Inc. Names Standard Solar In Top 500

Inc. magazine ranked Standard Solar 73rd on their Top 500 Fastest Growing Companies in America list. Located in Rockville, it’s the highest ranking renewable energy company to make the list. Standard Solar has had exponential growth as they develop and install solar electric systems for commercial, government and residential customers.

Inc. editor Jane Berentson states:

The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times.

The company founder, Neville Williams, brought solar electricity to more than a half million people in 11 countries in Asia and Africa during the 1990’s with his company Solar Electric Light Fund. He realized that if poor people in developing countries could buy solar to light their homes, middle-income Americans should be able to do so too. He founded and named his company Standard Solar because he believed solar was going to replace oil one day.

During 2008, Standard Solar was selected to design and install what was then the largest solar electric system between New Jersey and Florida: a 205 kW array atop the U.S. Department of Energy Forrestal Building in DC. They will soon be installing more than 2,000 solar panels at the University of Delaware. They’ve also expanded and added a new division, Standard Energy Solutions, to provide energy auditing.

On Earth Day of this year, Standard Solar did a video from the top of the Rockville Ice Arena. The system is projected to meet about 30% of the Arena’s annual electricity needs and will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2)-equivalent emissions by about 757 tons each year.

Standard Solar describes the solar energy tax incentives for Montgomery County on their website.

Congratulations to Standard Solar!

USA Today Reports Rockville Housing Sales Plunged

In Close to Home: Federal jobs help stability in Rockville, MD, USA Today reporter Christine Dugas describes government jobs as providing a buffer for Rockville’s real estate market, but then she reveals “home sales have recently plunged”.

Buyers rushed to purchase homes before the federal tax credit expired mid-year, but now sales have plummeted 22%.

The article touches on tighter spending, foreclosures, and the local economy. King Farm gets a shout out as a “Hot ‘hood” which is popular and has now become more affordable. The most expensive house on the real estate market, listed at $1.9 million, is certainly above the median price point.

Although we prefer for Rockville to make national news with good news, the tables illustrate Rockville’s downturn is not as bad as the national average.

POTD: Look Out For That Tree

As you might have guessed, I spent some time this weekend at Glenview Mansion in Civic Center Park. It is one of my favorite spots in Rockville. I happen to love this tree on the front lawn of the mansion.

Code Red Issued For DC Region On Tuesday

The Metropolitan Council of Governments has issued a Code Red for Air Quality for Tuesday, August 31, 2010, which means the air will be unhealthy for everyone.

We all should limit strenuous outdoor activity.

Other suggestions from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection include:

• Carpool, telecommute, or take mass transit to work
• Limit driving and combine errands
• Refuel after dark
• Avoid using gasoline-powered lawn equipment, including mowers
• Wait for a cooler day to use oil-based paints or switch to non-solvent or low VOC-based paints
• Avoid using aerosols and household products that contain solvents
• Avoid mid-day driving
• Conserve energy at home and work to reduce power demand.

There is one category worse than Red and that’s Purple which is “Very Unhealthy” for everyone.

We’ve detailed long-term actions in a previous post, What You Can Do About Poor Air Quality Days.

The County’s Department of Environmental Protection describes the problem and what our local government is doing to correct it:

As part of the region’s Air Quality Action Day program, Montgomery County takes voluntary actions to reduce its emissions of smog-forming chemicals, including ozone, and particulate matter. These voluntary actions include refueling County vehicles after dusk and curtailing median strip spraying, mowing and most asphalt paving.

Ozone is a major element of urban smog, and its presence can limit one’s ability to take a deep breath, or cause coughing, throat irritation, and breathing discomfort. There is also evidence that ozone can lower resistance to respiratory disease (such as pneumonia), damage lung tissue, and aggravate chronic lung disease (such as bronchitis). Children and those with pre-existing lung problems (such as asthma) are sensitive to the health effects of ozone. Even healthy adults involved in moderate or strenuous outdoor activities can experience the unhealthy effects of ozone.

Another air pollutant of concern in the Washington Metropolitan area is particulate matter. Particles in the air can cause or aggravate a number of health problems and have been linked with illnesses and deaths from heart or lung disease. At highest risk from particle pollution are people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children whose lungs are still developing, and adults and children who are active outdoors. Particles of concern include both very small, “fine” particles (that can only be seen through an electron microscope) and somewhat larger “coarse” dust particles. Fine particles have been more definitively linked to the most serious health problems.

Unhealthy levels of ground level ozone occur in the summer as intense sunlight interacts with oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) volatile organic compounds. Ozone forming pollutants originate from vehicles, lawn-mowers and boats; emissions from power plants and other fuel burning equipment; and vapors from gasoline, paints and industrial processes. Particulate matter can either be directly emitted into the air or formed in the atmosphere by reactions of fuel combustion gases. Any measures taken to reduce ozone forming emissions will also reduce particulate matter.

Vehicles account for 30 to 40 percent of the pollutants that cause ozone in the Baltimore/Washington area and every summer day, gas-powered lawn and garden equipment release more than 100 times the VOC’s of a typical large industrial plant. For every person who postpones lawn mowing on Air Quality Action Days, potential VOC reductions equal the amount generated by a car driving from Montgomery County to Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Washington region is in violation of Federal air quality standards established under the Clean Air Act for ozone. In addition to concerns about public health effects caused by poor air quality, the region could also lose federal funds for highway projects if Federal standards are not met. This could ultimately lead to even worse levels of congestion and air quality.

The region has successfully lowered overall pollution and reduced the number of Code Red days each summer. However, adding to the region’s challenge, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recognizing the serious health impacts from ozone and particulate matter, established tougher air quality standards. While an air quality forecast of Code Red historically indicated poor air quality that did not meet Federal health based standards, now a Code Red air quality forecast indicates air quality that fails to meet the strengthened Federal standards.

You can sign up for health alerts at Clean Air Partners to stay informed.

Uncorked Grows Into A Signature Event

DiVine mesmerized the crowd at Rockville’s Uncorked Wine and Music Festival on Saturday. This vine-covered performer characterized the uniqueness and growth of the event as she walked along the streets then blended into the scene. A few years ago the music festival was much smaller in scope and not as well-attended. The Town Square was new with saplings along the streets. Now the trees and the festival have grown so that a large green performer on stilts easily disappeared in the crowded street setting.

Locals didn’t want to miss Uncorked, especially when they spied clusters of grape-shaped balloons decorating the streets. People also came from around the beltway to taste the Maryland wines, often comparing them to Virginia’s reserve. Although there might be Maryland wine festivals in other parts of the state, this is the only one in the DC area.

Intent on discovering a favorite Maryland wine at the Festival, I brought together a small band of tasters, both friends and strangers. One of our participants recently moved to College Park from Seattle and decided to go to Uncorked after interviewing for a job in Rockville and seeing the banners. As the gang made their way through the selections from the wineries, people learned of our mission and would make recommendations. Everyone preferred dry reds, so the group searched for the best red wine. Maryland wines are often fruity and white, but the group wanted to know how Maryland’s contributions compare to the wines they usually consumed.

Although the decision was close and the tasters couldn’t try all of the wines offered, the group decided the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Boordy Vineyards was best. The Cabernet was smooth, refined, and more complex than other selections. Established in 1945, Boordy is Maryland’s oldest family-run winery. Located on a 230-acre farm in the Baltimore countryside, the winery specializes in oak-aged cabernets and it shows. Elk Run’s Merlot and Basignani’s Lorenzino Reserve were also favorites.

This year, the City of Rockville ordered 3,000 wine glasses, up from last year’s 2,000. The supply ran out around 4 PM when the event was still crowded and going strong. At the time, Superland was performing their new-era funk on the main Plaza stage. A sure sign of a good show, the crowd grew during their performance as more and more people were drawn to their “raucous horn section”. The headliner stage showcased the best of our area’s local talent and I’ve been told Bill Kirchen’s “rockabilly rave-up” was amazing when he took the stage at noon.

The Wine and Music Festival is a rare opportunity to introduce our local music talent and vineyards to a broader audience. Terrapin Station Winery tweeted “Rockville Uncorked is in the bag and what a day! This is our third year, and we thought we could predict the wine we needed but we sold out of three wines today.” If Terrapin Station is any indication, the outcome was prosperous for all.

Colleen McQuitty, Rockville’s special event manager, had many people tell her how much they enjoyed the local musicians and Maryland wines. She described it as “A good crowd having a good time.”

As Ernest Hemingway said “ Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.” Uncorked certainly is our proof.

Appeals Court Overturns Beall’s Grant II Use Permit [UPDATED]

On Wednesday, the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland reversed an earlier circuit court ruling that had upheld the City of Rockville Planning Commission’s August 29, 2008 granting of a use permit for the Beall’s Grant II affordable housing development to Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc., the developers of the property. The project is essentially stopped. [UPDATE: Corrected date. Thank you Larry Giammo for pointing this out.]

In an unambiguous decision in John Anselmo, et al. v. Mayor and City Council Rockville, et al. (pdf link), the Court held that the City had not properly followed the requirements of its own Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) and Adequate Public Facilities Standards (APFS).

Beall's Grant II Use Permit Revoked

Specifically, the Court found that City staff had relied exclusively on school capacity and enrollment figures from Montgomery County Public Schools, but that the APFO required it to take into account other data and do further analysis. Just relying on MCPS data made it appear that the development would not cause enough crowding in Beall Elementary to stop the project. Taking into account the further data pushed the enrollment number over the threshold. “[The staff report in this case," reads the decision, "on the issue of the proposed development on Beall Elementary School, particularly school demand, is wholly deficient and relied upon an incorrect standard."

This resulted in the Planning Commission issuing a decision (granting the use permit) that the Court found flawed. "[T]he Planning Commission simply incorporated the Staff’s inadequate ‘findings’ by reference, and made no independent assessment on the record of the Staff’s analysis,” according to the Court.

In its arguments, the City had evidently contended that it was unreasonable to take those further steps, but the Court decided that, “Although the [City] may very well be correct that it makes little or no common sense to follow the plain language of the APFS and perform the required analysis . . . we did not write the City’s ordinance. . . . [T]he methodology used by the Planning Commission in this case contravenes the express language of the APFO and the APFS enacted by the City. For this reason alone, the decision must be reversed.”

This was not the only issue with which the Court found fault, but it was pivotal. Read the full decision here (pdf) to get a sense of the full context.

Reactions

Former mayor Larry Giammo, one of the plaintiffs and the author of the original APFO, said:

While I am pleased with the outcome of the case, it is extremely disappointing that for the last two years the city government refused to entertain the possibility that they made a serious mistake, despite repeated attempts by me, John Hall and others to highlight the problem.

The cost to the community as a result of the city government’s incapability and arrogance is significant. Consider the tens of thousands of dollars of legal costs incurred by both the appellants and the city government, MHP’s considerable costs to develop and modify its plans several times, the hundreds of hours of time put in by community members at neighborhood meetings and in negotiating with MHP, the discord in the community across the last two years — all of this would have been avoided had the city government simply applied the law correctly from the outset.

Most concerning for me is the city government’s attitude and lack of commitment to follow its own laws. Ultimately, a city government that cares not whether it follows its own law cannot stand.

Councilmember Mark Pierzchala said:

The Appeals Court gave a no-nonsense, clear victory to the appellants. It sends a strong message to the City about how it should be applying its own laws. It is unfortunate that the compromise Bealls Grant II plan, that was arrived at with great effort by the neighborhood and MHP, can no longer go forward, all because of a projected handful of children.

The decision puts the school capacity issue back into the hands of Mayor and Council. For example, that elected body can decide whether to revise the APFO and/or the APFS (the ordinance and/or the numeric standards). In my opinion, we should anyway take a formal vote on whether to re-open the APFO/APFS, not for the Bealls Grant II issue in particular, but on broad policy grounds for the City as a whole. But given current school crowding, I doubt that any change Mayor and Council would make would materially affect the prospects for this project.

I find it valuable that this went to court. The decision has a clarity to it for City Staff, the Planning Commission, and Mayor and Council itself, that never would have come about otherwise.

Finally, the original (larger) plan had one flaw in it in my estimation. It was too big especially its massing. The compromise took it down, considerably improved its look, and improved the parking access. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the project was intended for law-abiding people who work. The residents would have added to the neighborhood and the building would have provided low-wage earners with badly needed housing.

I’m wondering what MHP will do now that the property is useless to their mission. Sell it? The zoning ordinance does allow a large building to go there.

Councilmember Piotr Gajewski said:

The question that the Council will need to grapple with is whether we are satisfied with a law that has the net effect of putting an indefinite moratorium on building family housing in much of Rockville. This, especially in the context where neither the City, nor the owners of developable property (in this one case, the charity: Montgomery Housing Partnership), have any way to cure the moratorium, as neither has any direct influence on Montgomery County Public Schools, school construction.

I urge Rockville residents to get in touch with me at [email protected] and express their views on this issue. I am sure this will also be a hot discussion topic at my next quarterly Townhall Meeting, soon to be scheduled for November.

Prospects For The Future

In order to move forward, the project would need to go before the Planning Commission again, and the Commission would need to perform the analysis required by the APFO and APFS in the way it is specified. While a petition for review is possible, that review would be at the discretion of the Court.

As Councilmember Pierzchala points out, it is unclear what MHP will want to do with its property.

As Councilmember Pierzchala and Gajewski’s comments illustrate, the Court’s ruling raises the question in some people’s minds as to whether the APFO needs to be revisited. In fact, the Court raises this explicitly in a footnote:

“The City is free to re-write its APFO . . ., should it so desire, to better reflect its policy goals regarding the impact of the development on the public schools. We, however, cannot re-write a municipal ordinance simply because the City would prefer a different outcome in this or some other case.”

Such a move to revisit the APFO is likely to face opposition. In an email sent to the Stop Beall’s Grant II group, the leaders of that organization wrote: “With the ink barely dry on this Appeals Court ruling, some members of the City Council and City Staff are already scheming to rewrite the APFO to circumvent the school limits. In the meantime, all the dire predictions the citizens warned about Beall Elementary School have come true and worse. . . . Few City officials seem to care. Why would anyone with an interest in serving the citizens of Rockville seek to weaken the APFO now?”

MCPS Back To School Fair Draws The Largest Crowd Yet, Weast Thanks ABC7/TBD

Families started to line up for free backpacks of school supplies at the Carver Educational Services Center at 8 AM on Saturday. The Third Annual Back-to-School Fair wasn’t scheduled to open until 11 AM. By 2PM all 5,000 backpacks had been distributed to kids who needed them to get their school year off to the right start.

The City of Rockville booth

The white tents spread across the entire parking lot to accommodate over 10,000 visitors to the Fair, up from 8,000 last year. Booths had information on recreation programs and resources available in the County. Kaiser Permanente provided health information. Nutrition was an important theme. A human-sized bunch of grapes and a banana traversed around the crowd. Kids jumped in the moonbounce, ate Carmen’s Italian Ice, and talked to a robot. Throughout the day, the main stage was jumping. The organizers understood that kids like to move. The Washington Talent Agency kept the crowd upbeat and dancing.

Dancing to the beat

During the Corporate Sponsor Recognition, School Superintendant Jerry Weast emphasized the importance of the sponsors and volunteers who make the event possible. The total sponsor amount has grown from $80,000 to $200,000 in three years. Representatives from all the corporations, organizations, and schools received awards of appreciation from Dr. Weast and Eric Davis, the director of Family-Community Partnerships which organized the event.

Jerry Weast, Eric Davis and Leon Harris

From the beginning, ABC7/TBD have been the main sponsor of the Back to School Fair. ABC7 Nightly News anchorman, Leon Harris, accepted the award then stayed to talk with his fans and sign autographs. As a MCPS parent, he’s always willing to help out.

In case you missed it, News Channel 8 is now TBDTV. TBD.com is the place for all local news in the DC region. In addition to producing their own stories and linking to other news outlets, the site networked 130 blogs together including Rockville Central. Therefore I was on hand to help distribute t-shirts and answer questions. If you haven’t yet, visit TBD.com and put in your zip code for your local community news. Try it on your phone too. The apps are a terrific way to stay connected when you’re on the go.

Leon Harris and Cindy Cotte Griffiths

POTD: Desert

This looks like the kind of scene I remember from when I lived in Southern California, where the landscape is all dry and hot. But it’s just on the grounds of Civic Center Park!

The Week That Was: Aug. 23-29

Here are the top stories this week in Rockville Central, in case you missed anything. This feature appears every Sunday.

This isn’t every story! Make sure you check in regularly so you don’t miss out.

News:

Early Voting Starts Next Week In Montgomery County: You can vote at some polling locations before Election Day.

Bridge To Lakewood Elementary Opened: It’s easy to cross Wootton Parkway again.

Carmen’s New Truck Welcomes The New School Year: Our favorite Italian ice shop has a spanking new truck.

MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast Announces Retirement: Calls it quits after 11 full years.

Ambulance Fee Repeal Not On The Ballot: Montgomery County group seeking to defeat ambulance fee fails to submit enough valid signatures for ballot.

From Our Readers:

Contributor Opinion By Scott Maravilla: Cheryl Kagan Is Our Future: King Farm resident Scott Maravilla says: “Cheryl Kagan . . . represents the aspirations of a mid-Montgomery County region that’s growing and changing.”

Contributor Opinion by Aileen Klein: Montgomery County Public Library Cuts: Detail on drastic cuts to Montgomery County libraries.

Events:

Weekend to Weekend Pick: Scandalous White Affair: Your last chance to wear white . . . on the Rockville Rooftop on Tuesday 8/31!

Looking Back at the Montgomery County Fair: Scenes from one of our favorite annual events.

Don’t want to miss a word of Rockville Central? We don’t blame you. Subscribe to our free daily email for recaps of every story, every day. Just one email per day into your Inbox.

Bridge To Lakewood Elementary Opened

Just in a nick of time before school starts, the pedestrian bridge which connects Glenmore Terrace and Lakewood Elementary School over Wootton Parkway has passed inspection and is now open.

As we reported previously, the bridge was closed February 3rd then removed on July 15th after an inspection questioned the bridge’s structural integrity. The replacement bridge was installed August 25th.

The City of Rockville reports that work will continue into the early fall on the Americans with Disability (ADA) compliant approach to the bridge from Glenmore Terrace. Pedestrians will be able to safely travel across the bridge at all times during this continued construction.

Montgomery County Humane Society Seeks Board Members

Montgomery County Humane Society seeks board members

The Montgomery County Humane Society is looking for board members for the 2011-2013 term.

MCHS has served the community since 1958, working to create a community that supports animals and their value to human well-being, addresses animal mistreatment and overpopulation, and reduces reliance on institutional sheltering through responsible alternatives. MCHS handled more than 9,000 animals in 2009.

If you are interested in serving, you should submit a letter of application and resume to MCHS by Friday, September 24, 2010. Experience in strategic fundraising, capital campaigns, finance, law, and governance preferred. Plus, you need to be a MCHS member in good standing.

To apply or for more information, contact Stephanie Keyes, 14645 Rothgeb Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 or [email protected] or 240-773-5973.

Fewer Washington Area Commuters Are Driving Alone

According to the Commuter Connections program sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), a higher percentage of people in the Washington metro area are either taking public transportation to work or teleworking.

In the past ten years, the number of workers in the region driving alone to work has declined from 70% to 64%, while those who use transit one day a week has risen from 17% to 21%, and those who telework at least one day a week went from 3% to 6%.

The economy might have something to do with it since 18% of the people who started using alternative modes of transportation did so to save money.

Over 600,000 people describe themselves as teleworkers, which is more than twice the number from 2001. Another 500,000 “could and would” telework if given the opportunity, so the trend is likely to continue upward during the next decade.

A quarter of those surveyed said their commute was more difficult now than it was a year ago. 59% gave the reason as a more congested route.

Everyone is being asked to give an alternative method of transportation a try. Join Car Free Day on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. Montgomery County Commuter Services wants us all to join this worldwide movement to celebrate sustainable transportation so walk, bike, bus, rail, or telework.

As the City Staff reported in the Strategic Scan 2010, the majority of Rockville residents are close to public transportation so we can do it. Almost all of us are within a half mile of a bus or rail stop. We already do a slightly better job of using alternative means to work with 62% driving alone in a car, so plan to give Car Free Day a try.

Watch For Mangy Coyotes

Look Out For Mangy Coyotes Like This One (photo Natasha Tynes)

That headline may sound like it should be spoken by Foghorn Leghorn or Elmer Fudd, but it’s for real.

This morning Rockville Central friend Natasha Tynes spotted a coyote near a neighborhood park and snapped a photo. Her husband, Jeff, followed up with a note to his Twinbrook Neighbors:

The wife spotted a coyote this morning in our back yard. . . . It appears, from her photos, to have mange; it is almost hairless. This could be a public safety issue, as mange and it’s condition might mean greater contact with we the people - and it might be nearing death (very bony).

In addition, we are fairly certain it’s been stalking our kitties for a few weeks. We could smell the urine around, saw some scat on our driveway, and the male kitty was acting very nervous. He could smell the coyote when he came out where it’d been around our bushes. Our cats only go outside with our unadulterated supervision. But we are keeping them in now, much to their chagrin.

Coyotes, as we understand it, track animals for a few weeks, learning their paths, then lay in wait. They may remain around the area for months waiting for the chance to grab one.

Keep your kitties and small pets inside if around Tweed Park, and if he’s hungry, coyotes can be very mobile; he could definitely cross Veirs Mill.

We’ve reported him to the city, although they didn’t seem that interested. But as he’s a mangy sucker, he might be more of note than they seemed to believe.

PS: Here’s the City’s “living with coyotes” page.

POTD: Trinity

I was at Carmen’s the other day and saw these lonely chairs, and the scene just struck me a certain way.

Carmen’s New Truck Welcomes The New School Year

Last night when my family went to Carmen’s Italian Ice for a lazy summer evening treat, the parking lot in Woodley Gardens was packed. We’d never seen it so full. Turns out, Carmen’s took delivery on their brand new truck and owner Jason Mandler was sharing his enthusiasm with the community by giving away free custard.

The Chevy truck was outfitted in England with many special features including these cones on the front which light up. The vehicle had finally made it through customs and passed the restaurant health inspection so everyone at Carmen’s felt like celebrating. We certainly appreciate Carmen’s ongoing generosity to the community.

Today the truck was put into service for the very first time at Ritchie Park Elementary’s Sneak Peek. Students turned out to meet their teachers, find their friends, and tour their classrooms, which now include five portables. Unfortunately, three of them were put on the only remaining blacktop for basketball and foursquare.

This didn’t stop the kids from enjoying giant blowup games, a moon bounce, Potomac Pizza and Carmen’s. Parents could buy newly-designed t-shirts, join the PTA, sign up for International Night, and donate to the school supply drive. Summer really will be over next week.

How have other schools welcomed the new year? What changes are you seeing at your schools?