Attendees = 30
Treasurer’s Report – Bob Mills
Previous balance: $4816.20
National Night Out (NNO) expenses = $683.15
+ $200 from Woodley Gardens West Civic Association
+ interest $.58
= Current balance of $4433.63
NNO update – Tom Miner, president
Unfortunately we were beset by rain early into the evening. For those who attended, they were served burgers, hot dogs, fixings, and Carmen’s Italian Ice. The uncooked food went to the women’s shelter.
Police Beat report – Lt. Brian Paul
We have no current record of any formal crime reports coming from the College Gardens neighborhood.
Pond Update – Heather Gewandter, Storm Water Manager, City of Rockville
The pond is for storm water management. The fountain’s purpose is to prevent mosquito breeding. Rippling water does not encourage the growth of larvae. Algae is causing the fountain to break down. The installation of an aerator, which won’t clog the fountain, has been proposed for the fall. An aerator breaks up stratification in the ponds, which keeps the pond healthier, and constantly mixes the oxygen into the strata. The vegetation and brush growth will be trimmed back, trees by the over look and the riser will be removed. Ponds get dredged every 7-10 years to increase pond capacity. The College Gardens pond will likely be dredged in the next year or two. Trash in the pond is coming from upstream. Periodically the Parks department will clean the trash within the pond.
Woodley Gardens Pool Update – Paul Murray and Monique Ashton
The pool opened in 1961 with no upgrades since then. The pool was built first, as a
selling point for the Woodley Gardens neighborhood. Steve Beck has owned the pool
since 1988. Negotiations to buy out Mr. Beck, the pool owner, have been ongoing with
the owner of the preschool. The goal is to open the pool next summer. The City of
Rockville has given Mr. Beck a demolition order. Woodley Gardens Swim and Pool
Association would be a 501(c3) going forward. Mr. Beck receives rent checks until
January 1, 2020. The Oehler family in College Gardens is on the committee to reopen the pool. They are willing to answer any questions regarding the opening of the pool. The lack of pool and swim team business has impacted businesses nearby.
I-270 Widening – Janet Gallant
MDOT is not going to release its preferred plan for our area until Winter 2020. Governor
Hogan wants to have privatized toll lanes through our area.
Phase 1A is the I-270 connection with I-495 all the way to I-370/ICC. I-270 would go
from 12 lanes to 16. Sounds walls would come down temporarily. Construction would
last five or more years. Studies consistently show people don’t like, use, or pay for toll
roads. The business model for demand toll roads call for roads to be constantly congested in order to prompt people to move to the toll road. The current administration issued an Executive Order to allow construction projects while the environmental studies are being conducted.
So far these points have been expressed to garner support for the toll roads:
- The toll road won’t cost taxpayers anything
- MDOT inspector general issued a report stating there’s no money to pay for roads
so we have to go with a privately financed toll road.
The local governments have suggested that:
- The cutting of budget money for the Metro line from Shady Grove to Clarksburg
is not helpful to relieving congestion - Expanding MARC commuter trains would alleviate traffic faster without a large
build out - Marc Elrich and county suggested the use of reversible lanes as a quicker way to get traffic flowing
- Cutting tolls in 2015 cut the budget for road improvements
As we near the 2020 general assembly session we can approach Kumar Barve to hold
hearings. MDOT has been opaque about the financing of this project. Five planning
meetings are coming up. Prince George’s, Montgomery, and Frederick Counties
officially have responded they do not want this project.
For more information on the I-270 topic, here are some links:
https://dontwiden270.org/
http://www.mdot.maryland.gov/newMDOT/P3/index.html (video)
City Update – Mark Pierzchala, councilmember
As of Wednesday, October 30 the City had received 5,900 ballots. Normally 6,000
ballots are cast. So we are on track to have more people participating in the election
cycle.
The City has approved a deer-culling project for 2020. The Red Gate Golf Course is
closed. The State’s VA has asked the City to donate 25 acres of Red Gate for veterans’
housing. That leaves approximately 100 acres of the Red Gate property.
Rockville Town Square (RTS) struggles, as we know. The next mayor and council will
have a lot do with managing RTS. Joe Concaugh points out that Pike & Rose is in better financial shape than RTS. King Farm Farmstead (the milk barn and stables on 355) will take up to $30,000,000 for rehabilitation. Four new Pickleball courts have opened in King Farm. The City has committed $400,000 for each of the next five years to supporting Dawson’s Market, essentially paying their rent ($2M total). The garage is being supported by $1,000,000 subsidy annually from the City.
Mark says the whole City is under a building moratorium. He personally feels certain
areas should be excluded from the moratorium. More feet on the ground to encourage
commerce is what is needed to support businesses in RTS. Permitting could be eased.
The development of Twinbrook Corner is threatening to the success of RTS.
Action item: Question re leaf pick up. Ask the City to assign a day per neighborhood
rather than assign a week for picking up.
Meeting adjourned: 8:35. Go Nats!