InfoShare Newsletter - April 23, 2010

[Howard Hartman]

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION PLANNING BOARD | DEPARTMENT OF PARKS | PLANNING DEPARTMENT April 23, 2010
In This Issue Arbor Day and Green Thumb Festival New Park Event Calendar Long Branch Sector Plan Input Sessions Master Plan of Highways Public Meetings Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan Kick-Off Announcement Look for Us at These Events Community Gardens - Germantown Find a Conservation Easement Easily Flea Market at Wheaton Regional Plant a Tree This Spring Tips to be an Effective Speaker Census Form Waiting for You Reducing our Footprint Video Neighborhood Walk-Abouts Brookside Gardens Get Involved in Planning Cable Show Encapsulates Monthly Planning Board Activities Park Permits Online A Gift of Green... Quick Links    Planning Board homepage Planning Department homepage Department of Parks homepage NEW! Parks Event CalendarPark Police homepage   Planning - Career Opportunities Parks - Career Opportunities   Watch us on County Cable Montgomery Channel 6 Parks Show Montgomery Plans Growing Right   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.   Marcia Goldberg  Community Outreach and Media Relations Planning Board Meetings Agendas will be posted on our website for:   Monday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD  20910   Thursday, April 29, 9 a.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD  20910   Thursday, May 6, 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 already signed up in advance using the agenda web page, which can occur only after the agenda is posted. Register at the meeting by submitting a yellow form available in the auditorium or a business card. We now stream the Planning Board meetings online. Watch live on our website or view later from our archives. Visit The Straight Line Our new blog, The Straight Line, offers Montgomery County's Planning Department's take on community design -- the buildings, streets and spaces that make up where we live, work and play. Our planners and architects look at building form, sustainability and energy use, and the just plain quirky. But we don't know it all. Come back often to check out our musings. And, by all means, set us straight. Was InfoShare Sent to You by a Friend?  Anyone with an email address can sign up to receive our weekly newsletter.
Chairman Hanson Expresses Concern About Elimination of  Park Police The County Executive has recommended the elimination of the Montgomery County Park Police in an attempt to trim the budget. Chairman Royce Hanson says why this is a bad idea. Look for Us at These Events Saturday, April 24, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Montgomery College Health Fair Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus 7714 Takoma Avenue, Takoma Park Planning Department staff will attend the Montgomery College-Takoma Campus health fair. Visit Green Thumb and Arbor Day Festival  Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Green Thumb and Arbor Day celebration Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Boulevard, Bethesda   A scaled back Arbor Day Celebration will be held in conjunction with the nature center's Green Thumb Festival. Green Thumb and Arbor Day Festival participants may pay $3 per person pre-registration at www.ParkPASS.org (Course No. 104453) or $5 per person at the door. Enjoy the Parks? Sign Up for the NEW Parks Event Calendar Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park Opening Day Saturday, April 24, Noon to 4 p.m. Oakley Cabin African American Museum & Park3610 Brookeville Road, Olney Participate in a traditional African libation ceremony, an archaeology dig, marble making for children and guided tours of the cabin for the entire family-all FREE of charge.   Parks Hosts Seventh Annual Archaeology Day Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Needwood Mansion, 6700 Needwood Road, Derwood  Archaeology Day features a public dig at Needwood Mansion with a Parks Archaeologist and archaeology program volunteers. The day's activities include tours of the Needwood Mansion, storytelling and old-time games and crafts. The cost is $8 per person and $15 per family. Bring a bag lunch and to wear digging clothes.    Want to know what's going on in the Parks? Check out the all-new Montgomery Parks Event Calendar! Receive a customized email every week listing activities of your interest including family and outdoor events, festivals, and more. New Opportunities for Input on the Long Branch Sector Plan Wednesday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. View and discuss the results of the April 21 workshops at the Long Branch Library   Tuesday, May 11, 6 to 8 p.m. Sector Plan office hours. Drop by the Long Branch Library to talk with staff about your ideas for the plan. Take this opportunity to help develop the Long Branch Sector Plan. Master Plan of Highways Public Meetings Planners updating the Master Plan of Highways seek your input at four community meetings scheduled in April. This comprehensive update of the plan, the first since 1955, will compile all the roadway changes approved in area Master Plans since then in one document. Staff also will recommend changes to the classifications of some roadways based on the definitions that were revised in the 2007 Road Code. The final plan will list each roadway segment with its classification, segment limits, right-of-way width, and the recommended number of lanes.   Wednesday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road Silver Spring, MD 20904   Thursday, April 29, 6:30 p.m. Potomac Community Recreation Center, 11315 Falls Road Potomac, MD 20854 Help Develop a Vision for a Future Chevy Chase Lake Tuesday, April 27, 1:30 to 7 p.m. Chevy Chase Library, 8005 Connecticut Avenue   Join planners in developing a long-term vision for Chevy Chase Lake at an open house. This is the first step in developing the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan -- a community vision of land use, transportation, environment, parks, and historic preservation. Meet the planning team and share your ideas on strategies for community outreach, community issues, and the sector plan boundary. Rethink Montgomery Speaker Series Continues April 29 Thursday, April 29, 7:30 p.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring   How can Montgomery County Residents obtain new and recycled building supplies at a reasonable cost? How can Montgomery County help in Resource Recycling?   How can residents help keep these programs successful?   Join us to continue the discussion with our local resources panelists: Adeela Abbasi, Habitat ReStore Ruthie Mundell, Community Forklift The 2010 Montgomery County Planning Department speaker series, Rethink Montgomery, presents ways to connect culture, health, food, knowledge, ecology, economy, local infrastructure, resources, and energy. Join us for our community discussions every Thursday, April 8 to June 3, 2010.  Applications Accepted For Germantown Community Garden Deadline:  Tuesday, April 27 South Germantown Community Garden, 10841 Central Park Circle,  Boyds.    The newest addition to the Community Gardens Program has 22 plots at 400-square-feet each available for rent for $50 annually per plot, and twenty-one 200 square foot plots for $30 annually. On-site water and deer fencing are provided. 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. Flea Market in the Park Back in Business 2nd & 4th Saturdays at Wheaton Outdoor Rink Buy or sell treasures at Flea Market in the Park, located at the Wheaton Outdoor Rink, right next to the dog park.    NEXT DATE: Saturday, April 24. Vendors, register for a spot (just $25) at ParkPASS.org. Plant A Tree With a Little Help From Us Spring is a great time to plant a tree. Our Leaves for Neighborhoods program features a $25 coupon valid for trees worth $75 or more at participating county nurseries. The coupon is available online and at selected area nurseries, Park and Planning headquarters and county park sites.  Tips to be an Effective Speaker before the Board Interested in plans for your area? The Planning Board appreciates hearing from you. To give the best testimony, browse our testifying tips. Deadline for Mailing Back Census 2010 Was April 16 - Census Takers Will Soon Knock on Doors. This month households received a U.S. Census form. We hope everyone reading this filled out and returned the brief form for themselves and their dependents so all can be counted.  If not, you still have a chance to be counted.    The Census provides a snapshot of everyone living in the United States on April 1, 2010. And that means everyone, from immigrants to visiting students to newborn babies. An accurate count is essential for accurate representation in Congress and federal funding for infrastructure such as bridges and hospitals. It also helps planners envisioning the communities of our future. Learn more.   Reducing Our Footprint View the 2009-2011 Montgomery County growth policy video, Reducing our Footprint. The 4½-minute video, which won a platinum Ava award, provides an overview of the concepts presented in the Planning Board draft of the 2009-2011 Growth Policy. Ava awards recognize outstanding work by creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, direction, shooting and editing of audio/visual materials and programs.  Planning Director Rollin Stanley, Staff Offer 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. Brookside Gardens Delivers List of Activities in E-Newsletter Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton 301-962-1400 www.brooksidegardens.org   Preview the new e-newsletter for Brookside Gardens and sign up to receive this valuable resource. 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. Monthly Cable Shows Feature Planning Board Activities  Learn more about Planning Board activities each month on our cable program, Growing Right. In partnership with County Cable Montgomery, we launched Growing Right to highlight the Planning Board's main actions in a news show format. Learn more about development applications, parks initiatives and county-wide planning studies. The lively show includes interviews with board members and planners as well as onsite location shots. Other CCM-produced educational programs about parks and plannning include The Parks Show and Montgomery Plans. Park Permits Website Faster and Easier! www.ParkPermits.org has a new look with new features. Now park users can find, check the availability of, reserve and pay to permit popular park facilities such as picnic shelters, campsites, park activity buildings and others with ease. The recently upgraded Park Permits website offers park users 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week access. 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 301-650-5676.

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