Editorial Opinion By Cindy Cotte Griffiths: Less Candy At The Parade

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When my Cub Scout Pack 928 received our notification for participating in the 2010 Memorial Day Parade, the instructions told us we were not permitted to distribute candy along the parade route. Only the Rockville Mayor and Council were permitted to give away candy. We couldn’t believe it. I’ve been in the parade for seven years and attended quite a few before marching. The candy is such a tradition.

We all wondered why we were no longer allowed to give the kids candy. I’ve never seen any explanation so I’m hoping someone can enlighten me. In my opinion, either everyone should be allowed to distribute the treats or no one should be allowed.

Today children and adults, were yelling “candy” and motioning with their hands. I tried to yell that we weren’t allowed to give them candy only the Mayor and Council could, but I don’t think they could hear or understand as I went past driving the pickup with our camping float.

Earlier in the weekend as I walked around Hometown Holidays, people mentioned they would be at the parade and, of course, the kids were looking forward to all the candy. I told a few families there wouldn’t be as much. Some planned on bringing extra treats so the kids wouldn’t be disappointed.

I’ve been told that a couple of groups didn’t follow the new rule and a few politicians other than the Mayor and Council threw candy.

Did you miss the candy tradition or not? What do you think about the new policy?

POTD: Thunder

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Happy Memorial Day. Please remember the fallen today.

Officially Named Rockville Memorial Library

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Today a ceremony was held to rename the Rockville Library. Daniel Campos who is running for Maryland State Delegate for District 17 (which includes the City of Rockville) attended, and we are pleased to share his first-hand report.

The renaming of Rockville Library to Rockville Memorial Library was a fitting and poignant beginning to this Memorial Day weekend. Active duty military, as well as veterans from past conflicts, including Korea, Vietnam, and even the Battle of the Bulge were present, as were family members of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country to preserve our freedom.

County Executive Isiah Leggett and Maryland Veterans Affairs Secretary Edward Chow, both Vietnam veterans themselves as well other elected officials offered words of tribute to our veterans. The ceremony concluded with a moving rendition of “Taps” followed by the unveiling of Rockville Memorial Library signs as a reminder to us all of the ultimate sacrifice to those who have served our nation so honorably and those who continue to serve today.

We will remember our brave service men and women not only this Memorial Day weekend, but each and every time we enter through the library doors or see this wonderful place in Town Square.

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I went over and snapped a few pictures of the new signs.

Thanks Dan!

What Will Rockville Look Like In The Future?

The City of Rockville has made some projections for 2040 as part of the process to meet the State of Maryland mandate to determine the amount of growth which can be absorbed (by preparing a Development Capacity Analysis DCA) and to figure out the impacts and needs from that projected growth (for a Municipal Growth Element MGE), Basically the State is making Rockville determine the affect on schools, libraries, police facilities, fire and emergency services, and recreational land by October 1, 2010.The draft >Municipal Growth document prepared for the process is 58 pages long and provides a picture of the past, present and future growth in our City. Here are some snippets to give you an idea of the future Rockville:

Population is projected to increase by 34%, from 62,476 to 83,929
Households are projected to increase by 42%, from 24,327 to 34,509
Employment is projected to increase by 41%, from 74,549 to 105,403

The large majority of future, population growth is expected to occur in multifamily housing in more of a mixed-use. Over the next 30 years, employment growth will be concentrated along MD Route 355 and at Tower Oaks, King Farm and Fallsgrove.

What do we need to do to plan for it?

Schools

The City’s forecasted population growth would result in an additional 1,441 students in the Montgomery County Public School System by 2040.

For three reasons, there is not a tight link between the growth in Rockville’s population and the need for school facilities within Rockville. First, high school clusters are not limited by municipal boundaries. Secondly, MCPS has many special programs that draw students from beyond their local cluster. Lastly, there is a regional collection of private schools, both secular and parochial, that Rockville students attend.

Libraries

During the next 10-20 years, however, it is unlikely that there will be a need for a new library facility to be constructed in Rockville since the Rockville Memorial Library was built in 2007. Also with “electronic media and the Internet, it is highly likely that libraries will be changing away from their core historic model of being a collection of printed material toward a different model that has different emphases.”

Police

“Were the Rockville Police Department to maintain its ratio of .91 officers per 1,000 residents, there would be a need for 19 additional sworn officers by 2040. Maintaining the overall City-County effective rate of 2.11 would require the County to add sworn officers at a rate that would maintain its current ratio of 1.2 as the County population grows, while at the same time the City maintained its own proportionate growth.” However, the Rockville Police Department holds that using a strict formulae of this nature is too restrictive because so many factors will decide staffing needs and they believe it is impossible to predict the number of officers needed over a 30-year period.

Fire and Emergency Medical Services

“The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) provides fire and disaster protection, emergency health care, as well as rescue and related services to Rockville. Rockville does not provide this service as part of its municipal government.”

“Rockville’s authority with respect to land use provides the municipality the ability to ensure that new developments have sufficient fire service before approving the project. Of primary importance for performance measurement is the amount of time it takes to respond to an emergency. Rockville uses its Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO), which was adopted on November 1, 2005, to ensure that new “higher-risk” developments have sufficient service.”

Parks and Open Space

If Rockville’s population grows by approximately 21,000, “the City would need to add 378 acres to its inventory of parks and open spaces in order to continue to meet the City target of City-owned 18 acres per 1,000 people.” With the limited amount of vacant land and the cost of this land, this would be difficult for the City. The City will need additional resources, from the City General Fund, the County and State. The MNCPPC resources immediately outside of Rockville will continue to service the citizens of Rockville, thereby providing substantial local and regional park resources. The biggest challenge will be to provide additional neighborhood-scale open space in more-established and mostly built-out neighborhoods such as East Rockville and Twinbrook where there are very few realistic opportunities for property acquisition.

Expansion of the City Limits

Rockville uses the term Maximum Expansion Limits (MEL) to describe areas outside of, but adjacent to, the City’s jurisdictional boundaries where the City would consider annexation should a property owner petition the City to annex the property. The City is currently reviewing the small area annexation provisions to consider annexing eligible parcels along Twinbrook Parkway, and along E. Gude Drive and Southlawn Lane. The Municipal Growth document describes the areas to be considered.

Water

A 70-page draft Water Resources Element for the Comprehensive Master Plan has also been prepared. You can read it here. As this post is long enough, I have not summarized the information. The draft document looks at the “drinking water program, including current and projected water demand, the City’s available water supplies, the Rockville water treatment plant, the water distribution system, known concerns about long-term capacity regarding all of these facilities, our current plans to address those concerns.” Rockville will need to depend on green building initiatives, education programs and conservation to meet our needs.

How You Can Participate In The Process

Read the draft documents to find out more.

Attend the City of Rockville Planning Commission’s public hearing on Wednesday June 9, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the Mayor and Council Chambers, Rockville City Hall about the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan for the City.

Send comments online; by e-mail to [email protected], giving your full name and address; or by mail to Long Range Planning Division, CPDS, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD, 20850.

Participate in the Mayor and Council’s Public Hearing on August 2, 2010.

What do you think about Rockville’s plan for the future?
 

Come Enjoy Rockville's Hometown Holidays!

This weekend Rockville puts on its biggest show of the year! >Hometown Holidays draws thousands of people from all around the region. It’s a three-day festival with music, food, arts, events, and — of course — a Memorial Day ceremony honoring the fallen and a parade.

Everything is going on in Town Center, so just head on downtown to find the fun!

Saturday: Cajun music descends on Rockville with the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Tab Benoit, and Papa Grows Funk all playing the main stage starting at 6:30. But there’s music and fun all day beforehand, too, starting with the Billy Coulter Band at 1:30. There’s a Green Festival from 1:00 to 8:00 pm (on Sunday too). Taste of Rockville will be going on from 1:00 until 10:00, and there’s an arts and crafts festival too (again, Sunday too!). See the whole schedule for Saturday here.

Sunday: National recording artists Soul Asylum headline the main stage at 7:00 pm, with Jah Works opening. Once again, there’s music all day beforehand starting at noon with Sons of Pirates and continuing with lots of musicians all day. At 4:00 pm you can see one of my favorite groups, Rockville’s own The Finest!, a performance troupe that includes dancing, marching, drumming, and more. At 8:00 am the Ride and Stride kicks off — a bike and running festival that raises money for Rockville Kids. See the whole schedule for Sunday here.

Monday: Monday’s the Big Day, when we remember the purpose behind Memorial Day. At 9:00 am the Rockville Chorus and the Rockville Community Chorus will perform a musical tribute to America. At 9:30, the ceremony honoring the fallen will take place, including a 21-gun salute and presentation of colors. At 10:30 the annual Hometown Holidays Parade steps off, winding its way all through downtown. Be sure to look for the Pack 928 float and give them a big cheer! See the whole schedule for Monday here.

POTD: Eagle

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This is another one of those homes I just think looks perfect. For me, it’s the small-town feel of the picket fence and that awesome eagle up above the door.

POTD: Contemplate

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Since I like flags so much, it struck me that this spot would be gorgeous to sit down and think a while.

POTD: Blur

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As an experiment, the other day, I snapped this shot from a moving car. I like how the foreground is clear with the blur behind. I know it’s silly, but I like funky shots like this.

The Newest Kid Craze

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Out of nowhere last week, local elementary kids went crazy for rubber bands. All of a sudden colorful rubber bands in an array of shapes were all over the place. The kids wear multiple bands up their arms and trade them all day long. Some are more valuable than others, especially the ones which glow in the dark. Suddenly teachers needed rules. Some classrooms ban them altogether while others ban the unending trading.

My son had a full collection without ever buying a package thanks to generous friends. By last weekend I gave in and we joined the craze by buying a few packages at Toy Kingdom. I couldn’t resist the pink bunny, blue motorcycle, and yellow guitar. You have to have your favorite things. Unfortunately, my wrists are too big to wear my collection as bracelets.

At Toy Kingdom the sales clerks said the packages had been on display for a couple of months and no one paid attention. The craze was going strong in North Carolina and California but not here in Maryland. Then all of a sudden, everyone’s looking for the “silly bands”. A package of 24 “zany bandz” costs $4.99, while 12 of Toysmith’s “Shaped Rubber Bands” in various themes costs $2.50. Sharing and trading is easy with such a low-cost, simple idea.

Most of the fun is guessing and discovering the shapes. That’s the fun. What do you see? We all have some creative ideas before figuring out the intended shape. Your choice of favorites is telltale. Friends will often direct each other to fitting finds. It’s all about getting to know each other and sharing. This craze has something for everyone.

POTD: Boss

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I grew up in Detroit — so I love me an awesome Mustang. I have had my eye on this one for some time. I love it, because it looks loved.

Contributor Opinion by Trapper Martin: Town Square Parking Changes

>An open letter from Town Center Action Team (TCAT) president Trapper Martin:

Madam Mayor and Council Members,

Last week, it was brought to my attention that changes were made to the fees and hours for parking in Town Center. Specifically, I understand that the Mayor and Council implemented a charge of $1 for unlimitted parking in the garages on Saturday and increased the fine for all parking violation to $40. It appears that these changes were done as part of the budgeting process without any public input.

As you are well aware the merchants and last Mayor/Council spent a considerable amount of time discussing and coming up with a plan that we all felt would increase revenue for the City without putting undue burden on or hampering the still fragile businesses in Town Center. We have seen parking usage continually rise since these changes were implemented.

The changes to the parking policy were discussed at the TCAT meeting held on May 18. While the members of TCAT did not object to implementation of $1 parking fee and would in fact support such a nominal fee, we believe the Mayor and Council must stop changing the parking fees so that visitors to town center can get used whatever fee is being charged. Otherwise visitors will start to become frustrated and avoid Town Center.

The members of TCAT did object the $40 penalty for parking violations. People who have received $40 tickets have sworn that they would not return to Town Center. There have been multiple stories this year about other jurisdictions raising parking ticket prices yet seeing a decline in actual revenue from this as people increasingly contest or just don’t pay their parking tickets. Therefore, TCAT voted last week to urge the Mayor and Council to reduce the parking fees throughout the City to $25.

Please continue to know that all the support that the City can provide to this area while it is still in its infancy is greatly appreciated.

Trapper Martin, TCAT President

This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to [email protected]. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

Hello, 'Synthia:' Venter Produces Life; Controversy

Rockville-based DNA pioneer >Craig Venter announced Thursday that his lab had created synthetic life. Says the release: “Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), a not-for-profit genomic research organization, published results today describing the successful construction of the first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell.”

“This is the first synthetic cell that’s been made, and we call it synthetic because the cell is totally derived from a synthetic chromosome, made with four bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information in a computer,” said Venter.

Dubbed “Synthia,” the single-cell organism has sparked controversy. According to a Financial Times article, “beyond doubt, the creation of synthetic life in a US laboratory . . . has aroused awe, admiration - and antagonism - around the world. . . . [N]o one denies the deep significance of the research - and some philosophers have gone into ecstasy. ‘Venter’s achievement would seem to extinguish the argument that life requires a special force or power to exist,’ says Arthur Caplan, bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania. ‘This makes it one of the most important scientific achievements in the history of mankind.’”

On the other hand, in an article in Today.AZ , Professor Julian Savulescu, an Oxford ethics expert, said: “Venter is creaking open the most profound door in humanity’s history, potentially peeking into its destiny. . . . We need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical research and protections from military or terrorist misuse and abuse.”

It’s of interest that the news has indeed traveled around the globe, evidenced by the Today.AZ piece — it is an Azerbaijan news outlet.

And this remarkable achievement took place right here in Our Fair City.

POTD: Balls

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I love the time of year when flowers like these are popping up! Does anyone know what they are called?

Don't Give Up Registering for Ride and Stride (Updated)

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Fun Bike On The Streets During the 2009 Ride and Stride

Update: Jon McLaren has let us know that the small glitch was fixed last week and on-line registration is working for children under 13.

When I tried to register my family for Ride and Stride 4 Rockville, Rock Enroll wouldn’t allow me to include my 9-year old and was charging the $25 adult fee for my 13-year old. Since both are free, a quick call to the staff in the Department of Recreation and Parks (240-314-8620 during business hours) had them registered in no time, but Rock Enroll was unfortunately having technical difficulties with youth signups today. They’re working on fixing the system.

The ninth annual Ride and Stride during Hometown Holidays on Sunday, May 30, 2010 offers running, walking or biking options. Short or long, there’s an option for everyone so all ages can participate: 2K or 5K run/walks, and 12-mile or 28-mile bike rides.

The funds raised from Ride and Stride provide financial assistance for children who can’t afford City recreation and after-school activities, and support the Rockville Bike Fund to promote safe bicycling in the city.

My family has never ridden in the Ride and Stride and we’re looking forward to giving it a try with some friends. Yes, we’re biking! Staff are supposed to be on hand with maps. We’ve been promised food, prizes and health info. Participants can bring a t-shirt, backpack or cycling shirt to be silk screened with the Ride and Stride for Rockville logo.

Residents can register online here using activity number 31709. Rockville residents older than 13 are $25, non-resident adults are $35. Event time is 8 AM until 12 PM. The start and finish location is in front of the Red Brick Courthouse.

Who else is going and what can we expect?

Mayor and Council to Adopt Budget Monday

At the upcoming Monday, May 24 meeting of the Mayor and Council, Our Fair City’s governing body will be voting to formally >adopt a new budget. This is arguably the most important thing the body does each year.

This is the culmination of a process that began with a budget preview last December.

Here is a presentation on the latest draft of the budget.

Well done, Mayor and Council! This is a big job to do every year.