| KHCA is a non-partisan neighborhood organization dedicated to representing the interests of all homeowners and residents of the Kensington Heights neighborhood in maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in our community
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| >> October 25: KHCA General Membership Meeting -- Officer Elections, Bylaw Changes, and KHCA Expansion When: Wednesday 25 October at 7:30 pm Where: Stephen Knolls School, 10731 St Margaret's Way What: A special presentation "What's Up With That Problem House Next Door?" along with Election of Officers, Bylaw Changes, and Expansion of KHCA Boundaries
Special Presentation: Our special speaker for our general meeting will be Ivan Eloisa, Program Manager II, for Code Enforcement, County Department of Housing and Community Affairs. He can tell us what regulations the County enforces, who to contact, and what you can expect if there is a house in your neighborhood that isn’t maintained, that has weeds a foot high, that appears to be abandoned, that has a foreclosure sign but no action, and so on. We also expect to have a representative from the Police Department to give us an update on the latest crime and safety statistics. Election of Officers: During the October 25 general meeting, members will be electing our officers for a two-year term. A quorum of at least 30 Active Members is needed….so it is important that lots of you attend (or at least vote by proxy ahead of time). If you haven’t signed up recently to be an Active Member – which under the current bylaws allows you to vote -- please go to the KHCA website at this link and find the membership form for on-line submission. The Nominating Committee is still finalizing the slate of nominees. We are especially interested in having someone who would like to serve as Vice-President to learn the ropes of what goes on in KHCA, but we welcome anyone who would we interested in any of the offices to put their name up for consideration. (Contact Andy Fraser, Nominating Committee chair to express interest). We will send out the Slate of Candidates and all other names by separate mailing about 10 days in advance of the meeting, along with information about how to vote on-line or by mail if you can’t attend the meeting. Expanding KHCA’s Boundaries: We will also be voting on a proposal to expand the boundaries of KHCA to take in the homes between the current eastern edge (now at Torrance Drive) and Georgia Avenue. Bylaw Changes: A number of bylaw changes proposed by the Executive Committee will also be up for vote. The changes in redlined and clean versions along with a summary of the changes will be posted on the KHCA website when we send out the officer slate. The changes will (1) reflect the new boundaries, assuming the expansion vote passes; (2) streamline and clarify the process of officer elections; (3) eliminate the need to sign up as an “Active Member” every two years; and (4) return to the use of dues payment as a condition of being a “Voting Member.” The dues would be minimal ($10 per adult voting resident to a maximum of $30 per address), but they will help ensure that KHCA remains financially viable.
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>> October 17: Executive Committee Meeting -- All Welcome! An Executive Committee meeting will take place at the home of Ann and Alberto Arevalo, 10801 Torrance Drive, at 8 pm on October 17. All are welcome to attend to see what's going on in KHCA and learn how you can get involved.
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>> Win a $50 Gift Certificate in the KHCA Website Photo Lottery: Enter by Nov 1 We are planning an upgrade to our KHCA website to better inform people about KHCA and to generally showcase our home here in Kensington. As part of that process, our KHCA resident and volunteer website designer Ricardo Gonzales (thanks!) has asked for as many photographs as we can supply to use in helping him to dress up the website and make it more visually appealing and inviting. These can be of many topics and subjects: photos of residents and their activities, of community events such as the annual picnic and the forest buffer clean-up, of kids playing at Kenmont Pool or heading into class at Oakland Terrace as well as photos of things such as a beautiful home garden, a view down one of our streets, the deer in the forest buffer, the ducks at the nursing home, or the Mall looming over the trees. Your imagination is the only limit. We are calling on Kensington Heights residents to help us collect these photos. AND ...to encourage you to send us your photos we are conducting a lottery. Each photo submitted will generate one entry and the winner will be selected at random to receive a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant or business within the Westfield Wheaton Mall. To submit your photo, go to this link https://www.dropbox.com/request/DzBA5y1RXQGbRLauOpwt and follow the instructions. You have until NOVEMBER 1 to get these photos to us to be entered into the lottery. Good luck!!...and we look forward to everyone's photo contributions.
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>> Deer Population Control At our last Executive Committee meeting in September, we heard from Mark Eakin from the Animal Connection Deer Management Team (“ACDMT”). This is a group that works under the County’s laws on bow-hunting to thin herds of deer in an effective and humane fashion. According to Mr. Eakin, the current population of deer in Montgomery County is as much as 10 times the beneficial carrying-capacity of the land. The Annual Deer Population Management Program is in its 21st year as part of the Montgomery Parks activities. It addresses the overabundant deer population in many areas of the County. The excess of deer results in deer-automobile accidents, damage to the environment, to private landscapes and to agriculture as well as growing concerns about disease. The deer hunting done by the ACDMT is done only on property with the consent of the owners and those in a 50-yard radius around the property and is done from elevated deer stands so that arrows go down into the ground and not out into the neighborhood. The meat from deer that are taken is utilized by the hunters or donated for charitable uses. More details about the program can be found at this link. Also, KHCA notes that Bill 30-17 Weapons-Discharge of Bows, mentioned in the September newsletter, was passed by the County Council setting the buffer zone at the 50 yards noted above. The bill now goes to the County Executive for his signature. The KHCA Ex Com did not take any position on the bill or the program since we recognize that it is something on which homeowners may differ, but we believe the information is worth knowing about for those who have concerns on either side.
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| >> Other KHCA News: Costco and Passing of KHCA Founder, Mark Adelman
There is no news on Costco – we continue to await a decision from the Court of Special Appeals.
The sad news we do have to report is the passing of Mark Adelman on September 17 after a short and intensive battle with pancreatic cancer. Mark was one of the fiercest opponents of the Costco gas station, made his own appearances before the Hearing Examiner to oppose the flaws in Costco’s position, and wrote his own briefs to the courts supporting the County’s denial of Costco’s application. We deeply regret that he did not live to see the final vindication of his position which we hope will come soon. After learning of the news, Donna Savage noted the following which is a fitting eulogy: Mark and I met in 1995 as a result of Giant wanting to put a store on Outlot B. We worked with a small group of neighbors to quell that idea. Mark was the first KHCA president when the Association was re-invigorated starting in 1997. He was the primary person who encouraged me to get involved in KHCA. I was his VP 1997-2001. The picture below is of Mark as we were picking up signs from some event. I asked him to turn around so I could take a full-on picture of him but he refused and waved his hand back at me as if to say "No picture of me!" But I took it anyway, and it looks like Mark saying goodbye – We will all miss him.
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>> Education Committee October 9 Open House -- Montgomery County Public Schools Monday October 9 will be a day for County 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. Engaging Students in Coding -- Albert Einstein High School Students at AEHS participated in a coding boot camp September 28 thanks to partnerships with the Information Technology Trade Foundation, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and Verison. Watch the video at this link. [Submitted by Shruti Bhatnagar, Chair, Education Committee]
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>> Public Safety Committee The Committee continues to monitor crime in the area. A residential burglary occurred in the 2900 block of McComas Avenue between 8am-5pm on September 14. No signs of forced entry were evident; a window was reported to have been left open. Property was taken. --> Please be sure to keep all doors and windows locked (both house and cars) to prevent crimes of opportunity. [Submitted by Chris Peoples, Chair, Public Safety Committee]
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>> Land Use Committee "Mount McComas" Development Project (3 single family homes & 11 townhomes) During the September 21 Executive Committee meeting, Mr. Peter Nelson from The Manors LLC discussed the project with KHCA officers. He reported that the development has completed its inspection requirements, and is now starting the work to truck out 10,000 cubic yards of dirt, which will require over 1,500 truckloads. He estimated that the goal would be 200-250 trucks per week depending upon weather. He also described the water retention and anti-erosion measures. In addition, Mr. Nelson indicated that there is an easement included on the property per the Westfield Mall's earlier indication that it will eventually build a sidewalk from McComas Avenue to the Mall. [Notes from Christine Taylor on behalf of Donna Savage, Land Use Chair]
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COMMUNITY NEWS & CALENDAR
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| >> October 23: Continuation of Drafting Work on "Mini Cell Towers" Legislation The County Executive is requesting public input on a draft Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) to revise the County's zoning code to address deployment of small antennas on streetlights and lower-height buildings. A community meeting for this input is being held Monday October 23 from 7-9pm at the Stella B Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, 3rd Floor Hearing Room Rockville, MD 20850. It will also be carried live on County Cable Montgomery, Facebook, and YouTube. Because wireless technology is evolving, Montgomery County has recently received an unprecedented number of applications to deploy small cell antennas in residential neighborhoods as well as commercial areas around the County. Under Federal law, Montgomery County cannot pass zoning laws that would have the effect of prohibiting service throughout the County or that regulate the placement of towers based on issues relating to the effects of radiation emissions from such towers as long as they meet the standard set for them. Federal law also places strict limits on how long governmental entities may take to review applications and may allow for automatic approvals if decisions are not made in a timely fashion. A process is currently underway that may result in even more preemptive federal regulations, which the County has opposed until an ongoing study of the health effects of cell tower emissions is complete. As of now, all applications must be treated as “conditional uses” and have a separate approval process (which can be difficult to complete in the specified time). The proposal would make some installations “limited uses;” i.e., ones that can be installed more as a matter of course if they fit the specified requirements. These new installations are smaller (designed in many cases to fit onto an existing or replacement light or utility pole (or one that is only some 5 to 10 feet higher) or to be placed on shorter buildings. Detailed presentation on the types of installations that are being proposed are available on the County website which has several powerpoints and links to the proposed ZTA itself. According to the County, it is trying to enact its own controls in advance of being preempted by federal law, and to set a structure that will “allow providers to provide service while protecting the character of both our residential neighborhoods and commercial areas by regulating how and where these antennas can be placed as well how they should be screened or camouflaged.” It also notes that, absent new towers, a number of densely populated areas will not have adequate service within only a matter of a year or two. The proposal is clearly one that arouses controversy. Montgomery County Civic Federation’s has had a number of newsletter articles on the topic and devoted one meeting to presentations thereon (see item below on MCCF). There are concerns raised about whether the emissions can cause health effects although most studies seem to indicate that a greater source of concern is emissions from one’s own personal cell phone. See a link to one study and related info. At this point, the regulation is still in the drafting stage and the County is continuing to solicit input. KHCA will likely have a presence at this hearing to keep tabs on what is being proposed.
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>> Wheaton Revitalization Project Go to www.wheatonproject.com for weekly updates about the Wheaton Revitalization Project. A link to the parking mitigation plan is available along with other important information. You can subscribe to receive updates via email, and you now see live footage of the construction site.
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>> Rebuilding Together Montgomery County -- Assisting Veterans Rebuilding Together Montgomery County is increasing their service to the veteran community (veterans and their families) who meet certain income limits. The application can be obtained at this link. Rebuilding Together is always looking to increase veteran involvement in their programs which focus on providing free critical home repairs, energy efficiency upgrades, and accessibility modifications for the County's most vulnerable residents. If you have questions, contact Melissa Erickson at 301-947-9400.
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>> Sept 28-October 27 #WheArtHere Exhibit at Westfield Wheaton Mall The Westfield Wheaton will be creating interactive experiences for customers through transforming Macy's Court into a total graffiti takeover with a retailer activation space, a graffiti lounge, work-out area, live painting performances, and more. They are looking for art and artists for 'pop-up' events. For more info and the participation form, click here. Or contact Kimba Brown 240-281-8778.
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| >> Montgomery County Civic Federation Information from the MCCF Newsletter can be found at this link. The mission of MCCF is to preserve and improve the quality of life for all current and future residents of Montgomery County. Since its founding in 1925, the volunteers of the MCCF have committed themselves to providing an effective citizen voice to government policy makers. The MCCF Newsletter for September contains a detailed write-up entitled “The Bad, The Very Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.” It dissects the 2017 zoning text amendment (ZTA) for smaller antennas on streetlight poles and at lower buildings. The October Newsletter contains the Federation's letter to Ike Leggett about advance notice of the Purple Line.
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History Chair: vacant
Website: Ricardo Gonzalez
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| Thank you to our Newsletter Sponsors
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| 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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