Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The multicultural resource and educational center would move from its offices on Reedie Drive.
The Charles Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity, which provides services and classes to immigrants and their families in Montgomery County, will likely be a part of the new library and community recreation center complex planned for Wheaton. "I'm pretty certain that it's going to happen," said Karla Silvestre, the center's director, who has been in talks with the county's Department of Libraries. Ernest Lunsford, division chief for Building Design and Construction in the Department of General Services, also confirmed plans to include the center in the designs. The center is located in the Mid-County Regional Services Center at 2424 Reedie Drive, near the Wheaton Metro station and the bus bay at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Patch looks back to what was going on around this time last year with plans for the Wheaton library and recreation center project.
Montgomery County is almost ready to begin the design phase for the combination Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center project on Georgia Avenue. And the funding is in place, thanks to a budget decision last March by two Montgomery County Council committees. [Stay informed about news in Wheaton by signing up for a daily newsletter and breaking news alerts from Wheaton Patch.] At their joint meeting on March 5, 2012, the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development and the Housing and Human Services committees voted to advance planning and design funding for the project to fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2014, as proposed by Councilmember Nancy Navarro. This decision (later affirmed by the full council) represented a two-year …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Volunteer representatives from three advisory boards will meet regularly with the architects during the design phase.
Montgomery County is almost ready to begin the design phase for the combination Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center project on Georgia Avenue. "We're just bringing our architect on board," said Ernest Lunsford, division chief for Building Design and Construction in the Department of General Services. The county has chosen Grimm + Parker Architects to design what will be the county's first combined facility for a library and recreation center. Lunsford said Grimm + Parker is "ideally situated" for the project because the firm has experience designing both libraries (Rockville Memorial Library) and recreation centers (White Oak Community Recreation Center) for the county. But before design can begin, the county's libraries and …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
For those with concerns about the Wheaton Library or who want to learn about plans for the future, the Wheaton Library Advisory Committee is meeting on Monday.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The changes will take effect Feb. 17.
Library patrons will be able to check out more material and keep their items longer after four changes go into effect later this month. Do you use the Wheaton Library or other Montgomery County public libraries? Beginning Feb. 17, you will be able to do the following things: “We want to continue to be responsive and accountable to our residents and users,” said MCPL Director Parker Hamilton in a statement. “By implementing these policy changes, MCPL will ensure that more materials will be in the hands of our customers, and not sitting on shelves. Barriers to customers who need more materials or need materials for a longer period of time will be removed.”
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The book club is scheduled to meet Jan. 15.
Fans of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can come together at Tuesday's adult book club meeting in the Wheaton Library. The meeting starts at 11 a.m. This spring, the famous work of literature is coming to theaters, in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the title character. The release date is May 10, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The director of the county’s Department of General Services says the public still will have a role in the design.
David Dise, the man charged with overseeing construction of a first-of-its-kind combination library and recreation center, faces a challenge: How to build the project on an accelerated schedule, while still giving the community a say on its appearance and use. Dise, director of the Montgomery County Department of General Services, said he wants to start the public participation process in January and continue into the spring with at least two charrettes in Wheaton. At these intensive planning sessions, community members could weigh in on the architect’s design strategy and, later, offer reflections on final design concepts. DGS chose Grimm + Parker Architects from its pool of general contractors. The selection method was a departure from …
Monday, December 3, 2012
The committee received updates on redevelopment in downtown Wheaton and the selection of an architect for the Wheaton Library and recreation center project.
The Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee discussed the Wheaton Library project, redevelopment on Parking Lot 13, and Wheaton’s small businesses at its Nov. 28 meeting at the Mid-County Regional Services Center. Wheaton Library Greg Ossont, deputy director of the Department of General Services for Montgomery County, presented an update on the progress of the Wheaton Library and Recreation Center project, which would combine the two facilities on Georgia Avenue into new building. Ossont told the advisory committee that the county has decided to use Grimm + Parker, an architecture firm with offices in Calverton, MD, and McClean, VA. Grimm + Parker is already under contract with the county. Redevelopment advisory committee members …
Friday, November 23, 2012
The bookstore was closed temporarily for maintenance.
For those who do a substantial amount of holiday shopping at used bookstores, this may be quite exciting news: The Friends of the Library bookstore in the lower level of the Wheaton Library has reopened. It was closed for most of November due to maintenance work. [Get daily email updates about what's going on in Wheaton by signing up for free newsletters from Wheaton Patch.]
Thursday, November 8, 2012
A tale of finding the famous at the Friends of the Library discounted book sale in Wheaton.
Ever wonder if you're shopping for used books alongside someone famous? That's what happened to D.C. writer John Lingan last spring, as he recounts in a blog post this week for the Paris Review. Lingan encountered Michael Dirda, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic for the Washington Post, browsing the shelves last spring in the Friends of the Library bookstore on the lower level of the Wheaton Library. The bookstore is temporarily closed and undergoing maintenance. But while we're waiting for it to reopen later this month, we want to hear from you: What kind of stories do you have from the hours you've spent looking for books in the library basement?
Randall Spadoni
10:25 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
charette: "In fields of design such as architecture... the term charrette may refer to an intense period of work by one person or a group of people prior to a deadline. The period of a charrette typically involves both focused and sustained effort." Thanks for the updates on the library/recreation center, Esther. Perhaps we will be charretting with Grimm + Parker this spring! more ›