Country House Tour
The 47th annual Potomac Country House Tour, sponsored by St. Francis Episcopal Church, will feature four Potomac area homes on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6 from noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the tour. Tickets are available at St. Francis' church office, 10033 River Road. Call 301-365-2055.
Water Monitoring Workshop
In observance of the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the Friends of Cabin John Creek Watershed will hold the third annual stream monitoring training workshop.
The free workshop will take place on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 1-4 p.m., at the Elwood Smith Community Center in Rockville, 601 Harrington Road, at Mercer Road, behind Richard Montgomery High School.
Bring footwear that can get wet. No prior experience necessary.
To register, call Roy Seidenstein at 202-564-9274 or send e-mail to focjcw@earthlink.net. Registration is requested by Sept. 28. Visit www.cabinjohn.org/focjcw or www.yearofcleanwater.org.
Potomac Heritage Trail Caucus
The sixth annual meeting of Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHT) advocates will be held on Friday, Oct. 11, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at Rockwood Manor Park in Potomac. Representatives from local government, citizen groups, state and federal agencies will meet to discuss priorities for the future of the Potomac Heritage Trail. The public is invited to attend.
The PHT advocates are working to further the establishment of a 425-mile network of trails that connects the Potomac River at the Chesapeake Bay to the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania. The goal is for a continuous network of non-motorized travel through the area, increasing access to urban settings, historic sites, pastoral landscapes and remote areas.
The caucus is organized by the Potomac Trail Council. Call Jennifer Burke at 888-2223-4093, e-mail jburke@potomactrail.org, or visit www.potomactrail.org/events/caucus.html.
Strong Arm Robbery
On Sept. 15, at 4 p.m., a 37-year-old Potomac man, who works at the Ace Variety Store on New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, was the victim of a strong-arm robbery. The suspect — a black male, 45, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with short black hair and glasses, wearing a white shirt with silk strip — came in and sold some videos to the store. He then refused to leave and was acting very disorderly. When the clerk attempted to call police on his cell phone, the suspect hit him and grabbed his phone. The suspect left the store on foot in the direction of Giant in the White Oak Shopping Center.
Residential Burglaries
9100 block of River Road in Potomac. Between 2:25 and 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, someone broke glass in a rear door and took jewelry.
12300 block of Chagall Drive in North Potomac. Between 9 and 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 18, someone entered an open garage. Nothing was taken.
Itching for Vendors
Vendors are wanted for the Potomac Community Center Indoor Flea Market and Community Yard Sale, which is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The flea market will take place at the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road. Booths are available to vendors for $25 and tables for $5. To register, call Linda Barlock at 301-983-4471.
Citizens of the Year
The Potomac Chamber of Commerce encourages nominations for the Potomac citizen, youth and businessperson of the year. The awards are given annually by the Potomac Chamber and the winners will be featured in the annual Potomac Day Parade on Sunday, Oct. 26. Award plaques will be presented to the winners at the chamber's Awards Banquet on Nov. 16, at TPC at Avenel.
The deadline for entries is Sept. 27. Nomination forms and guidelines may be obtained from Fred Goldman at 301-294-0007. Entries should be mailed to: Potomac Chamber of Commerce, Inc., 9812 Falls Road, Suite 114, Box 320, Potomac, MD 20854.
Increase in Crime in County
Montgomery County Chief of Police Charles A. Moose announced a 4.2 percent increase in crime in the first six months of 2002 as compared to that same period in 2001.
Part I crimes, including murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies and auto thefts, were up 13.3 percent. Part II crimes, including minor assaults, arson, vandalism, weapons, narcotic drug law violations, family offenses, juvenile offenses, and disorderly conduct were down 1 percent as compared to the first six months of 2001.
The number of murders increased from 6 to 12, the number of rape incidents increased from 64 to 82, and the number of robberies increased from 347 to 427. Aggravated assaults increased from 385 to 442, burglaries increased from 1,457 to 1,880, and larcenies increased from 8,757 to 9,497. Auto thefts also increased from 1,383 to 1,705.
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics for the first six months of 2002, as compared to the same period last year reveal:
* Total Crime increased by 4.2 percent
* Murders increased by 100 percent
* Rape incidents increased by 28.1 percent
* Robberies increased by 23.1 percent
* Aggravated Assaults increased by 14.8 percent
* Burglaries increased by 29 percent
* Larcenies increased by 8.5 percent
* Auto thefts increased by 23.3 percent
Call 911 to report a crime in progress, and use the non-emergency number 301-279-8000 to report suspicious activity.
Human Rights Training Program
Montgomery County’s Office of Human Rights is sponsoring a training session for the Network of Neighbors Community Response Program on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The training session will be held at the University of Maryland at Shady Grove, Building 1, located at 9640 Gudelsky Drive, in Rockville.
The Network of Neighbors program was started in 1977 as a support group of volunteer residents, which offers assistance to victims of hate and violence.
The training will cover issues, such as: hearing first-hand how it feels to be a victim; learning the role of the Police Department in identifying and addressing hate crimes; learning how to assist someone who has been a victim of a hate crime; and learning and practicing listening skills that can be used on a daily basis.
The training session is free and lunch will be provided. To register, call the Office of Human Rights at 240-777-8479, no later than Oct. 7
Design of Sept. 11 Memorial
The design of Montgomery County’s memorial to the events of Sept. 11 will be selected from a public competition.
Individuals, or groups of artists and landscape architects, are invited to submit designs for the memorial that should include recognition of the 11 Montgomery County residents who lost their lives during the attacks.
As envisioned by the county’s Committee on a Memorial for the Victims and Heroes of Sept. 11, the permanent memorial will represent the “Lasting” component of the “Living, Learning, Lasting” theme established by the committee.
The memorial will be located in Courthouse Square Park in the heart of Rockville on a site donated by the City of Rockville.
A selection committee will review the submissions and identify five semi-finalists to receive the necessary site information from which to develop a site-specific model and a detailed proposal for the memorial. A $1,500 design stipend will be awarded for each proposal and an allocation for travel expenses will be provided.
The five semi-finalists will each present their concept proposal and design to the selection committee that will recommend a finalist. Montgomery County will award the commission and enter into a contract with the finalist.
Submissions must be postmarked by Oct. 21 and semi-finalists will be notified in early November. Proposals will be due in January 2003, and the finalists will be notified in February. The memorial will be dedicated on Sept. 11, 2003.
Call public art consultant Francoise Yohalem at 301-816-0518; fax to 301-816-0343; email to francyo@earthlink.net; or visit www.mcrd.net and click on “Call to Artists.”
Voter Deadline Nears
The voter registration deadline is 9 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2002, for the Nov. 5 general election.
Voter registration applications are available from the Elections Office, 751 Twinbrook Parkway, in Rockville. Call 240-777-8500 and leave a message at the 24-hour voter information line at 240-777-VOTE.
Forms are also available at all Montgomery County public libraries, Montgomery College, public high schools, U.S. post offices and county government regional service centers.
The form can be printed from the state elections Web site at www.elections.state.md.us and mailed back.
36 Views
Two artists are launching a Web site commemorating the World Trade Center, www.36views.com, and they are asking for public input.
Steve Kelly and Mark Simon envision "36 Views of the World Trade Center" as a communal Web-based art project inspired by "36 Views of Mount Fuji," a woodblock print series by the Japanese artist, Hokusai.
Photographs submitted from the public will form the basis for 36 digital images of the World Trade Center. These images will show the Twin Towers as seen from a variety of neighborhoods and perspectives.
The artists are seeking public photos to show the place these buildings had in the lives of those who lived, worked and traveled within their view.
Visit www.36views.com.
Child Safety Seats
Over 74 percent of child safety seats checked in Montgomery County were used incorrectly, according to data from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
The county opened a permanent child safety seat inspection location on Aug. 29. The inspection center will be staffed by nationally certified child passenger technicians from Fire and Rescue Services, Division of Consumer Affairs, Health and Human Services and other volunteers. Trained safety specialists will check car seats for proper installation, age/size appropriateness and to determine if seats have been damaged or recalled.
The inspection station, located at the Department of Fire and Rescue Services Building, 14111 Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring, is one of 30 new centers opening in the United States and the only one in Maryland. The station will be open by appointment Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7 a.m.-noon, and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Call the county's Division of Consumer Affairs, 240-777-3636, for appointments.
Car seat safety checks are also held monthly at various locations, including Fitzgerald's Auto Mall, 5501 Nicholson Lane, in Rockville.
Children under four weighing 40 pounds or less must be transported in a child safety seat. Since 1996, there have been 15 reported cases in Montgomery County where children involved in automobile crashes were saved from injury because they were in a car seat installed by a child passenger safety technician.
Civic Calendar
Late September/Early October 2002
Park and Planning is scheduled to publish the staff draft of the Blockhouse Point Master Plan. To send comments about the park master plan in writing, or to get on the mailing list to receive information about the Blockhouse Point Master Plan, address letters to: Blockhouse Point Master Plan, 1109 Spring Street, Suite 800, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
October 2002
Park and Planning has tentatively scheduled a public meeting, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, to solicit comment and input on the staff draft of the Blockhouse Point Master Plan. Visit www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/blockhouse_mp/blockhouse_mp.htm.
Oct. 7, 2 p.m.
County Council worksession, Transportation & Environment and Public Safety committees. Blue Ribbon Panel on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. Council Office Building, 7th floor conference room, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. Call 240-777-7900 to confirm this schedule.
October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Western Area Recreation Advisory Board meeting, Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road.
October 15, 7:30 p.m.
County Council Public Hearing, supplemental appropriation to the County Government’s FY03 Operating Budget, Department of Public Works and Transportation: $6,865,000 for the GoMontgomery! Program. County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. Call 240-777-7931 to testify.
Tuesday, Oct. 15
Deadline for voter registration to vote in the Nov. 5 general election. Call 240-777-VOTE.
Thursday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m.
The Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development committee is scheduled to hold a worksession to review the implementation of Legacy Open Space. County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., 7th floor conference room, Rockville. Call 240-777-7900 to confirm this schedule. (This is scheduled to be televised live on County Cable Montgomery.)
Tuesday, Nov. 5
General Election.