InfoShare Newsletter - October 3, 2008

[Howard Hartman]

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION InfoShare Montgomery County  October 3, 2008          PLANNING BOARD / DEPARTMENT OF PARKS / PLANNING DEPARTMENT
In This Issue Staff at Oktoberfest 2008 Harvest Festival Announced Honey Harvest Festival and more at Brookside, McCrillis Gardens Events Input Needed for County Zoning Code Rewrite Going Green Fall Lecture Series Part of Sligo Creek Parkway Closed Part of Hoyles Mill Trail Closed Parks Department Offers Trail Guide Training for Underground Railroad Tours "Home Stretch" Collects Opinions on Housing A Gift of Green... Annual Deer Management Schedule Maryland Emancipation Events Public/Private Partnerships in Parks Check out "Building Better Communities" Video Quick Links    Planning Board homepage Planning Department homepage Department of Parks homepage Park Police homepage   Planning - Career Opportunities Parks - Career Opportunities   Watch us on County Cable Montgomery Channel 6 Parks Show Montgomery Plans		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. Please feel free to pass the information along to others who may be interested.    For those of you celebrating holidays, we wish you the best.    Marcia Goldberg  Community Outreach and Media Relations Planning Board Meetings Agendas have been posted on our website for:   Monday, October 6, 6:30 p.m.  Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910   There will be no Planning Board Meeting on Thursday, October 9.   We now stream the Planning Board meetings online. Watch live on our website or view later from our archives. Please note:  Everyone who officially speaks at a Planning Board meeting must register with the board assistant unless he or she has already signed up in advance. Register at the meeting by submitting a completed yellow form available in the auditorium or a business card. Registration available only after the agenda has been officially posted. Was Infoshare Sent to You by a Friend?  Anyone with an email address can sign up to receive our weekly newsletter by visiting Infoshare.
Planning Staff Fields Questions at Oktoberfest Learn more about exciting plans for Germantown and other areas from planning staff attending the Germantown Oktoberfest at Ridge Road Recreation Park, 21155 Frederick Road, Germantown. Montgomery Parks Annual Harvest Festival October 4th and 5th Annual Harvest Festival Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5, 2008 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days Agricultural History Farm Park, 18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood Admission: $10 per car includes parking. For more information  call 301-924-4141 On October 4 and 5, call 301-721-0312. Brookside and McCrillis Gardens; Special Bee Festival at Brookside    Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902 301/962-1400  McCrillis Gardens 6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda, MD  20817 301/962-1400    Register or drop in (check specific details) at a range of other exciting programs. Try yoga, bring kids to Saturday morning storytime or learn more about cooking. And more! See list of classes and events at Xperience and register for programs at ParkPass.    Buzz on over to the Honey Harvest Festival!   Honey Harvest Festival Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Maryland State Bee Keepers Association Saturday, October 11 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Free Brookside Bee     Learn about the valuable resource of honeybees - the joy of beekeeping, and why people and honeybees have been partners in Maryland for over 100 years. See beekeeping demos including honey extraction, candle-making, and a mock apiary. Visit with the American Beekeeping Federation's Honey Princess and ask questions of leaders in honeybee research. Be sure to see the beekeeper rodeo, where competing beekeepers will showcase their skills for fun and prizes. Help Revise the County's Zoning  Code The Montgomery County Planning Board is undertaking a major revision of the county's Zoning Code to make it simpler and easier to use. The revision involves an evaluation of the code to address organization, format, clarity, and inconsistencies, a review of zoning districts, and an analysis of uses and development standards. Planners working on the Zoning Code rewrite want your help in a code diagnosis that will identify issues and problems. Take our Zoning Code rewrite survey, part of an outreach process intended to gain public input. Going Green at Home Fall 2008 Series:  Green Home Renovation The Montgomery County Planning Department is again offering informative sessions about ways to reduce energy use and cost and reduce impact on the environment. The Going Green at Home Fall 2008 series: Green Home Renovation focuses on creating green designs taking advantage of natural lighting and using recycled materials.    Energy Efficiency for the Home Monday, November 3, 7 p.m. Gaithersburg Library 18330 Montgomery Village Ave. Gaithersburg   Green Home Remodeling:  Working with a Green Architect and Builder Wednesday, October 29, 7 p.m. Gaithersburg Library 18330 Montgomery Village Ave. Gaithersburg Wednesday, November 5, 7 p.m. Kensington Public Library 4201 Knowles Ave., Kensington Sligo Creek Parkway in Takoma Park Closed for a Few Months Sligo Creek Parkway will be closed between New Hampshire Avenue and Maple Avenue for about 90 days (September-December)  while WSSC replaces a water line. A suggested detour has been marked in the area. Portion of Hoyles Mill Trail Closed Through Mid-November A portion of Hoyles Mill Trail will be closed until  mid-November while a new bridge is built over the old ford across Little Seneca Creek on Hoyles Mill Road in Boyds. The project also includes stream restoration improvements, upstream and downstream of the crossing, to improve aquatic habitat. For more information, visit Montgomery Trails . Parks Department Offers Guided Underground Railroad Trail Hikes Underground Railroad Experience Trail Hikes 10 a.m. every Saturday through November 1, 90 minutes Meet at stone barn at Woodlawn Manor Guided hike free of charge Trail maps are available at UndergroundRRExperience   "Home Stretch" Wants Your Opinion On Home Affordability, Stable Neighborhoods and Other Housing Issues Have your say on the state of housing in Montgomery County by visiting our blog, The Home Stretch, to provide your thoughts to the Planning Board as it considers new housing policies. The board's research staff established the blog to allow residents to stay abreast of the board's progress on housing issues and insert themselves in the process. Staff will roll citizen input into future presentations. A Gift of Green: Trees, Benches and Other Amenities Friends and family members can be honored by having a tree planted or a bench or picnic area installed in a Montgomery County Park. This gift keeps on giving! For more information and suggestions, visit GreenGifts.  For information on planning your gift, contact Tin-Mala in the Grants and Donations Program at 301-650-5650. Deer Management Operations Announced The Department of Parks has listed park closures on various days from Sunrise until Sunset for seasonal deer management beginning  Friday, October 24 at Hoyles Mill Conservation Park .   Park users are encouraged be safe and observe "Park Closed" signs that will be posted on the outside the affected parks.   The scheduled closings are through Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Montgomery Parks Celebrates Maryland Emancipation Maryland Emancipation Day Events    Saturday, November 1 10 a.m. Free Guided Hikes on Underground Railroad Experience Trail Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring 2 mile trail from Woodlawn Manor to Sandy Spring, near the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House.    11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open House at Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery 18524 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring The museum and art gallery will be open to visitors Free of charge for Emancipation Day.   Noon to 4 p.m. Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration at Oakley Cabin 3610 Brookeville Road, Olney Includes guided cabin tours and many activities for adults and children.  All activities are Free Parking available at the Longwood Recreation Center, 19300 Georgia Avenue, Brookeville. Co-sponsored by the Friends of Oakley Cabin and the Underground Railroad.   Noon to 4 p.m. Cabin Tours, Josiah Henson Historic Site "Uncle Tom's Cabin" 11420 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. The Josiah Henson Site will be open with Free guided tours. Parking available only at the Montgomery County Aquatic Center/Wall Local Park, 5900 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda.   Saturday, November 1, shuttle buses will run between Woodlawn Manor and the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House (end of Underground Railroad Experience Trail hike) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and between Longwood Recreation Center and Oakley Cabin from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information on the Maryland Emancipation Celebration call 301-650-4373. Join the Public/Private Partnership of the Department of Parks The Department of Parks partners with non-profit groups and individuals in creating new and expanded recreation in Montgomery County Parks.  The Public/Private Partnership Committee meets monthly to review proposals and ideas offered to the team. For more information visit  Public/Private Partnerships. Increasing Understanding of Montgomery County Park and Planning To better inform Montgomery County residents and others interested in parks and development issues in Maryland's largest jurisdiction, we produced a 14-minute video explaining the agency's role in the community. The video, "Building Great Communities: Montgomery County, Maryland," sheds light on how the agency works to maintain the area's high quality of life. View the video online as part of our "Montgomery Plans" cable TV series or visit your local public library and ask for "Building Communities" on DVD.

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