| >>December 8: KHCA Executive Committee Meeting -- All Welcome
The monthly KHCA Executive Committee meeting will be held Thursday, December 8 at 7:30 pm at the home of Ann and Alberto Arevalo, 10801 Torrance Drive. If you have interest in getting involved with the Civic Association, we urge you to stop by and join the conversation and see what the options are. Meetings usually last about an hour – and Ann is kind enough to provide great refreshments! The strength of the Association comes from its volunteers so we hope some of you may find time before the Christmas rush to join us.
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>>KHCA Community Hero Award....And First Recipient Michael King
Kensington Heights Civic Association is implementing a “Community Hero Awards” program.The nominated Community Hero can be someone who lives in Kensington Heights or someone who does not. We only require that the good deed occur within Kensington Heights. The person will receive a certificate noting the good deed and, if agreeable, will be featured in the KHCA newsletter.
- Have you witnessed one of those “random acts of kindness” we all wish we’d see more of?
- Do you know of someone who acted out of the goodness of their heart to remove a burden from a neighbor’s shoulders?
- Did someone help you out just when you thought you couldn’t deal with a situation?
To nominate someone for a good deed done within Kensington Heights borders, please contact Donna Savage, donnarsavage@gmail.com, and provide your name, the name and contact information of the person you’re nominating, and a paragraph about why this person should receive the KHCA award. FIRST RECIPIENT: Michael King, U.S. Mail Carrier
On March 5, 2016, while delivering the mail, a very distraught, upset Kensington Heights resident with a communication disorder began following Mr. King. He was able to calm the resident, determine where he lived, and walk him back to his house. Mr. King also determined that no one else was at home at the time and the attendant had gone to the store. Mr. King then sought out a neighbor and transferred follow-up responsibility before leaving on his appointed rounds. Mr. King’s actions prevented any harm from befalling the resident. Michael King’s exemplary act of kindness and responsibility bring great credit to himself, the Kensington Post Office, and the U.S. Postal Service. He was nominated by Bob Reid of McComas Court.
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>>Seeking Assistance and Business Sponsorhsip for KHCA Website and Newsletter
We are looking for sponsors to help defray the costs for KHCA to maintain the website and maintain the software to produce the newsletter each month. The newsletter comes out at least 10 times a year and the website is always available to keep up to date with what’s going on. KHCA currently has 800 households and will be expanding to 826 when the Kensington Overlook townhouses are completed so this is a good audience for a realtor’s office, small business, etc. to reach out to. The suggested pricing is $300 a year for either the newsletter or the website, or $500 for both.
If you’re interested in running an ad, or you’d like to help with our communications committee to keep up with all of our social media options, please contact Communications Chair Shruti Bhatnagar at shruti_bhatnagar@yahoo.com to volunteer – or just stop by next Thursday at our Executive Committee meeting.
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>>Costco Update -- Hearing Date Set The hearing before the Court of Special Appeals (the mid-level court in Maryland) has just been set for the morning of January 9, 2017 in Annapolis. Unlike the first hearing that lasted several hours, we are one of six cases being heard by the court that day and we expect to only have 20 minutes per side.The hearing will be held at the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building at 361 Rowe Boulevard. If you’re interested in attending, let Karen Cordry ( karenc425@aol.com) know and we’ll try to find out the likely time we’ll be heard. (Counsel need to be there at 9am, but the audience has more leeway!) The County will have the majority of the time as the party being sued, but Karen will likely also take some time to argue on behalf of KHCA and the Stop Costco Gas Coalition.
After the argument is heard, the court will write and issue its decision sometime later. There is no set time for when a decision will be entered so we’ll just have to wait patiently. After that decision, the last appeal in Maryland is to the Court of Appeals.That appeal is discretionary, meaning the Court can decide to hear it or not as it sees fit (as is the case for the United States Supreme Court). We are hopeful that when (and if) we win at the Court of Special Appeals, that the Court of Appeals will decide not to take the case so this fight will be over, but that too is something we’ll just have to wait and see about.In any case, it’s clear this year we won’t have any Christmas surprises in the Costco case, good or bad.
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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>>Land Use
The townhouses at Kensington Outlook at the Valley View entrance to the Mall are going up with lightening speed compared to the long time we waited to see the project start. Several of the buildings have already been largely completed and construction should start soon on the one single family home at the entrance to the development. Six or seven, including apparently all of the smaller units designated as moderate income housing, have already been reserved, and at least one has sold and should have an occupant soon. While we do miss the open space that was there, the development does retain at least some of the trees and the units look very nice inside. We welcome our newest KHCA members to the neighborhood and wish them well.
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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>>Education
Montgomery County PublicSchools Plan Ahead for the 2017-18 School Year The Board of Education has approved the start and end dates for the 2017-2018 school year. The school year will begin on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, and the last day of school will be no later than Friday, June 15, 2018. Board of Education Approves Amendments to Capital Improvements Program The Board approved a Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Budget appropriation request totaling $411.7 million and an Amended Fiscal Year 2017–2022 Capital Improvements Program request totaling $1.729 billion.The Board added $150,000 to Superintendent Jack R. Smith’s recommendation to fund a feasibility study to reopen the former Woodward High School to address the space deficits at several Downcounty Consortium high schools as well as Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman high schools. Info. December 13: Superintendent's FY 2018 Operating Budget Presentation Parents and members of the community are invited to attend Superintendent Jack Smith’s Fiscal Year 2018 Operating Budget Presentation at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13. It will be held in the auditorium at Gaithersburg High School, 101 Education Boulevard. Free child care for those four and older and interpretation services will be provided. December 23: MLK Literary and Visual Arts Contest Open to MCPS Students Students at all grade levels are encouraged to participate in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Literary Contest and Visual Arts Show. The 2017 theme is “Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.” The essays and artwork should reflect an understanding and appreciation of the ideals of Dr. King’s life, achievements and aspirations. Literary entries should be 150 words or less and are due by Friday, December 23. Submit them to the MLK Essay Contest, c/o Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850. or send electronically to human-rights.commission@montgomerycountymd.gov. Newly Elected Board of Education Members Sworn in on December 1 Newly elected members of the Board of Education Shebra Evans (Dist 4) and Jeanette Dixon (At Large) and returning member Rebecca Smondrowski (Dist 2) were sworn in during a ceremony on December 1. The election of new officers will take place during the Board of Education meeting on December 13.
Montgomery College Workforce Development and Continuing Education Programs These programs offer a wide range of noncredit and credit classes designed to meet the needs of county residents and businesses. Individuals in career transitions, those reentering the workforce, and those updating technical skills as well as those seeking knowledge enrichment, are among the 25,000 students each year. Info. Honors Program This program was created for students seeking exciting and academically rewarding experiences. It allows students to discover and develop their talents and interests through honors courses, seminars, independent study, internships, service-learning opportunities, and social and cultural activities. Info. Special Programs Montgomery College is home to several special programs designed to enhance students' learning experiences and better prepare them to enter a career or obtain a bachelor's degree. Info. [Submitted by Shruti Bhatnagar, Chair, Education Committee]
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COMMUNITY NEWS & CALENDAR
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>> December 12: General Meeting of Montgomery County Civic Federation, Inc
The next MCCF general meeting is Monday, December 12 at 7:45 p.m. in the Lobby Auditorium of the Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street in Rockville. The December program will include a discussion of transportation issues related to improving conditions on I-270 and issues with the County's residential road resurfacing program. Info.
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>> Montgomery County Public Library
January 21: First Comic Convention -- MoComCon !!
MCPL's first comic convetion will be held on January 21 from 12pm to 4pm at the Silver Spring Library. 900 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD. Doors open for registration at 11 am. (Weather date February 4)
This event is open and accessible to all. It will include a variety of panels, workshops, programs, displays, exhibits and cosplay -- all free of charge. Info.
MCPL Strategic Plan for FY2017-2020 -- Check it out using this link.
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>>Villages of Kensington
The mission of Villages of Kensington (VoK) is to build a supportive, diverse, and intergenerational network of neighbors helping Kensington neighbors to remain in their homes and to be engaged in our community. We have now trained and vetted more than 40 Volunteers who are waiting to be of service to our Members! Full Members receive free transportation, assistance with various house & yard chores (if you can think of it, we can probably help get it done!), friendly visits, a variety of social events, and a free online subscription to Washington Consumers' Checkbook.
As you make your year-end donations, please consider donating to VoK, either by becoming an Associate (Social) Member or by direct, tax-deductible donation at the VoK website and click on DONATIONS. Your generosity supports Greater Kensington residents and will assist VoK in “Enhancing Community in Kensington…One Neighbor At A Time!” For more information about membership or to volunteer with our all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, please connect to our website -- or contact Donna Savage for an overview of VoK. Also contact Donna if you’d like to add your name and email address to our growing emailing list, so you can be up to date on all VoK happenings! (The first e-newsletter will be sent out in early January!)
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>>Holiday Activities to Check Out These websites let you know interesting and worthwhile events taking place in our neighborhood:
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*** How to Join the Kensington Heights ListServe in Yahoo Groups ***
Go to this link and click on Join Group. You will need to create a Yahoo account if you don't already have one. Include the street you live on or your tie to Kensington Heights in the message when you sign up. Your membership in the group needs to be approved to avoid spam and fake members.
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History Chair: vacant
Safety Chair: vacant
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