County Council Studies Ambulance Fee

>Note: Our friends at the Silver Spring Penguin (which you should definitely read) asked if we could cover a couple of County Council events. We usually don’t focus on County government, but since they have direct bearing on events in Our Fair City, we thought we’d publish them here too, with permission from the Penguin. The original article is here. We encourage any Rockville Central reader who has opinion on the ambulance fee issue to submit a contributor opinion article for consideration by sending us an email.

Last Thursday morning, the County Council’s Public Safety Committee held a worksession to discuss the proposed new ambulance fee. A procedural meeting, the Committee heard that the Fire and Rescue Commission had voted 4-3 to oppose the measure. They received technical amendments to the proposed legislation from Ike Leggett’s office. And they got answers to questions they had posed to the Executive after their July 24 worksession on the bill. On hand were representatives of volunteer rescue squads in Montgomery County.

Fire and Rescue Commission chair Kevin Maloney reported that at the previous night’s meeting, his commission had narrowly voted 4-3 to oppose the measure. “This process worked,” he said. “Maybe the outcome didn’t come out the way some wanted, but the process worked. . . It didn’t become a fractious discussion; it was a positive discussion.”

Next up: a delegation from the County Executive’s office. Leggett’s office had sent along a series of proposed amendment to the measure. According to Deputy County Attorney Marc Hanson, it seems that the original language of the bill would have actually allowed private insurers to refuse to pay claims for ambulance fees. It took a letter from private insurer GEHA to point this out.

Leggett’s office offered amendments that make explicit an assumption that had been embedded in the measure: that County residents’ taxes are being treated, in essence, as “prepayments” for any ambulance fees the County might impose. This follows a similar system already in place in Columbus, Ohio, according to Kathleen Boucher, the County’s assistant chief administrative officer.

At their July 24 worksession on the proposed ambulance fees, the Public Safety Committee had asked Leggett’s office a few questions. Among other questions, the Committee had asked about the possibility that imposing an ambulance fee would discourage people from using the ambulance when they need it. Opponents of the measure have pointed to this as a key argument.

According to attorney Ted Wolfberg, who is working on this issue as outside counsel for the County, this is a “laudable and legitimate policy debate.” But the studies opponents cite don’t actually support that position. While the studies do point out that income affects health care use, he reported, the studies don’t make a connection to ambulance fees.

Council Member Marc Elrich said, “I agree with how you read these studies, they just don’t indicate that fees have a deterrent effect. . . . If you do not have insurance . . . the magnitude of the ambulance fee is just a small portion of what you’re about to be hammered with. . . . people will still be afraid of going to the emergency room because if you don’t have insurance, you’re in deep, deep trouble.”

Council Member Don Praisner agreed, “I think this question is irrelevant. Neither side can prove to me [what will happen].”

However, John Bentovoglio, counsel for the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, pointed out that in Fairfax County, the year they imposed an ambulance fee — ambulance calls went down. “We are concerned about [the fee's] impact on people,” he said.

Council members expressed the most concern about what the possible paperwork and other administration might look like. “The devil is in the detail in this thing,” said Elrich.

Committee Chair Phil Andrews said that there would also be one more worksession — “which may be the final one” — at which the committee will get into the fiscal assumptions behind the bill, and just how efficient an ambulance fee will be at raising revenue.

POTD: Meat Me At the Giant

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‘Member that whole Move the Court House thingy? Well, it’s still going strong, I understand. I was just reminded of it whe nI took this photo, because this is the interior of the old Giant grocery store (the green pushpin on the map linked to) — you know, the one folks were suggesting might be a better court house site, instead of smack dab next to a school for young children.

POTD: Big Toy

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I think everyone wants one of these, don’t you think? This one is at Chestnut Lodge.

Wine And Music Festival Gets A Rinse

The gray clouds and slight showers didn’t chase away those who we>re intent on having a good time at the Rockville Wine and Music Festival today. Large clusters of grapes were hanging everywhere and the mood was quite festive.

People weren’t letting a little water get in the way of tasting wine from each of the tents on Gibbs Street and Maryland Avenue. Both streets were closed to traffic around the square and filled with smiling people who obviously were having a fine time tasting the reds and whites from the seven Maryland wineries. Even with the slightly wet weather, there were lines for each one. People were enjoying conversations about the wines with the hosts at the tables and many were purchasing bottles to take home.

Music from the four stages meant that you were never far from hearing some talented entertainment. Although there was slight misting earlier in the day, an all out downpour occurred at about 4 PM. The West End continued playing for some dedicated fans who didn’t leave. By the end of their set, the rain had stopped and everyone could put away the umbrellas and continue to make their way around the Festival.

Today was the last day for the temporary stage in Rockville Town Square. Construction will begin on a new “state-of-the-art venue” this Monday, September 29, 2008 and will continue for three weeks. You’ll still be able to reach most of the businesses (most?) and the interactive fountain will be covered up. The new stage will have electricity and a permanent sound system, so we can all look forward to an improved experience at concerts and events in the near future.

Although the weather could have been better, the Festival was well-organized with glass-rinsing stations and plenty of tents. If you were a designated driver, you could get a special wrist band for free water and sodas. All in all, another good quality event which was enjoyed by many in our Rockville Town Center.

POTD: Turn, Turn, Turn

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I know it is a cheap title — or, rather, an easy one. But the season is changing! You can feel it starting, and see it in the leaves on the ground. I liked how these looked, with the flash and the failing light behind.

Events in Rockville 9/25/08-10/5/08

>Pick of the Week

4th Annual Salute to Rockville NonProfits at the Rockville Farmer’s Market
Saturday, October 4, 2008 9 AM to 1 PM.

In the Jury parking lot at the corner of Monroe Street and Route 28. Please park across the street in the County parking garage, or better yet, walk or bike!

The City of Rockville, in partnership with the Rockville Caregivers Coalition, Rockville Human Services Advisory Commission, Montgomery Alliance and Rockville Chamber of Commerce hosts this event to bring awareness and recruit volunteers for local nonprofits. They’ll be hourly raffles with prizes worth about $50 if you stop by the nonprofit tables. Prizes donated by Commerce Bank, the Community Services Division, Montgomery Alliance, the Human Services Advisory Commission, and more!

The Saturday Farmers’ Market is all about the Fall produce right now. Pumpkin Time! Read Amy Ellis’s review. She’s right about that pear cider being delicious! Your pick of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, bedding plants, cut flowers, preserves, honey herbs, and baked goods. Taste the difference when the fruits and vegetables are picked fresh daily and locally.

I’ll be working the Human Services Advisory Commission table until noon, so please stop by and say hello. Most likely I’ll have on a big old “Cindy” nametag. You can even ask me to tell you the truth about Beall’s Grant and why we need these additional homes in Rockville.

Events in Rockville

This community event listing is a partnership between Rockville Central and Helen Triolo’s Rockville Living. The main source of the listings is Helen’s database of events.

Don’t see your event? Got an upcoming event you want considered? If you would like your community event to be listed, you must submit your request through Rockville Living using this form. Your event will be considered for publication in Rockville Central’s events listing and Rockville Living’s Calendar. We need your help collecting and posting events — that is how this resource will get better and better. Please become a regular contributor by requesting a username so that you can enter the information directly to the database. We publish event listings occurring in & around our coverage area (map) on Thursdays. The inclusion of events is at our discretion.

Thursday, September 25

10:00 am Conversation Club at Twinbrook Library Join us for a weekly session of informal English conversation practice. New members are welcome, no need to register. more info

10:15 am Preschool Storytime at Rockville Public Library Stories, music, and action activities for ages 3 1/2 to 6. Repeated at 1:30. more info

7:30 pm Free Outdoor Movie: The Golden Compass at Rockville Town Square Plaza FREE Outdoor Movies are coming back to Rockville Town Square for THIS MONTH ONLY! Enjoy a movie under the stars. Seating is limited. Blankets and lawn chairs are welcomed. Movies begin at Dusk. For more information or in case of inclement weather, please call 703-413-6691 or visit www.rockvilletownsquare.com more info

Friday, September 26

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

10:15 am Cuddle ups for pre-walkers at Rockville Public Library Stories, songs, and rhymes for ages 0-12 months, with an adult. more info

8:00 pm Rockville Little Theatre: “Noises Off” at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater A door-slamming comedy about what happens on stage and backstage with a traveling troupe of actors. more info

Saturday, September 27

10:00 am-2:00 pm Register to vote in November! at Safeway In an effort to help residents vote in the November presidential election, Rockville’s Human Rights Commission will sponsor a voter registration 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Safeway in the Twinbrook Shopping Center, 1902 Veirs Mill Road. Citizens can register to vote and get more information about the upcoming election. To register to vote, bring a valid driver’s license, Motor Vehicle Administration identification card or a social security card. For more information about the registration drives, call Janet Kelly at 240-314-8316.

10:15 am Storytime for 2′s and 3′s at Rockville Public Library Stories and activities for ages 2-3 with an adult. Repeat of program from the previous Friday. more info

11:00 am Family Storytime at Twinbrook Library Join us for a storytime designed for families with young children. All ages welcome. more info

12:00 pm-6:00 pm Un-Corked Wine and Music Festival at Rockville Town Square Plaza Sample some of the best wines from across the state, participate in cooking demonstrations and wine seminars, and enjoy great live music! Seven wineries from throughout the state will participate in the festival. They are Basignani Winery near Hunt Valley; Boordy Vineyards in the Long Green Valley of Baltimore County; Elk Run Vineyards in Frederick County; Fiore Winery in Hartford County; Frederick Cellars, which operates Mountain Creek Vineyards in Frederick County and Harness Creek Vineyards in Anne Arundel County; Solomons Island Winery in Calvert County; Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard; and Terrapin Station Winery in Cecil County. The event will also feature performances by the Kelly Bell Band (blues), Old Man Brown (rock, blues, soul, funk), Daryl Davis (vocalist, guitarist, pianist, composer), Bill Kirchen (country with a draw on blues, bluegrass and western honky-tonk), Chris Patterson (singer and songwriter); Melanie Mason (blues), Ruthie and the Wranglers (rock) and Rockville’s own The West End (Americana rock).Cost to participate in the wine tasting is $10 and includes a commemorative wine glass for the first 2,000 paid attendees (must be 21 years or older to consume alcohol).Admission is free for concerts, wine seminars and cooking demonstrations. more info

8:00 pm Rockville Little Theatre: “Noises Off” at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater A door-slamming comedy about what happens on stage and backstage with a traveling troupe of actors. more info

Sunday, September 28

12:00 pm-2:00 pm PAW Adoption Show at Petsmart PAW Partnership for Animal Welfare is having an adoption show at the White Flint Petsmart. Come to the show and if there is a dog you are interested in, a PAW volunteer will assist with the application process or answer any questions you may have. You may also call the PAW line at (301) 572-4PAW for show information. Please visit our web site to see dogs and cats that are available for adoption. more info

2:00 pm Rockville Little Theatre: “Noises Off” at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater A door-slamming comedy about what happens on stage and backstage with a traveling troupe of actors. This is the final performance, don’t miss it! more info

7:00 pm Jazz Under the Stars: Eric Byrd Trio at The Rooftop Music from the Ray Charles Songbook. The Eric Byrd Trio And the Brother Ray Band. This Trio of friends will perform selections from their latest CD which is a tribute to Ray Charles, which is Eric’s musical hero. They will bring a collection of songs exploring the jazz side of “The Genius.” For the concert , the Byrd Trio with their power hitting horn section form The Brother Ray Band! For more information go to http://www.ericbyrd.com/. more info

Monday, September 29

6:30 pm Conversation Club at Twinbrook Library Join us as we meet to practice our English language in an informal setting. No need to register, new members are welcome. more info

Tuesday, September 30

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

10:30 am Preschool Storytime at Twinbrook Library Stories, songs, fingerplays, chants, and a short simple craft. more info

7:00 pm-8:00 pm Hoopnotica Hoopdance class starts at FemFit Women’s Health Club As seen on E! News, “The biggest loser”, Good Morning America, The Today Show and over 350 publications! Hoopnotica Hoopdance workout is part dance, part exercise and all fun! Come experience what the hoopla is all about! Hoopdance beginner level 1 & 2 Starting September 30th 2008 at 7pm for 6 weeks, at Femfit Women’s Health Club in Rockville MD. 140$ for the 6 weeks session; price includes a limited edition Hoopnotica hoop. Current Femfit members will receive a 30$ rebate. This is a beginner level class, no prior experience necessary, no gym membership required, age 18 and up. To sign up or for more information, email me at: Martine Koissy, [email protected] If you wish to see a demo, visit hoopnotica.com Registration deadline is September 20th, 2008. See you in the “circle”! more info

Thursday, October 2

10:00 am Conversation Club at Twinbrook Library Join us for a weekly session of informal English conversation practice. New members are welcome, no need to register. more info

10:15 am Preschool Movietime at Rockville Public Library Movies, music, and action activities for ages 3 1/2 to 6. Repeated at 1:30. more info

5:00 pm-10:00 pm Eat Out To Fight Cancer at Mamma Lucia October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All you have to do is eat, and Mamma Lucia’s will donate a portion of your bill to the American Cancer Society. Eat in or take out. Call 301/762-8805 for take out orders. See other listings in October for more Eat Out to Fight Cancer restaurant fundraisers.

6:00 pm Spanish Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library Practice and improve your Spanish through conversation. Every Thursday, 6:00-7:30. more info

6:30 pm Mayor and Council Work Session on the zoning ordinance, City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave. For more information about the zoning ordinance, go to www.rockvillemd.gov/zoning.

Friday, October 3

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

10:15 am Storytime for 2′s and 3′s at Rockville Public Library Stories and activities for ages 2-3 with an adult. more info

Saturday, October 4

10:15 am Cuddle ups for walkers at Rockville Public Library Stories, songs, and rhymes for ages 12 to 24 months, with an adult. more info

5:30 pm-10:00 pm Thrivent presents “Lost and Found” in concert at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will host its Fourth Annual Help the Homeless Concert/Fundraiser featuring the high-energy band Lost and Found. Prior to the 7pm concert, there will be a reception with food and a silent auction featuring good & services donated by chapter members, local businesses and generous congregations. After the concert, dessert! For more information about Lost and Found www.speedwood.com more info

Sunday, October 5

7:00 pm Jazz Under the Stars: FAB Trio at The Rooftop Music from the Great American Songbook and Beyond. The FAB Trio Featuring Felicia Carter. Some of their work can be heard on the television documentary on the B&O Railroad, scheduled to air on WETA (DC). more info

If you attend an event, we invite you to write a Contributor Review. Just send it in and we will consider it. Rules: Event is in Rockville; fairly recent; article is your work; you are not offering it for publication elsewhere. Try to keep it under 500 words; we will edit for length. Include a photo if you have one!

POTD: Zigzag

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More patterns. I wonder why I am so attracted to repeating patterns . . . .

Glass Evolving Glistens

As you enter the >VisArts at Rockville gallery, you are drawn into the oceans and cosmos of Martin Rosol’s Bird of Paradise ($24,000). To say that it is “Laminated, Cut, Ground and Polished Glass”, doesn’t describe how it is many artworks in one, all reflecting, repeating, fascinating.

This piece and the exhibit Glass Evolving take the glass art form to a new frontier. In the gallery brochure F. Lennox Campello expertly affirms that this glass is “dragged away from the crafts world and into the rarified upper atmosphere of the “high art” world.”

Sometimes organic like Richard Ritter’s fused-bead Floral Core Series and at other times true sculpture like Rick Becks stone-like solid limbs, these are most assuredly not bowls or vases. John Publick snakes glass around a found wooden object (Duality $1,800) and Nancy Weissner layers drawings and photos on glass (In Her Dreams).

The Gudelsky/Silverman Portfolio Gallery holds several pieces that stretch our perceptions of glass, just as the outstretched arms in Allegra Marquart’s Rapunzel ($2,800) reach upward in anticipation of new beginnings. Three video screens display original images while enclosed in blown glass in Tim Tate’s Surreal Dream Box ($21,000). A book is printed on glass so that you can read Elizabeth Mears Standing Book: In A Breath.

Children, along with their parents, can learn all about glass in the Discovery Gallery. The basics of sand, fire, and glass are explained. Here you learn about stained and fused glass techniques and can create a translucent craft with markers. Then you can test your knowledge by putting events in the proper sequence in a glass studio.

Since I create stained glass and love how it colors our world, this exhibit mesmerized me. If you share an interest in this solid medium that blends with light, you will be too.

The Evolving Glass exhibit is on display until November 15, 2008 at VisArts, 155 Gibbs Street. Gallery hours are Monday – Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday Noon – 5 PM.

Mayor And Council: More Time For Zoning, Extend Moratorium

For >Rockville Central readers who are curious how Council Member Piotr Gajewski’s proposal to “indefinitely suspend” Our Fair City’s effort to redraft the zoning ordinance fared, our friends at the Gazette have provided an update that covers the important points.

At Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, according to their article:

By a vote of 4 to 1, the council extended the halt on new construction in the city through Dec. 31 or until the zoning ordinance goes into effect, whichever comes first. This is the fourth time the moratorium has been extended since it was first approved in November 2006.

The council also voted to extend time for a decision on the zoning ordinance until Nov. 27. The law requires the council to come to a decision within 90 days of the public hearing. The last public hearing was on June 30. Not extending the time would have allowed the application to expire and the process would have to start all over again.

The sole no vote was that of Council Member Gajewski, who said in an email last Sunday that he would prefer to use text amendments to accomplish needed zoning changes.

POTD: Belt Buckle

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I thought this was neat. It looks like a belt buckle to me. It’s actually part of a lamp.

Calling All Pet Owners Past and Present

Next summer 2009, your pet could be featured in a Montgomery County Histor>ical Society exhibit entitled The Other Member of the Family: Montgomery County Pets. If you have old pictures, new pictures, or items used to care for a pet, you can help MCHS demonstrate how our relationships with our pets has transformed over the years. Pets and companion animals are always special, but the kinds of pets we keep and how we interact with them is always changing.

Guidelines from MCHS:

Send your favorite pet photo, and a brief description or story. We want any type of pet, but they must be Montgomery County pets. Whenever possible, images will be scanned so that originals can be returned immediately. If you think you have an artifact to lend - an old dog leash, water dish, cat sweater, birdcage or hamster ball (to name a few possibilities) - please make sure it’s clean, and that you won’t need it for your current pet for the duration of the exhibit. To offer something for the exhibit, contact Joanna Church at 301-340-2825 or [email protected].

I happen to know that the Animal Exchange is loaning the antique bird cages which line the walls of the store. What do you have to share?

We’re hoping our leopard gecko will be a star of the exhibit and this all has me wondering, did people keep lizards as pets when Rockville was named in 1801? I guess I’ll find out.

Picture from MCHS photo collection, donated by Alexander Casanges.

POTD: Finish Line

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Actually, this rock is not just crossing the finish line. It’s spanning a boundary that, while it looks like powdery lime, is actually stone.

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I love to see yards where the owner’s love of the flag is quite apparent!

Gajewski Proposes Suspension of Zoning Revisions

This evening’s >meeting of the Mayor and Council may be even more interesting than one would have previously thought.

Sunday evening, Council Member Piotr Gajewski proposed via email to his colleagues on the Mayor and Council that they “step back and indefinitely suspend our work on the Zoning Ordinance.”

As many residents of Our Fair City know, Rockville is nearing the end of a lengthy review process where the overall law that governs all zoning throughout the City is being redrafted. This began with a committee called RORZOR, which included a number of citizens, who then drafted a proposal that was passed along to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission revised that proposal and passed it on the the Mayor and Council, who have final authority and responsibility for adopting it.

Tonight was slated to be a worksession on the final draft of the proposed ordinance.

Council Member Gajewski wrote, in part:

Many agree that the process to try to comprehensively revise Rockville’s zoning ordinance has been flawed from the outset.

A committee of well meaning lay-people created a first draft document that was much criticized and contained major problems.

Off to a bad start, the problems only compounded when the Planning Commission entered the arena and, after taking public input, tried to make lemonade out of the lemon it got.

The document improved some, but even by its own admission, the Planning Commission punted on many major issues.

Throughout the process, staff has had the difficult task to keep up with ever-changing new ideas and demands, so that the technical execution of the document has struggled. The document continues with major technical flaws that renders it unusable in present form.

The reality that has emerged is that Rockville is better off with the current zoning protocol than it would be with what is being proposed.

He goes on to suggest that, where changes are felt to be needed, they can be dealt with on a targeted basis, by making text amendments to the existing zoning ordinance. “Individual text amendments that focus on specific elements will allow us to delve into the necessary details more easily, allow everyone to better understand what we really intend, and ensure that we avoid unintended consequences,” Gajewski writes.

Tonight’s meeting is, as always, at 7:00 pm at City Hall. It begins with Citizen’s Forum, where any citizen can address the Mayor and Council (to do so, it is best to call the City Clerk 240-314-8280 by 4:00 p.m. to get on the list). The full meeting is televised on The Rockville Channel and will also be available through the City’s new video on demand system within a day or two.

POTD: Snake

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I am certain to get flak for this (“Really, Brad? A hose?“) But, darn it, I liked how the yellow popped out in the gloaming. Ooh, I like that word, too. Gloaming.