopping their vehicles.
• Wear reflective clothing or stickers for maximum protection, especially at dawn and dusk.
• Make sure vehicles are stopped and that they are seen by drivers before proceeding in front of them.

Some other safety tips for residents who are clearing snow and Ice are:

• Slippery driveways and sidewalks can be hazardous. Keep them well shoveled and apply abrasive materials to improve traction.
• When shoveling snow, avoid overexertion. Take frequent breaks.
• If snow has covered fire hydrants, shovel it away so firefighters can easily locate them in the event of an emergency.

Montgomery County law requires that all residential and commercial property owners clear their public sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm.

For more information or the latest snow-related updates, go to the County's website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. Montgomery County’s Highway Maintenance Section, Department of Transportation, continues to staff its Call Center to respond to residents’ road-related questions and concerns at 240-777-6000.

Snow Emergency Declared for Montgomery County

2009-12-19T12:05:00.001-05:00

Maryland State Police declared a Snow Emergency for Montgomery County, and County officials are urging residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. The snow emergency means that cars parked in designated snow emergency routes will be towed, and fire officials are asking residents to help identify and clear fire hydrants in their neighborhoods.

County snow removal crews are concentrating their efforts on more than 4,000 lane miles of County-maintained residential roadways and nearly 1,000 lane miles of primary/arterial roadways, with particular emphasis on maintaining access to the County’s five hospitals. Officials also report that all County facilities are closed on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20, including public schools, libraries and recreation centers. In addition, all events and activities scheduled to be held in public facilities on both days have been canceled.

As part of the snow emergency declaration, residents are asked to move vehicles parked in snow emergency routes. Vehicles not moved will be towed. Under this declaration, vehicles on the road must have all-weather or snow tires or chains, and taxi cabs operating in Montgomery County are allowed to charge $1.00 extra per trip.

Citizens in need of police or fire emergency services should contact 911. Non-emergency calls should be directed to 301-279-8000. Residents in need of shelter services or in crisis should contact the County’s Crisis Center at 240-777-4000. For more information about the County’s snow removal operations, call the Division of Highway Services at 240-777-6000 or go to http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hwytmpl.asp?url=/content/dot/highway/snowplow.asp .

Pictures from Silver Spring's Thanksgiving Parade

2009-11-28T15:38:00.005-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157622850300548/

From humble beginnings, a modest philanthropist - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:23:00.002-05:00

Choice Hotels, ManorCare founder honored for giving

Stewart Bainum's Commonweal Foundation gives millions to help disadvantaged students.
By Jason Tomassini | The Gazette | Thursday, November 26, 2009

Stewart Bainum's empire began 73 years ago with $3 and a cardboard suitcase.

Bainum, 17 at the time, had been kicked out of his private high school outside Cincinnati because he couldn't afford the tuition.

So he took whatever money and belongings he had, hitchhiked to the Washington area after a recommendation from a friend, found a job as a plumber's assistant and made enough money to go back and get his high school diploma from the school that had tossed him.

"One day I was holding the suitcase too close to the road, and a car hit it," said Bainum, the founder of Choice Hotels International and ManorCare nursing homes. "I had to piece it all back together."

Things never came easily for him, Bainum, 90, said. But he has dedicated much of his life to making things simpler for others.

After making his fortune from Choice Hotels and ManorCare, Bainum began funding the Commonweal Foundation, a nonprofit organization that gives about $12 million per year of Bainum family money to scholarships and educational programs for disadvantaged students.

Last week, the Montgomery County Community Foundation recognized Bainum as the county's philanthropist of the year, honoring the man not for his considerable wealth but for the way he used it.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11252009/silvnew232001_32522.shtml

After years of haggling, Fillmore nears fruition - Washington Post

2009-11-28T15:20:00.000-05:00

New deal could lead to a concert hall in downtown Silver Spring

By Michael Laris | Washington Post Staff Writer | Saturday, November 14, 2009

On one hand, you have Devo, Sonic Youth, Los Lobos, the Pixies and the world's biggest concert promoter, Live Nation.

On the other, $4 million from Montgomery County taxpayers, millions more from the state and a host of uncommon legal guarantees for a longtime Maryland developer.

Together, that monster mash of music, cash and governmental wriggling could finally come together, after a deal late Thursday and years of haggling, to build a Fillmore-branded concert hall in downtown Silver Spring at the site of an abandoned J.C. Penney store on Colesville Road.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/13/AR2009111303898.html

Fillmore deal to bring music to Silver Spring - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:18:00.000-05:00

Some neighbors strike dissonant notes, fearing clogged traffic and higher rents

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

After months of patiently — and at times impatiently — waiting for Montgomery County and Lee Development Group to announce an agreement paving the way for a Fillmore music venue in downtown Silver Spring, residents finally got word of the deal late Thursday night.

But questions still remain about the transparency of the negotiations, how the Fillmore will impact the downtown and whether nearby businesses can survive increased rent.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11182009/silvnew184148_32523.shtml

Elementary students will shift schools to ease overcrowding - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:16:00.000-05:00

Some parents fear move will fracture fledgling sense of community

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

Some students at East Silver Spring Elementary School will be reassigned to Sligo Creek Elementary School next year to manage class sizes at Sligo Creek, but East Silver Spring parents fear the move will fracture a growing community just beginning to unite.

The Montgomery County Board of Education voted to reassign about 25 East Silver Spring Elementary students to Sligo Creek Elementary School, a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in Silver Spring, beginning next school year. The BOE also voted to reassign students living in the City of Takoma Park but attending Sligo Creek to Takoma Park and Piney Branch elementary schools in Takoma Park to alleviate overcrowding at Sligo Creek.

http://gazette.net/stories/11252009/silvnew232011_32528.shtml

County-funded team to address pedestrian safety along dangerous route - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:14:00.000-05:00

by Jeremy Arias | Staff writer | Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

A rubbery screech echoed along Piney Branch Road in front of Eastern Carryout as a dark-green minivan hit the brakes too late at a red light and skidded part of the way into the intersection, blocking the crosswalk. Officer Norman Brissett quickly walked up to the vehicle and leaned in to talk with the driver.

A light rain wet the pavement along the busy road as impatient pedestrians and speedy drivers played a deadly game of hit-or-miss that has made this stretch of Piney Branch – between Flower Avenue and the Prince George's County border – the road with the highest number of pedestrian collisions in Montgomery County.

http://gazette.net/stories/11252009/silvnew232012_32529.shtml

Residents lobby for Purple Line station - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:12:00.003-05:00

Some fear stop would stir up quiet community along Dale Drive

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

The light-rail vs. bus rapid-transit Purple Line debate has finally been settled, but it's clear residents along Dale Drive in Silver Spring still have work to do, lobbying Monday night for a Purple Line station, and the transit-related amenities they say will come with it, to be placed in their neighborhood.

County officials and planners have told Maryland Transit Authority officials they are unsure about including a light-rail station at Dale Drive and Wayne Avenue along the Purple Line, a 16-mile, $1.5 billion mass-transit route that would connect downtown Bethesda to New Carrolton via Silver Spring. MTA included the Dale Drive station in the original Purple Line design, but county officials and planners weren't sure the station would yield positive ridership numbers.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11112009/silvnew184128_32539.shtml

School meetings to discuss redistricting elementaries - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:12:00.002-05:00

Sligo Creek Elementary lobbied against bigger classes

Talk of the Town | Jason Tomassini | November 11, 2009

Parents of students at Sligo Creek Elementary School in Silver Spring have successfully lobbied the county Board of Education to consider new enrollment boundaries that would prevent larger class sizes at the school, as the board also considers recommendations from the school system superintendent.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11112009/silvnew184142_32554.shtml

Sligo Creek Park considers culling deer - Gazette

2009-11-28T15:11:00.001-05:00

Park's booming population tramples ecosystem

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

One day in 2007, after a morning spent at Sligo Creek Park removing invasive plants so the native plants could survive, Sally Gagne took a moment to relax and look back on the acre of parkland she had proudly worked on to save.

Her pride quickly turned to panic.

"I couldn't believe how little was left," said Gagne, a Silver Spring resident and founder of the Friends of Sligo Creek, a local citizens group dedicated to improving the quality of the Sligo Creek Watershed, which covers 11.6 square miles from Wheaton to Hyattsville. "There were very few young trees and even fewer native plants."

A new adversary – a rapidly increasing deer population in Sligo Creek – had gotten to the plot before Gagne could, eating all of the native plants and saplings. The deer problem was bad in 2007, Gagne said, and is even worse now. And for the first time, FOSC is debating whether to cull the deer population in Sligo Creek before the entire ecosystem is ruined.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11112009/silvnew184127_32538.shtml

Assault on Sligo Creek Stream Valley Trail in Takoma Park: Police Need Your Help

2009-11-20T14:49:00.004-05:00

November 20, 2009 (12:30 a.m.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On November 19, 2009 between 5:00 and 5:15 p.m. a woman was sexually assaulted on the Sligo Creek Stream Valley Trail in Takoma Park, Maryland. A man grabbed the victim as she jogged the trail and forced her into a wooded area where he sexually assaulted her. The assault occurred between Maple Avenue and the Carroll Avenue bridge.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male between 25- 35 years of age, 5'7 to 5'9, medium build, short military style black hair, wearing a heavy long sleeve beige shirt and loose fitting pants.

The Takoma Park Police and The Maryland-National Capital Park Police are jointly investigating this crime. Anyone who was in the area at the time, or has any information about this crime is asked to please call the Takoma Park Police at 301-270-1100.

Catherine E. Plevy
Executive Assistant
Public Information Officer (PIO)
Office of the Chief of Police
7500 Maple Avenue
Takoma Park, Maryland 20912
(301) 891-7142

Tribute to America’s Veterans” benefit concert

2009-11-16T00:00:00.003-05:00

The “Tribute to America’s Veterans” benefit concert at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring was a great success!

The concert was sponsored by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., in partnership with the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs and Building Bridges America, Inc.

Our musical performers--Memphis Gold, Jay Summerour and Jonny Grave—were excellent and warmly received by the enthusiastic audience.

Inspirational Veterans Day remarks were offered by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Commission on Veterans Affairs Chair, Bill Gray.

Montgomery County Council President Phil Andrews and Councilmembers Valerie Ervin and Duchy Trachtenberg presented County Council proclamations to Buffalo Soldiers Joseph Hairston and James Daugherty. Another Buffalo Soldier in the audience, Mr. Charles Williams, was recognized.

A Certificate of Appreciation from County Executive Leggett was presented to Rebuilding Together Montgomery County for its work in helping to make the homes of our veterans safe and accessible.

Seen in the audience were State Delegate Tom and Amy Fortin-Hucker, Montgomery County Councilmember Marc Elrich, Robert Quinn, Chair, Rebuilding Together Montgomery County, Lorrie Knight-Majors, Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs, Ann Humphrey, Office of Representative Chris Van Hollen, Greg Hamilton, Vietnam Veterans of America, Ida Campbell, WPFW, and community representatives Anita Morrison, Charlotte Coffield, Woody Brosnan, and Evan Glass.

Thanks to Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Board members Jon Lourie, Graciela Jaschek, Aurelia Martin, Mark Kozaki, Don Berkemeyer, Jennifer Nettles, Jack Hewitt, David Fogel, Beth Wong, Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, and Mary Ann Zimmerman for their support and hard work.

A Tribute to America’s Veterans Concert – November 10, 2009 at 7:30 pm

2009-10-29T18:54:00.001-04:00

Please support the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.’s Tribute to America’s Veterans benefit concert on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring.

The concert is sponsored by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., in partnership with the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs and Building Bridges America, Inc.

This exciting evening of entertainment will feature performances by Silver Spring’s own singer-songwriter Jonny Grave and the dazzling blues duo Memphis Gold and Jay Summerour.

Proceeds from this exciting musical event will benefit, “Rebuilding Together Montgomery,” a non-profit housing organization that assists veterans through home renovations.

There will also special presentations to famed Buffalo Soldiers Joseph Hairston and James Harden Daugherty by members of the Montgomery County Council.

Doors open at 7 pm. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

Please join us for an exciting evening of entertainment to salute our Veterans community in Montgomery County.

The Round House Theatre is located at 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Tickets are $20.00 each.

For ticket reservations, email silverspringtowncenter@gmail.com or call Alan Bowser at 301-523-6659.

Silver Spring Library - Unveiling of Exterior Views

2009-10-25T10:12:00.003-04:00

On October 24, 2009, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg and senior officials unveiled pictures of the exterior views of the new Silver Spring Library. The new Silver Spring Library will be located at the intersection of Wayne Avenue, Fenton Street and Bonifant Street. More than 1,000,000 patrons are expected to use the facility every year.

Painting for Peace in Silver Spring

2009-10-25T10:06:00.002-04:00

Meditation Museum & Pyramid Atlantic hosted “Painting for Peace” in honor of the International Day of Peace. Local businesses, organizations and artists joined together to paint a Peace Mural and Wall of Inspiration adjacent to Pyramid Atlantic.

Broad Acres Park for Community Service Day

2009-10-25T10:01:00.002-04:00

The Friend of Broad Acres Park and the Northwest Park Oakview Weed and Seed Program celebrated Montgomery County's 23rd Annual Commuity Service Day.

The Northwest Park Oakview Weed & Seed Program along with the Silver Spring Regional Center, Broad Acres Elementary School, the State’s Attorney’s Office of Montgomery County, the Office of Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, St. Camillus Parish, Long Branch Athletic Association, partnering organizations and local residents gathered together to celebrate Community Service Day by cleaning up the Broad Acres Community Park in Silver Spring

Obama makes surprise visit to Silver Spring school - Washington Post

2009-10-19T16:05:00.000-04:00

By Nelson Hernandez | Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, October 19, 2009 1:45 PM

President Obama paid a surprise lunchtime visit to Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring Monday.

Montgomery County schools spokeswoman Kate Harrison said the visit lasted just 30 to 45 minutes, and that officials had been told to keep it secret. Obama "really just wanted to interact with students and he wanted to do it during lunch," Harrison said.

According to a pool report, the president visited with third- and fifth-graders. Ben Finkenbinder, a White House press aide, said Obama chose Viers Mill because in 2005 it became the first Montgomery County school with a large population of low-income students to be designated a National Blue Ribbon School for significantly closing the achievement gap. Such schools qualify for Title I federal funding.

"It's wonderful. I'm just so happy for the kids," Harrison said. "What a thrill. To be just sitting there eating your lunch, and all of a sudden the president of the United States walks in. It's so exciting."

Jerry D. Weast, the Montgomery County school superintendent, said Obama asked students about the books they were reading and their desire to go to college.

"There was an authentic connection, because he has children and he knew their books," Weast said. "He was able to relate to their books and without any kind of hesitation respond to their questions."

Weast said Obama had visited the county earlier this year when his daughter, Malia, played in a sports game in Kensington.

"One would have to be honest and say we have a good location," Weast said when asked why Obama had chosen the county. "He's had two or three or four secretaries from his cabinet here, or have children here... I could tell just by what he said he had studied what we were doing."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101901724_pf.html

Breaking News - Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Plans Veterans Tribute Concert

2009-10-13T17:31:00.003-04:00

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce that its "Tribute to America's Veterans" concert will be held at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 from7:30 to 9:00 pm.

The concert, which will benefit a veterans service organization in Montgomery County, will be cosponsored by the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs.

This year's program will feature the acoustic blues duo of Memphis Gold and Jay Summerour, as well as Silver Spring's own, Jonny Grave!

The Round House Theatre is located at 8461 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland

Tickets are $20.00 For ticket information, contact Alan Bowser at alan.bowser@gmail.com

Buffalo Soldiers Remember Trials but Focus on Triumph - Washington Post

2009-10-13T06:46:00.000-04:00

By Yamiche Alcindor | Washington Post Staff Writer | Monday, October 12, 2009

Joseph Hairston enlisted in the Army in 1940 as an 18-year-old and still remembers the cold stares and disgusted gazes of his white commanding officers.

Hairston, 87, served in the 599th Field Artillery Battalion and became one of the Army's first black commissioned officers. He deployed to Italy in 1944 and, like other black soldiers, ate, slept and trained separately from white soldiers. Even so, Hairston remained in the Army and went on to serve in Korea. He retired after 20 years. "I believe in my country," Hairston said. "As bad as the past has been, there's nowhere else I want to be."

Hairston is a Buffalo soldier, one of thousands of African Americans who served in a segregated U.S. Army during World War II. This past weekend in Silver Spring, Hairston joined dozens of other Buffalo soldiers at the annual reunion hosted by the Washington-based 92nd Infantry Division (Buffalo) Association, founded in 1982 as a means of preserving the division's history.

The 92nd was formed with African American soldiers during World War I and reactivated during World War II. The nickname traces to the one given black soldiers who fought in the 19th-century wars on the western frontier. Historians say the nickname of Buffalo soldier was given by the Indians to their African American adversaries because of their curly hair and as a sign of respect for their valor and prowess.

Some of the veterans at the Silver Spring reunion slowly walked around the room, canes in hand, greeting their old friends.

Others sat in their wheelchairs, telling stories. The men, some of whom traveled from Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, are well into their 80s and 90s. An 84-year-old, in this group, ranks as a "youngster.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101102027_pf.html

South Silver Spring Block Party!

2009-10-12T20:32:00.003-04:00

More South Silver Spring Block Party pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157622510081422/

South Silver Spring carves out its own sense of community - Gazette

2009-10-12T20:28:00.000-04:00

Block party highlights how far area has come

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

With residents examining local wares like avant-garde hats and dog clothes, munching on Indian and Mediterranean food and most either toting a puppy, a baby or a beer, one thing became abundantly clear Saturday at the South Silver Spring Block Party: south Silver Spring is not what it used to be.

The neighborhood once associated with industrial warehouses, vacant office buildings and vagrants is now home to new high-rise residential buildings, active streets and young families. It's not the Silver Spring of old and it's not even the new downtown Silver Spring. It's distinctively south Silver Spring, and, for the first time in awhile, that's a good thing.

"This neighborhood, as opposed to the downtown area, is where people who live in Silver Spring and know the area want to come," said David Richards, 29, who lives in the Aurora Condominiums on East West Highway, said from the Hook and Ladder beer garden at the Saturday's third annual block party.

Roughly 1,200 residential units have been recently completed in south Silver Spring, and about 900 more are under construction or will begin occupancy soon, according to data from the Silver Spring Regional Services Center Web site.

http://gazette.net/stories/10072009/silvnew181201_32523.shtml

Takoma Park police crack down on burglaries, larcenies - Gazette

2009-10-12T20:27:00.001-04:00

Police plan monthly meetings to update residents

by Jeremy Arias | Staff writer | Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

Despite a sharp increase in the city's crime rate over the summer, the numbers have dropped quickly now that school is back in session, according to Takoma Park Police Chief Ronald Ricucci.

Larcenies and burglaries topped the department's priorities list during the summer, according to department statistics presented to the community during a new police outreach initiative held Sept. 30. Ricucci also credited the drop in crime totals for September to his department's efforts to address patterns identified over the summer.

http://gazette.net/stories/10072009/silvnew181207_32527.shtml

Youth group to hold peace summit at area college - Gazette

2009-10-12T20:25:00.000-04:00

People and Places | Jason Tomassini and Jeremy Arias

Mixed Unity, a youth coalition and movement of peers organized to prevent youth violence and promote peace in the county, will be holding its first Peace Summit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Montgomery College's Takoma Park campus.

Mixed Unity, which formed last year after the shooting death of a Montgomery Blair High School freshman, provides opportunities for youth leadership and community organizing to create alternatives to youth violence.

The morning session will focus on preventing violence among youth while the afternoon events will include dancing, an open mic performance and live music. For more information, e-mail mxdunity@gmail.com.

Affordable housing planned for seniors at St. Camillus - Gazette

2009-10-03T18:05:00.000-04:00

49-unit-building is funded by HUD grant, developed by Victory Housing

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009

To care for the growing senior population in the parish, St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring will build a new affordable independent-living community on its grounds for nearby residents 62 years and older with low and moderate incomes.

"It's simple: You give people housing that need it. That goes all the way back to the Scriptures," said St. Camillus parishioner Ron Dickenson, who has been pushing for the Victory Oaks independent living community for 10 years.

Victory Oaks will be developed, maintained and staffed by Victory Housing Inc., the nonprofit housing development arm of the Archdiocese of Washington, and designed by Bethesda-based architects Grimm and Parker. The three-story, 49-unit building is funded by a $6.4 million Section 202 Capital Advance Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, awarded to one affordable senior housing project in the Washington, D.C., area each year.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/09302009/silvnew190704_32525.shtml

Silver Spring, Wheaton campaigns to ‘buy local' are back in business - Gazette

2009-10-03T18:04:00.001-04:00

New approach involves connecting businesses as well as customers

by Amber Parcher | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009

The Silver Spring and Wheaton county-funded "buy local" programs are picking up the reins of last year's test run and piecing together a new plan that aims to build bridges between businesses as well as luring in more customers.

The programs had a slight funding scare this spring when the County Council hesitated to refill the campaign's one-year $68,000 pilot grant. But the grant was replenished for fiscal year 2010, and after a change in the programs' leadership, Buy Local Silver Spring and Local First Wheaton are back in business.

Paula Sternberg, the programs' new manager, works out of the Latino Economic Development Corporation's Wheaton office, which is a small business-development nonprofit based in Wheaton and Washington, D.C. Last year, LEDC suggested that the county fund two buy-local campaigns, one each for Wheaton and Silver Spring. Buy-local campaigns draw consumer attention to local businesses through marketing campaigns and other practices.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/09302009/silvnew190713_32533.shtml

Experimental musicians expand boundaries of sound in Silver Spring - Gazette

2009-10-03T18:02:00.000-04:00

Audience tunes in to eclectic Sonic Circuits Festival

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009

For 20 minutes prior to his set Friday night, German experimental musician Odal rearranges the mass of wires, pedals, sound mixers, effects boxes and cassette players that will somehow create his strange brand of electronic music. His fingers work quickly, pressing buttons, tossing around wires and adjusting sound levels like a mad scientist.

Hunched over a midsized table, every inch of which is covered by his "instruments," he occasionally rolls his eyes or sighs in frustration if his equipment doesn't yield the precise sound he needs.

It's no easy task to ensure his set of blips, ominous tones and the occasional 10-second block of feedback will go off without a hitch, but eventually Odal is ready to perform.

"Two more minutes," Odal, whose real name is Peter Zincken, tells the crowd around 11:30 p.m. He then disappears into a supply room at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, which by day is an art gallery.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/09302009/silvnew190705_32526.shtml

Fenton Street Market brings local arts and crafts to city - Gazette

2009-10-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

People and Places | Jason Tomassini and Jeremy Arias

The Fenton Street Market will return 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for the second of two events at the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue.

More than 60 local artists, crafters, collectors and more will take over an empty lot in the neighborhood to exhibit an eclectic array of goods. It's a homegrown happening complete with live music and refreshments.

If all goes well, the Fenton Street Market will be a weekly event starting next spring. Photos and a complete list of exhibitors can be found at www.fentonstreetmarket.com.

For more information, contact Hannah McCann, the market's manager, at 301-787-6749 or hannah@fentonstreetmarket.com.

South Silver Spring Block Party, Saturday, October 3rd, 1-6 pm

2009-10-03T09:21:00.002-04:00

Washington’s beautiful Autumn is already upon us and what better way to celebrate then heading outside, listening to live music, eating some international food and even do some shopping. Sound good? Well – this is what we have planned at the 3rd annual South Silver Spring block party!

On Saturday October 3rd from 1-6p you we’ll be celebrating our community in downtown Silver Spring and invite you all to join in the festivities.

Aside from the numerous artisans selling their designs, we’ll even have vendors catering to your pets and an arts area designed for your children. And if you don’t have either children or pets, you might be interested in the beer garden sponsored by Silver Spring’s own Hook & Ladder Brewery!

Highlights

Silver Spring's own Hook & Ladder brewery is planning on having a beer garden

10 musical acts will perform on our stage

More than three dozen local artisans and business will display their goods and services

Local restaurants selling their food include: Tiramisu Bakery, Ghar-E-Kabab (Indian/Nepalese), Taste of Jerusalem (Mediterranean), Mamma Lucia (Italian) and southern BBQ grill

A fundraising raffle with hundreds of dollars in gifts from local businesses

Pet adoption from local animal rescue shelters

Silver Spring's Very Own Buffalo Soldier! Book Signing at B&O Railway Station, October 3rd

2009-10-03T09:19:00.001-04:00

Montgomery Preservation Inc. & Silver Spring Historical Society Present
Free Book Signing & Discussion

Buffalo Saga by Buffalo Soldier James Harden Daugherty
Silver Spring's Very Own Buffalo Soldier!

Saturday October 3, 2009 at the Historic Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station
8100 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring.

Station Open House is 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Book Signing is at 1:00 pm.
Co-sponsored by Montgomery Preservation Inc. and Silver Spring Historical Society
Contact: Marcie Stickle, SSHS at MarciPro@aol.com or 301-585-3817

Mr. Daugherty entered the army at the age of 19 in 1943, writing his compelling book at the age of 23 upon his return. Buffalo Saga is published in 2009 for the very first time, coinciding with the 65th Anniversary of D-Day and with President Barack Obama's historic election. Available at Silver Spring Books, 938 Bonifant Street, 301-587-7484 or SSTbooks@aol.com or www.amazon.com.

For more information, see:
www.gazette.net/stories/07082009/olnenew222816_32530.shtml
www.gazette.net/stories/07222009/montlet184737_32537.shtml

Montgomery Preservation Inc. owns the S.S. B&O R.R. Station

Sligo Creek Golf Course to Remain Open for Nine More Months - Washington Post

2009-09-30T08:42:00.000-04:00

By Miranda S. Spivack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 4:03 PM

The Montgomery County Council gave golfers at Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring a nine-month reprieve Tuesday, voting to approve a proposal from County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) to spend $150,000 to keep the inside-the-Beltway public golf course open until June 30.

The council also approved plans to set up a task force to seek ideas for the course's future. Among the possibilities is allowing the course to become a golfing center for veterans and members of the public, a proposal from County Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring).

The course had been slated to close Thursday after the county's revenue authority said it could no longer afford to operate it.

The course has been open since 1927 and was originally a private course. It became the county's first public course in 1946, Ervin said. It is popular with seniors, beginners, women and minority golfers. Community members rallied support for the course over the summer, helping lead to Tuesday's reprieve.

Council members Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville) and Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty) voted against the $150,000 appropriation, saying they were worried about spending without more specific plans during tight budget times.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092902557.html

Silver Spring Community Dedicates Broad Acres Local Park

2009-09-24T15:22:00.011-04:00

On Wednesday, September 23rd, the Montgomery County Department of Parks joined Broad Acres Elementary School, the Silver Spring Regional Center, and the Northwest park Oakview Weed & Seed Program for a celebration and dedication of the newly renovated Broadacres Local Park.

The dedication program included brief remarks from Broad Acres Elementary School Principal Michael Bayewitz, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County Council President Phil Andrews, Director of Parks Mary Bradford, Community Advocate Serena Locust, and other special guests. St. Camillus Church offered a blessing for the park, followed by a ceremonial ribbon cutting on the local neighborhoods newest resource.

Broadacres Local Park, located next to Broad Acres Elementary School, now features a basketball court, soccer field, paved trails and landscaping. The students of Broad Acres Elementary School also left their mark on the design of the park, with their original artwork prominently featured in the seat walls of the new plaza area and park entrance.

Weed and Seed is a U.S. Department of Justice program that provides more than $1 million in funding over a five-year period to help communities provide focused law enforcement activities to “weed out” persistent criminal activity, while at the same time “seeding” with human services and community-building programs. With the Weed and Seed Model, community leaders work hand in hand with law enforcement officials, educators, government agencies and non-profits to help grow safe and healthy communities.

For more information about the Weed and Seed Program contact Victor Salazar at the Silver Spring Regional Center (301) 565-7300.

Silver Spring Jazz Festival 2009

2009-09-20T15:20:00.006-04:00

The sixth annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival was held on Saturday, September 12, 2009 in Silver Spring.

There were performances by the Unified Jazz Ensemble, featuring Karen Gray, Afro Bop Alliance, the Marcus Johnson Project, the Madison Sweet Heaven Kings and jazz cutting contests involving the High School Jazz Ensemble.

Louisiana native Allen Toussaint, a keyboardist, vocalist, composer and record producer, was the headliner.

Fenton Street Market!

2009-09-20T10:55:00.006-04:00

Pictures from the first Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring.

For more information, e-mail Hannah McCann at hannah@fentonstreetmarket.com or visit http://www.fentonstreetmarket.com/

More Fenton Street Market pics at http://tinyurl.com/kkl53q

Park Hills Adopts a Road!

2009-09-10T08:12:00.001-04:00

With the help of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and Montgomery Councilmember Valerie Ervin, the Park Hills Civic Association "adopted" a road -- a stretch of Sligo Creek Parkway between Wayne Avenue and Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring.

On Sunday, September 6, 2009, the Park Hills Civic Association held its inaugural clean up of the Sligo Creek Parkway segment.

The Park Hills Bar-B-Que

2009-09-10T08:05:00.004-04:00

The Park Hills Civic Association held its annual BBQ in Sligo Creek Park on Sunday, November 6, 2009.

Park Hills neighbors were pleased to welcome Montgomery County Executive and Montgomery Councilmember Marc Elrich, Marc Elrich's Chief of Staff Dale Tibbitts, Dr. Dana Beyer, Senior Advisor to Montgomery Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, Johns Hopkins Professor Dr. Lisa Dubay, Washington Revels Executive Director Greg Lewis, Ghar e Kabab owner Lok Tiwari, and members of the Montgomery County Police Department.

Fine & Funky Comes to Fenton Street

2009-09-10T07:54:00.000-04:00

Attend the launch of a new outdoor market in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, to celebrate our eclectic community.

Saturday, September 12 and October 3, 2009
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue
*Free parking in public lots across Fenton Street!*

The market will feature an exciting array of fine, unusual, imported, and handmade goods...plus live music and hot mini donuts!

--Ajay Malghan Photography—limited edition photography
--Babus—handmade felted wool toys
--Fernando Amorin—Peruvian Artist
--Neville's Natural Nibbles—homemade dog treats by local teen
--Falling Green—repurposed vintage jewelry
--Z Designs—semi-precious jewelry made with fair-trade Kenyan beads
--Tiffany Yancey Fine Art—fine art
--Sankofa Beads—handmade jewelry and dolls
--Doxallo Designs—handcrafted metal jewelry
--Yummy & Company—recycled copper & clay jewelry
--Froggy Pants Creations—handmade belts, hair clips, headbands
--Unexpected Surprises!—handmade wood toys
--Green Porch-Lights—screenprinted cards, journals
--Honey Glow Natural Products—local beekeepers' honey and beeswax products
--Brian Cassidy—rare books from relocated Calif. bookseller
--Urbanitea—rare and unusual teas
--Bernie Van Leer—local photography
--Shannon Kadow—hand-braided rugs by local Silver Spring mom
--Music on the Rise—nonprofit bringing local performers to play
--Cody Tracey—funky, bluesy guitar playing by Baltimore teen
--Rodeo Motel—vintage western/swing and bluegrass by Takoma Park couple
--Eric Brooks—jazz sax by the puppeteer at Glen Echo
--Melissa Avery—vintage records and Hawaiian shirts
--Shel's Studio—handmade ceramics, pottery
--Wondrous Beads—beads/natural stone jewelry
--Three Stone Steps—eco-friendly and fairly traded imports
--Theodora Scarato—henna tattoos, plaster-cast masks, and handmade objects
--Penelope Spa—handmade soaps
--Vegan Eatz and Treatz—healthy treats by mom and daughter
--Ninnycat Crochet—modern/vintage crochet
--Laylabelle Designs—funky handmade jewelry
--Bette's Bags—unique handmade handbags
--April Mist—handmade paper-bead jewelry
--Cogliani Photography—photography services and prints
--Silver Spring Historical Society—books and postcards related to Silver Spring history
--Merina Art Glass—kiln-formed glass jewelry and art
--Re-Cycles—refurbished high-end bikes
--Estella Couture—original, exotic fashions
--Virginia Lichtman—decorated clothes & vintage toys
--Red Persimmon Imports—fair-trade handmade gifts
--Bellajenna—custom printed cards and baby clothes
--Laughing Glass Studio—art glass
--Rock Creek Originals—fiber art jewelry
--Karen Garvin Photography—framed and matted photographs
--Luna Aura Fiberworks—hand-spun wool
--Man in the Moon Art—original art
--Community Forklift—architectural salvage
--Migue's Magnificent Mini Donuts—fresh donuts made on site by Baltimore baker
--newmoonpie—custom jewelry design, repair, and remodeling
--Hyattsville Arts Alliance—original works by Hyattsville artists
--Linda's Ironworks—imported and domestic iron and metalwork
--I Make It Funky!—knitted and crocheted accessories
--Polly Sue's—vintage clothing from Takoma Park shopowner
--Leela, LLC—hand-made, fair trade, upcycled sari skirts
--Layne Alexandra—vintage furniture restored/reupholstered
--Shel's Studio—handmade ceramics, pottery
--Marshetta Davis—fine art
--Bronwyn King—fine oil portraits

Check out the Gazette article at http://www.gazette.net/stories/08262009/takonew184825_32526.shtml. For more information, e-mail Hannah McCann at hannah@fentonstreetmarket.com or visit www.fentonstreetmarket.com.

Silver Spring Jazz Fest - Washington Post

2009-09-10T07:53:00.000-04:00

The sixth annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and conclude with a performance by Allen Toussaint, a keyboardist, vocalist, composer and record producer. The 71-year-old Louisiana native will take the stage at 9:15 p.m., following performances by the Unified Jazz Ensemble, featuring Karen Gray, Afro Bop Alliance, the Marcus Johnson Project, the Madison Sweet Heaven Kings and jazz cutting contests involving the High School Jazz Ensemble.

The festival will be held behind the Lee Building in downtown Silver Spring at Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. The event is presented by the Celebrate Downtown Silver Spring Foundation, Montgomery County's Silver Spring Regional Center and numerous corporate sponsors. Participants are urged to use public transportation and take a blanket or beach chair.

For information, call the Silver Spring Regional Center, 301-565-7300 or visit http://www.silverspringdowntown.com.

Takoma Park Folk Fest - Washington Post

2009-09-10T07:52:00.001-04:00

The Takoma Park Folk Festival will return Sunday for its 32nd year.

From 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Takoma Park Middle School will host seven stages on which entertainment will include a singalong tribute to 90-year-old folk singer Pete Seeger, hip-hop, blues, African dance music, rockabilly, string band and samba pieces. Participants will also be able to join in waltzing, belly dancing, Scandinavian couples dancing and more. The Grassy Nook Stage will feature young performers.

Nonprofit organizations will offer community information, and a juried craft fair will feature pottery, jewelry, fiber art, photography and more. The school is at 7611 Piney Branch Rd., near Route 410.

Free shuttle buses will transport fairgoers from the Takoma Metro station or the Montgomery College parking garage at Fenton and King streets. Parking will not be allowed at the festival site or on surrounding streets, except for a few handicap spaces.

A list of activities and performers and a festival map can be found at http://www.tpff.org.

Admission to the festival, the shows and dancing is free. Vendors will offer a wide variety of foods, beverages and games for children. Food vendors will donate used cooking oil for conversion to biodiesel. Volunteers are needed, and those interested should call 301-589-0202 or visit http://www.tpff.org.

New Fenton Street Market strives to paint neighborhood with art - Gazette

2009-08-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

Vendors to reflect diversity and creativity of Fenton Village

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

Over a cup of coffee at Highland Coffee on Fenton Street in Silver Spring earlier this summer, resident Hannah McCann started daydreaming.

Idly staring at the intersection of Fenton and Silver Spring Avenue across the street, she didn't see the parking lot that was there. Instead, McCann saw her own vision of what the Fenton Village neighborhood should look like:

"Something a little funkier than you'd see in downtown Silver Spring," McCann said. "There are a lot of interesting people in our neighborhood, and I hold out hope that Fenton Village might eventually reflect that eclectic character."

Maybe it was the caffeine, but the 36-year-old stay-at-home mom abruptly walked over to the lot, called a phone number listed on a sign nearby and asked if the property owner could accommodate her vision: a vibrant market with artists from Silver Spring selling unique wares to their neighbors and visitors from across the region.

To her surprise, the answer was "Yes.''

http://gazette.net/stories/08262009/silvnew184825_32526.shtml

Piney Branch Elementary's pool now open for fall - Gazette

2009-08-29T20:29:00.000-04:00

People and Places | Jason Tomassini and Jeremy Arias | Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

The pool at Piney Branch Elementary School re-opened Sunday for its fall session thanks to last year's eleventh-hour budget scrambling by pool sponsor Adventist Community Services to ensure funding for another school year.

The pool will be open to lap swimmers and guests from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. before school and from 4 to 10 p.m. after school from Monday through Thursday, 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays, according to ACS officials. The pool will be closed on Saturdays.

http://gazette.net/stories/08262009/silvnew184826_32529.shtml

Sligo Creek course supporters protest management fee - Gazette

2009-08-29T20:28:00.001-04:00

Fee unfairly high for small course, they say

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

The Sligo Creek Golf Course can remain open past its scheduled closing date of Oct. 1 without using county funds, says a newly formed nonprofit group dedicated to saving the course.

The organization's proposal centers on a management fee charged by the Montgomery County Revenue Authority, which is scheduled to operate the Silver Spring course until Oct. 1 before handing operations back to the landowner, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Each of the Revenue Authority's nine golf courses was charged a $139,000 management fee in fiscal 2008 for costs associated with the authority's home office in Rockville, such as insurance fees, marketing fees and the salaries of 10 employees, said Executive Director Keith Miller.

"In essence, it's a bookkeeping fee. It pays for nothing at the golf course itself," said Merrill Goozner, the treasurer for Sligo Creek Golf Association Inc., a nonprofit group of residents who want to save the course. "… When you realize that's what it is, you say ‘Wow, how can you attribute this to every course the same?' "

http://gazette.net/stories/08262009/silvnew184824_32524.shtml

Group walks to commemorate peer's death - Gazette

2009-08-29T20:26:00.000-04:00

Movement alive one year after fatal shooting

by Jeremy Arias | Staff writer | Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

Defying the muggy humidity and looming thunderstorms Saturday afternoon, about 50 youth activists and community organizers met at a bus stop at 8555 Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring for a two-mile peace walk to remember a fallen friend and spread the message of nonviolence.

It was at that same bus stop on Nov. 1, 2008, that 14-year-old Montgomery Blair High School freshman Tai Lam was shot to death on a Ride On bus while on his way home from downtown Silver Spring with his friends. Galvanized by the ferocity of the incident, a youth-led nonviolence group, Mixed Unity, was formed by a coalition of Lam's classmates and members of other youth organizations to promote peace in the troubled neighborhoods of Silver Spring.

http://gazette.net/stories/08262009/silvnew184819_32521.shtml

Builders Take Wait-and-See Approach to Purple Line - Washington Post

2009-08-23T12:49:00.001-04:00

Completion Is Too Distant For Strapped Developers

By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 23, 2009

When Maryland officials promote plans to build a $1.68 billion Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton, they often tout the power of light rail lines to transform older, struggling areas into thriving new hubs of transit-focused development.

They visualize worn, 1950s-era strip malls in places such as Langley Park being replaced with pedestrian-friendly communities of high-rise homes, offices, restaurants and shops clustered around train stations.

But missing from such visions have been the developers who would have to carry them out. With a few exceptions, they have remained conspicuously quiet as Maryland officials begin this fall to seek critical federal funding for the 16-mile project.

Full article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/22/AR2009082200861_pf.html

Mixed Unity's Walk for Peace

2009-08-23T11:13:00.006-04:00

Pictures from Mixed Unity's Peace March in Silver Spring on August 22, 2009. The purpose of the march was to express messages of peace and non-violence and to honor the memory of Tai Lam. Participants marched to Pyramid Atlantic's store on Georgia Avenue from the bus stop at the corner of Piney Branch Road and Arliss Street where the Montgomery Blair High School student was murdered in November 2009.

More pictures from the Mixed Unity Peace Walk at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157622116045900/

Faces of Peace

2009-08-23T11:05:00.004-04:00

Pictures from the Mixed Unity Peace March from Piney Branch Road and Arliss Street in Silver Spring to Pyramid Atlantic on Georgia Avenue. The purpose of the march was to honor the memory of slain Montgomery Blair High School student Tai Lam and to proclaim messages of peace and non-violence.

More "Faces of Peace at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157622119215668/detail/

County Executive Leggett on Sligo Creek Golf Course

2009-08-21T07:24:00.000-04:00

July 29, 2009

Valerie Ervin, County Council, District 5
Marc Elrich, County Council, At-Large
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Dear Councilmembers Ervin and Elrich:

Thank you for your inquiries and discussion regarding possible solutions for the Sligo Creek Golf Course. As you are well aware, the Sligo Creek Golf Course is scheduled to close on October 1st of this year unless action is taken to preserve this facility for use by the local community and all County residents. In previous discussions with the County Council, the Revenue Authority has indicated that, without substantial capital investments, they do not believe this golf course has the potential for ever becoming self sufficient. For this reason, the Revenue Authority has requested and the Council has approved a change to the lease agreement with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to return responsibility for this golf course back to M-NCPPC.

After careful consideration on this matter and feedback I have received from you and a variety of community leaders, I believe we should again review our options before proceeding to close this golf course. Specifically, I will request that the County Council provide a supplemental appropriation to fund continued operations of the facility for no more than the next 24 months while we review other options to make this facility self-supporting for the long term. While this approach will continue temporarily the operation of the golf course, we need to avoid imposing these costs on the Revenue Authority or M-NCPPC for the continued operation of a facility with conditions that prevent it from becoming profitable.

I will shortly form a task force with representatives of the local community, Revenue Authority, M-NCPPC, and County Government who will identify and develop options for the continued, self-sustaining operation of the Sligo Creek Golf Course. I would welcome the Council's participation in this Task Force as well. I believe by collaboratively working together we can identify the appropriate solutions for maintaining this golf course in a self sustaining manner into the future.

Sincerely,

Isiah Leggett
County Executive

IL:df

cc: Phil Andrews, President, County Council
Roger Berliner, County Council
Nancy Floreen, County Council
Mike Knapp, County Council
George Leventhal, County Council
Nancy Navarro, County Council
Duchy Trachtenberg, County Council
Kathleen Boucher, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer
Keith Miller, Executive Director, Revenue Authority
Royce Hanson, Chair, Montgomery County Planning Board

Silver Spring's Fillmore negotiations drag on, developer hoping for deal in 30 to 60 days - Examiner

2009-08-20T17:31:00.001-04:00

By: Alan Suderman Examiner Staff Writer August 20, 2009

A Montgomery County developer said he expects to reach a deal with the county within the next 30 to 60 days to build a long-awaited music hall in Silver Spring.

County Executive Ike Leggett announced a deal two years ago with California-based Live Nation that would bring a Fillmore Music Hall to a former J.C. Penney store site on Silver Spring's Colesville Road. The deal would preserve the historic facade of the store, which has sat empty for nearly 20 years. Leggett pushed the County Council last year to approve $4 million in funds and special land-use rule changes that were supposed to pave the way for a deal with the developer, Lee Development Group.

But the path to the deal has been long, and Lee and Leggett are still trying to hammer out a deal, with the sticking points in their debate being kept private.

"We're almost there," said Bruce Lee, head of Lee Development Group.

Lee said his company is being asked to donate a "very valuable" piece of land before it has created a plan to build up the rest of the adjacent property it owns. In return, Lee said he wants assurances that the current county's rules for development won't change when his company decides to develop the rest of its property.

"We're not asking for additional density, we're not asking for money," Lee said. "We're not asking for anything outside the box."

The county official who is Leggett's point person on the project could not be reached for comment.

The Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board, which supports building the Fillmore, has complained about the negotiations' lack of openness. Chairman Darian Unger said he is pleased to hear that a deal may be close, adding that his group has spent a long time waiting on "pins and needles."

Efforts to get a live music hall in Silver Spring date several years, first with the county unsuccessfully trying to get Alexandria's Birchmere Music Hall to open a second venue in Silver Spring.

County Councilman Marc Elrich, D-At Large, who voted against the zoning changes, said he and other council members were told last year that approval for the project was "critical" and "couldn't afford delay." He said it's "frustrating" not to have heard any updates on the project since.

Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, D-At Large, said it was "troubling" that the project hadn't moved forward faster and that the County Council would have a "robust conversation" about the project if a deal isn't reached soon.

asuderman@washingtonexaminer.com

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/53705277.html#

Trip to El Salvador helps locals connect to roots - Gazette

2009-08-19T09:52:00.001-04:00

Gandhi Brigade makes documentary to spread understanding of country

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009

Douglas Ceron-Reyes knew his trip to El Salvador with the Gandhi Brigade youth group would help him learn more about his family's Salvadoran roots.

But when Ceron-Reyes interviewed Salvadoran female soldiers for a short film about their fighting in the country's long, bloody civil war, he didn't realize how close to home their experiences would be.

"My mother was going to fight in the civil war," Ceron-Reyes, a Montgomery College student, said Saturday, just a few days after several members of the Gandhi Brigade returned from a 10-day trip to El Salvador. "Instead, she left for the U.S. to live with my grandfather and her brother."

"I didn't know any of this until I got back from El Salvador."

Like many other Salvadorans, Ceron-Reyes' mother fled El Salvador during the war, which began in 1980 and ended in 1992. The war killed an estimated 75,000 people. Through videos they shot with the help of Salvadoran youth groups, the Gandhi Brigade members quickly saw the stranglehold the war still has on the country.

"It's a huge scar on the country that they are still coming to terms with," said Gandhi Brigade Executive Director Richard Jaeggi, adding that he hopes to bring Salvadoran groups to the United States next year.

Eight youth members of the Gandhi Brigade made the trip, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 11, along with several of the Silver Spring-based organization's employees. The trip was funded by the California-based Chino Cienega Foundation and almost $10,000 raised through fundraising events and private donations over the past four months.

The Gandhi Brigade is a Silver Spring-based nonprofit that provides media training to middle school, high school and college students who then promote peace and nonviolence in the community. The El Salvador trip was dubbed a "media exchange" where the Gandhi Brigade youth taught two similar Salvadoran youth groups how to use media to promote their message.

Full story at http://gazette.net/stories/08192009/silvnew185915_32528.shtml

‘Weed and Seed' program reaps rewards for neighborhood - Gazette

2009-08-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

Community strives to keep program alive

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009

Within a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in the 848 building of the Northwest Park apartments in Silver Spring, a community plants its seeds and watches them grow.

In the living room, 10 young children sit at two small tables working diligently on arts and crafts. In a bedroom, eight teenage boys play video games and surf news Web sites on three computers, often bumping into each other in the close quarters.

The apartment has been converted into a YMCA of Metropolitan Washington community center, staffed by homegrown mentors and supervisors from the neighborhood. It's one of the many programs that receive funding from the Northwest Park/Oak View Weed and Seed program, which strives to tackle the crime, poverty and safety problems that have long plagued the area.

Each of the roughly 300 Weed and Seed programs nationwide is allotted $1 million over a five-year span. But many community-based nonprofit programs faced with the economic downturn have seen their budgets dwindle, and Weed and Seed has been hit by the economy as well, said Victor Salazar, the site coordinator for Northwest Park's program, which is the only Weed and Seed in the county and among four in the state.

http://gazette.net/stories/08192009/silvnew190111_32529.shtml

Lt. Gov. Brown Adds Mayor Ortiz To Reshuffled Staff - Maryland Moment - Washington Post

2009-08-17T19:15:00.002-04:00

Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) is adding some heft to his small staff with the addition of a mayor from Prince George's County.

Adam Ortiz, mayor of the town of Edmonston, joins Brown's office this week as a deputy chief of staff.

Ortiz has worked in state government since July 2007 as a special assistant to Tom Perez, the secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Brown confirmed the move Friday in Ocean City at the Maryland Association of Counties conference.

Ortiz's arrival is the part of larger shuffling of key personnel around Brown, among the Democrats expected to increasingly jockey to succeed O'Malley if he wins re-election next year.

Asuntha Chiang-Smith, who has coordinated the state's response to the Base Realignment and Closure process, has also been elevated to deputy chief of staff status in Brown's office. She will continue to work on BRAC-related issues, a major focus for Brown, as well as other economic development topics.

Meanwhile, Brown's communications director, Barbara Streeter, recently left for a job as outreach liaison at the state Department of Housing & Community Development.

And Ben Stutz has arrived in the office as Brown's new policy director. Stutz had been a key staff member for Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring). Stutz replaces Jeanette Ortiz, who has moved over to serve as Chiang-Smith's deputy on BRAC issues.

Earlier this year, Brown flipped his top two staffers, making Earl Adams his chief of staff, and Jerry Boden, who formerly held that title, a deputy chief of staff.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2009/08/brown_adams_mayor_ortiz_to_res.html?wprss=annapolis

Silver Spring's 'Bandslam' Star Doesn't Play at Acting Anymore - Washington Post

2009-08-14T11:23:00.000-04:00

By Lavanya Ramanathan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 14, 2009

Gaelan Connell has a new apartment, and it has him fretting.

The gawky, curly-haired 20-year-old from Silver Spring has a starring role in the latest tween megamovie, "Bandslam." And in it, he holds his own against some of the genre's biggest stars, "High School Musical's" Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka of Aly & AJ.

But it's Connell's new pied-a-terre -- in West Hollywood! The cliche! -- that has forced him to acknowledge what "Bandslam" could mean for his career: "I have an apartment in L.A. now, because I guess I'm now kind of going to do this movie thing," he says sheepishly, by phone from his new home.

Before this apartment acting had been just a hobby for Connell. "Bandslam," which follows a group of New Jersey high-schoolers vying to win a recording contract through a battle-of-the-bands competition called Bandslam, is only Connell's second movie role. But he is in every scene.

It's surprisingly unlike the cloying teen fare people have come to expect. Writers Todd Graff and Josh A. Cagan have instead grafted the sardonic wit of "Juno" onto a glossy, "HSM"-style romp. When a group of Bandslam competitors offers a sneak preview to shrieking fans in the school cafeteria, a character describes the scene as a "Nuremberg rally produced by MTV."

"It's really kind of like a John Hughes movie," says Connell, whose last name is pronounced kuh-NELL. "There's a lot of edge to it. . . . I think it surprises people."

And in the great cinematic tradition of nerd heroes such as Ferris Bueller, Connell's character, Will Burton, is an indie-rock-loving new kid at school who gets drawn into the Bandslam maelstrom.

Connell's previous foray into movies was nearly 10 years ago, when a casting director walked into his French immersion class at Maryvale Elementary School in Rockville and tapped him to play young Didi Drou ("Imagine a smaller me with much more hair, " he says) in the movie "Chocolat."

After the film wrapped, he continued acting as a hobby, winning roles in high school plays and playing Peter Pan in a production in Baltimore. After graduation from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Connell enrolled at New York University's prestigious Tisch School -- not for acting but for filmmaking. "I have a little bit of a 'fro going on, so I thought I may as well get behind the camera," he jokes.

Nevertheless, when he heard about the "Bandslam" audition, Connell, who plays both guitar and cello, turned up to audition for Will.

"I kind of got thrown in it," Connell says. "I woke up, and I'm in Austin, shooting this movie. It's like day 5, and I'm kissing Vanessa Hudgens."

Ahh, yes, that kiss -- the one that sent bloggers into hysterics long before the movie was released. Who is this guy -- totally not Zac -- coming between the most celebrated couple of our time?

Zac Efron was cool, Connell assures us, and so were his co-stars. "It's crazy. It gets really overwhelming," he says of the celebrity life. "But these girls are so cool and down to earth about it. Once you really break through the bubble, they're more than normal."

As for him, he hasn't quite reached their level of Zen. "The last three weeks, I've felt like the main guy in 'Almost Famous,' " he says. Last week, he expressed hope he'd be far from the bustle of West Hollywood on the first night the film is screened.

"I think I'm going to go home to the Majestic in Silver Spring and see it on opening night. I think it's still nice to be home."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/13/AR2009081301047_pf.html

Golf course eyed for veterans' therapy - Gazette

2009-08-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

Councilwoman Ervin's proposal would have all-volunteer maintenance staff, charge for daily greens fees

by Amber Parcher and Jason Tomassini | Staff Writers | Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009

A state veterans' affairs organization supports a County Council member's proposal to make the Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring a source of therapy for war veterans, but some say the idea is unprecedented in Maryland and details must be worked out to determine its viability.

Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring proposed the idea in a letter to the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs and other county officials last week, suggesting the MDVA partner with the county to run the course specifically for injured veterans whose physical therapy could be supplemented with golf.

http://gazette.net/stories/08122009/wheanew220211_32522.shtml

Broad Coalition Launches Non-Profit To Save Sligo Creek Golf Course

2009-08-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

Welcomes Using Course to Aid Injured Vets

August 7, 2009 – The newly-formed non-profit Sligo Creek Golf Association, Inc. (SCGA) today launched a county-wide campaign to encourage Montgomery County Council to keep Sligo Creek Golf Course open while a task force with broad community involvement develops a plan to permanently preserve the historic course as a recreational venue.

“Sligo Creek Golf Course is a unique recreational resource for county residents,” said Karen Howland, president of the SCGA. “It is the only 9-hole golf course in the Montgomery County system that provides a friendly atmosphere for novice and low- and moderate-income golfers. Permanently closing the course would be a severe blow to the thousands of youths, women, minorities and senior citizen golfers who use the course every year.”

The SCGA applauds the past week's statements by county officials supporting alternatives to closure, including either a temporary subsidy or finding another government or non-profit entity willing to run the course.

“We understand the county faces severe budget difficulties,” Howland said. “The best alternative would be for its current operator – the Montgomery County Revenue Authority – to continue managing the facility without burdening the county while other options are explored.”

The SCGA welcomes all proposals from our elected officials and the public about ways to save Sligo golf in the short and long term. We were especially pleased to see the creative and praiseworthy suggestion from Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin to establish a partnership with the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs that would provide injured veterans with therapeutic golf at Sligo Creek. The SCGA looks forward to working with her and other county and state officials on the details.

“Sligo Creek golfers and neighbors would be proud to help our veterans by sharing this jewel of a golf course,” said Howland.

The SCGA represents golfers and non-golfers who want to see this property remain a golf course, including leaders of Friends of Sligo Creek, the Sligo Ladies’ Golf League, and several civic association presidents.

Silver Spring's National Night Out 2009

2009-08-06T10:47:00.005-04:00

Pictures from the 26th Annual "National Night Out," America’s Night Out against crime in Silver Spring, Maryland.

See more pictures from the National Night Out at http://picasaweb.google.com/NPOWS1/NationalNightOut2009#

National Night Out in Silver Spring

2009-08-06T10:35:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 – Silver Spring, Maryland, Residents living in 5 Weed & Seed Communities came together this evening to celebrate the 26th Annual National Night Out, America’s Night Out against crime. Northwest Park, Avery Park and The Hamptons continued their annual tradition of hosting events and were joined this year by properties managed by Southern Management Corporation, Hampshire West and Chateau.

Children were treated to Montgomery County Police Department’s continued tradition of having a motorcade of police vehicles announcing their arrival with lights and sirens. Captain Donald Johnson, Commander of MCPD’s 3rd Police District was among them handing out tri-glow necklaces and other freebies to children and youth. Accompanying Captain Johnson was Lieutenant Robert McCullagh, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Police District and Co-Chair of the Weed & Seed Program’s Steering Committee.

“I really love coming back here to these communities!” stated Councilmember Valerie Ervin of Montgomery County’s 5th District as she was greeted by Luther Hinsely, President of the Avery Park Community Association. Ms. Ervin was part of the MCPD motorcade that traveled throughout Silver Spring during National Night Out 2008 and chose to return to visit Weed & Seed communities along with Amparo Macias her Constituent Liaison Representative.

By helping to coordinate 5 separate localized community events, the Weed & Seed program hopes to assist property managers and association presidents capitalize on the high attendance and feeling of goodwill to promote resident participation in on-going community projects like neighborhood watch programs, quality of life committees, and community engagement programs.

Weed and Seed is a U.S. Department of Justice program that provides more than $1 million in funding over a five-year period to help communities provide focused law enforcement activities to “weed-out” persistent criminal activity, while at the same time “seeding-in” with human services and community-building programs. With the Weed and Seed Model, community leaders work hand in hand with law enforcement officials, educators, government agencies and non-profits to help grow safe and healthy communities.

For more information about the Weed and Seed Program contact Victor Salazar at the Silver Spring Regional Services Center (301) 565-5847.

Councilwoman suggests course serve veterans to stay profitable - Gazette

2009-08-05T17:54:00.002-04:00

Ervin's proposes all-volunteer maintenance staff, charging for daily green fees

by Amber Parcher | Staff Writer | Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009

The Sligo Creek Golf Course could soon be a source of therapy for war veterans, run entirely by volunteers and open to the community, if Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin has her way.

Ervin (D-Dist. 5), of Silver Spring, proposed the idea in a letter to the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs and other county officials Tuesday, suggesting the MDVA partner with the county to run the course specifically for injured veterans whose physical therapy could be supplemented with golf.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/08052009/montnew165246_32537.shtml

Residents, Golfers Establish Sligo Creek Golf Association, Inc.

2009-08-04T23:26:00.008-04:00

August 4, 2009. At a well-attended community meeting at the Sligo Creek Golf Course, Silver Spring residents and Sligo Creek golfers welcomed the formation of a new nonprofit organization, the Sligo Creek Golf Association, Inc.

Participants also elected the Association's Board of Directors and officers. Elected as members of the Board of Directors of the Sligo Creek Golf Association, Inc. were: Bruce Sidwell, Carmen Maymi, Coco Kagan, Jim Pierobon, Joe Hibbeln, Karen Goozner, Karen Howland, Merrill Goozner, Michael Welsh, Steve Brown, Ted Power, Woody Brosnan and Alan Bowser, Esq.

Elected as officers of the Sligo Creek Golf Association, Inc. were: Karen Howland, President; Joe Hibbeln, Vice President; Merrill Goozner, Treasurer, and Karen Goozner, Secretary.

The Association will work to preserve and promote golf at the Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring, Maryland.

O'Malley commits to trains for Purple Line - Gazette

2009-08-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

Next step is to get federal funding, governor says at news conference

by Daniel Valentine | Staff Writer | Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) left no question about his vision for the Purple Line, announcing plans in a news conference Tuesday to lobby Congress for money to build a $1.5 billion above-ground train line connecting Bethesda to New Carrollton.

The planned mass transit line, which has been debated in Montgomery and Prince George's counties for more than 20 years, could begin carrying passengers as early as 2016, though state officials say it is more likely to come by 2020. The timetable depends entirely on the ability of the federal government to provide funding for construction.

http://gazette.net/stories/08042009/prinnew114744_32541.shtml

O'Malley Endorses Light Rail for Purple Line - Washington Post

2009-08-04T11:31:00.000-04:00

By Lisa Rein and James Hohmann
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 9:51 AM

Gov. Martin O'Malley endorsed a light-rail line over bus rapid transit Tuesday by announcing that Maryland will pursue federal transit money to build a Purple Line linking Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

"What we're presenting today is rightfully called the locally preferred alternative," O'Malley said during a news conference at the New Carrollton Metro station, the proposed eastern terminus for the Purple Line.

He said his administration will apply for funding for the 16-mile line as well as a 14-mile Red Line through Baltimore, two long-awaited projects that have been in the planning stages for years.

O'Malley described the decision as "the product of a consensus through disagreement." He said the light-rail option will be sleeker, narrower and more "pleasing to the eye" than previous generations.

"This is not your grandfather's light rail," he said.

O'Malley scheduled a whistle-stop train tour befitting both announcements: After the 8:30 press conference at New Carrollton, he planned to board a Baltimore-bound MARC train and travel to the West Baltimore station. When that train arrives at 10:14 a.m., he'll make his Red Line announcement.

Political support for both projects is behind light rail, although they face local opposition because they would run along local streets and not underground. The Purple Line would run along a popular wooded trail and through the golf course of a country club in Chevy Chase.

O'Malley was joined at New Carrollton by Purple Line supporters and government officials, including Maryland Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D) and Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D).

"I'm happy to put to bed the alignment questions," said Edwards, who wore a purple suit for the occasion.

Johnson said he plans to push for a bicycle trail along the Purple Line route.

Both lines are expected to get a boost from the No. 2 official at the U.S. Department of Transportation, John D. Porcari. who championed both when he was O'Malley's transportation secretary. But competition for federal money still will be tough.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080400969.html?hpid=topnews

Benches on the Block...in Silver Spring

2009-08-02T17:58:00.004-04:00

A large and enthusiastic crowd was on hand to witness the unveiling of the "Benches on the Block," a project of Arts on the Block in partnership with Downtown Silver Spring and Pyramid Atlantic.

Bringing the Blues to Silver Spring!

2009-08-02T17:48:00.003-04:00

The DC Blues Society held its 5th Annual Fish Fry 'n Blues 'n Bikes, for the first time, at the American Legion Post in Silver Spring. In addition to great food, eleven blues bands performed, and guests danced, from early afternoon into the late evening.

Statement by County Executive Isiah Leggett On Council Disapproval of a Pedestrian Bridge For the New Silver Spring Library

2009-07-31T08:42:00.000-04:00

Statement by County Executive Isiah Leggett
On Council Disapproval of a Pedestrian Bridge
For the New Silver Spring Library

July 30, 2009

"I am very disappointed that this week the Council defeated an amendment to the Silver Spring Urban Renewal Plan that would have allowed a pedestrian bridge to be built connecting the Wayne Avenue garage to the new Silver Spring Library.

"From early on in the planning process for this project, I have favored the bridge as a viable means of providing safe access to the library. My staff and I have met individually with Councilmembers and, on the morning of the vote, I met with the entire Council and again urged their approval of the bridge.

"At the earliest stages of the library design I instructed my staff to make sure the library accomplished 5 important public objectives; (1) the new Silver Spring Library programs and collection will have a strong focus on the disability community; (2) the design must take full advantage of the County’s already built infrastructure, the Wayne Avenue Garage, demonstrating good fiscal stewardship; (3) in keeping with the County’s efforts to promote mass transit, walking, and cycling and reducing the overall carbon footprint of the new facility, no new parking spaces will be constructed; (4) the parking and access solution must not shift the economic burden or hardship onto other businesses or users in the Central Business District, and (5) the parking and access solution must be available from the day the library opens and cannot depend on future actions of other parties, or future construction funding or efforts."

"I believe the proposed pedestrian bridge would facilitate a better, safer access to the library for everyone – especially for families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Alternatives proposing onsite parking to achieve the same purpose would be less effective and – in fact – cost more than the pedestrian bridge. I have serious concerns that, when constructed, access to the library will be a problem for some library users.

"The Council has legislated free parking for library customers, which would, in effect, encourage use of the garage; I think the next logical step in this case would be to provide safe access from the garage to the library. In fact, surveys have shown that approximately one-third of the customers of the Silver Spring Library come by car. The absence of a pedestrian bridge would mean that a fairly large number of library users would have to navigate a number of challenges to reach the library. While our plan includes improvements to nearby intersections, this is only a partial solution.

"I will continue to work with the Silver Spring community, library and pedestrian safety advocates, seniors, and the disabilities community to reverse this unfortunate decision. I thank Councilmember George Leventhal for his unwavering support of the pedestrian bridge. He has supported our view of the bridge from the beginning.

"The Silver Spring community wants and deserves a new library, fully accessible to all. This is no time to cut corners on safety and access."

Sligo Creek Golf Course to Stay Open Another Year - Washington Post

2009-07-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

By Miranda S. Spivack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 3:26 PM

Sligo Creek Golf Course, the nine-hole Silver Spring course beloved by women, seniors and minority golfers, will remain open at least another year, under a new plan outlined by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D).

Leggett on Wednesday called members of the Montgomery County Council to tell them he wants to keep the course open past its planned Oct. 1 closing date and is encouraging lawmakers to approve additional funds, despite a tight budget. He also will convene a community group to try to come up with a plan to keep the course open indefinitely.

The course, whose fate was the subject of a Washington Post report Saturday, had been slated for closure this fall. The Montgomery County Revenue Authority, which operates the county's public golf courses, said it was losing too much money. Golfers and neighbors have countered that Sligo is being singled out, even though none of the revenue authority's eight public golf courses are profitable. A heated meeting at the county's planning board July 16 brought out more than 100 residents, almost all favoring keeping the golf course open.

Keith Miller, head of the authority, has said the long-term prospects are brighter for the other courses, which all are 18-hole courses that golfers say are more challenging than Sligo.

Joe Hibbeln, a Sligo golfer and Silver Spring resident, said Wednesday that he is hopeful that Leggett's plans will allow Sligo to eventually thrive as a destination for golfers looking for a convivial, unhurried course.

"It is an appropriate response to the vigorous community cry to preserve what I call historical, minority, women, senior and kid-friendly access to golf," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072902439_pf.html

Crossroads plan too specific, commercial property owners say - Gazette

2009-07-29T19:39:00.001-04:00

Planning Board urges owners to give county a development timeline

by Jeremy Arias | Staff writer | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Commercial property owners and public officials last week warned the Montgomery County Planning Board not to support a sector plan that would inhibit business development along New Hampshire Avenue with excessively strict guidelines.

Montgomery and Prince George's counties are developing separate but similar sector plans for the Crossroads community, which includes parts of both counties and Takoma Park. While planners are hoping the arrival of the Maryland Transit Authority's Purple Line, a proposed 16-mile mass transit connection between the two counties, will spark redevelopment over the next 20 years, some property owners warn the plan is too far off to draw out guidelines now.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07292009/silvnew190431_32540.shtml

Springbrook student pleads guilty to first-degree arson, other charges - Gazette

2009-07-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

Alleged co-conspirator placed on probation, sent for community service

by Amber Parcher | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

As the case unfolds for two Springbrook High School students charged in an alleged plot to bomb the school, prosecutors and defense attorneys in court Friday morning painted pictures of two students who lacked friends, were mad at their teachers or were too confused to understand what was happening.

Yonata Getachew, 18, of the 11500 block of Sutherland Hill Way in Silver Spring, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court to first-degree arson, first-degree conspiracy to commit arson and two counts of reckless endangerment for his involvement in setting two fires in boys' bathrooms and locker rooms at Springbrook in April and for attempting to rupture a natural gas line in a classroom.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07292009/silvnew190441_32547.shtml

Council votes against walkway - Gazette

2009-07-29T19:35:00.000-04:00

Pedestrian bridge will not be used to make easy access to new library

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The County Council will not amend a 10-year-old urban plan for Silver Spring, essentially eliminating the possibility of building a pedestrian bridge that would connect the Wayne Avenue parking garage to the new Silver Spring library.

In an 8-1 vote Tuesday, the council voted against County Executive Isiah Leggett's amendment to the 1999 Silver Spring Urban Renewal Plan, which prohibits bridges over Wayne Avenue because it would be detrimental to nearby street-level retail.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07292009/silvnew190407_32526.shtml

Leggett proposes reprieve on closing Sligo Creek Golf Course - Gazette

2009-07-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

Additional time will allow more thoughtful study of uses for Silver Spring site

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Residents who have pleaded with the county to keep Sligo Creek Golf Course open after its scheduled closing on Oct. 1 might get their wish if an idea by the county executive to keep the course open for as long as two more years is approved by the council

County Executive Isiah Leggett's proposal, sent to the Montgomery County Council today, would require a $150,000 operating subsidy to keep the course open for up to 24 months after the scheduled closing date, said Leggett spokesman Patrick K. Lacefield.

The course would remain under the auspices of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority and a task force would form to determine how to make a golf course at Sligo Creek profitable.

"This is some breathing space for the community," Lacefield said in a phone interview this afternoon.

An independent study earlier this year ruled the course was a financial drain on the county golf system.

The $150,000 would only handle operating costs and there are no plans for capital improvements, Lacefield said. The appropriation would likely be approved in the time between the end of the council's recess, Sept. 15, and the course's closing date two weeks later.

The task force would include representatives from the Revenue Authority, Park and Planning, county government and the community and be formed sometime next month, Lacefield said. The group would "develop options for the continued, self-sustaining operation of the Sligo Creek Golf Course," Leggett wrote in a letter to the council.

Lacefield said Leggett has contacted the Revenue Authority about the program and "there's not a doubt they would agree to change the lease" if the appropriation is approved.

Revenue Authority Executive Director Keith Miller could not immediately be reached for comment.

Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring sent a letter to Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson today asking for the board to include golf in the master plan study for future use of the land. On July 16, the board decided that Park and Planning should not "expend its time and effort" to consider golf as an option because it had no authority to allow golf at the course according to the lease agreement with the Revenue Authority.

The County Council ruled in April that the Revenue Authority could back out of its lease to operate Sligo Creek because the course is failing financially. Park and Planning was scheduled to operate the land, which it owns, and a master plan study is already under way to determine a new use for the land because of no-compete clause in the Revenue Authority's lease.

Ervin said today that the task force might determine that a course cannot be run profitably at Sligo Creek and the county would be faced with the same dilemma of what to do with the site in another year or two. But the proposal at least ensures the proper thought and effort will go into Sligo Creek, Ervin said.

And residents who have long demanded the course remain open know the additional time will improve the chances of the 50-year-old golf course living on, but the fight isn't over yet.

"We know we have a lot of work to do and a lot of alternatives to consider," said Woody Brosnan, president of the nearby North Woodside-Montgomery Hills Citizens Association. "But many feared that if the course closed Oct. 1 that we would never have a chance to pursue any alternatives."

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07292009/montnew173127_32537.shtml

Md. Golf Course's Fans Fight Planned Closing - Washington Post

2009-07-25T14:35:00.001-04:00

Their Good Walk, Ruined?
Md. Golf Course's Fans Fight Planned Closing

By Miranda S. Spivack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 25, 2009

Tucked just inside the Beltway, the rolling hills of Sligo Creek Golf Course are a welcoming oasis for women, seniors and beginners. The unhurried, convivial course, sandwiched among leafy Silver Spring neighborhoods, also has long attracted a large contingent of minority golfers. For many, Sligo's nine holes provide a friendly alternative to less welcoming private country clubs.

But Sligo's loyal following is facing some unhappy news. Montgomery County plans to close the course Oct. 1, saying it can no longer sustain it. County officials are looking into converting it into something else: a park, a sports field, a disc golf course or perhaps a nature center. The decision to close, rooted in a deal approved three years ago by the County Council and the planning board, has unleashed a torrent of allegations of mismanagement and malfeasance and hints of racial and economic discrimination.

"You could single out any part of our park system in isolation, or for that matter our government, and claim it does not make a profit," said Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. (D), who represents the area in the state legislature. Golf, he noted, "was once viewed as an exclusive enclave of the upper classes. The image of golf and that of Montgomery matches much better with the reality of a diverse community and the need to be inclusive," he said at a recent planning board hearing.

Sligo's fans say that the Montgomery County Revenue Authority, which operates the county's nine golf courses and the county's Gaithersburg airport, is siphoning money from Sligo to prop up the other entities. Other publicly funded recreation programs such as tennis and swimming are not required to turn a profit, they note. And, raising the specter of discrimination, critics say the revenue authority is favoring the more challenging and more expensive courses in the county's northern tier, frequented by a whiter clientele.

"Down-county and decidedly urban Sligo does not get one thin dime. It gets kicked to the curb come October 1st. There is no revenue sharing for Sligo. And the rich get richer," says the http://savesligogolf.com Web site.

The site, and much of the Save Sligo campaign, is the work of golfer and writer Mark Suffanti, a Silver Spring resident who has combed financial statements and state and county laws to challenge the county's decision. Suffanti and other Sligo fans point to revenue authority data showing that other county golf courses are losing thousands more dollars than Sligo but are not targeted for closure.

Keith Miller, executive director of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority, has said the other courses have more ability to expand and have a brighter fiscal future, even if they are showing losses now.

"Our plan is to grow the game of golf," Miller said. Sligo's nine holes limit its potential, he said, adding that there are some nine-hole options at 18-hole courses. The revenue authority also has changed the pricing at all of its courses, he said, creating less expensive tee times when demand is lower. The authority also has set up reduced rates for families and monthly free lessons.

"We are not showing favor to the rich," he said. If Sligo closes, Montgomery still will have eight public golf courses, and a ninth operated by Rockville.

To cut losses at Sligo, Miller tried to add a revenue-producing driving range with night lights and a miniature golf course. But the plans were rebuffed by neighbors, who said they did not want a "golf theme park" or lights. Miller withdrew the plan, and then proposed closing the course, saying the future revenue picture was too bleak.

At the hearing, which drew more than 100 opponents of the shutdown, Douglas Wallick, a Sligo neighbor, said the decision to close is as much about golf as it is about the government's commitment to subsidizing recreation.

"How do we measure [Sligo's] positive effect on our community? How do we measure any of that in a study that solely looks at money?" Wallick asked.

Carmen Maymi, who is among a group of women who golf regularly at Sligo, said the course is known for its welcoming attitude toward female golfers. As a result, the women's group "has played there for 25 years," she said.

Elsewhere in the region, local governments say they aren't planning to cut back on golf, even though it isn't a real moneymaker anywhere. Miller cited National Golf Foundation data that predict the closure of 500 courses nationwide this year.

In Prince George's, where there are three public courses, there are no plans to cut back on golf or other publicly funded recreation, said Chris Wagnon, deputy director of facilities operations for Prince George's County's park system.

"Our philosophy in Prince George's County is to provide opportunity and amenities for county citizens in a wide variety of recreation and park activities," he said. "Our slogan is 'something for everyone.' "

Fairfax County parks spokeswoman Judy Pedersen said public golf courses are part of the county's commitment to recreation. "Our golf courses are a major part of our revenue stream," she said. "We are firmly in the golf business." Fairfax's parks authority has eight public courses. In the District, the National Park Service has three public courses, run by a contractor.

Montgomery's effort to consolidate golf under the revenue authority came about, officials said, as a cost-cutting measure that was led by then-council member Steven A. Silverman, now head of the county's economic development department, and council member George L. Leventhal (D-At Large). Silverman and Leventhal said recently that they had been looking for economies of scale to help the county balance its budget and pay for other social needs.

Under the transfer, the County Council turned over golf operations to the revenue authority but allowed the parks agency to keep the land. However, the parks agency had to agree to a no-compete clause that bans it from ever using the properties as golf courses.

The dispute over what's next for Sligo could come before the County Council in the fall, but possibly not before the Oct. 1 closing. So Sligo's fans are working this summer to persuade county officials to look sooner at saving the course. The issue is a hot topic on neighborhood e-mail discussion groups.

After last week's three-hour hearing before the planning board, Royce Hanson, the panel's chairman, said that the board is bound by its contract with the revenue authority and the wishes of County Council members, and said he thought it unlikely that Sligo could stay open as a golf course.

Leventhal, who was County Council president when the initial deal was struck in 2006, said the future of Sligo poses a challenge for the council, which faces a growing shortfall and the need to pay for schools, housing and other critical services.

"I don't know what the answer is. It is a perplexing situation," Leventhal said. "All general fund taxpayers should not bear the cost so that a few people can use . . . golf. But we are not maintaining the whole government on a user fee basis. We have to decide what are luxury items and what is a core function."

He left open the possibility that Sligo could be saved.

"I am not," he added, "firmly saying 'close Sligo Golf Course.' "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/24/AR2009072403642.html

Gang membership on rise in Montgomery - Gazette

2009-07-25T14:32:00.000-04:00

However, some communities report drop in gang-related crimes

by Sebastian Montes | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Gang-related murders and membership are rising in Montgomery County, while in some communities, gang presence resists police efforts to rein them in.

Those increases come as the total number of gang crimes fell by more than a third between last summer and this spring, according to statistics compiled by Montgomery County Police.

Police attribute the nine-month decline to better intelligence, more aggressive prosecution and multi-agency outreach to at-risk youth, said Montgomery County Police Lt. Robert Bolesta, deputy director of special investigations.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07222009/potonew200201_32539.shtml

American Apparel store vandalized in Silver Spring, MD - Examiner

2009-07-22T19:42:00.001-04:00

July 22, 2009. Silver Spring, Maryland, just on the outskirts of DC, is a the seat of urban sprawl as the community grows right before the resident's very eyes. Its a neat place full of young people, diverse ethnic groups and a safe, family feel. Unfortunately, LGBT residents of SS may not feel as safe today as they did before -- the glass window of an American Apparel clothing store was shattered in what appears to be a hate-motivated crime. The DCist reported today that the shattered window display was that of pro-LGBT t-shirts.

The clothing company released this statement:

"Yesterday an American Apparel store in Silver Spring, Maryland had a window broken by someone upset over the company's support for gay marriage. Our Georgetown location and others in the areas have received similar threats. We just wanted to use this forum here to announce that not only are they not going to prevent us from speaking out on an issue that is important to this company and our employees but we'll continue to run Legalize Gay advertisements in papers across DC-Metro area. We'll also send Legalize Gay t-shirts to any group in Washington DC that is fighting for gay rights and will help support any protest or rally for the cause.We don't find this kind of thing funny and we definitely don't find it intimidating."

http://www.examiner.com/x-11968-DC-LGBT-Community-Examiner~y2009m7d22-American-Apparel-store-vandalized-in-Silver-Spring-MD

Report outlines ideas for safer community - Gazette

2009-07-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

Establishing teen center, community-police councils among recommendations

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Two months after the first Safe Silver Spring Summit was held to address crime in the community, the event's organizers have released a summary of suggested safety measures, including creating a teen center downtown and establishing community relations councils with police.

The event, held May 16 at Montgomery College, drew 120 people, including youth and adult residents, county officials and community organizers, to five workshops to discuss issues such as gangs, self-policing and truancy.

The event's steering committee then prepared a report based on the discussions to be distributed to County Executive Isiah Leggett, the Montgomery County Council and Montgomery County Public Schools, among other local agencies and organizations.

The suggested safety measures ranging from abstract concepts like "provide neighborhoods with more information about arrests and convictions" to concrete steps such as "form a non-profit organization to develop solutions to Silver Spring crime and apply for grants."

"Some of them are fairly easy to implement," said Tony Hausner of Prezco, an umbrella group of civic associations in Silver Spring that planned the event. "Community relations councils with the police department is something that should be very straightforward.

"Empowering teenagers to play more of a leadership role is certainly more challenging," he added.

Residents also supported a truancy center for Silver Spring.

County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, who sponsored the summit, has commissioned the county Office of Legislative Oversight to conduct a full report of truancy in the county, with potential legislation to follow.

"It's astounding how many kids are chronically truant," Ervin (D-Dist. 5), of Silver Spring, said. "Ten percent [of students in the county], more than 9,000 kids, are truant on any given day."

Some of the solutions mirror programs in other jurisdictions. The Southeastern District of the Baltimore Police Department has established a council where the community holds meetings and advises police on issues in the city. Howard County offers a Choose Civility program to promote better public behavior, which the report suggests as an effort to ease any tensions in downtown Silver Spring.

Other solutions include an all-youth subcommittee of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and safety assessments conducted by police in apartment complexes with a large percentage of renters.

Many residents are also in favor of a dedicated teen center that will serve as a hangout in absence of the artificial turf at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street that closed last summer.

Recommended locations include the current site of the Silver Spring Library or the Old Blair Auditorium at Silver Spring International Middle School, which could be built by youth, the report says.

Leggett noted the teen center, community council and steps toward addressing truancy as recommendations that could be implemented, but that the solutions will have to compete against projects countywide in a tough budget year, said his spokesman, Patrick Lacefield.

"There are obvious limits to what we are able to do given the continuing economic downturn," Lacefield said. "… But as we begin to put together a budget for next year, these sorts of recommendations are helpful."

The committee is scheduled to meet again Sept. 14 to discuss future steps.

For a copy of the Safe Silver Spring Executive Summary or for more information about Safe Silver Spring, e-mail safesilverspring@gmail.com or call Tony Hausner at 301-641-0497.

http://gazette.net/stories/07222009/silvnew193147_32537.shtml

Vote puts damper on plans for pedestrian bridge at library - Gazette

2009-07-22T19:27:00.001-04:00

Bridge would have connected parking garage to new Silver Spring library

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Two Montgomery County Council committees on Tuesday voted not to amend a 10-year-old urban plan for Silver Spring, in effect voting against a pedestrian bridge that would connect the Wayne Avenue parking garage to the new Silver Spring library.

In a joint work session, the council's Health and Human Services committee and Planning, Housing and Economic Development committee voted 4-1 not to amend the 1999 Silver Spring Urban Renewal Plan that prohibits bridges over Wayne Avenue because it would be detrimental to nearby street-level retail.

The pedestrian bridge had been proposed, and supported by County Executive Isiah Leggett and the county Commission of People with Disabilities, to allow the disabled and elderly to get to the library without having to cross the busy intersection of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue.

http://gazette.net/stories/07222009/montnew173033_32574.shtml

Silver Spring library skybridge rejected - Greater Greater Washington

2009-07-22T19:25:00.001-04:00

by Colleen Mitchell

Proposals for a skybridge connecting Silver Spring's new library to the adjacent parking garage became even more remote yesterday, as Montgomery County's Health and Human Services and Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committees voted to uphold the existing prohibitions against skybridges in downtown Silver Spring.

The Silver Spring CBD Urban Renewal Plan prohibits the construction of a pedestrian bridge across Wayne Avenue. The "parking access" bridge was being proposed to connect the Wayne Avenue garage to the new Silver Spring library. From the outset of the project, library designs have included a parking access bridge. This outdated design concept from the 1960s destroys streetlife, vitality and development in urban areas, and creates automobile-dominated roadways that fail to meet the needs of those on foot or bike. Cities across the country, including Baltimore, have been going to great lengths over the last few years to dismantle these skywalks in an effort to revitalize urban communities.

To alleviate Councilmembers' concerns about ADA access, planning staff developed a plan to accommodate the required 7 handicapped parking spaces in addition to a drop off location on the library site itself, providing safe and convenient access for those with mobility limitations. This strategy is more cost-effective and has significantly fewer negative impacts for downtown Silver Spring.

The full Council will make the final decision next Tuesday, July 28th.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=2999

Montgomery Council Names Planning Nominee - Washington Post

2009-07-22T13:29:00.001-04:00

Marye Wells-Harley of Silver Spring was nominated Tuesday to a four-year term on the Montgomery County Planning Board. Wells-Harley, 66, is the former parks and recreation director for Prince George's County. If her appointment is approved by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), she would be the first African American woman to serve on Montgomery's five-member planning board.

Wells-Harley was selected from a pool of 18 applicants for the part-time post, which pays $30,000 annually. She succeeds John Robinson, who served two terms and was ineligible for reappointment.

-- Miranda S. Spivack, July 22, 2009

Residents demand county keep golf on Sligo Creek site - Gazette

2009-07-17T22:07:00.002-04:00

Planning Board officials say it would violate legal agreement with Revenue Authority

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Friday, July 17, 2009

In a raucous, contentious hearing before the Montgomery County Planning Board Thursday, residents demanded that the Parks Department keep golf at Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring after it is shut down Oct. 1, but board members said it is not in their legal authority to keep golf on the land.

About 25 of the 37 people who testified before the board said they wanted the facility to remain a golf course, and each was met with loud applause and chants of "listen to the people" from the standing-room-only crowd of about 80.

"I would gladly lie down in front of a bulldozer before I see one hill leveled or one tree or one blade of grass cut down on behalf of this mysterious need to close this golf course," Karen Goozner, a nearby resident, said in a spirited testimony that was interrupted several times by cheers.

Parks Department officials presented four future uses for the 65-acre site off of Sligo Creek Parkway, including a nature center, a sports complex, a recreation park and a golf course. In April, officials began a master plan study to determine the reuse of the course after the County Council ruled the Montgomery County Revenue Authority could hand back operations of the course to Park and Planning on Oct. 1 because it is failing financially.

Thursday's hearing was held so the board could approve the schedule and procedure for the master plan study. But it evolved into a contentious back-and-forth between residents and board members on why the board could not approve golf at Sligo Creek amidst passionate testimony favoring it.

"The course will return to us on Oct. 1 and we are not in the position, either under contract or with funds, to operate it as a course from that date," said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson, who repeatedly had to reprimand the crowd after numerous angry outbursts. "We do need to make plans… as to how best to handle the situation that I think neither this board, nor most of the folks here this evening, wished to have happen.

"But we have to face reality."

Park and Planning leased operation of four courses, including Sligo Creek, to the Revenue Authority in 2006. The Revenue Authority already owned five courses. There is a clause in that lease, which the County Council approved, that prohibits Sligo Creek from operating as a golf course if the Revenue Authority feels it will compete with its other courses.

"We have no authority to negotiate the decision and we have no funding," said board Vice Chairman John Robinson, who was serving his final day on the board. "Those issues are for the Revenue Authority and the [County] Council."

The board decided that for now, Parks Department staff should not "expend its time and effort" to consider a golf course for the land because for that to happen, the Revenue Authority would have to amend its lease with Park and Planning.

"At the moment, staff is trying very hard to present other options because if it does not become a reality that the contract is opened up, we have to be ready to roll with something," said Mary Bradford, director of Parks for the county.

Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said Friday there is "room to negotiate," but the council has not had official contact with the Revenue Authority.

Ervin suggested other possibilities, including partnering with nonprofit vendors to operate the course or subsidizing the course through funds from the Capital Improvements Program and having the Revenue Authority continue to operate the course.

"The community needs to take a step back and not get into a combative stance," Ervin said in a phone interview. "At the end of the day, the community will get what it wants without being combative."

Revenue Authority Director Keith Miller could not be reached for comment Friday.

The board rejected the sports complex alternative because of its effect on the environment, leaving a recreation park and a nature preserve – both of which received support from a few residents – for the parks department to consider.

After Oct. 1, the Park and Planning Commission will handle upkeep of the Sligo Creek course until a new use is determined, costing an estimated $56,000, and the park will be available for passive recreation like jogging, dog walking and nature appreciation. Planners have previously estimated the future use of the course will be determined by spring 2010.

A community meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9 to update residents on the progress of the study.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07172009/montnew142954_32551.shtml

Silgo Creek Golf Course - Update from the Planning Board Meeting

2009-07-17T13:48:00.001-04:00

The following, from Stephen C. Brown,appears under "Recent News" on the Facebook group, Preserve Sligo Creek Golf Course.

***The July 16 meeting: All seats were filled. As many people were standing as seated. WTOP, the Gazette and Channel 8 were there. Pro-golf testimony was excellent. If you spoke last night, don't throw your notes away. We didn't get the answer we wanted, but I would urge anyone feeling disappointed to consider just how encouraging the meeting was.

The disappointing part: the Planning Board directed Parks staff to continue exploring alternate uses since they thought it unrealistic to count on the lease being re-negotiated. Parks and Planning lack the authority to renegotiate the lease themselves, and wondered out loud about the likelihood that the County Council would reconsider its policy not to subsidize golf.

However, Council staff were present. They heard hours of eloquent, heart-felt, intelligent testimony from both golfers and non-golfers wishing to save the golf course. They heard the boisterous audience. They heard Director of Parks Mary Bradford defend her decision to have kept golf as a "marker" in the re-use exploration despite Parks' unwillingness to ignore the no-compete clause. The Council, she said (and I paraphrase), may decide Sligo is a unique situation requiring a special exception to the policy not to subsidize golf. (Anyone distracted by her unfortunate "old shoe" analogy should consider her statement in its entirety. She was far from dismissive.)

Not having persuaded Parks and Planning to take a firm stance in defense of Sligo golf was a little like watching an excellent drive land in a bunker. It's still a good drive. We're still in play. Contact the County Council--especially if you were among last night's excellent speakers.

I was in the back of the room last night, and couldn't hear every speaker's name. Moreover, my notes are inadequate to honor all the excellent testimony. That said:

Special thanks to:

Delegate Alfred Carr, who testified that he would monitor the situation and warned against losing this invaluable amenity;

Jeffrey Russell for his impassioned opening salvo establishing that golf is an act of environmental stewardship, especially when compared to proposed alternatives; and for his impassioned plea at night's end to "CONTACT THE COUNCIL IMMEDIATELY!"

Woody Brosnan, for finding the parallel between the individual ethics of golf and the individual ethics of environmental stewardship--and for his rallying cry to "Listen to the people! Listen to the taxpayer!"

Peter A(?), who pointed out that it's less expensive to keep the course open than to re-open it;

Karen Goozner, who found compelling rhetorical power in obvious truth: "It doesn't make sense!" Karen indicated readiness to lay down in front of a bulldozer;

Jim Kiebom, a veteran golfer who has played some of the world's the finest courses, but testified that Sligo is the best value he has yet encountered;

Spencer More, who instructed the board on the axiom of not fixing what isn't broken;

Mike Welch, who pointed out that alternate uses proposed by residents from elsewhere in the county are "a little rich. If I advocated for soccer fields in Takoma Park, they'd have a stroke;"

[?] O'Hara, whose family plays both soccer and golf, but, if forced to choose, would support golf at Sligo; who also pointed out that the proposed nature preserve where kids can play would be redundant, as anyone would notice while driving along Sligo Creek Parkway;

John Taylor, who, having installed on his own dime irrigation on six of Sligo's holes, spoke with authority about the overstated costs of capital improvement;

Coco [with-whom-I-shared-a-beer-afterward-but-whose-last-name-I-still-don't-know], who pointed out that the proposed closure has been strangely under-publicized and that public will on the issue cannot properly have been measured;

Melanie Hennigan, the self-described aging athlete who plays in three soccer leagues and testified to the existing availability of soccer fields, who wants golf as an option whenever age limits her from soccer; who, as an architect, warned against the environmentally detrimental effect of re-landscaping; who exhorted the board, "You can't let this happen! You're better than this! The County is better than this!"

Christine Patrick, of the South Four Corners Citizens Group, whose neighborhood (Argyle) both in name and activity identifies itself with Sligo Golf; who drew an uproar of support when she pointed out that the proposed alternative uses had not been weighed against the needs of the area;

The Officer of the Sligo Ladies' Golf League, which has been playing year round for 25 years, who was offended by the prospect of being denied this resource, who called for a new audit of Sligo finances;

[?] Abrams, who golfs Sligo with his boys of 13 and 15, and, echoing the idea of golf as instructing individual ethics, offered the touching anecdote about his 13 yo spontaneously replacing a divot out of a desire to preserve the beauty of the course;

Joseph Hibbeln, with whom I shared a beer after, who spoke persuasively about the irresponsibility of acting only on "one bid", that of the MCRA; we now have second bid, the numbers presented by Mark Suffanti and Minor Sachless, but in government you need a third, to which end the course ought to be kept open for a year to properly track finances;

Andy Freeman, who, when one of the commissioners asked fellow board members if Parks had ever given a golf course back to the community, yelled from the back of the room, "We'll take it!"

Giving voice to youth - Gazette

2009-07-16T09:48:00.001-04:00

Young filmmakers learn unexpected lessons

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 15, 2009

When members of the Silver Spring-based youth group the Gandhi Brigade shot a documentary last summer about youth in the juvenile justice system, they got an unexpected first-hand look at the problems facing their subjects.

On their way from a Metro station to a filming location in Washington, D.C., they gave one of the film's subjects some money to pick up stationery supplies a nearby store. As the teen returned from shopping, seven police officers were in tow.

http://gazette.net/stories/07152009/silvnew183319_32539.shtml

Planners to review Sligo Golf Course reuse plan - Gazette

2009-07-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

People and Places | Jason Tomassini and Jeremy Arias | Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Montgomery County Planning Board will discuss objectives, outreach and the schedule for the Sligo Creek Golf Course Reuse Master Plan 7 p.m. Thursday at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters at 8787 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.

Parks staff will review several objectives for developing the master plan, outreach and the plan process and schedule. The board is requested to approve the project's objectives, outreach strategy and plan schedule, as well as re-affirm the County Council decision to close Sligo Creek Golf Course on Oct. 1 after the Montgomery County Revenue Authority backed out its lease to operate the course because it was ruled a financial drain on the county golf system.

http://gazette.net/stories/07152009/silvnew183316_32536.shtml