InfoShare Newsletter - June 3, 2011

[Howard Hartman]

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION PLANNING BOARD | DEPARTMENT OF PARKS | PLANNING DEPARTMENT June 3, 2011
In This Issue Planning Board Schedule Follow the East County Science Center Master Plan Weekend Volunteers Trail Maintenance Recycle Your Electronics! South Germantown Driving Range Montgomery County Households Look Very Different.. Josiah Henson Special Park The Director's Blog: Federal Highways Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan Explore the Outdoors with Nature Camps Would You Like to Lend a Helping Hand? May's Building of the Month New Tool Highlights Current Development Day in the Park Share your...love of the Chesapeake Bay! Brookside Gardens Needs Volunteer Urban Tree Steward Program Dog Park Permits Now Available! Stay Informed About Plans in Your Area Let's Get Together! Montgomery County Trendsheets Neighborhood Walk-Abouts Save Your Parks. Become...a Friend. Get Involved in Planning Find a Conservation Easement Easily Sign up for infoShare Quick Links    Planning Board Planning Department Department of Parks Parks Events Calendar Planning Events Calendar Park Police homepage Job Opportunities Watch us on County Cable Montgomery Channel 6: Parks Show and Montgomery Plans  Find archives of Info-Share and more at Connected Communities		Greetings! Below is a listing of upcoming events, programs and meetings as well as important announcements from The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Montgomery County. Please pass the information along to others who may be interested.  Valerie Berton Communications Manager, Planning Department Abbi Irelan  Marketing & Public Affairs Manager, Department of Parks Planning Board Meetings    Upcoming:   Thursday, June 9   Thursday, June 16  Visit the Agendas & Staff Reports web page for updates on Planning Board meetings and/or access to our meeting archives. Typically, meetings start at 9 a.m., Park and Planning Headquarters, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD  20910. Everyone who speaks at a Planning Board meeting must register with the board assistant unless he or she has signed up in advance. Sign up online (typically available 10 days before a meeting) or register at the meeting by submitting our yellow form or a business card.    We now stream the Planning Board meetings online. Watch live on our website or view later from our archives. Interested in plans for your area? The Planning Board appreciates hearing from you. Browse our testifying tips. Follow the East County Science Center Master Plan We want to hear from you! Have a say in the future of the White Oak-Hillandale area, part of the East County Science Center Master Plan in progress. Join us at our community meetings to tell us what matters to you.   Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting (open to the public; committee business followed by audience Q&A) 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, June 14 National Labor College Lane Kirkland Center, Room 9201 C 10000 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring   Community Meeting with Council President Valerie Ervin 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, June 25   Community Forum (open house + focus on transportation) 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday, June 28 East County Regional Service Center 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring   Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting (open to the public; committee business followed by audience Q&A) 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, July 19 Francis Scott Key Middle School 910 Schindler Drive, Silver Spring
National Trails Day® Volunteer Trail Project 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, 6/4 Rock Creek Regional Park   Help clear a sustainable new path for an eroded section of trail using loppers, rakes and other hand tools.   9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday, 6/5 Cabin John Regional Park  Flex your muscles to build a wooden trail bridge and armor some low areas with native stone. Come join this annual celebration of trails!Click here to sign up or contact Ben Sugar at 301-650-4395 or email Ben.Sugar@montgomeryparks.org. Projects are SSL approved. Minimum age 14 years old, 12 years old with parental supervision. Recycle Your Electronics! Noon-4 p.m. Sunday, June 5 Montgomery Blair High School parking lot 10001 Colesville Road Silver Spring, Maryland 2090   Have you been wondering what to do with your unwanted computers, televisions, cell phones, laptops and other outdated or unwanted electronic equipment? E-cycle them! The Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services will collect electronic items for recycling, from small electronic appliances,  calculators, and cell phones to televisions and computers. Data is securely destroyed for your protection and the materials are processed at a state-of-the-art recycling facility in the United States. The event is being organized, in part, by Silver Spring Green, a new organization that brings together businesses, civic organizations, residents and government to enhance our environment, economy and shared sense of community. Planning Department staff participate on the Steering Committee. Learn more. South Germantown Driving Range Opening and Spring Party Swing by on by June 12 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. for the grand opening Spring Party and Nike Golf Demo Day at the newly refurbished South Germantown Driving Range.  Games and activities for all ages with the pros from Golf 4 Kids Academy. Representatives from Nike Golf will have drivers, irons and hybrids for you to try out. Enjoy prize giveaways, games, and refreshments. Nike Demo Day specials will be available. Visitors between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. will receive one free regular bucket of balls for use at the event. Check out www.SGDrivingRange.com for updated event details and information about the Driving Range.  Montgomery County Households Look Very Different More of Montgomery County's young adults, likely facing economic challenges, are living with their parents, according to information about households released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Montgomery County also saw a significant increase in the past decade of households headed by women. Read more about our demographic analysis. Josiah Henson Special Park Take part in an online survey that will help shape facility planning for the Josiah Henson Special Park! Your responses will help shape the development of interpretive exhibit concepts, themes and strategies identified in the park's master plan, helping move the Parks Department move closer to opening this site as a public museum. Facility planning for this site will also include architectural and engineering design development. Meet the exhibit designers and learn about the program themes and concepts being considered during a Montgomery County Heritage Days open house, being held at the Josiah Henson Special Park on Sunday, June 26 from noon to  4 p.m. For more information visit the Heritage Days website. The Director's Blog: Confirming Trends In Montgomery County we are seeing more adult children living with their parents, more female-headed households, and we are getting older. The planning director's take on his blog. Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan Recommendations 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 18 Chevy Chase Village Hall 5906 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase   Join Chevy Chase Lake planners at a public meeting on June 18 to learn more about their preliminary recommendations for the plan in progress. The Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan focuses on improving the form and function of some of the commercial areas to coincide with the coming of the Purple Line light rail line. Unable to attend? View an audio-enhanced presentation by planner Elza Hisel-McCoy and pose your questions using our online comment boxes. Explore the Outdoors with Nature Camps Do you have a young nature lover in your family? Enroll them in a fascinating nature camp with Brookside Nature Center!  June 20-24: Bug Camp  July 11-15: Wild About Wildlife  August 2-5:Arthropod Adventures  Camps feature outdoor activities, field trips and games that will help teach children about the outdoor world and make summer vacation fly by! Would You Like to Lend a Helping Hand?  Looking for volunteer opportunities? Find nature camps, park and stream cleanups, ice rinks, festivals and other short- or long-term opportunities  at www.ParksVolunteers.org.  Many of our opportunities are Student Service Learning approved, so have your kids check us out - or if you are interested in giving back and expanding your natural, botanical or cultural resources knowledge, consider volunteering too!  Questions? Ready to volunteer? Contact Lynn Vismara, or call 301-495-2504. The Dangers of Walking Dangerous by design: the streets you use every day. Read our planner's take on pedestrian safety on The Straight Line blog. New Tool Highlights Current Development  Want to know more about development projects proposed near where you live or work? To stay abreast of Montgomery County development activity, visit our online Development Finder to learn details about building applications to be considered by the Planning Board. Make Your Gathering a Day in the Park Enjoy the outdoors at your next gathering for family, friends or co-workers! Whether you're planning a picnic, family reunion, birthday party or celebration, picnic shelters and group picnic areas provide an easy, affordable location for your get-together. Located throughout local and regional/recreational parks, shelters accommodate 25 to 175 people per shelter and amenities include permanent or portable restrooms. Playgrounds, athletic fields and many other park activities are nearby for guests to enjoy. Reservations can be made anytime at www.ParkPermits.org.  Visit Montgomery Parks Headquarters or call 301-495-2525 for in-person or phone reservations. Shelters are available for use through October 31. Share your  love of the Chesapeake Bay! Help kids explore the Chesapeake Bay and the watershed region through sailing, camping, canoeing and more! Volunteer camp counselors ages 17 and older are needed August 8-12. Counselors will help campers learn about the Bay as they trawl for fish, dredge oysters, analyze water samples, canoe, camp, crab, and hunt for fossils among other things.   Learn more and apply for this exiting volunteer opportunity! Brookside Gardens Needs Volunteer Support for Wings of Fancy Exhibit Brookside Gardens Needs Volunteers for various positions for the Wings of Fancy Exhibit from April 30 - September 18. The minimum age for volunteering is age 14 (ages 11-13 with adult present). For additional information, please call the volunteer coordinator at 301-962-1429 or email at mcp-GardenVolunteer@montgomeryParks.org Urban Tree Steward Program Looking for an excuse to get out into your local park, get some exercise and do something for the environment? The Montgomery Parks Urban Forestry Staff conduct inspections of park tress surrounding intensively used areas such as playgrounds, ball fields, paved trails, gardens and buildings within the parks. A new Urban Tree Steward volunteer program will help with this task by training volunteers to scout selected park areas and report concerns to the Parks Service Center. Interested in helping out? Learn more . Daily and 10-Day Dog Park Permits Now Available! Take advantage of Montgomery Parks dog parks without having to pay for a full season! Daily and 10-day Dog Park Permits are now available at Montgomery Parks' Parkside Headquarters, located at 9500 Brunett Ave., Silver Spring MD 20901.     Daily permits cost $5 for county residents and $6 for non-residents. 10-day permits cost $15 for county residents and $18 for non-residents. Annual permits cost $40 annually for the first dog, $5 annually for each additional dog for county residents. Non-residents pay $48 annually for the first dog and $6 annually for each additional dog.   Permits will only be issued to dogs with valid dog licenses. All county and state licenses are accepted. Application process remains the same for daily, ten day and annual dog park permits. Stay Informed About Plans in Your Area The Planning Department's recent reorganization in geographic teams presents an opportunity to capture all of the planning news about an area. View our map of the three Montgomery County planning areas, and check your area page for upcoming events and Planning Board items. View Area 1, Area 2 and Area 3. Celebrate in the Parks Enjoy the company of family and friends in your extended backyard! If you're planning a birthday party, reunion, graduation party or event for your family this spring or summer, consider renting a Park Activity Building. These unique buildings are surrounded by parkland, playgrounds, athletic fields and other popular park amenities. What's even better, they are conveniently located in scenic parks throughout the County, are budget-friendly and available exclusively for your event. Choose from one of 18 buildings with kitchens, restrooms and interior space for 40 to 180 people. Learn more or reserve a Park Activity Building online! Montgomery County Trends To inform our planning work, our Research and Technology Center identifies and tracks demographic, household and economic trends. To provide at-a-glance indicators of Montgomery County's changing environment, the Planning Department began producing trendsheets to package our statistics. Knowing the people who live in Montgomery County and how they live helps policy makers be fully informed as they make decisions that shape the future. View the latest on population trends. Planning Director Rollin Stanley Offers Neighborhood Walkabouts Invite County Planning Director Rollin Stanley and selected staff on a tour of your neighborhood as part of our new walkabouts exploring design, diversity, connections, and the environment in your part of Montgomery County. Here's your opportunity to: Tell us about your community Highlight community strengths and weaknesses Identify issues Learn more about planning initiatives    Request your tour. Save Your Parks. Become  a Friend. Chances are you and your family are among the hundreds of thousands of people who visit Montgomery Parks several times a year to enjoy picnics, bike rides, baseball, soccer and tennis games and even walking your dog.   The Montgomery Parks Foundation fully supports M-NCPPC - Montgomery Parks commitment to ensuring your parks continue to be safe, clean and great places to spend outdoors.   With just a small donation, you can become a Friend of Montgomery Parks and help make a big difference in your park system. Learn more and become a Friend of Montgomery Parks today! Learn How to Get Involved in Montgomery County Planning To increase resident involvement in the planning process, the Planning Board, in concert with County Cable Montgomery, has produced a CD that reviews the many ways county residents can have a voice in planning their communities. The episode won a "gold" Ava award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. Request a free copy of How to get Involved in Montgomery County Planning. Find a Forest Conservation Easement Do you have a forest conservation easement on or near your property? Easements protect forests on private land by limiting certain activities, part of the Planning Board's emphasis on forest conservation. Now you can locate easement areas using our online tool. Was infoShare sent to you by a friend?  Anyone with an email address can sign up to receive our weekly newsletter. Invite your friends!

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission | 8787 Georgia Ave | Silver Spring | MD | 20910