Potomac — West Montgomery Meeting
West Montgomery County Citizens Association’s next monthly meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7:15 in the Potomac Community Center’s Arts and Crafts Room.
"Each year we devote at least one meeting to a more complete discussion of issues we've been following and offer the public a chance to bring topics which concern them. Through this process, we've been able to help members with problems such as development proposals, illegal tree cutting, parkland encroachment and Special Exceptions," according to West Montgomery.
The directors and committee chairs of West Montgomery will give brief reports on a range of current WMCCA efforts, including the Potomac Swim Club legal case, current sewer category change requests, especially the Glenstone Foundation sewer proposal on Glen Road. and the Glen Hills sewer study, cell tower radiation levels, latest updates on the Brickyard Road school site proposal for soccer fields, Nick's Organic Farm, the Forest Conservation/Tree Canopy bill still stalled at DEP, and County Council budget cutting and implications for our parks and services.
Kosher Bagel Shop to Open
Goldberg's New York Bagels is preparing to open in Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac in the next week or two.
The kosher bagel shop has two other Montgomery County locations, one in Rockville and one in Silver Spring.
The dough comes directly from New York, and then the bagels are prepared "old school" by boiling and baking in the Rockville location, and will be delivered fresh to the Cabin John store multiple times a day, said manager Z.Z. Ludwick.
It will feature a salad bar and a kosher menu including eggs, dairy and fish, but no meat. The shop will open in space formerly occupied by a parcel package store.
Cabin John Shopping Center has seen a number of eating establishments close in recent years, including Popeye's and Celebrity Delly, and more recently, the Pomegranate Cafe.
BGR the Burger Place opened several months ago.
Fire Volunteers Elect Board
Bob Hook, former Chief of the Cabin John Volunteer Fire Department, is credited with "stemming the flow of flaming gasoline" in the county’s largest fire in its history. In 1958, fire from Butler Road Fuel Refinery off River Road was blazing from River Road to the Dalecarlia Reservoir, and all through the woods along the Little Falls Creek, according to fire department documents. Hook, who had been battling the fire for 48 hours, went through the flames and shut off the valve that was feeding the blaze.
Hook, a native of Cabin John who has been with the volunteer fire department for more than 60 years, began a two-year term as at-large director on the department’s board of directors beginning Jan. 1.
Elected officers of the Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department began two-year terms of duty at the beginning of the new year.
Fire Rescue Chief James P. "Jimmy" Seavey Sr. began his 12th term as department chief. Seavey is a career lieutenant with the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department and also a 35-year-veteran of the volunteer fire rescue service in Montgomery County.
Department President James Lee Hunter, of Cabin John, has volunteered in Montgomery County for 46 years and has worked more than 35 years at the Carderock Naval Surface Warfare Center in Cabin John.
Michael Harting, a 25-year member, returns to the board as vice president and has served on the board since 1992.
Christina Mage, a 20-year-member of the department, will be secretary and Mark Livingstone, active member for 10 years, will be treasurer. Firefighter Damien Alexander, a 17-year veteran, was re-elected to his fifth term on the Board.
Master Firefigher Frank Leizear Jr. has served 37 years on the county’s fire rescue service both as a career and volunteer. Leizear spent much of his career at Cabin John Park and Glen Echo volunteer fire departments. He is the son of Frank Leizear Sr., who retired as the Fire Chief of the Bethesda Fire Department.
The next two years the volunteer fire department board of directors will be raising money to rebuild the Potomac fire station on Falls Road near Oaklyn Drive.
Former C&O Ranger Killed
Margaret Anderson, a former ranger of C&O Canal National Historical Park from 2004-2008, was killed on duty New Year’s Day at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.
"Margaret had a real love of nature," said Kevin Brandt, the park’s superintendent, "and was everything that you’d want a ranger to be."
Anderson, 34, was shot and killed while stopping a car that raced through a mandatory chain-up check up point. The car was headed for Paradise, the park’s popular winter destination.
Anderson and other rangers who stopped the man who killed her are credited with saving many lives of visitors, volunteers and employees of the Washington state park.
Anderson’s husband, Eric Anderson, was also a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park. They had two young children.
Donations to help the family may be made online through the National Park Foundation at www.nationalparks.org/MargaretAnderson.
Uniformed employees will wear mourning bands to honor the life and service of Ranger Anderson until sunset on Jan. 31, 2012.
Sign Up for Organic Food
The McLean School in Potomac has offered to again host a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pickup site for organic veggies, fruit and other items starting next May. To sign up to participate, visit http://www.sandyspringcsa.com/join
Unlike farmers markets, CSA commits the participant to eating fresh produce every week throughout the growing season. Sandy Spring CSA serves as a metro area marketing coordinator for Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. Its produce is certified organic, grown by a non-profit cooperative of 80 Amish farmers in Lancaster County, Pa.