Thursday, May 17, 2012
Emotions occasionally ran high as two of Wheaton’s most controversial issues were discussed at the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee's May meeting.
In contrast to the April WRAC meeting, which saw a packed room including three members of the Montgomery County Council and numerous citizens, the May meeting was slightly more subdued, yet the topics discussed – predatory towing and Costco’s gas station special exception request – garnered a similar level of passionate debate and discussion. Rob Klein first offered a brief redevelopment report that included updates on Parking Lot 13 (where recent drill tests did not reveal any significant obstructions to construction) and completion by Lowe Enterprises of the sketch plan phase for the “Computer Building” located at 11141 Georgia Avenue. Klein also announced a Parks & Planning meeting on May 21 about accessory apartments in Montgomery …
39.038621
-77.051036
Mid-County Regional Services Center
2424 Reedie Dr, Silver Spring, MD
/articles/predatory-towing-and-costco-s-gas-station-special-exemption-main-focus-of-may-wrac-meeting
1235776
/locations/7040663
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
MCCAB discussed the ambulance fee, plans for rapid transit vehicles in Montgomery County, and problems with aggressive towing in Wheaton.
Here are some highlights from Tuesday’s meeting of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board: Costco Gas Station The newly elected Kensington Heights Civic Association president, Howard Nussbaum, attended the meeting to reiterate why KHCA is concerned about the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton and to ask MCCAB to support the zoning text amendment that would restrict “mega” gas stations. Representatives from Costco and KHCA are scheduled to attend MCCAB’s next Land Use committee meeting. Rapid Transit Vehicles Tom Street, an administrator in the office of the county executive, gave a presentation about the plans for Rapid Transit Vehicles in Montgomery County. The county's Transit Task Force, which has been working for the last…
WRAC meets on the third Wednesday of every month.
The Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee will convene at 7 p.m. for its May meeting in the Mid-County Regional Services Center on Reedie Drive. At its April meeting, WRAC members expressed their disappointment over the Montgomery County Council's vote on Wheaton redevelopment. They also listened to representatives from Costco and the Kensington Heights neighborhood talk about the controversial proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton. The mission of WRAC, according to its website, is "to advise the County Executive, the Director of the Wheaton Redevelopment Program, and the Director of the Mid-County Regional Services Center on all phases of the revitalization of downtown Wheaton which consists of preserving and improving the …
39.038621
-77.051036
Mid-County Regional Services Center
2424 Reedie Dr, Silver Spring, MD
/articles/meeting-preview-wheaton-redevelopment-advisory-committee-e78770e1
1235776
/locations/7032446
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The measure was overturned by referendum in 2010 and brought back up by County Executive Isiah Leggett this session.
Despite voters striking down the Montgomery County ambulance fee in a referendum on the ballot in 2010, Montgomery County Council passed the fee again Tuesday with a 6-3 vote. Several councilmembers said there was a misinformation campaign surrounding the 2010 referendum vote. Councilmembers Councilman Phil Andrews (D, Dist-3), Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) and George Leventhal (D-At Large) were opposed. While Andrews implored councilmembers to respect the will of the voters, some of the county lawmakers were disturbed at how voters were educated about the ambulance fee. Many residents who voted against the fee thought county residents would have to pay the $300 to $800 fee per ambulance ride, Councilman Mark Elrich (D-At Large) said. “That’s…
The grade-separated interchange would replace the stoplight at Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue.
The State Highway Administration will hold a public informational meeting Tuesday night about the upgrade planned for the intersection of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria of Wheaton High School, 12601 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring. SHA anticipates that design for the Glenmont road interchange will be complete by fall 2012. The current plan would direct Randolph Road traffic underneath Georgia Avenue, with on and off ramps. Montgomery County is trying to move Fire Station 18, which is situated at that intersection, to a new location before construction begins. According to an SHA announcement about the May 15 meeting: "A brief presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m. followed by…
Here's a preview of the May 15 agenda.
The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board meets the third Tuesday of every month, from 7-9 p.m., at the Mid-County Regional Services Center.
39.038621
-77.051036
Mid-County Regional Services Center
2424 Reedie Dr, Silver Spring, MD
/articles/meeting-preview-mid-county-citizens-advisory-board-0a30b8d9
1235776
/locations/7008809
Take a look inside the May 8 edition of "Montgomery Al Dia."
With red hair, red dress and red heels to match her fiery personality, Lorna Virgili checks her reflection in her iPhone before taping her bilingual radio show, which will hit not only the airwaves, but also a YouTube audience. Virgili hosts "Montgomery al Dia," a weekly half-hour Spanish-language segment on all things Montgomery County, which is broadcast every Tuesday at 2 p.m. on Radio America's 1540 AM channel. The studio is located in what is known as the Computer Building in Wheaton, at 11141 Georgia Avenue. Since its launch on April 3, full episodes of all of Virgili's broadcasts are now available on Montgomery County's YouTube channel. Virgili works as a Montgomery County public information officer and the principal Spanish-media…
Users of the Capital Crescent Trail disagree on what should go through the Bethesda tunnel: the Purple Line or the trail.
For more on the Purple Line, check out our series. Speak out: Do you think the Purple Line or the trail should run through the Bethesda tunnel?
38.98251
-77.09157
Elm Street Park
4600 Elm St, Chevy Chase, MD
Near the Bethesda tunnel
/articles/purple-line-progress
1460705
/locations/7012713
State funding hurting from gas tax rejection. Future federal funding uncertain until 2015.
The Purple Line, the proposed 16-mile light rail transit system extending from New Carrollton to Bethesda, could be missing one vital component for its progression: funding. With the Maryland budget in crisis and a congressional stalemate over highway funding, the Purple Line’s construction could be pushed back, although several officials interviewed about the project would not predict how long the delay might be. The federal government approved preliminary engineering for the project in October, qualifying it for funding through New Starts, a federal program for new transit projects such as the Purple Line, bringing it a significant step closer to construction. From there, cost estimates and construction schedules could be fine-tuned …
Friday, May 11, 2012
The proposed legislation will go before the full Montgomery County Council on Tuesday. What do you think about the re-submission of an EMS fee for Montgomery County?
The newly proposed EMS Fee will head to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday with a recommendation against approval from the council's public safety committee. Amid a contentious meeting Friday, amendments and details to the proposed legislation were hashed out between council committee members, representatives for the county executive office and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services. In a vote of 2-1, the committee recommended council reject the amended bill. "I think [County Executive Ike Leggett's] re-submittal of this bill is the single worst decision he's made since I've been here, and I don't say that lightly," said Public Safety Committee Chairman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3). “It is crucial to make judgments that do not …
Ray Whalen
9:02 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Mock Loco, the "program" we should get with is to stop the abuse of disability retiremments (if your comment is accurate) and to restruture defined benefit programs that the taxpayers don't have. Raising taxes and fees to placate union special interests is exactly the wrong program. more ›