Meeting Roundup: July Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee

On Thursday evening, committee members of the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee met at the Mid-County Regional Center. Here's what was discussed:

• William Moore, owner of the IHOP, mentioned that a curb construction on Grandview hadn't been finished - and that there were weeds growing out of the side of the road.
• Roylene Roberts, the new acting director of the Mid-County Center, introduced herself and said that the process of naming an permanent appointee to the position was underway. Roylene currently works at the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. "One of my great pleasures is working with the community," Roberts said.
• The new director will be a political appointment by the County Executive, subject to a vote by the Council. If the Council can vote on a new director before their August recess, Roberts said, then they could begin in September.
• The center, which was stripped of its , will be hosting a Americorps member for one year starting September 1. Roberts said the jobs description was still being finalized with the help of the Gilchrist Center, but that the Americorps employee would be primarily focused on community outreach.
• Pete McGinnity reported that the pro-forma negotiations with B.F. Saul were taking longer than initially expected, although all parties were still onboard. The County now expects a formal development agreement to be signed in the fall.
• Pedestrian treatments in the median of Georgia Avenue from Reedie to Price, as well as on Reedie from Veirs Mills to Amherst will be in by early fall. The treatments, McGinnity said, are "supposed to be aesthically pleasing but hard to get across." 
• Matt Barry of Westfield reported that Panera will be open on July 17, not July 15, and that the store will be doing a "bread drop" for local businesses either this Friday or Monday. Party City will be open in late July.
• Westfield is hoping to have a Costco ground-breaking in late August or September, as they are working on architectural design now. A required community meeting set out in the terms of the subsidy for the new store does not have a specific date scheduled yet.
• is now an official 501(3)c non-profit.