Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Park Hills Civic Association Dedicates Presidential Inaugural Flag
At its May 27, 2009 General Meeting, the Park Hills Civic Association received and dedicated an U.S. flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol on the day of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The flag was presented as a gift to the Park Hills Civic Association from PHCA President Alan Bowser, who arranged for the flag in cooperation with the offices of U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin, Democrat of Maryland.
The flag was accompanied by a certification of the Architect of the Capitol, which read:
"This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capitol on January 20, 2009.
At the request of the Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Senator, the flag was flown for the Park Hills Civic Association in honor of the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States."
At the dedication ceremony, PHCA Secretary Chris Richardson led the Association members present in the Pledge of Allegiance:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
The flag will be kept in perpetuity by the Park Hills Civic Association and displayed on patriotic holidays and special events.
The flag was accompanied by a certification of the Architect of the Capitol, which read:
"This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capitol on January 20, 2009.
At the request of the Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Senator, the flag was flown for the Park Hills Civic Association in honor of the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States."
At the dedication ceremony, PHCA Secretary Chris Richardson led the Association members present in the Pledge of Allegiance:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
The flag will be kept in perpetuity by the Park Hills Civic Association and displayed on patriotic holidays and special events.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Residents split on Purple Line tunnel - Gazette
Proponents say MTA report light on negatives; opponents say gap between stations would not serve local riders
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Residents who live near the site of a proposed Purple Line tunnel that would run beneath Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring were divided last week in a heated meeting with the Maryland Transit Administration, which is calling for a surface route along Wayne.
Proponents of the tunnel said the MTA's recently released 15-page report was light on details regarding the negative impacts of the surface option. Backers of a surface route defended the MTA report, noting that the tunnel would not serve the immediate community because of a 1.5-mile gap between stations in Silver Spring.
The MTA and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) are considering three options of either light-rail transit or bus rapid transit for a 16-mile mass transit route that would connect downtown Bethesda to New Carrollton via Silver Spring.
But at the May 20 meeting at Oak View Elementary School in Silver Spring the focus was on two options: a medium-investment light-rail line that would run above ground along Wayne and a high-investment light-rail route that would tunnel from the Silver Spring Transit Center at Wayne and Colesville Road through downtown Silver Spring to Mansfield Road.
Medium-investment light-rail has been endorsed by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), the Montgomery County Council and the county Planning Board.
The surface route calls for a station at the planned site of a proposed Silver Spring Library at Wayne and Fenton Street and a second in downtown Silver Spring, said Michael Madden, the Purple Line project manager. The tunnel option would displace three houses on Wayne and restrict access to three or four others, Madden said.
With a tunnel, it would take 5.4 minutes to get through Silver Spring as opposed to 9 minutes for the surface option. But with the tunnel only bringing stations at the transit center and Manchester Place, the short travel time only benefits those traveling through Silver Spring, not residents along Wayne, said Jonathan Elkind, a Silver Spring resident and chairman of the Silver Spring Advocates, a pro-Purple Line group.
For the Silver Spring portion of the Purple Line, the medium-investment option would cost $179 million and the tunnel option would cost $352 million, according to the study.
The main advantage of the tunnel option is it would take the Purple Line transit cars off of already-congested Wayne, proponents said. Under the medium-investment option, the Purple Line would not have dedicated lanes. Left-turn lanes would be added to Wayne to accommodate the light rail.
But Silver Spring resident Adam Daniel said adding a train to Wayne would make things much worse than they are now.
"Wayne is a street with noisy buses on it," said Daniel, who lives near the Wayne and Dale Drive intersection. "If anything, I would expect it to be a quieter street than it will be decades down the road if there is no mass transit."
The community met with MTA engineers five times to discuss the neighborhood impacts of the Purple Line, said Chris Richardson of the Park Hills Civic Association. For instance, under the surface route option, residents along Wayne would lose property due to the widening of the street to make way for new left-turn lanes.
But the impacts were not detailed in the draft environmental impact statement released by the Maryland Transit Administration last year or the tunnel study released this month, Richardson said.
"That would leave me to believe the decision to do a surface route on Wayne was already made," Richardson said.
Mark Gabriele, president of the Seven Oaks and Evanswood Civic Association, echoed those sentiments in a heated exchange with Madden.
"You go into great detail for the disadvantages of the tunnel but no details about surface disadvantages," Gabriele said.
"The study was to analyze a tunnel, not the surface," Madden responded.
"I'm angry, policymakers are supposed to rely on civil servants for advice," Gabriele shot back.
"What about the people in the seven houses?" Madden responded, referring to the displaced or affected homes under the tunnel option. "Are they part of the community?"
Madden said a finalized version of the tunnel analysis will be completed in the next couple of weeks and will include a more detailed study of the surface route option. Madden said he does not expect the County Council to take any official vote on the tunnel and the final decision will be made by O'Malley sometime in June.
To read the Maryland Transit Administration's study of a tunnel beneath Wayne Avenue, visit
http://www.purplelinemd.com/images/stories/purpleline_documents/ESS%20White%20Paper%205-6-09.pdf
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Residents who live near the site of a proposed Purple Line tunnel that would run beneath Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring were divided last week in a heated meeting with the Maryland Transit Administration, which is calling for a surface route along Wayne.
Proponents of the tunnel said the MTA's recently released 15-page report was light on details regarding the negative impacts of the surface option. Backers of a surface route defended the MTA report, noting that the tunnel would not serve the immediate community because of a 1.5-mile gap between stations in Silver Spring.
The MTA and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) are considering three options of either light-rail transit or bus rapid transit for a 16-mile mass transit route that would connect downtown Bethesda to New Carrollton via Silver Spring.
But at the May 20 meeting at Oak View Elementary School in Silver Spring the focus was on two options: a medium-investment light-rail line that would run above ground along Wayne and a high-investment light-rail route that would tunnel from the Silver Spring Transit Center at Wayne and Colesville Road through downtown Silver Spring to Mansfield Road.
Medium-investment light-rail has been endorsed by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), the Montgomery County Council and the county Planning Board.
The surface route calls for a station at the planned site of a proposed Silver Spring Library at Wayne and Fenton Street and a second in downtown Silver Spring, said Michael Madden, the Purple Line project manager. The tunnel option would displace three houses on Wayne and restrict access to three or four others, Madden said.
With a tunnel, it would take 5.4 minutes to get through Silver Spring as opposed to 9 minutes for the surface option. But with the tunnel only bringing stations at the transit center and Manchester Place, the short travel time only benefits those traveling through Silver Spring, not residents along Wayne, said Jonathan Elkind, a Silver Spring resident and chairman of the Silver Spring Advocates, a pro-Purple Line group.
For the Silver Spring portion of the Purple Line, the medium-investment option would cost $179 million and the tunnel option would cost $352 million, according to the study.
The main advantage of the tunnel option is it would take the Purple Line transit cars off of already-congested Wayne, proponents said. Under the medium-investment option, the Purple Line would not have dedicated lanes. Left-turn lanes would be added to Wayne to accommodate the light rail.
But Silver Spring resident Adam Daniel said adding a train to Wayne would make things much worse than they are now.
"Wayne is a street with noisy buses on it," said Daniel, who lives near the Wayne and Dale Drive intersection. "If anything, I would expect it to be a quieter street than it will be decades down the road if there is no mass transit."
The community met with MTA engineers five times to discuss the neighborhood impacts of the Purple Line, said Chris Richardson of the Park Hills Civic Association. For instance, under the surface route option, residents along Wayne would lose property due to the widening of the street to make way for new left-turn lanes.
But the impacts were not detailed in the draft environmental impact statement released by the Maryland Transit Administration last year or the tunnel study released this month, Richardson said.
"That would leave me to believe the decision to do a surface route on Wayne was already made," Richardson said.
Mark Gabriele, president of the Seven Oaks and Evanswood Civic Association, echoed those sentiments in a heated exchange with Madden.
"You go into great detail for the disadvantages of the tunnel but no details about surface disadvantages," Gabriele said.
"The study was to analyze a tunnel, not the surface," Madden responded.
"I'm angry, policymakers are supposed to rely on civil servants for advice," Gabriele shot back.
"What about the people in the seven houses?" Madden responded, referring to the displaced or affected homes under the tunnel option. "Are they part of the community?"
Madden said a finalized version of the tunnel analysis will be completed in the next couple of weeks and will include a more detailed study of the surface route option. Madden said he does not expect the County Council to take any official vote on the tunnel and the final decision will be made by O'Malley sometime in June.
To read the Maryland Transit Administration's study of a tunnel beneath Wayne Avenue, visit
http://www.purplelinemd.com/images/stories/purpleline_documents/ESS%20White%20Paper%205-6-09.pdf
Playground could be named after civic activist - Gazette
Planning Board to consider proposal from Kensington Heights Civic Association
by Jen Beasley | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
On life's playground, Wayne Goldstein didn't throw sand.
"He was just always very positive and always smiling and friendly even when he was disagreeing with you," said Donna Savage of the late civic activist. "He just had this gift for being able to disagree with you in a very, very, very pleasant way and very few people have that gift."
That's why Savage, the land-use chairwoman of the Kensington Heights Civic Association, and Sean Neary, president of the civic group, have requested that the playground at Kensington Heights Neighborhood Park be named for Goldstein, who was the sitting president of their association when he died of a heart attack on April 27.
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission staffers are recommending the request be approved by the Planning Board, which will consider it on Thursday. County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring has also endorsed the request.
Savage said their original desire was to name the entire park after Goldstein, a longtime advocate for neighborhood issues and community causes around the county, but she and Neary discovered that was not Parks Department policy.
The playground seemed the next best thing. Goldstein began an annual KHCA picnic there three years ago in an effort to loosen up meetings.
"The playground … is sort of the essence of that park," Savage said. "It's in the middle of the park and it's the thing that gets used the most and it's the place where we have the picnic."
If the request is approved, the KHCA will pay $250 toward the plaque designating the Wayne M. Goldstein Playground and raise the final $100 needed through donations. Savage said she hopes the park rededication can be done at the annual picnic on June 13, where Goldstein will be honored.
"It's quite a blow for us to lose him as far as the county was concerned and as friendship was concerned but also because he was our sitting president."
http://gazette.net/stories/05272009/silvnew183218_32537.shtml
by Jen Beasley | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
On life's playground, Wayne Goldstein didn't throw sand.
"He was just always very positive and always smiling and friendly even when he was disagreeing with you," said Donna Savage of the late civic activist. "He just had this gift for being able to disagree with you in a very, very, very pleasant way and very few people have that gift."
That's why Savage, the land-use chairwoman of the Kensington Heights Civic Association, and Sean Neary, president of the civic group, have requested that the playground at Kensington Heights Neighborhood Park be named for Goldstein, who was the sitting president of their association when he died of a heart attack on April 27.
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission staffers are recommending the request be approved by the Planning Board, which will consider it on Thursday. County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring has also endorsed the request.
Savage said their original desire was to name the entire park after Goldstein, a longtime advocate for neighborhood issues and community causes around the county, but she and Neary discovered that was not Parks Department policy.
The playground seemed the next best thing. Goldstein began an annual KHCA picnic there three years ago in an effort to loosen up meetings.
"The playground … is sort of the essence of that park," Savage said. "It's in the middle of the park and it's the thing that gets used the most and it's the place where we have the picnic."
If the request is approved, the KHCA will pay $250 toward the plaque designating the Wayne M. Goldstein Playground and raise the final $100 needed through donations. Savage said she hopes the park rededication can be done at the annual picnic on June 13, where Goldstein will be honored.
"It's quite a blow for us to lose him as far as the county was concerned and as friendship was concerned but also because he was our sitting president."
http://gazette.net/stories/05272009/silvnew183218_32537.shtml
Larcenies, burglaries a growing problem in Third District - Gazette
Police say more frequent patrols, locking doors and keeping valuables out of sight will help stem crime
by Robert Dongu | Staff Writer Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Last September, Silver Spring resident Christine Gardner was running late taking her daughter to school when someone made her pause.
Gardner noticed a teenager walking in her neighborhood of Springbrook Manor off New Hampshire Avenue. It seemed odd, she said, because it was a school day and class had started. The boy walked slowly, his head fixated on the ground until he stopped at her neighbor's house.
"He didn't look like he belonged there," Gardner said Friday.
Gardner went around the neighbor's house and spotted the boy again, this time opening the screen door to the front of the house. After seeing him loitering near a side door to the home, she called police.
"I wanted to just keep going," Gardner said. "But if something happened there, I wouldn't forgive myself. … I almost didn't call because I didn't want to [be] just profiling."
Police arrived within minutes and the boy, a Springbrook High School student, was apprehended by police and taken to the school, which is located nearby. Gardner said the boy didn't receive a harsh punishment because she called police too early – the suspect hadn't taken anything when police arrived.
Barry Wides, president of the North White Oak Civic Association, said the association works with police, including Educational Facilities Officer Rodney Barnes, who helped foil the alleged bomb plot of two Springbrook students last month. He said Barnes attends association meetings.
"When we see suspicious incidents we report them," said Wides, who said the police's planned relocation to a site in the White Oak area could help deter crime there.
Gardner said she thinks much of the burglaries and larcenies in the area are from teenagers since the crimes tend to be unorganized in nature. While Gardner commended the police and said they're not to blame for crimes in her neighborhood, she said some teens know they'll be disciplined less harshly than adults who commit the same crime.
http://gazette.net/stories/05272009/silvnew183226_32547.shtml
by Robert Dongu | Staff Writer Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Last September, Silver Spring resident Christine Gardner was running late taking her daughter to school when someone made her pause.
Gardner noticed a teenager walking in her neighborhood of Springbrook Manor off New Hampshire Avenue. It seemed odd, she said, because it was a school day and class had started. The boy walked slowly, his head fixated on the ground until he stopped at her neighbor's house.
"He didn't look like he belonged there," Gardner said Friday.
Gardner went around the neighbor's house and spotted the boy again, this time opening the screen door to the front of the house. After seeing him loitering near a side door to the home, she called police.
"I wanted to just keep going," Gardner said. "But if something happened there, I wouldn't forgive myself. … I almost didn't call because I didn't want to [be] just profiling."
Police arrived within minutes and the boy, a Springbrook High School student, was apprehended by police and taken to the school, which is located nearby. Gardner said the boy didn't receive a harsh punishment because she called police too early – the suspect hadn't taken anything when police arrived.
Barry Wides, president of the North White Oak Civic Association, said the association works with police, including Educational Facilities Officer Rodney Barnes, who helped foil the alleged bomb plot of two Springbrook students last month. He said Barnes attends association meetings.
"When we see suspicious incidents we report them," said Wides, who said the police's planned relocation to a site in the White Oak area could help deter crime there.
Gardner said she thinks much of the burglaries and larcenies in the area are from teenagers since the crimes tend to be unorganized in nature. While Gardner commended the police and said they're not to blame for crimes in her neighborhood, she said some teens know they'll be disciplined less harshly than adults who commit the same crime.
http://gazette.net/stories/05272009/silvnew183226_32547.shtml
Friday, May 22, 2009
Northwest Park Oakview Weed and Seed Program
The Steering Committee of the Northwest Park Oakview Weed and Seed Program meets quarterly at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring. The Steering Committee includes residents and representatives of public agencies and non-profit organizations.At this meeting were representatives of the Hamptons Community Association, the Avery Park Community Association, the Oakview Civic Association, the Northwest Park Civic Association, Northwest Park Apartments Management Co., the Long Branch Neighborhood Initiative, the International Corridor C-Safe Program, the Broad Acres Elementary School Linkages to Learning Program, the Long Branch Library, the Park Police, U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards, U.S Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, and the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board.
Weed and Seed, a community-based strategy sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is an innovative, comprehensive multiagency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization. CCDO oversees the Weed and Seed initiative.
Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy—rather than a grant program—that aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods across the country. The more than 250 Weed and Seed sites range in size from several neighborhood blocks to several square miles, with populations ranging from 3,000 to 50,000.
The strategy involves a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in "weeding out" violent criminals and drug abusers and public agencies and community-based private organizations collaborate to "seed" much-needed human services, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration programs. A community-oriented policing component bridges the weeding and seeding elements.
At each site, the relevant U.S. Attorney's Office plays a leadership role in organizing local officials, community representatives, and other key stakeholders to form a steering committee. The U.S. Attorney's Office also facilitates coordination of federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts so that sites effectively use federal law enforcement partners in weeding strategies. In some instances, the U.S. Attorney's Office helps sites mobilize resources from a variety of federal agencies for seeding programs.
The Weed and Seed strategy is a multilevel strategic plan that includes four basic components: law enforcement; community policing; prevention, intervention, and treatment; and neighborhood restoration. Four fundamental principles underlie the Weed and Seed strategy: collaboration, coordination, community participation, and leveraging of resources.
For more information, contact Victor B. Salazar, Site Coordinator, Northwest Park Oakview Weed & Seed, Silver Spring Regional Center at (301) 565-7300
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/ws/welcome.html
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Panel Weighs Options for Renovating Silver Spring Auditorium - Gazette
By Jason Tomassini | Gazette Staff Writer Thursday, May 21, 2009
Flexible classroom space and an intimate performance atmosphere are priorities for the renovation of the dormant Old Blair Auditorium in Silver Spring, which would provide nearby schools and residents with program and meeting space.
A committee of county and school officials, residents and the project's architects has met in the past month as part of a feasibility study to renovate the building, which is owned by Montgomery County public schools.
The auditorium has been closed since 1999, when Montgomery Blair High School moved to its new campus at Colesville Road and University Boulevard. The old auditorium is part of the Silver Spring International Middle School and Sligo Creek Elementary School campuses at 313 Wayne Ave.
The two design options favored by the committee would include four classrooms in the back of the auditorium, to be used by the two schools. Those rooms would be available for lease to community groups at night and on weekends. The committee also has discussed using the auditorium for a health clinic or office space.
One of the favored options, called "Scheme 3," includes 800 seats in the auditorium, 600 on the floor and 200 in a second-floor balcony. The two first-floor classrooms would be 1,000 and 850 square feet, respectively, and the two second-floor classrooms would be 1,000 and 800 square feet, according to preliminary plans from the project's architect, Calverton-based Grimm and Parker.
"It has more seating and does it in a flexible way," said Greg Lewis, executive director of the Silver Spring-based Washington Revels, a performance arts group.
The other favored option, called "Scheme 2B," includes 750 seats in the auditorium. The two first-floor classrooms in that design would be 950 and 1,150 square feet, and the two second-floor classrooms would be 1,400 and 1,300 square feet. The larger rooms would be more suited to the dance and music classes planners say are likely to be offered in the auditorium.
Silver Spring International Middle School uses its cafeteria for performances, as well as a space at Northwood High School, said Joe Mamana, assistant principal at Silver Spring International. Mamana said his school would get "first dibs" on using the renovated Old Blair.
"Since our school opened [in 1999], our performers have always found alternative areas," Mamana said. "Something like this would increase the appeal of our performers."
The renovation project is likely to cost several million dollars, said Steve Parker, president of Grimm and Parker.
More defined cost estimates will be determined by the fall, when County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), the County Council and the county school board review the proposed designs.
In 2005, Old Blair Auditorium Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the renovation project, received $600,000 in bond money from the Maryland General Assembly. County Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring) said the bond was extended after the council approved the $25,000 feasibility study late last year.
The state bond funding is contingent on the county matching the $600,000 when it funds the design and construction of the project in its Capital Improvements Program for 2011-16, Ervin said.
"The most important thing we got done is to get the feasibility study done," Ervin said Friday. "Because without [the study], nothing could move."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052001901.html
Flexible classroom space and an intimate performance atmosphere are priorities for the renovation of the dormant Old Blair Auditorium in Silver Spring, which would provide nearby schools and residents with program and meeting space.
A committee of county and school officials, residents and the project's architects has met in the past month as part of a feasibility study to renovate the building, which is owned by Montgomery County public schools.
The auditorium has been closed since 1999, when Montgomery Blair High School moved to its new campus at Colesville Road and University Boulevard. The old auditorium is part of the Silver Spring International Middle School and Sligo Creek Elementary School campuses at 313 Wayne Ave.
The two design options favored by the committee would include four classrooms in the back of the auditorium, to be used by the two schools. Those rooms would be available for lease to community groups at night and on weekends. The committee also has discussed using the auditorium for a health clinic or office space.
One of the favored options, called "Scheme 3," includes 800 seats in the auditorium, 600 on the floor and 200 in a second-floor balcony. The two first-floor classrooms would be 1,000 and 850 square feet, respectively, and the two second-floor classrooms would be 1,000 and 800 square feet, according to preliminary plans from the project's architect, Calverton-based Grimm and Parker.
"It has more seating and does it in a flexible way," said Greg Lewis, executive director of the Silver Spring-based Washington Revels, a performance arts group.
The other favored option, called "Scheme 2B," includes 750 seats in the auditorium. The two first-floor classrooms in that design would be 950 and 1,150 square feet, and the two second-floor classrooms would be 1,400 and 1,300 square feet. The larger rooms would be more suited to the dance and music classes planners say are likely to be offered in the auditorium.
Silver Spring International Middle School uses its cafeteria for performances, as well as a space at Northwood High School, said Joe Mamana, assistant principal at Silver Spring International. Mamana said his school would get "first dibs" on using the renovated Old Blair.
"Since our school opened [in 1999], our performers have always found alternative areas," Mamana said. "Something like this would increase the appeal of our performers."
The renovation project is likely to cost several million dollars, said Steve Parker, president of Grimm and Parker.
More defined cost estimates will be determined by the fall, when County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), the County Council and the county school board review the proposed designs.
In 2005, Old Blair Auditorium Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the renovation project, received $600,000 in bond money from the Maryland General Assembly. County Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring) said the bond was extended after the council approved the $25,000 feasibility study late last year.
The state bond funding is contingent on the county matching the $600,000 when it funds the design and construction of the project in its Capital Improvements Program for 2011-16, Ervin said.
"The most important thing we got done is to get the feasibility study done," Ervin said Friday. "Because without [the study], nothing could move."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052001901.html
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Storm Water Challenges in Silver Spring
This week, I explored the dramatic erosion to the hillsides bordering the Paint Branch stream valley caused by uncontrolled storm water. My guide was Diane Cameron, Conservation Program Director of Audubon Naturalist Society, who has been working on storm water and environmental protection issues in Montgomery County for many years.
The Grand Canyon of Paint Branch is the result of uncontrolled storm water running off the roofs and parking lots of a corporate office park, east of Route 29, in Silver spring, MD. The enormous volumes of water have eroded tons of soil and rock and have carved a "canyon" into the hillside.
The storm water runs into one of Montgomery County's most pristine streams, the Paint Branch, a tributary of the Anacostia River.
According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, “urban development has a profound influence on the quality of Maryland’s waters. To start, development dramatically alters the local hydrologic cycle. The hydrology of a site changes during the initial clearing and grading that occur during construction. Trees, meadow grasses, and agricultural crops that intercept and absorb rainfall are removed and natural depressions that temporarily pond water are graded to a uniform slope. Cleared and graded sites erode, are often severely compacted, and can no longer prevent rainfall from being rapidly converted into stormwater runoff.”
“The situation worsens after construction. Roof tops, roads, parking lots, driveways and other impervious surfaces no longer allow rainfall to soak into the ground. Consequently, most rainfall is converted directly to runoff. The increase in stormwater can be too much for the existing natural drainage system to handle. As a result, the natural drainage system is often altered to rapidly collect runoff and quickly convey it away (using curb and gutter, enclosed storm sewers, and lined channels). The stormwater runoff is subsequently discharged to downstream waters such as streams, reservoirs, lakes or estuaries.”
“Water Quality is affected by the accumulation of trash, oil and rubber from cars, fertilizers and pesticides applied to lawns, sediment from bare or poorly vegetated ground and other pollutants entering streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Inflow of sediment can cloud water, blocking sunlight from submerged plants. Sediment also settles to the bottom of streams, clogging the gravel beds used by fish for laying their eggs. Nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, from fertilizers enter the water and promote unusually rapid algae growth. As this algae dies, its decomposition reduces or eliminates oxygen needed by fish, shellfish, and other aquatic life for survival.“
As the following map from the County's Department of Environmental Protection shows, the water quality in the Silver Spring area is "poor."
For more information, visit http://www.mde.state.md.us/Programs/WaterPrograms/SedimentandStormwater/home/index.asp
To learn what you can do about storm water and improving the quality of the water in the creeks and streams, check out these websites. There are several important organizations that are concerned with storm water and stream restoration: Friends of Sligo Creek, the Audubon Naturalist Society, and Stormwater Partners.
The Grand Canyon of Paint Branch is the result of uncontrolled storm water running off the roofs and parking lots of a corporate office park, east of Route 29, in Silver spring, MD. The enormous volumes of water have eroded tons of soil and rock and have carved a "canyon" into the hillside.
The storm water runs into one of Montgomery County's most pristine streams, the Paint Branch, a tributary of the Anacostia River.
According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, “urban development has a profound influence on the quality of Maryland’s waters. To start, development dramatically alters the local hydrologic cycle. The hydrology of a site changes during the initial clearing and grading that occur during construction. Trees, meadow grasses, and agricultural crops that intercept and absorb rainfall are removed and natural depressions that temporarily pond water are graded to a uniform slope. Cleared and graded sites erode, are often severely compacted, and can no longer prevent rainfall from being rapidly converted into stormwater runoff.”
“The situation worsens after construction. Roof tops, roads, parking lots, driveways and other impervious surfaces no longer allow rainfall to soak into the ground. Consequently, most rainfall is converted directly to runoff. The increase in stormwater can be too much for the existing natural drainage system to handle. As a result, the natural drainage system is often altered to rapidly collect runoff and quickly convey it away (using curb and gutter, enclosed storm sewers, and lined channels). The stormwater runoff is subsequently discharged to downstream waters such as streams, reservoirs, lakes or estuaries.”
“Water Quality is affected by the accumulation of trash, oil and rubber from cars, fertilizers and pesticides applied to lawns, sediment from bare or poorly vegetated ground and other pollutants entering streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Inflow of sediment can cloud water, blocking sunlight from submerged plants. Sediment also settles to the bottom of streams, clogging the gravel beds used by fish for laying their eggs. Nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, from fertilizers enter the water and promote unusually rapid algae growth. As this algae dies, its decomposition reduces or eliminates oxygen needed by fish, shellfish, and other aquatic life for survival.“
As the following map from the County's Department of Environmental Protection shows, the water quality in the Silver Spring area is "poor."
For more information, visit http://www.mde.state.md.us/Programs/WaterPrograms/SedimentandStormwater/home/index.asp
To learn what you can do about storm water and improving the quality of the water in the creeks and streams, check out these websites. There are several important organizations that are concerned with storm water and stream restoration: Friends of Sligo Creek, the Audubon Naturalist Society, and Stormwater Partners.
Officials, residents discuss safety at Silver Spring summit - Gazette
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 20, 2009
County officials and Silver Spring residents gathered Saturday at Montgomery College for the first Safe Silver Spring Summit, providing a rare opportunity for officials, adults and youth to be in the same room and offer varied perspectives on their own safety.
After statements from county and law enforcement officials, five workshops were held with residents of all ages to discuss various safety issues, such as gangs, self-policing and truancy.
"We wanted this to be as broad-based a discussion as possible," said Tony Hausner of Prezco, an umbrella group of several civic associations in Silver Spring that planned the event. About 120 people participated in workshops and discussions throughout the day.
With participants split into five classrooms, here is an account of the various discussions held Saturday afternoon.
Workshop on gangs — 1 p.m.
Susan Cruz of the Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center in Takoma Park discussed the center's outreach coordinators, such as workshop participant Mario Martinez, who attempt to identify gang members in the community and bring them to the center.
"We're trying to find a counteroffer for youth instead of gangs," said Cruz, who spent time working in gang intervention is Los Angeles. "We need to be out there chasing kids around, just like the gangs do."
As alternatives to being in gangs, the group suggested using the current site of the Silver Spring Library on Colesville Road as a youth center when the new library opens. The group also discussed having teens work on the future renovations at the Old Blair Auditorium at 313 Wayne Ave. in Silver Spring.
Workshop on safety in Central Business District — 1:20 p.m.
Residents spoke with members of the youth group Mixed Unity, who disputed that many of the youth that frequent downtown Silver Spring are in gangs.
Most youth come downtown simply to hangout in an unstructured environment. Providing a similar environment for youth groups would better engage at-risk teens, said Mixed Unity member Douglas Ceron-Reyes.
That point resounded with Silver Spring resident Roni Falk, who said her 15-year-old daughter shies away from environments with obvious adult supervision and would prefer groups such as Mixed Unity or places such as the open artificial turf area at Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring that was removed to make way for construction of the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.
"It was interesting hearing their perspective and what they find threatening," Falk later said of speaking with the Mixed Unity students. "They have a much different environment than I do."
Much of the discussion centered on defining what is "civil behavior" downtown, so that visitors, security and police all expect the same environment.
The students acknowledged the increased concentration of teens downtown, due largely to the loss of the artificial turf.
"It's a big and free space and now we are crammed into that walking area," said Howa Toure, a Montgomery College sophomore in Mixed Unity. Youth now hang out in the shopping area on Ellsworth Drive, where "we're loitering if we aren't buying something," Toure said.
Truancy workshop — 2 p.m.
In another classroom, a group, including two members of the state's attorney's office, the director of safety for Downtown Silver Spring and teenagers, discussed truancy and how parents, teachers and law enforcement can make sure students stay in school.
The students said many truants hang out at businesses on Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring. Michael Petty, director of public safety for Downtown Silver Spring, said that problem is difficult to address because it deals with private businesses on a public street.
Assistant State's Attorney George Simms said it doesn't help that businesses that "have an interest in seeing large chunks of children in their restaurant" might not be "interested in monitoring kids that shouldn't be there at a certain time."
Montgomery Blair High School sophomore Adam Ndiaye made a point that some county officials hadn't considered. He said parents are as much to blame for truancy as parents.
"Teachers are always complaining about calling parents and no one picks up and they don't call them back," Ndiaye said.
"Yeah because they don't know them," interjected 19-year-old Fatima Williams, a Montgomery College student.
Later, the state's attorney's office compiled the e-mail addresses of the participants to spark future discussion that will help the county combat truancy.
Discussion summary — 2:45
All the workshop participants then returned to an auditorium to summarize their discussions, sharing solutions. It was here that participants could see many of the issues they discussed – gangs, youth groups, public safety – were more connected than they had thought, said Silver Spring resident Emily Sudbrink.
"It's not one area's problems, it's not one neighborhood's problems, it's everyone's problems," Sudbrink said.
http://gazette.net/stories/05202009/silvnew181853_32534.shtml
County officials and Silver Spring residents gathered Saturday at Montgomery College for the first Safe Silver Spring Summit, providing a rare opportunity for officials, adults and youth to be in the same room and offer varied perspectives on their own safety.
After statements from county and law enforcement officials, five workshops were held with residents of all ages to discuss various safety issues, such as gangs, self-policing and truancy.
"We wanted this to be as broad-based a discussion as possible," said Tony Hausner of Prezco, an umbrella group of several civic associations in Silver Spring that planned the event. About 120 people participated in workshops and discussions throughout the day.
With participants split into five classrooms, here is an account of the various discussions held Saturday afternoon.
Workshop on gangs — 1 p.m.
Susan Cruz of the Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center in Takoma Park discussed the center's outreach coordinators, such as workshop participant Mario Martinez, who attempt to identify gang members in the community and bring them to the center.
"We're trying to find a counteroffer for youth instead of gangs," said Cruz, who spent time working in gang intervention is Los Angeles. "We need to be out there chasing kids around, just like the gangs do."
As alternatives to being in gangs, the group suggested using the current site of the Silver Spring Library on Colesville Road as a youth center when the new library opens. The group also discussed having teens work on the future renovations at the Old Blair Auditorium at 313 Wayne Ave. in Silver Spring.
Workshop on safety in Central Business District — 1:20 p.m.
Residents spoke with members of the youth group Mixed Unity, who disputed that many of the youth that frequent downtown Silver Spring are in gangs.
Most youth come downtown simply to hangout in an unstructured environment. Providing a similar environment for youth groups would better engage at-risk teens, said Mixed Unity member Douglas Ceron-Reyes.
That point resounded with Silver Spring resident Roni Falk, who said her 15-year-old daughter shies away from environments with obvious adult supervision and would prefer groups such as Mixed Unity or places such as the open artificial turf area at Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring that was removed to make way for construction of the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.
"It was interesting hearing their perspective and what they find threatening," Falk later said of speaking with the Mixed Unity students. "They have a much different environment than I do."
Much of the discussion centered on defining what is "civil behavior" downtown, so that visitors, security and police all expect the same environment.
The students acknowledged the increased concentration of teens downtown, due largely to the loss of the artificial turf.
"It's a big and free space and now we are crammed into that walking area," said Howa Toure, a Montgomery College sophomore in Mixed Unity. Youth now hang out in the shopping area on Ellsworth Drive, where "we're loitering if we aren't buying something," Toure said.
Truancy workshop — 2 p.m.
In another classroom, a group, including two members of the state's attorney's office, the director of safety for Downtown Silver Spring and teenagers, discussed truancy and how parents, teachers and law enforcement can make sure students stay in school.
The students said many truants hang out at businesses on Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring. Michael Petty, director of public safety for Downtown Silver Spring, said that problem is difficult to address because it deals with private businesses on a public street.
Assistant State's Attorney George Simms said it doesn't help that businesses that "have an interest in seeing large chunks of children in their restaurant" might not be "interested in monitoring kids that shouldn't be there at a certain time."
Montgomery Blair High School sophomore Adam Ndiaye made a point that some county officials hadn't considered. He said parents are as much to blame for truancy as parents.
"Teachers are always complaining about calling parents and no one picks up and they don't call them back," Ndiaye said.
"Yeah because they don't know them," interjected 19-year-old Fatima Williams, a Montgomery College student.
Later, the state's attorney's office compiled the e-mail addresses of the participants to spark future discussion that will help the county combat truancy.
Discussion summary — 2:45
All the workshop participants then returned to an auditorium to summarize their discussions, sharing solutions. It was here that participants could see many of the issues they discussed – gangs, youth groups, public safety – were more connected than they had thought, said Silver Spring resident Emily Sudbrink.
"It's not one area's problems, it's not one neighborhood's problems, it's everyone's problems," Sudbrink said.
http://gazette.net/stories/05202009/silvnew181853_32534.shtml
Transit Authority opposes Purple Line tunnel - Gazette
Study says the proposal would not be cost-effective
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A Maryland Transit Authority study recommended against building a tunnel beneath Wayne Avenue between the Silver Spring Transit Center and Mansfield Road in Silver Spring as part of the Purple Line, claiming the tunnel is not cost-effective.
The MTA and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) are considering three options for a 16-mile mass transit route that would connect downtown Bethesda to New Carrollton via Silver Spring.
All three options would include a tunnel east of Manchester Road under Plymouth Street, emerging on Arliss Street. The high-investment option also would include a tunnel from the Silver Spring Transit Center that would emerge at Wayne Avenue east of Cedar Street.
The MTA studied a tunnel option that would extend the tunnel beneath Wayne and downtown Silver Spring to Mansfield Road. A short, street-level rail line on Wayne would then connect to the tunnel near Manchester.
http://gazette.net/stories/05202009/silvnew181855_32536.shtml
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A Maryland Transit Authority study recommended against building a tunnel beneath Wayne Avenue between the Silver Spring Transit Center and Mansfield Road in Silver Spring as part of the Purple Line, claiming the tunnel is not cost-effective.
The MTA and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) are considering three options for a 16-mile mass transit route that would connect downtown Bethesda to New Carrollton via Silver Spring.
All three options would include a tunnel east of Manchester Road under Plymouth Street, emerging on Arliss Street. The high-investment option also would include a tunnel from the Silver Spring Transit Center that would emerge at Wayne Avenue east of Cedar Street.
The MTA studied a tunnel option that would extend the tunnel beneath Wayne and downtown Silver Spring to Mansfield Road. A short, street-level rail line on Wayne would then connect to the tunnel near Manchester.
http://gazette.net/stories/05202009/silvnew181855_32536.shtml
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