‘We Love DC’ Loves Rockville

We Love DC

Here’s a nice little note. Fellow TBD Network blog We Love DC has posted an ode to Rockville, with a n in-depth discussion including things to do. Isn’t that nice!

My favorite passage:

Rockville isn’t just a neighborhood, it’s a growing urban center with several different neighborhoods. The area is home to both more urban areas like Rockville Town Square as well as smaller, quiet residential neighborhoods. Rockville is 13 square miles, and includes a lot of residential areas, some shops along Rockville Pike and the Town Center, and county offices downtown, and some office parks along I-270. Many of the residential neighborhoods have grown into attractive suburbs, with tree-lined streets and sidewalks, and more people are choosing to live downtown close to the Metro.

Follow this link to read the whole post.

Reminder: Please Take Our 2010 Reader Survey

Just a quick reminder!

It’s been more than a year since we last surveyed Rockville Central readers. In the interest of continuing improvement, we have developed a new reader survey that will help us tailor the site as we move forward.

We are always trying to do better and your input is hugely important!

Please follow this link to take the survey.

It’s only 17 questions and should not take more than 15 minutes. Your responses are completely confidential.

(Photo credit: tj scenes/Flickr)

Letter From County Executive Ike Leggett To Pepco

Ike Leggett

Now that the massive and widespread power outages are behind most (but not all) of us, it’s appropriate to begin looking at why they happened, and what can be done to mitigate them moving forward.

Montgomery County County Executive Ike Leggett has written an open letter to Pepco CEO Joseph M. Rigby that is worth reading:

Dear Mr. Rigby:

On Sunday, July 25 at approximately 3:20 p.m. a line of severe thunderstorms passed through the Baltimore/Washington region. As a result of those storms, over 219,000 of PEPCO”s 302,000 customers in Montgomery County lost power.

While I understand the size of the storm was considerable and the damage extensive, I am at a loss to explain to County residents and business owners why PEPCO took so long to mobilize sufficient contractors to assist in restoring service to its many customers, some of whom, as of today, still have no service.

I assumed that PEPCO, like the County, has pre-established mutual aid agreements with regional utilities and independent contractors whose resources can be mobilized quickly in situations such as what we are experiencing. I also expected a significant increase in resources to have been mobilized sooner instead of hearing that they were just arriving Tuesday, nearly two full days after the storm hit and the extensive damage was clear to you.

Further, there is little acceptable explanation why current conditions exist for PEPCO, and not for utilities servicing adjacent jurisdictions. The storms that we experienced on Sunday were region-wide and BG&E and Allegheny Power have had nowhere near the outages being experienced in the PEPCO service area (see enclosed
map).

This causes me to draw a number of conclusions:

1. PEPCO’s preventive maintenance and tree trimming programs need review and revision;
2. PEPCO’s contracting and operational procedures and practices for bringing additional resources to bear in emergency situations need reconsideration;
3. PEPCO was unable to communicate useful and accurate information in a timely way to customers; and
4. Practices regarding coordinating activities with the County under these kinds of emergencies need improvement.

Montgomery County will continue to cooperate in whatever way necessary to coordinate with PEPCO’s efforts. Still, Montgomery County is not in the business of distributing electrical power. That is PEPCO’s responsibility - and County residents and businesses deserve much better and more reliable service than we are receiving. Many of our residents have suffered great inconvenience and sometimes life-threatening problems due to the extended outages. Meanwhile, many of our businesses have suffered significant losses at a time when they can ill afford to. The unreliability of your service must be addressed.

Given the experience of the February winter storms and this most recent emergency, I am sure there are “best practices” available from which PEPCO can benefit. I look forward to reviewing your post-incident analysis and how you plan to make system improvements and changes to your operating practices to improve system reliability.

Plainly put, the status quo is unacceptable.

By copy of this letter to the Governor and the Public Service Commission, I am also seeking their assistance in ensuring that Montgomery County residents and businesses are better served by a public utility on which they are completely dependent for vital and sometimes life saving services.

In addition, I am convening a work group of Montgomery County residents and businesses that will be exploring the explanations for the poor service we receive and options for improvements. I am hopeful that we will be able to depend on PEPCO staff’s assistance in the work of this group.

Sincerely,

Isiah Leggett County Executive

The “attachment” referred to in the letter in below:

Current Outages (7/29/2010) - Click to enlarge

Get Ready To Shop Tax Free in Maryland For Back-To-School

Clothing and Shoes Under $100 Are Tax Free Aug. 8-14

The State of Maryland has announced “Shop Maryland Week” will be August 8-14.

Clothing and footwear less than $100 will be exempt from sales tax for this period.

So, for instance, you can go to stores like this one in Congressional Plaza and score some nice swag!

There are lots of rules and legalese on the state’s not-very-user-friendly flier but the basics are:

“Clothing and footwear” means items you normally wear on your body. Special items don’t count, like football pads.

Accessories are not included.

Add-on services (like alteration) are not included.

A perfect time to stock up on your back-to-school outfits. The deal works per item (not per transaction) so you can buy as many as you want tax-free, so long as each item is less than a C-note.

POTD: Some Good News

This sign might be the beginning of things turning around. (This post has information on this particular opportunity.)

Weekend to Weekend Pick 7-29-10 Cinderella

From the Rockville Civic Ballet Flyer

Perhaps because of my name, I’ve always loved the Cinderella story, especially her positive attitude when faced with constant adversity. She never stopped appreciating the wonders of life. Prince Charming was a side note, but I’m glad that worked out for her too.

See a live performance of Cinderella by the Rockville Civic Ballet including a presentation of Gershwin’s Concerto in F.

Saturday, August 7, 2010 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Sunday, August 8, 2010 2 – 4 PM
At the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre (603 Edmonston Drive)

The production is directed by Claudia Mangan. You also won’t want to miss the wonderful bake sale and famous Craft and Gift Table.

Event Fees: $16 Adult, $12 Senior, $12 Child
To purchase tickets in person at the walk-in Box Office: Hours are Tuesday - Saturday: 2pm to 7pm except it’s closed Saturday July 31st. Directions by phone: 240-314-5004

To purchase tickets online: Leap Frog Tickets

During the past three years, I’ve often highlighted events in and around Rockville. For a year and a half I researched and wrote the Weekend to Weekend listing of all the happenings in Rockville before we asked Helen Triolo at Rockville Living to automate the process and encouraged everyone to post event announcements on her wonderful calendar. For a while I picked the best of the week to highlight here on Rockville Central. Now I’m back at it again with the W2W Pick.

Carl Henn Memorial Scheduled For Saturday Jul. 31

According to the City, a memorial service for Carl Henn, who passed away in the recent storm, will be held at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, (603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851) on Saturday morning, July 31 at 9:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to either the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or Bikes for the World.

Carl Henn

Some Good News: Free Chili Dogs at Hard Times Today (7/29)

Here’s a spot of good news. It’s National Chili Dog Day. Really.

To celebrate, Hard Times Cafe is giving out a free chili dog to every customer. Just buy anything at Hard Times and get a free chili dog. Today only.

Bet they are glad power was restored in time for this!

Free Chili Dog

Metrorail Increases Fares [Updated]

Update: News Channel 8 is reporting that Metro must delay the start of the peak surcharge until later in August due to the “memory limitations of fare gate technology”. Read the story here. You would think they would have known …

This Sunday, August 1, 2010, Metrorail will change some fares and pricing. After checking on their handy Trip Planner, I didn’t find any “discounts”.

Peak Travel Surcharge

If you travel during peak commuter times on weekdays, you’ll have to pay a 20-cent surcharge for your trip. Be prepared for the price hike from 7:30 to 9 AM and from 4:30 to 6 PM. Metrorail opens at 5 AM so early risers can avoid this increase. The surcharge is based on the starting time of the trip when a customer enters the fare gate at a Metrorail station.

As an example:
Rockville to Metro Center during Peak Times will go from $5.00 to $5.20

Senior citizens and people with disabilities who pay their fare with a Reduced Fare SmarTrip® card or a Senior SmarTrip® Card will be charged a 10-cent surcharge during the same peak travel periods.

Metro explains:

The surcharge will generate vital funding, and it will encourage customers who have the flexibility to ride during less crowded times, alleviating congestion during the peak periods.

You might be able to save money and get a seat if you avoid the peak commuter times.

Increased Fares For Paper Cards

Although Metro is touting a 25-cent discount for using a SmarTrip® card instead of a paper fare card, when I used the Trip Planner the result indicated the fare will remain the same for Smar Trip® card users. The price will actually be 25-cents higher if you use a paper card starting on August 1st

As an example:
Rockville to Metro Center off peak hours is $2.75 now and will be $3.00 on August 1st unless you use a Smar Trip® card which will keep it at $2.75.

Lower Price for SmarTrip® Cards

What if you want to take advantage of the lower price? Right now you can purchase a SmarTrip® card for $5.00. But if you wait until August 29th, the price will be lowered by 50% to $2.50. Metro says they are doing this to help customers to take advantage of the SmarTrip® discount. If they REALLY wanted to help, they’d start selling them for $2.50 on August 1st when the fares go up. But I guess we should be grateful since this is the first time Metro will reduce the price of the cards since SmarTrip® was introduced in 1999.

Increase in Price for 3 Passes

The cost of three Metrorail passes will increase on August 1st. The Weekly Short Trip Pass will be $32.35, the Weekly Fast Pass will be $47, and the Transit Link Card for MARC and VRE riders will be $102.

If you want to check, Metro has updated the Trip Planner feature on its web site to allow customers to find the cost of their future trips. Enter your trip information with a date after August 1 to find out how much you will be paying. I didn’t find any discounts off current fares, but let me know if you do.

Speaking of the Rockville Metro, does anyone know why the trees lining the sidewalks to the east entrance of the station were removed? A reader has asked and we can’ t find the answer. Now we’re curious!

POTD: Toppled

One of many, many trees that toppled on Sunday afternoon.

Rockville Power Outage Roundup (Wednesday Afternoon): Most Things Reopened

Untangling the mess

Things are slowly getting back to normal here in Rockville, as Pepco works to bring power back to those who lost it, and businesses, community organizations, and others work to get things moving again. Here is the latest status, as of Wednesday afternoon about 4:30:

Power: 23,710 Pepco customers still have no power in Montgomery County (we do not have Rockville-only numbers). Keep reporting power outages at 877-737-2662. By now, Pepco has finished its assessments and should be able to give you an estimated time of restoration. They have 400 crews at work.

As Pepco restores power in areas, downed wires that were previously dead may become live. See here for a dramatic story about that. Use extreme caution around any downed power line.

Rockville summer camps and most facilities are open. The Swim Center is operating as usual, as is the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. Facilities at Rockville Civic Center Park, including Glenview Mansion and Croydon Creek Nature Center are still closed.

Recycling, refuse and yard waste are being collected as scheduled. Crews will also collect branches that have been dragged to the curb.

Ride On bus is operating on a normal schedule. Check here for more information.

Montgomery College still has a few outages. All NIGHT classes in these buildings are canceled tonight: Music, Physical Education, Counseling and Advising, Art, the Performing Arts Center, and the Annex.

Julius West Middle School is the only public school in Rockville without power. No word yet on whether it has been restored. Check this MCPS page for the latest.

All Rockville libraries are open.

Activities At Julius West Canceled Wednesday

Montgomery County Public Schools has announced that a handful of schools remain without power after Sunday’s storm. Rockville’s Julius West Middle School is on the list.

This means: “Activities for Wednesday, July 28, are canceled at ten Montgomery County Public Schools facilities that remain without power. This includes summer schools, camps, recreation programs and summer meals.”

POTD: Homeless

This poor little thing was a casualty of Sunday afternoon’s storm. There’s a homeless bird family out there now.

Carl Henn Passes Away After Lightning Strike [Updated]

Carl Henn

[Updated; see end for description.] [Go here for a recap of Carl's memorial.]

Rockville has lost a good friend, a tireless advocate, and an important voice.

Carl Henn passed away today at the Washington Hospital Center after injuries sustained during Sunday’s extreme storm.

Carl was apparently struck by lightning while participating in the King Farm Garden Club.

According to one account, when the storm hit, garden club participants ran to cars for shelter. When they emerged, they found Carl lying unconscious, apparently a victim of lightning though no one had seen the strike. After CPR and initial calls to 911 were unsuccessful, local residents took him to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in a sport utility vehicle. From there, he was flown to the intensive care unit at the Washington Hospital Center.

Carl lived in Rockville for more than 20 years. He was a frequent contributor to Rockville Central (many of his articles stimulated record-breaking comment trails) and ran for Rockville city council in the last two election cycles and in 2001. He was known, among other things, as an advocate for eco-friendly sustainable living and for increasing locally-based community life. He was a key driver behind Rockville’s community gardens.

Carl is survived by his wife Carol and daughters Jessica and Allison.

When we have information about a memorial service, we will pass it on.

Please hold his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Farewell, Carl.

P.S. One of my favorite memories of Carl is the wonderful energy he brought to his City Council races. That sense is captured very well in this video he made for his 2007 run, which but for a handful of votes would have been successful:

[Updated: Added clarification that Carl ran three times for city council -- 2001, 2007, and 2009. Added language to make clear that lightning strike was not seen.]

Power Line Causes A Blazing Street Fire

When the power line was knocked down by a tree last Sunday on West Argyle Street, the road surface burned 10 feet into the air. After the power went off, the line dangled in the middle of the road. Although yellow tape had been placed around the hazard, it was eventually removed. Cars were making their way down the street.

Last night at 12:28 AM, Pepco restored power to the street, including the downed power line. The fire started all over again. Flames shot into the air. The asphalt turned to liquid. The cement curb even burned. Firefighters watched until the power could be turned off but the street continued to burn for a while.

Fortunately, no one was near the line when the power surged back on. Because someone had removed the caution tape, anyone could have been in the area. Even if it seems like a downed line has no power, use caution. At any moment, electricity could fling the live wire around and electrocute anyone in the vicinity.

Unfortunately, Pepco flipped the switch on a much larger area and several hundred homes along Monroe, Blandford, West Lynfield, and Cabin John were thrown into the dark in order to stop the fire. This example illustrates the enormity of the problems Pepco is facing while trying to return power to all 240,000 customers who were originally left in the dark by the storm. One power line with a problem on a side street reverses progress to hundreds of locations.

The power line is still on fire 12 hours later.

As the power outage continues, the temptation is to return to our usual routines. But if a power line dangles, make sure everyone knows and keep the area blocked off to traffic.

I had no idea a road could burn. With the windows open the foul-smelling smoke was horrendous to breathe all night.