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February 2017
Newsletter of the Kensington Heights Civic Association
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KHCA Needs Volunteers !!  Please Help
Can you help place content on our website to keep it up to date?  Like to post to social media?  Interested in serving as a chairperson/member of a KHCA committee? See the last item in our News Bulletins for more details on how to get involved. You’ll enjoy it and we’d love to have your help. 

KHCA NEWS BULLETINS 
>>February 28:  KHCA Membership Meeting  
The KHCA membership meeting will take place at the end of February. Please join us!!
  • Tuesday, February 28; 7:30 pm. Doors open at 7 pm. 
  • Stephen Knolls School
Our topic will be what’s new in Wheaton! Invited speakers include those listed below. Each will make a short presentation and then we’ll have time for questions.This is your chance to get caught up on all of the new things going on.
Lt. NICHOLAS AUGUSTINE, Deputy Commander, 4th District MoCo Police. He is in charge of the sector covering Wheaton and our neighborhood, and will be talking to us about neighborhood crime and how to prevent it. MARCELO CORTEZ, MoCo Dept of Transportation. He will talk about Wheaton Town Center, long-planned and hopefully soon to break ground. It will have many effects on Wheaton and our neighborhood, including new visitors, added traffic, and different routes for car and buses.  LUISA MONTERO-DIAZ, Director Mid-County Regional Services. She will update us on other things going on nearby, including the new library/rec center and housing developments. EMILY BROPHY, Manager, Westfield Wheaton Mall. She will let us know what the Mall has planned coming up and will talk about safety, traffic and whatever else we want to know. 
We will also have presentations from our various KHCA committees such as Land Use and Traffic.See below for some current reports about these activities, and we’ll have more information at the meeting.
And, of course, it’s also that time of year – KHCA runs on your donations. We are very frugal but we do need to come to you each year and ask for your support. Our dues are $10 per person, or $20 per household. Our treasurer, Erl Houston, will be happy to take your dues at the meeting or, if you can’t make it, you can send checks, made out to “KHCA” to Erl at 10723 St. Paul Street, Kensington, MD 20895. Thanks so much for your help!
>>February 15: KHCA Executive Committee Meeting -- All Are Welcome!
The monthly KHCA Executive Committee meeting will be held Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30 pm at the home of Andy Fraser and Suzanne Ryan, 3005 McComas Ave. Please join us if you are interested in any of the activities going on in the community and want to get involved. 
KHCA Executive Committee meetings will normally be held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, so mark your calendar if you’d like to attend.
>>Public Safety Concerns:  Public Safety Committee(s) Forming
There have been two daytime house break-ins in KHCA on McComas, a theft from a garage on Decatur and a similar break-in in a neighborhood across University Boulevard, not to mention occasional thefts from unlocked cars. No way to be sure if it’s the same individual(s) but we all need to be alert. There is the obvious advice to lock up but at least one of the breaks-in forced a lock to get in. 
One thing we can all do – if we are home during the day, keep a look out for suspicious behavior: someone who is knocking on doors but not talking to anyone, peering in windows, going into back yards, etc. If you see something, take down the details – description, license plates on cars, etc and call either the emergency number, 911, or the non-emergency number, 301-279-8000. IT DOES WORK – the family on Decatur got their items back when the police arrested a suspect and recovered the goods.
And of course there have been some very well-publicized crimes at the mall. Wheaton and KHCA are still safe but we want to make sure it stays that way. There are several developments that should help:
  • Police are stepping up involvement with the community. Deputy Commander Lt. Augustine has joined the NextDoor website group, a listserve that helps us all stay in touch. He held a “Meet and Greet" for the community on February 9 at the Food Court at Westfield Wheaton and was joined by his superior, Commander Laura Lanham to talk with community members.
  • A “Safety Task Force” is being formed to  include representatives from residential communities, local law enforcement, County agencies and officials, and Westfield Mall (and hopefully WMATA). The group will determine ways to collaborate to work towards increased safety in Wheaton. The first meeting will be on February 27. KHCA has been invited to participate and we will be there.
  • KHCA NOW HAS A PUBLIC SAFETY CHAIR. Chris Peoples of Jennings Road has volunteered to be our new Chair. We’ll have a lot to discuss with him at our next ExCom meeting, but what we’d really like is to get him a committee to help with whatever we plan. If you’re interested, please let Karen Cordry know and we’ll work on getting everyone together. 
>>KHCA Is Looking for Volunteers
As you can see, we have a new Committee Chair for Public Safety, and it would be great to know if there are others who are interested in working on the topic.This could involve anything from starting up a Neighborhood Watch program to meeting with the police, to checking on crime statistics. We are just gettomg started so no one is committed to anything but letting us know you’re interested. Contact Karen Cordry and we can give you an idea where to start. 
We need more help on Communications – this covers a wide range of activities from getting material together for the newsletter, posting on social media, updating the website, etc. If you have any interests or skills with respect to getting our message out and hearing from our members, let us know.
KHCA History and Beautification – these are two committees that have been functioning in the past but haven’t been active recently.
KHCA UPDATES 
>>Costco Gas Station: January 9 Hearing 
WTOP provided coverage of the January 9 hearing of the Court of Special Appeals in Annapolis on the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Mall. Read the WTOP news item by clicking here
As we noted in the January KHCA Newsletter, there is no deadline for the Court to issue a decision, but it is usually within 30 to 60 days. We’ll keep you posted!
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
>>Traffic
Andy Fraser and Karen Cordry spoke with the County traffic personnel again on February 10, 2017. There were two areas where we had talked with them about potential calming measures – on McComas heading down the hill toward Drumm, and on McComas heading down the hill the other way past Brunswick and Torrance. We had discussed some of the possible physical alternatives such as curb bump-outs, painted cross-walks, center islands, etc. as well as perhaps more speed displays and the like. They have done a traffic speed study on the western end of McComas as the study met the initial criteria for such measures. They still need to do the same study on the east end. Assuming it also meets the criteria, they will then begin to design some possible options and get back to us about which might be the most workable. 
The other issue we discussed with them was possible access restrictions on Farragut Avenue in light of its being used as a cut-through for traffic from out of the neighborhood. We sent the request in November and they need to do a study to determine the traffic volume. They normally will not do this during the holidays but they said they should be starting it soon. If that shows the volume is high enough to warrant possible restrictions, they then need to investigate where the traffic is coming from. This may require the neighborhood to actually record the license numbers and then the County will check the databases to determine where the drivers live. If more than 50% are out of the neighborhood, then they will consider what limits should be put on, there will be a public hearing, etc. This is not a quick process but at least we are started down the road and we’ll stay on top of it. 
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
>>Land Use
We don’t have any further update on the timing for the work to begin on the townhouse development set for Mt. McComas, but we do expect the excavation work to start in the next few months.  
>>Education
MCPS Celebrates National School Counseling Week: February 6-10
National School Counseling Week highlights the important role school counselors play in student success today and in the future. School counselors work with all students, providing academic counseling, help with personal and social skills, and preparation for postsecondary education and the workplace.
Applications Now Available for Elementary Immersion Program
Applications for elementary school language immersion programs in MCPS are now available. The application deadline for the 2017–2018 school year is Friday, May 5. Elementary school language immersion programs begin in kindergarten and are offered in Chinese, French and Spanish. The district offers three Spanish, two French and two Chinese elementary language immersion programs at seven sites in the county. Click here for info about the immersion programs.  
Register Now for Parent Academy Classes
The MCPS Parent Academy offers parents and community members the opportunity to attend workshops that provide information, resources, tools and tips to support their children’s success in school.
The 2017 winter season of workshops has begun. You won’t want to miss sessions on college and career planning, PARCC assessments, internet safety, teen substance abuse and many more topics.
Parent Academy workshops are free. Childcare and interpretation services are provided at all sessions. A full list of courses is available on the Parent Academy Website
County Libraries to Offer Programs to Commemorate Black History Month 
A series of programs to commemorate Black History Month will take place at several branches of Montgomery County Public Libraries during February. The series “Black History Month – Our Heritage: From the Civil War to Education in Montgomery County” is presented by members of the Montgomery County Historical Society Speakers Bureau.
The free programs will take place on February 4, February 12, and February 16. Click here for information on times, topics, and locations. For more information, contact: Mary Ellen Icaza with Montgomery County Public Libraries at 240-777-0006.

 [Submitted by Shruti Bhatnagar, Chair, Education Committee]

>>Public Safety
See item above under Public Safety Concerns in KHCA News Bulletins. When Chris Peoples is up and running as Chair, we’ll have regular updates from you.

COMMUNITY NEWS & CALENDAR
>> 2016-17 Winter Storm Information Portal  
Montgomery County’s new Snow Portal consolidates everything about snow in one online location.You can stay informed about delays and closings, check status of plowing in your neighborhood, submit a service request, and get other information. 
>> Montgomery County FY18 Operating Budget to Be Announced March 14
The final forum on the FY18 Operating Budget for the County was held January 30. The County Executive will announce his recommended budget on March 14. The County Council then provides its input and gives final approval at the end of May. Conversations about the budget have been taking place on social media at #MontCoFY18budgetforum.
>> February 13:  Montgomery County Civic Fed Budgetpaloosa
Time: Monday, February 13, 2017; 7:15 to 9:45 
Place: Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street.
Join the Civic Fed, the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, and the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County for a deep dive into the Montgomery County Public Schools FY18 Operating Budget. This year the proposed budget is $2.5 billion, over half of our entire county budget – here’s a chance to learn where your tax dollars are going.
Other MCCF news is contained in its monthly newsletter, including information about cell towers and street light bulb replacement. 
>>February 22: Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan
Time:    February 22, 2017; 7:00 PM to 9:00 
Place:   Sargent Shriver Elementary School, 2518 Greenly Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910
The Montgomery County Planning Department is initiating a master plan for the Veirs Mill Corridor, from Rockville to Wheaton. The master plan builds on the State Highway Administration’s study of Bus Rapid Transit alternatives and will consider items such as neighborhood access and connectivity to future BRT stations, improvements to shopping centers and major public facilities along the corridor. A community meeting is set for February 22 to discuss the purpose and goals of the plan. Additional information on the meeting and Master Plan are available at this link

KHCA CONTACTS
President:                            Karen Cordry (Torrance Drive) karenc425@aol.com
Vice President:                     Mark Meszaros (Peregoy Drive) markm@digitalindustry.com
Secretary:                            Wendy Core (Torrance Court) wendyj3@hotmail.com
Treasurer:                             Erl Houston (St. Paul Street) erlhouston@verizon.net
 
Immediate Past President:     Danila Sheveiko (Melvin Grove Court) dsheveiko@hotmail.com
Communications Chair:          Shruti Bhatnagar (McComas Avenue) shruti_bhatnagar@yahoo.com
Education Chair:                    Shruti Bhatnagar (McComas Avenue) shruti_bhatnagar@yahoo.com
History Chair:                        vacant
Land Use Chair                     Donna Savage (McComas Court) donnarsavage@gmail.com
Safety Chair:                         incoming: Chris Peoples
Traffic Chair:                         Andrew Fraser (McComas Avenue) afraser@sandglass.com
Newsletter:                           Christine Taylor (Torrance Drive) ctaylor3450@gmail.com

Thank you to our Newsletter Sponsors


Greetings Neighbors .... from Jim Ryan, Realtor

For those of you that I have yet to meet, I’m sure that day will come.  I moved my family to Kensington from Alexandria  27 years ago. There is no other place that I would rather live than this community!  I have a real estate license with Long and Foster Downtown Silver Spring.  If you have friends interested in moving to this area, I am glad to help. 
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