POTD: Painted

POTD: Painted

Yes I know it’s a bit grainy but I LOVED this birdhouse!

Are you going to the fireworks tomorrow night?

POTD: Deer

POTD: Deer

This very cool shot is by Rockville Central friend Janet Piczak Brown. Of it, she says: “As if most of my shrubbery in the yard isn’t enough (note the bare rhododendron below the deer) they have to go after my bird seed too! About an hour later I had 6 young bucks in my front yard.”

The woes of life with too many deer around!

POTD: Stalk

POTD: Stalk

I liked how this flower was shooting up out of the ground.

Happy “Rabbit, Rabbit Day!”

POTD: Lightning Strikes

POTD: Lightning Strikes

This important photo is by Rockville Central friend and Rockville Living creator Helen Triolo. Here’s what she says:

“The chimney of this house across the street from our former home in Hungerford was struck by lightning on Friday evening.  The rain guard was blown right off, along with half the chimney.  There are even bricks strewn on the grass below.  I don’t know what other damage was sustained — I believe the owners are away and I send them my deep sympathy.  (We once returned home from a vacation to find the upper floor of our house completely burned — not a good welcome home).  Coincidentally, over the weekend someone posted a link on Twitter to an article about the increase in lightning strikes this year. I wonder if there is anything we can do to prevent this kind of disaster in our homes. At least we should be aware of the increased danger to ourselves and not be outside during a thunderstorm.”

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About

About:

Rockville Central is a community-produced information source with a healthy dose of opinion focused on the neighborhoods of Rockville, MD. Publisher: Brad Rourke. Editor: Cindy Cotte Griffiths.

We welcome submissions from readers! Especially ones who disagree with us! Contact: rockvillecentral@gmail.com


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Sk8Park Gets Air

Jul 3, 2009 8:41 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: News
Tags:

The Sk8Park has become incredibly popular since it opened year-round, sunrise to sunset, free-of-charge. Kids met with Jon McLaren to discuss the Park and helped with the initial design changes made back in March and April when the ramps were rehabilitated. The big ramp was chopped down, and Mr. McLaren said it was “made more fun”.
The City [...]

July 4 Specials At Animal Exchange!

Jul 3, 2009 6:30 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Business

Devoted Rockville Central readers (and we know there may be one or two of you) know that Ruth Hanessian is one of our dearest friends. She runs Animal Exchange, which is quite literally a crossroads of Rockville.
Here’s a note from Ruth:
With all the great pets boarding, we will be open July 4 from 10 [...]

Latest List Of Possible City Candidates (7/1/09)

Jul 1, 2009 12:21 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Politics
Tags:

Here is the latest list of possible City candidates who have “pulled papers” to run in the upcoming Rockville city elections on November 3. This does not mean they are running, it just means they have requested the paperwork they need to do so.
Candidates have until September 4 to file and be official candidates. There’s [...]

West End Approves Memorandum On Beall’s Grant II; Outcome Uncertain

Jul 1, 2009 6:30 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: City Issues
Tags:

At its general membership meeting last night, the West End Citizens Association overwhelmingly approved a motion to accept an almost-agreed-to memorandum of understanding so as to convey to the Mayor and Council what this group of local residents will find acceptable when it comes to the Beall’s Grant II development.
Beall’s Grant II is an affordable [...]

County Council Rejects Ambulance Fees

Jun 30, 2009 12:12 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: News
Tags:

Rockville Central friend Jennifer Deseo, who established and runs the excellent Silver Spring Penguin, has passed along the news that the Montgomery County Council has rejected a proposal to charge insurance companies for ambulance services.
Her story:
In a 5-to-3 vote, county council members decided to keep ambulance rides free for people in Montgomery County, as well [...]

Rockville City Schedule For July 3-4

Jun 30, 2009 8:16 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: City Issues

From the City: The Fourth of July, which falls on a Saturday this year, will result in a number of closings within the City of Rockville. Rockville will observe the holiday on Friday, July 3, and City Hall, as well as other facilities will be closed. Residents should be aware of a change in hours [...]

Planner: City Events This Week (06/29/09)

Jun 29, 2009 16:10 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: City Issues
Tags:

Here are the City meetings we know about for the week. It’s a light week! All meetings below are at at City Hall (111 Maryland Ave.) unless noted otherwise.

Tue., Jun. 30, 7:00 pm at the Rockville Presbyterian Church - West End Citizens Association
Wed., Jul. 1, 7:15 pm - Rockville Bike Advisory Committee

We are trying to [...]

Lunching in the DMV: La Tasca

Jun 29, 2009 7:27 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Business, News
Tags: , ,

Dskco and her boyfriend visited La Tasca in Rockville Town Square, and here’s how she begins her review of the restaurant on her blog, Lunching in the DMV:
Hi everyone, another Iphone post! For my bf’s birthday he wanted to try Paella since he’s seen and heard so much about it on the Travel Channel and Food Network. [...]

Contributor Opinion By Susan Hoffmann, John Britton, and Piotr Gajewski: Rockville A Well-Managed City

Jul 2, 2009 8:00 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion

(An edited version of this letter appeared in The Gazette.)
To the residents of Rockville:
This is in response to last week’s letter, “Bad timing on pay hike for Rockville city workers.”
In a budget as large as Rockville’s, it is easy to take some items out of context, thus painting an unfair picture of what your Mayor [...]

Contributor Opinion By Joseph Jordan: City Lost Golden Opportunity With All-America City Competition

Jun 23, 2009 10:15 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion
Tags:

I have no desire, nor is it my intent, to take anything away from those folks that represented Rockville in the 2009 All-American City competition, held in Tampa last week. However, it is most disingenuous of both Mayor Hoffmann and City Manager Ullery to refer to the project as a “community building experience”. What community [...]

Contributor Opinion By Noreen Bryan: Development Review Process Unfair To Citizens

Jun 22, 2009 9:00 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion
Tags: ,

In the last six weeks we have been trying to assess the Victory Housing proposal to build a large apartment complex for independent seniors (60+) on the Fleet St. property behind the historic houses. Whether you are for or against this development there are many things that you need to know about how your [...]

Contributor Opinion By Elyse Gussow: Open Access To Princeton Place

Jun 16, 2009 16:32 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion
Tags:

Presented Before The Montgomery College Board of Trustees Meeting on June 15, 2009:
Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I come to you this evening representing the Community Task Force for Open Access to Montgomery College to request that Montgomery College continue on the path to re-establish pedestrian and bicycle access to and from the Montgomery College campus.
We [...]

Editorial Opinion: Town Square Business Closures Sad But Not Troubling

Jun 10, 2009 10:50 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Editorial Opinion
Tags: ,

Every time a business closes in Town Square, people get worried. Some, who were perhaps ambivalent or opposed the development in the first place, point to each closure as evidence of the original folly of Town Square.
Others, who believe the City is managing Town Center poorly, say that if only we had different policies, more [...]

Contributor Opinion By John Britton: City Staff Compensation Increases Proper

Jun 2, 2009 7:00 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion, Opinion
Tags:

The arguments whether the recently approved compensation increases for Rockville staff are a “slap in the face to [City] residents” or, if not approved, a balancing of the budget through “punishing our hard working staff” are straw man arguments. They woefully miss the mark. As so often happens, substantive discourse inexorably slips into the [...]

Contributor Opinion By Anne Robbins: Employee Compensation Program Unwise And Inappropriate

May 28, 2009 7:30 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion, Opinion
Tags:

To All: For many, many months, I have fought this massive employee compensation, and it seemed that nobody, but Phyllis Marcuccio, our Rockville citizens, and members of other governments, have listened to me. Thank you, Randy Alton, for your recognition that residents have heard the call and will respond. Sadly, our [...]

Contributor Opinion By Noreen Bryan and Alice Liu: More On Victory Senior Housing

May 15, 2009 13:00 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion, Opinion
Tags: ,

The article that was posted about Victory Senior Housing summarized the information presented by the developer at the Area Meeting. But this is only part of the story. Significant facts were missing from the presentation; others were incorrectly reported. Here is additional information that has been gleaned from reading the developer’s site plan and pre-application [...]

Event Pick of the Week 7/2/09

Jul 2, 2009 7:14 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Event Listings, Events In Rockville
Tags:

Pick of the Week
It’s all about the fireworks this weekend but after the holiday:
Calle Sur Performs a Free Outdoor Summer Concert
Gudelsky Outdoor Concert Gazebo at Strathmore
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM. FREE.
From their MySpace: “Calle Sur is what happens when you combine man and woman, Black and White, urban and rural.”
Are you in the [...]

Northwest Boychoir Visits

Jun 30, 2009 7:11 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Event Listings, Events In Rockville
Tags:

 
The Northwest Boychoir is performing in Rockville. This Grammy-nominated Boychoir from Seattle recorded for the Valkyrie movie soundtrack and The Shoe Bird. They will present a 90-minute program without charge at Christ Episcopal Church as part of its two-week Summer 2009 East Coast Concert Tour on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 7:30 PM. The concert [...]

4th of July Fireworks

Jun 29, 2009 7:29 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Event Listings, Events In Rockville
Tags:

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night! Rockville is celebrating the 4th of July at Montgomery College Rockville (51 Mannakee Street) from 7-10 PM with concerts, food and a loud to do. 
At 7 PM Redline hits the campus stage with their rock, Motown, country & blues - a real crowd pleasing mix with talent.  At the same time the Fugitive Brass Quintet are taking the football stadium [...]

It’s Sculpting Time at VisArts

Jun 26, 2009 16:50 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Events In Rockville, Reviews
Tags:

VisArts at Rockville’s current exhibit is like Rockville Central. How? Both welcome comments.
Each piece in Sculpting Time has a black sketchbook hanging on the wall with a question on the cover. Visitors are invited to pick up a small pencil and answer. Some of you may have waited your whole life to answer such questions. Kyan Bishop’s [...]

Event Pick of the Week 6/25/09

Jun 25, 2009 7:39 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Event Listings, Events In Rockville
Tags:

Pick of the Week
Pet Expo and Heritage Days at the Beall-Dawson Historical Park
Sunday, June 28, 2009 from 12 -4 PM
The Montgomery County Historical Society is going all out for this year’s Montgomery County Heritage Days with a Pet Expo related to its current exhibit The Other Member of the Family: Montgomery County Pets, currently on [...]

Rockville Roundtable Was Lots Of Fun!

Jun 23, 2009 15:10 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Events In Rockville
Tags:

If you missed today’s monthly Rockville Roundtable informal lunch, you really missed out! It was a great conversation, spanning civic engagement, health care reform (from the 1970’s until today), Princeton Place, the All America City Award, and more.
Ooh, there’s a picture of us, taken by our waitress at the Apollo (I love that place).
We always [...]

Don’t Forget! Rockville Roundtable Is Tuesday 6/23 At Apollo Restaurant

Jun 19, 2009 12:40 -
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Events In Rockville
Tags:

The next Rockville Roundtable will be:

Tuesday, June 23
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Apollo Restaurant

Can’t wait to see you there!
What is the Rockville Roundtable? So glad you asked. It’s a once-a-month informal get-together where a bunch of us . . . well, we get together. No speeches! Come as you are! (I am frequently very, very, very, very [...]

Ribbon Cutting For A Transformation

Jun 19, 2009 8:00 -
Posted by: Cindy Cotte Griffiths
Department: Events In Rockville, Reviews
Tags:

Did you know that on any given day in our community, over 1,100 people are experiencing homelessness? Seventy-two percent of the homeless adults in Montgomery County have at least one disability. Twenty-six percent work but cannot afford housing.
Yesterday County Executive Isiah Leggett and many public and private partners officially cut the ribbon for the new addition [...]