| >>October 18: Annual KHCA Meeting
Our annual general membership meeting will take place on October 18 at 7:30 pm at Stephen Knolls School. Our program topic will be the County’s proposed legislation on Short-Term Rentals.
Short-term rentals (think AirBnB and the like) are a fast-growing phenomenon here in Montgomery County and across the country. Love them or hate them, but they probably aren’t going away. The County is currently in the process of holding hearings and considering legislation to cover various aspects of this process, ranging from licensing to collecting taxes, to dealing with noise and parking issues. We have invited Greg Russ, a representative of the County Park and Planning staff who is leading the process along with Elizabeth Wallace, a County resident who has been hosting such rentals and can give us some insight from that perspective. This is a topic that may well impact all of us soon -- this is your chance to hear more about what's going on and to give your two cents to County staff. Please plan to join us at the meeting!
This is also your chance to help support KHCA for 2016. If you haven’t paid your membership dues yet, this is a great time to do so. We only ask $10 per person/$20 per household – a small amount that makes all the difference to keeping KHCA solvent and active. Look forward to seeing you there. We’ll have a $25 gift card raffle again to end the evening with a bang.
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>>October 13: Executive Committee Meeting -- All Are Welcome!
The monthly KHCA Executive Committee will be held Thursday October 13 at 7:30 pm at the home of Ann and Alberto Arevalo, 10801 Torrance Drive.
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>>November 4: Happy Hour at Bar Louie....with a Movie. Hold the Date.
We’re still waiting for the AMC Theater to open, but hopefully it will be any day now. To make sure it happens and to let them work out the opening week kinks, let’s shoot for a Happy Hour/Dinner and a movie on November 4. We’ll send out a reminder and some thoughts about a movie mid-month once we’re sure about the date.
In other Mall news, it appears that the Tilted Kilt is still having construction pains. According to their Facebook page, they are having issues with the heating and air conditioning units and do not expect to be open before Halloween.
And, the Mall has been busy repaving and painting – hopefully, they have taken care of the monster potholes in the lot near Target!
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>>Want to Get Involved? KHCA Needs Help with Communications
As you can tell from the long newsletters you get, there is a lot going on in KCHA and around the Wheaton neighborhood. Our Communications Committee can really use 1-2 more volunteers to support our communication efforts. We especially need help with our web site and social media. If you’d like to be more involved with KHCA and your neighbors through a position that you can perform on at your own schedule, how about volunteering to work on Communications committee? Technical skills are not required but will be a bonus. It’s not a huge time commitment but it will be an enormous benefit to KHCA. If you’re interested or have questions, please contact Shruti Bhatnagar or Andrew Fraser.
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>>Costco Update
Costco submitted its reply brief on September 20. It continues to argue that the Hearing Examiner’s ability to independently examine the potential health effects from the station were preempted by Maryland law – despite never having made that argument before. (It claims it did, but the Circuit Court agreed with KHCA and the Stop Costco Gas Coalition that it had not done so.) Absent that argument, its brief primarily focuses on its disagreement with the factual conclusions reached by the Hearing Examiner – a disagreement that we believe the law says should not be enough to overturn the decision. At this point, we are just waiting until the hearing in January in Annapolis. No date has been set yet. We’ll report back when we know more.
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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>>Traffic
We have sent a letter to the County describing the cut-through traffic problems that occur on Farragut Avenue every morning as cars divert there to escape the traffic and stop lights on Connecticut and the “no entry” signs on St. Paul Street posted by the City of Kensington. We have asked the County to conduct a study on where the traffic comes from, how much there is, and what, if anything, can be done to alleviate the problem in the overall area. We’ll let you know the results of the traffic count when we get them and what proposals the County comes up with from its study.
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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>>Education
We're noting Community Service Week below in the Community News section (many activities are pre-approved for MCPS SSL hours), and offer the following education updates: October 10: School Open House MCPS has designated Monday, October 10 as a day for schools to hold open houses. This is a great opportunity for parents to observe their children in the classroom, learn more about the school’s programs and meet school staff. Check with your child’s school for more information. October 16: Montogmery College World of Montgomery Festival The 8th annual family-friendly World of Montgomery Festival will be held Sunay, October 16 from 12:00-4:00 pm at Montgomery College, Rockville Campus. It is intended to inspire multicultural appreciation and understanding by spotlighting the cultures of China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and India -- the four largest immigrant populations in Montgomery County. All four nations have established Sisters City relationships with the County. For info. October 18: NAACP Parents' Council to Hold Kickoff Meeting The NAACP Parents' Council kickoff meeting will be held from 5:45-8:30 pm on Tuesday, October 18 at Gaithersburg High School. This event will bring together parents, MCPS teachers and principals to share ideas on cultivating parent engagement and promoting student achievement. Participants will attend breakout sessions focused on the topics of racial equity and its impact on educational outcomes for students of color and the importance of school culture and home culture. For info. October 20: Conflict Resolution Day Bookmark Art Contest -- Maryland Courts Ask Students to Help Promote Peace The Maryland Judiciary is inviting young artists to help promote peacemaking in the 11th annual Conflict Resolution Day Student Bookmark Art Contest. The contest for Maryland students in grades K-8 celebrates national Conflict Resolution Day, which is Thursday, October 20. Students are invited to create bookmarks based on the theme of resolving or preventing conflict. Topics can include peer mediation, talking things out, apologizing, respecting differences, solving problems together, listening, tolerance, building peace, or alternatives to violence. For info.
[Submitted by Shruti Bhatnagar, Chair, Education Committee]
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COMMUNITY NEWS & CALENDAR
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>> October 16: Kensington Fall Festival
The festival will be held Sunday, October 16, 11:00am-4:00pm at 10417 Armory Avenue. There will be arts and crafts vendors, vintage vendors, live music, kids' entertainment, moon bounce, belly dancing and food trucks. Join the fun. Tickets are available, click here.
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>>Community Service Week Celebrated This Month Beginning October 16
Join Montgomery County’s celebration of community service by volunteering for one or more of the many projects planned for the 30th annual Community Service Week, running October 16-23. No matter what your interests, there’s a service project you’ll enjoy—and many are pre-approved for Montgomery County Public Schools SSL hours! For info.
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>>October 29: Villages of Kensington Day
The purpose of VoK Day is to celebrate Villages of Kensington and to raise money for VoK so we can keep our membership fees low and offer financial assistance to those who cannot afford the full membership fee. Public welcome! FundRaising Match! All funds raised on or for VoK Day will be matched dollar-for-dollar from a fund created by the VoK Board of Directors, up to the stated maximum.
Dinner and a Show! Come to Kensington Parkwood Elementary School's All-Purpose Room on the 29th for a potluck dinner (4:30-6:30 pm) and bring your favorite dish to share. At 7:00 pm the show "Oklahoma" will be presented by Mini Musicals on the Move. Tickets for the one-hour performance are free and available onsite, but VoK will be accepting donations at the door. The suggested minimum contribution is $20 per person. Mini Musicals on the Move is donating their wonderful expertise in support of VoK's services! Join us and experience “Oklahoma!” right here in Kensington! .
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>>Contact Info for County's Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
SHIP has a new location and phone. SHIP is now at the Jewish Council for the Aging (12320 Parklawn Drive, Rockville), with telephone 301-255-4250. County residents looking for help in understanding Medicare can call the local SHIP. The free service provides Medicare beneficiaries of any age unbiased information about their health insurance benefits, guidance and assistance with enrollment, and help solving problems. SHIP can also help determine if individuals are eligible for help paying for Medicare coverage.
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History Chair: vacant
Safety Chair: vacant
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