Death Ray Unveiled!

The high winds over the weekend toppled the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse and tore the tarp off the District Courthouse in Rockville.

Early Saturday morning, the winds ripped the $30,000 tarp into pieces. Only one small triangle remained hanging on an upper corner of the building by noon.

Have you found any large white pieces of tarp? Most likely it blew east! One piece was littered the entryway of Rockville City Hall. I didn’t hear of any accidents or destruction from the demise of the tarp. Perhaps large pieces are scattered around town and people don’t know their origin.

As we reported, the Department of General Services of the State of Maryland installed the tarp on Saturday, January 22, 2011 as a temporary measure until a real solution could be found for the high intensity reflection which was destroying surrounding vegetation and melting sections of parked cars.

During the winter, the ray has not been too hot. However, summer is another matter. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you should. The intensity is pretty amazing.

Will the State pay for another tarp which could easily be destroyed again? Have they found a solution to the problem? Since the six-story curtain was purchased, they must not have devised a quick fix.

Another death ray exists in Las Vegas. A high-tech film to cover the windows of the Vdara Hotel was not completely effective last September. Since that death ray was burning people and scorching their hair at the pool below, they added more umbrellas!

We would need a pretty big umbrella on Vinson Street!

What You Need To Know About Presidents Day

This Monday, February 21, 2011, our Country will observe Presidents Day. Traffic reports were light this morning so many people might have already left town especially since it’s going to be a beautiful weekend. But if you are here on Monday, here’s what you need to know.

All of the following will be closed:

Rockville City Hall
Rockville Civic Center Park offices, including Glenview Mansion and Glenview Mansion Art Gallery
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre and Box Office
Rockville Senior Center
Montgomery County Offices
Montgomery County Libraries
Montgomery County liquor stores
MCPS Administrative Offices
State offices
State courts

Believe it our not, you can still get rid of your trash on Monday. The City of Rockville’s recycling and refuse will be collected as scheduled. Also the Transfer Station will open.

If you want to get out and shop or socialize, parking fees at meters and the three City-owned garages in Town Square will be suspended. Parking at Montgomery County public garages, lots, curbside meters will also be free.

These fun Rockville facilities will be open as follows:
Thomas Farm Community Center will open 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m
Lincoln Park Community Center will open 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Twinbrook Community Recreation Center will open 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Croydon Creek Nature Center will open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (opening for the holiday).
RedGate Municipal Golf Course will open, weather permitting.
Rockville Swim and Fitness Center will open 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

Public Transportation:
Ride On – special modified holiday schedule
Metrobus – Saturday schedule with supplemental service
Metrorail – Saturday schedule (5 a.m. to midnight)
TRiPS Commuter Stores (Silver Spring and Friendship Heights) – closed

In honor of the holiday, maybe we can all learn one thing about a President. Seems like we should observe the holiday in some fashion!

How Much Should The Mayor And Council Be Paid?

Currently, the annual monetary compensation for the Mayor is $25,750 while Councilmembers receive $20,600. Every two years the Compensation Commission meets to recommend changes to the Mayor and Council’s compensation and they would like to hear from you.

The Compensation Commission met on January 31, 2011 and discussed its mission of recommending possible changes to the salaries of the mayor and council members. But before making a recommendation, the Commission wants to hear residents’ opinions on various aspects of compensating the Mayor and Council including:

• how the Mayor and Council compensation should be determined
• the frequency of Mayor and Council compensation
• who should determine the compensation of the Mayor and Council members
• other matters related in general to the compensation of the Mayor and Council members.

The current Compensation Commission will be making decisions for the Calendar Year 2012 (which includes the tail end of FY 2012) and Calendar Year 2013 (FY 2013 and FY 2014).

When asked about how the decision was made in the past and how people could be involved, Compensation Commission Chairman Tom Moore explained:

Two years ago when the Commission last met, we came to consensus that the mayor and councilmembers’ stipends stood at an appropriate level. We recommended that in future years they increase by the positive change, if any, in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area CPI for urban consumers, a formula that many neighboring jurisdictions use. We think we’ve arrived at a pretty good method of keeping our officeholders’ compensation current, but we want to hear from anyone who thinks otherwise, or who has questions or comments about our process or results.

The Mayor and Council can decline the recommendation, or part of the recommendation, when the Commission makes its report. They can also decline to fund raises at budget time even though they previously approved the salary increases.

In 2009, the Commission suggested the salaries could be raised for FY 2010, and a bit more in the future. The Mayor and Council turned down the 2010 raise, but approved the raises for the following years. During the FY11 budget process, they declined to fund that year’s salary increases.

The next meetings of the Compensation Commission will be on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7 PM and Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 9 AM at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public and you can comment during the meetings.

Residents who would like to submit written comments can email the City Clerk:
[email protected] or by mail to the City Clerk’s Office, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850. Written comments will be accepted until 5 PM on Monday, March 7.

Would you like to be on the Compensation Commission?

One more commissioner is still needed to join Tom Moore, James Coyle, Steve Edwards, and Jim Marrinan, since five members are expected to serve on this appointed panel.

Residents who would like to apply for the open position on the commission can write to the Mayor and Council, c/o City Clerk, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850, or call the City Clerk’s Office at 240-314-8281 for information or to fill out and submit an Expression of Interest form. Forms are available online.

Redgate Management, School Portables and Business Relations At The Mayor And Council Meeting 2/17/11

The Mayor and Council Meeting was officially over at 9:54 PM last night which is actually very early. Here are some highlights to keep you informed.

Socially-Responsible Investments

At the request of the Human Rights Commission, the City will be pursuing more socially responsible investments. HRC asked the City to look into a divestment policy pertaining to Sudan. City Manager Scout Ullery reported that staff reviewed State law and County ordinances but they only address actively-managed accounts which does not present an issue for the City. The Retirement Board will consider the issue at their February 18th meeting and come forward with recommendation.

The Rockville Chamber of Commerce gave a quick update including:

• Rockville Rewards Card has over 70 businesses participating for weekly and daily specials to help 15 nonprofits in the City. You can still purchase one.
• Sign Ordinance met with City Staff about recommendations for changes, gathering comments from members and working with Sign Review Committee.
• They have already started to plan the Taste of Rockville for Hometown Holidays.

Compensation Commission

Former Mayor James Coyle was reappointment as member until 2014 and Tom Moore was appointed as Chair until 2012. Congratulations to them both!

Guess What? We Need More Salt!

I’m sure it is not a surprise but all the ice means we’re using a lot of salt this year. The Mayor and Council approved a purchase up to $86,500 from the Eastern Salt Company, Inc. under a cooperative contract with Montgomery County. International Salt was unable to respond quickly enough to help meet the demand which would have been within the City Manager’s approval authority. It’s been that kind of winter.

Portable Classrooms Policy With MCPS

The City Manager asked the Mayor and Council to approve the policy on the placement of portables by Montgomery County Public Schools so it can be finalized. The policy was sent to MCPS and James Song, Director of Department of Facilities Management, commented.

The three points made by Mr. Song were:

1. MCPS doesn’t want to produce traffic reports for more than six portables so traffic reports would not be required no matter how many portables are added.
2. MCPS needed clarification of what the term “significant trees” meant.
3. MCPS emphasized that they can, through the mandatory referral process, chose not to comply with any part of the zoning ordinance.

During the discussion, Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio seemed dismayed that Mr. Song believed it would be premature to drop the proposed State bill MC11-11 even though MCPS and the City have been positively working together on a process for the placement of portable classrooms in the City limits.

The Staff recommended adjusting the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) in respect to the fire response standard and move forward to develop an agreement for new school construction, additions and remodeling.

The Mayor and Council unanimously agreed to direct the City Staff to proceed as requested by Mr. Ullery.

Hopefully MCPS officials and City staff will continue to develop a better working relationship as we go forward with all the projects necessary to alleviate our school overcrowding.

Community—Business Communication

Councilmember John Britton encouraged ongoing communication through an annual gathering or summit. REDI and the Chamber have agreed to participate in a forum to discuss ideas and he hopes at least 150 people representing a cross-section of the community would participate. About 15 years ago, the City had a half-day business summit and this is an idea to “come around again”.

The Mayor and Council directed the City Staff to identify the core planners, which should not just be Staff but also REDI, Chamber, and Councilmember Britton to begin planning the event. Staff will return to the Mayor and Council with a proposed plan for the Summit in order to secure feedback and support before implementation.

Redgate Golf Course

With two motions, the Mayor and Council voted to keep all their options open, which means they did not make a decision as to the exact course of action involving the management of the Redgate Golf Course.

The NGF recommendation was to outsource the golf course operation, which is the prevalent type of arrangement in the golf industry at this time and this is estimated to be approximately $120,000 per year.

The motion eventually passed by the Mayor and Council was made by Councilmember Bridget Newton and it followed the staff’s recommendation and contract with NGF for consulting services to development an RFP. The RFP will include a management services option but it also included an option to lease the Redgate Golf Course which was not supported by NGF. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Britton and passed unanimously. The fee to the NGF to develop the RFP would be approximately $6,000.

Councilmember Newton also made a motion to engage NGF for advice on establishing a new director of golf staff position, which was seconded by Councilmember Britton. The motion passed 3 to 2. Councilmember Mark Pierzchala disagreed because if you go with a management company then you don’t need a director of golf. Councilmember Piotr Gajewski could not support the motion without knowing the cost involved.

With these votes, the Mayor and Council could receive many proposals for outsourcing management, leasing the course, and hiring a new director. A decision still needs to be made.

The next meeting of the Mayor and Council is Monday, February 14, 2011.

Mayor And Council To Consider Business Summit Proposal

Councilmember John Britton

Among other subjects that the Mayor and Council will be taking up at tonight’s meeting, One interesting item will be a proposal put forward by Councilmember John Britton to convene a Rockville Business Summit.

Here’s how Councilmember Britton puts the idea:

To create . . . more cohesion among our business, government, nonprofit and residential sectors, I suggest the convening of a Business Summit attended by elected officials, City staff, members of the business and nonprofit communities writ large, representatives of neighborhood groups and community associations and other residents. The results of such a summit would be determined by the scope of its agenda and breadth of the attendees, and might include, but not be limited to, the institution of regular annual (or more frequent) summits, enhancement of REDI and the Chamber, business and community sponsored town hall meetings, expansion of business and community presentations to elected officials, City staff and other business, nonprofit and residential representatives, or some other mechanism to ensure a consistent exchange and discussion of information. At a minimum, a summit could be an incubator of ideas to improve the relationships among businesses, nonprofits, official Rockville and residents, or a vetting process for business proposals — e.g., signage, streamlined city processes, new business development and code enforcement — before they are presented to the Mayor and Council.

Read the full proposal here.

This is not the only item on tonight’s agenda. The Mayor and Council will decide what to do about the NGF RedGate report, and consider its procedure for approving portable classrooms in the public schools.

Stay tuned for coverage of this subject and more!

Rockville’s “Pike” Dream [UPDATED]

At last month’s community meeting, Gianni Longo, the consultant who worked on the draft Envision Report for Rockville Pike, asked “Do you share with me the feeling that this is an exciting thing?” After showing a picture of Barcelona’s Passeig de Gracia, he emphasized that Rockville could have such a time-tested place. The multi-way boulevard was invented 100 years ago to separate local and through traffic. Such a boulevard would have a “WOW” factor as a special place while keeping Rockville Pike viable and improving mobility.

Looking back, Rockville Pike was two lanes then four, then the Metro came along and you have the traffic-packed Pike of today. The adoption of the Envision Plan concepts along with the implementation of congestion management strategies and partnerships with property owners could lead to quality development over time.

But what does this mean for local businesses? In the short term, not much. This is a plan to be implemented over the next few decades. When the economic situation improves, Mr. Longo insisted “Doing nothing is not an alternative” because traffic on the Pike is at critical volume. One local business owner on Rockville Pike asked me if I’d gone to the unveiling of the Envision Report. She was concerned because the owner of her building said they would redevelop the site in line with the new vision. I’m sure there are many other business owners who are anxious about the process after investing in the infrastructure for their current location.

Others have expressed a fear at losing the special shops and stores on the Pike. Rents will certainly be higher for businesses in new mixed-use developments like Town Center. But change is going to happen and the City wants your opinion on how we should guide it.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, at 7 PM in City Hall, a public meeting will be held by the Planning Commission and there will continue to be many ways to respond about the draft plan.

What on earth is the District Form Code in this Envision Report?

It would regulate building in the Rockville Pike corridor in a new way. The meeting next week will include a presentation on the form code as well as a question-and-answer session. The meeting will be broadcast on Rockville Channel 11 and available on the City’s website after the presentation.

The Form Code is a vision, a way to insure a specific form we want the Pike to take. There is less of a focus on land use and more of a focus on the design of the buildings along each street, so that building facades will be consistent and the buildings will relate to each other. The Code will have all the elements found in a master plan but each will be determined by the type of street.

Where should the Bus Rapid Transitway be located?

During the community meeting, Joel Mann from AECOM explained the bike-transit lane proposal. From curb to curb the Pike would be the same as it is now with added access roads on the sides. The idea is to bring transit as close as possible to the retail. During the question and answer segment, Nancy Breen said the Bike Advisory Committee had discussed the use of a duel bike-bus lane and felt the professional bus drivers would be on a predictable schedule so it could work.

[UPDATED] To our south, the White Flint Sector plan uses contains two transitway options - #1 is side lanes and #2 is a center lane. so the draft Envision Report is not compatible. The City Staff are keeping an eye on the process. Obviously a consistent vision will have to be adopted for this State road before any improvements can be made across jurisdictions.

[UPDATE: The White Flint Partnership hired their own consultants and are advocating for center lanes but Montgomery County's Park and Planning originally had "bus priority lanes" on the sides. Below is a view of the two options in the White Flint Sector Plan.]

Here’s how the White Flint Partnership described the plan on our City’s borders in Center lane BRT is best bet for White Flint-Rockville Pike Corridor :

The White Flint 21st century boulevard concept provides a center lane dedicated transitway separating rapid transit vehicles and their ridership from negative vehicular movements, traffic accidents and needed emergency vehicles at the same time providing pedestrians a safe haven as they cross the Boulevard.

What else is proposed for traffic?

Let’s face it, most people are not going to get out of their cars. The draft Envision Report includes ideas about extending the traffic grid as an alternative to the Pike. An extension along Jefferson Street on the west side is the best possibility in the south section. Connectivity with the Twinbrook Metro would be important since the surrounding area would anchor the development. Smaller main streets would allow parking by businesses with side streets providing access to parking garages.

How can I give the City my opinion?

There are three ways to present testimony to the Planning Commission:

In writing, by letter addressed to the City of Rockville Planning Commission, c/o Long Range Planning, CPDS, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Md., 20850. Please include your name, address and, if applicable, affiliation.

By e-mail to [email protected] Please include your name, address and, if applicable, affiliation.

In person, at the Planning Commission Public Hearing, on Wednesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue.

What kind of Pike do you want in the future? Nows the time to tell our officials.

It’s Curtains For The Death Ray [Updated]

A large white tarp now covers all the south-facing windows on the District Courthouse which is under construction in Rockville. As we know, the sun’s reflection off these windows was creating a “death ray”. The heat from the beam of light actually melted one car’s side view mirror mount. When you stood in it, you could definitely feel the extreme heat even on the coldest days of winter.

The Department of General Services of the State of Maryland installed the tarp on Saturday, January 22, 2011 as a temporary measure until a real solution could be found.

As you can see in this video, workers connected the bottom of the canvas to the building on Sunday. The wind was really blowing and you can barely hear my narration as this six-story covering flapped around.

A call to the Department of General Services regarding the size and cost of the temporary tarp went unanswered yesterday but if we can get any additional information, we’ll update this post. [UPDATE from a report on TBD: Bart Thomas with the Maryland Department of General Services tells TBD that the installation and tarp cost approximately $30,000 and measures 94 feet by 134 feet.]

The kids and I always enjoyed finding the Death Ray and standing in its bright white spot when we were cold so we’ll miss it. However, the ray was causing damage during warmer weather and something needs to be done.

Get Into It: Mayor And Council Recap (Jan. 24, 2011) — UPDATED

[Note: This article contains several updates, indicated throughout, as people have sent in corrections to quotations.]

Every week, we at Rockville Central tune into the Mayor and Council meeting and let you know what the highlights were. Here’s what jumped out at me from last night’s meeting. (Note that it is NOT the whole meeting, just what seemed most noteworthy.)

First off, City Manager Scott Ullery had little to report in his allotted time. He turned the microphone over to Assistant City Manager Jenny Kimball who gave an update on the court house.

You might have noticed there is a new screen that’s been installed to cut down on death ray. It’s a temporary measure, there will be a permanent fix later. Building to be occupied in April 2011. Rockville has been preparing — making sure people can reach the court house and know where to park. This includes on-street signage and walking maps for people who have already parked. City staff have also given thought to protecting neighborhood from inappropriate parking, making sure there is restricted parking, etc. Finally, pedestrian safety: Installing signs warning drivers of pedestrians, and changing traffic signal timing so pedestrians have extra time to cross street before any vehicle gets a green light. The state has agree to put “no stopping” signs in front of the court house.

There was a quick recognition of major donors to Rockville’s annual Holiday Drive. Go here to see the list (it’s long and pdf, otherwise I’d just paste it here).

Citizens Forum

• Joe Jordan: Spoke about Agenda Item #13 (see below). Believes Scott Ullery should have not let the issue come to this point. Feels the issue is relevant, as he is the one who feels maligned. Disappointed that it was thought he had not met his obligations as chair of the RedGate task force (by not forwarding the National Golf Foundation report, though he had in fact done so). [UPDATE: Mr. Jordan's actual words were: ""I am the person said to have been 'maligned' by Mr. Ullery." He didn't actually say he WAS "maligned."] [UPDATE 2: Here is the full text of his prepared talk.]
• John Moser: Spoke in memory of Bill Hanna. Brought to mind his efforts at replacing the photo collage of Rockville’s mayors that used to be in the City Hall.
• Margaret Hadley: Expressed her concern over the city’s water main system. Has experienced four water main breaks recently (lives on Harrison Street). The most recent break has been running for four days.
• Donald Hadley: Amplified what his wife (Margaret) said.
• Robin Parks: Representing Bean Bag Catering Company and spoke about the Rockville Rewards program, which supports local nonprofits.
• Alice Von Saunder: Spoke against the use of City funds to “rebrand” Rockville.
• Susan Prince: Spoke as president of WECA about the City branding project. WECA feels that none of the options are winners and that the cost of implementing the campaign would be superfluous — and that the project should be abandoned.
• Mike Callahan: Spoke in favor of Scott Ullery’s professionalism.
• Victoria McMullen: Has read the Ullery emails and believes Mr. Jordan was indeed maligned and that this should be brought up in public.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio invited City Director of Public Works Craig Simoneau to respond on the water main issue, and he reported that there have been 46 water main breaks this season and Rockville is on track for a record. And — that the repairs now being made will last the life of the pipe, and they will assess the particular stretch of pipe to see if it should be moved up in the replacement process.

Final Recommendations: City Logo and Tagline

As you know, Rockville has been working with consultants (ROI/CRC) to develop, decide on, and implement a new logo and tagline for the City. (Here’s what I think. Here’s what Cindy thinks.) Since that time, the City has been seeking feedback from the community on the ideas, and tallying it.

The City received 200 responses — here are all the tabulated ones from the online survey.

The consultants’ recommendations is:

• The World Class City That Feels Like Home

Here is how the online voting went:

• The World Class City That Feels Like Home - 61 (30%)
• Find The Good Life In a Great City - 48 (24%)
• Get Into It - 35 (17%)
• No choice made - 60 (29%)

So, the winner beat None of the Above by one vote.

One key discussion of the Mayor and Council centered in implementation. ROI suggests that implementation could be phased in over time and that there are ways of finding money in the communications budget (for instance, by distributing Rockville Reports through the Gazette).

Councilmember Mark Pierzchala thanked the consultants for their hard work and said he thought the initial contract of $75,000 was money well spent, if only for the intelligence gathered. He expressed support for changing “The World Class City” to “A World Class City.” He also said that the implementation of a new brand is not a slippery slope — that the budget moving forward would reflect what is appropriate and what is doable. He had tried to get $10,000 into the budget for communications and that died. “We’re not going to spend a lot of money on this,” he said.

Councilmember John Britton expressed his continued support of #3 (Get Into It) because it is fresh.

Councilmember Bridget Donnell Newton pointed out that she thought the process is not complete. “I would have thought that after you got input from citizens that you would go back to the drawing board and tweak a few things,” she said.

Councilmember Piotr Gajewski expressed agreement with Councilmember Newton that it is not worth spending “up to $500,000″ implementing a new brand. However, using existing money is acceptable. While he feels that too much emphasis is placed on the tag line, he expressed support for “Get Into It,” though he likes the first one too.

Mayor Marcuccio said “I frankly think we have spent enough money on this. I don’t see a point in spending any more. . . . Rockville has gotten to the state it is in without a branding and without a logo. . . . This notion that we have to sell ourselves is just a marketing technique.”

The winner: Click for full size

The Mayor and Council first voted on whether or not to have a logo and tagline at all. That motion passed 3-2 (Britton, Gajewski, Pierzchala voted in favor, and Marcuccio and Newton voted against).

The Mayor and Council next voted on which logo and tagline to go with. After some discussion, Counclimember Britton moved to go with #3 (Get Into It) and this passed 3-2 (B,G,P to M,N).

The winner is:

Get Into It with the “R” logo.

Councilmember Pierzchala said, “The dark horse won.”

Action On Staff Misconduct Allegation By A Councilmember

This issue stems from an exchange relating to the National Golf Foundation report. (I confess I have not understood every bit of how it has unfolded. In my description below, I am trying to be as clear as possible — if I make a mistake, please feel free to correct in the comments.)

A citizen complained that it appeared that the Gazette had had the report before it was posted for public viewing. In an email to the citizen, City Manager Scott Ullery explained that he had released the report to the Mayor and Council and unfortunately a software problem had prevented it from being posted timely on the City’s website. Ullery said he had received a request from the press for the report and, as he had already shared the report with the Mayor and Council, complied. He also said he had shared the report with Joe Jordan, chair of the RedGate Advisory Committee, and had expected he might share it with the Committee. He also said he had sent hard copy to the Committee. Ullery evidently believed the citizen (who was a member of the Committee) had not received a copy of the report from Mr. Jordan. This was not true, as Jordan had forwarded the report.

Here is the key element in Mr. Ullery’s email: “As a member of the Redgate Advisory Group, it is especially regrettable that you’ve not had access to the report. I’d expected that would be accomplished by the electronic copy that Mr. Hall sent to Mr. Jordan on Monday (and the hard copies that I believe followed the next day).” (Here is the full email trail - PDF.)

The citizen felt that Ullery’s email maligned Jordan, and called it unprofessional. At a recent Council meeting, Councilmember Bridget Donnell Newton expressed concern about this email and Ullery’s “very unprofessional” actions. (Here is what she said.)

Some of this has featured in a recent comment thread on Rockville Central available here.

Because the Mayor and Council is the “boss” of the City Manager, Councilmember Piotr Gajewski brought this exchange up and asked Ms. Newton to clarify and called on her to apologize if there was no maligning. He said his rationale is that, if an employee that the Mayor and Council manages has acted unprofessionally, they may need to take managerial action. If the allegation is wrong, then the issue should be clarified publicly. Councilmembers Mark Pierzchala and John Britton voted to place the item on tonight’s agenda, over the objection of Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, who strongly urged that the discussion take place in executive session.

Last night, as this agenda item came up, Mayor Marcuccio asked Scott Ullery whether he consented to have the matter brought up in public session, and he said he consented.

Councilmember Gajewski then introduced the agenda item: “When it comes to interaction with our staff, and the people we supervise directly, it becomes the council’s business. When anyone of us in an open meeting makes an allegation about someone we supervise, I think it behooves this body to discuss the issue and make findings.” He moved as follows: “The council finds that the allegation that the city manager maligned a citizen in an email to another citizen is not supported by facts and the council disassociates itself from this.”

Councilmember Newton read prepared remarks (which went into detail and which I found very helpful in explaining her position on the issue): “I am not the person who alleged staff misconduct. That choice of words comes straight from Mr. Gajewski. . . . This agenda item is an attempt to discredit me. . . . We are only responsible for the decisions we make by vote, not for our opinions that we may express.” [UPDATE: Ms. Newton's quote was: "We are only responsible as an 'associated group' for the decisions we make by vote. Not the individual comments we should all feel comfortable and free to express."]

[Another UPDATE: Ms. Newton also brought photocopies of the email trails related to this issue, adding more context. The City has made them available as a public record of the meeting, but not online. They are posted here. Thank you to reader Theresa Defino for forwarding them to us.]

The motion to “disassociate” passed 3-2 (B, G, P to M, N).

I have asked Ms. Newton for her remarks and will post them in full if she shares them. For that matter, I encourage all who were a part of this controversy to share whatever documents they would like to, or add to the comments. [UPDATE: She has shared her comments and they are here.]

[Another UPDATE: Ms. Newton passed along a transcription of the portion of her remarks that was not written down ahead of time and asked if we would post it. Here is is: "I am VERY disappointed that the handling of a letter, an email that came from a citizen to you Mr. Ullery, um, concerned about the public dispersement of the report, um, another citizen was then maligned in that email - and the gentleman emailed you back and straightened it out but it is very unfortunate and very unprofessional and I was very disappointed that once again we had a chance to do this right with this report and we didn't do it. And it wasn't until Wednesday of last week - actually Thursday as a Mr. Jordan pointed out that it finally got out to the public and I think that's really too bad."]

The next meeting of the Mayor and Council is scheduled for February 7. [Thank you to Councilmember Newton for pointing out the previous incorrect date.]

Elections, Budget, Annexations And A Councilmember’s Allegation

Since last year, we’ve strived to let our readers know what happened at the Mayor and Council meetings. Here’s what caught my attention last night.

A moment of silence was observed for former Mayor Bill Hanna.

City Manager’s Report
Scott Ullery urged businesses and residents to take a questionnaire from County Executive Ike Leggett on PEPCO’s reliability which are at the links provided.

Another quick link from Citizens Forum
Have you met the Rockville Bike 150 Challenge for 2010? Then email [email protected] and let the Bike Advisory Committee know, so you can be recognized at a future Mayor and Council meeting. Forty people have already reported that they met the 150 mile challenge but there must be plenty of others out there. Do you bike to school or work? Add up your miles!

The Consent Agenda items were passed unanimously.

• Rockville Pedestrian Access Project went to the sole bidder, Midasco, LLC to install compliant sidewalk ramps for $185,555 with non-visual formats (audible tones, verbal messages, tactile surfaces on pushbuttons, and vibrating pushbuttons) at three (3) City owned traffic signals: East Jefferson Street at Halpine Road, Redland Boulevard and Gaither Road, and West Gude Drive and Research Boulevard. These three are in addition to the eleven already approved in the City this fiscal year.
• Authorized the change in zoning at 540 Beall Avenue. The Historic District Commission voted unanimously to recommend the change, and the property owner nominated the property and supports the designation for the home built by Henry Copp which sits across from the High Style Victorian home that he built for himself. Together, these two homes on opposite sides of Beall Avenue provide a snapshot of early and late Victorian homes in Rockville.

Elections
The Worksession with the City of Rockville Board of Supervisors of Elections brings no change to the campaign finance reporting for the City elections. After discussing the 2009 election process with candidates and their treasurers, the Board suggested amending Chapter 8 to make clear that only the candidate or the treasurer need to sign the Report, not both. Councilmembers Pierzchala, Britton, and Gajewski were concerned that a candidate would claim they did not know what was in a report. Councilmember Newton explained the origins of the concern since she was unaware of the filing date and her treasurer was out of the country during the last election and could not submit the documents in person. Electronic signatures would be cost prohibitive. After consideration, the Mayor and Council decided not to implement a change.

Corridor City Transitway (CCT)
During both Citizens Forum and the meeting, the CCT discussion was lengthy as our elected officials attempted to decide on their current position during the approval process for this major transit initiative.

Budget Preview PART III
The very long list of principles were read. These were developed based on the budget priorities and preferences that the Mayor and Council communicated to the City Manager at the first two budget previews, and through the FY 2012 budget surveys. The survey tool was based on requests made by the Mayor and Council and the Finance and Budget Task Force to “provide the Mayor and Council with more information during the process, display more options and choices, better articulate what is discretionary versus nondiscretionary spending, and ensure that the Mayor and Council are solely responsible for setting policy.”

During this review the Mayor and Council were to notify staff of any suggestions or changes they would like to see to the budget process or the proposed budget calendar.

After the review, Mayor Marcuccio stated she would not be voting for the principles. She expressed concern that when the budget figures came out, she would be told that since she supported the principles then she should support the budget. She added that she thought her colleagues would approve them.

Councilmember Gajewski said that he wanted to agree with her, so could she propose a different way of giving the staff direction. She offered no suggestion.

Councilmember Newton then asked if the principals could be looked at as guidelines.

Councilmember Pierzchala explained that this should be a starting point. Councilmember Gajewski stated that we could refer to them as guidelines and as a great starting point, but he didn’t agree with every item on the list as well.

A motion was unanimously approved changing the name to guidelines, then the guidelines were unanimously approved.

Rockville Might Be Getting Larger

During the 2009 Maryland Legislative Session, new legislation was passed (Senate Bill 350 and House Bill 220) that allows a city to annex properties which straddle city boundaries by being partially within and partially outside of a city. Cities may initiate annexation without needing to follow all of the normal provisions regarding obtaining the consent from property owners.

So are there any properties the City can take without the consent of the owners?

Eleven residential parcels in the Twinbrook neighborhood straddle the City boundary:
5703 and 5611 Halpine Road
12900, 12902, 12904 and 12906 Twinbrook Parkway
5629, 5627, 5624, 5622, and 5620 Pier Drive.

City’s primary incentives for annexation of the Twinbrook parcels is “housekeeping” because it would allow the City boundary line to follow established property lines. There would be long-term fiscal benefits to annexation because currently they do not pay City property taxes. City would be responsible for all surveying costs which would come out of the City Manager’s discretionary fund. Staff anticipates that the additional property taxes will repay these costs within 3-4 years.

1300 East Gude Drive also straddles the City/County boundary. The address actually consists of two parcels, both of which straddle the City/County boundary (and have the same owner) and a third parcel, 14803 Southlawn Lane, is also part of this ownership and business, but is entirely in the County. For multiple reasons staff does not recommend annexing 1300 East Gude Drive using the 2009 State legislation but especially because BP Associates, the ownership group for these parcels, has approached City staff about its interest in submitting a request for all of the properties to be annexed in accordance with the standard annexation procedures, including the property that is entirely outside of Rockville boundaries.

Staff would explain to property owners that the City intends to use its authority to annex the properties then provide a description of benefits of being in the City limits such as voting in city elections, a reduced rate for recreation program, etc. If the City pursues annexation, there would be hearings and owners might not want to come into the City.

Councilmember Gajewski made a motion to give staff direction to move forward with pursuit of annexation then Councilmember Pierzchala seconded and it passed unanimously.

Future Agendas

Councilmember Gajewski asked that the serious allegation against the City Manager made in an email exchange by Councilmember Newton to be put on next week’s Agenda. Councilmember Britton stated he was fine with putting it on the Agenda. Mayor Marcuccio did not think it needed to be on the Agenda and it should be forgotten. Councilmember Pierzchala said having a councilmember use such language is of concern to him.

Councilmember Gajewski said a dart was thrown at the City Manager and the Mayor and Council supervise the City Manager. The Mayor then said “I wish we did.” Mayor Marcuccio then expressed a desire to raise it in an executive session.

Councilmember Pierzchala explained that when they have discussions at meetings it demoralizes city staff because their job is to take notes and they can’t respond.

Councilmember Gajewski appealed to Councilmember Newton to apologize to the City Manager. Councilmember Newton said nothing during the discussion. The item was added to next week’s Agenda.

The meeting was then adjourned at 11:20.

CCT, King Farm, Metro And Montgomery College

At last night’s Mayor and Council Meeting, people brought forward both concerns and support of the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT).

City staff had a meeting with Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) representatives who committed to working with the City on the number and exact location of the King Farm stations and mitigating noise impacts to the neighborhood from the CCT with traffic signals and “quiet zones”. MTA would work with the City on which intersections would remain open in King Farm and they stated there is flexibility in this regard. When presented with the Coalition for the Preservation of King Farm’s petition (signed by several hundred residents) requesting a study to evaluate alternative alignments that do not use King Farm Boulevard, MTA representatives stated that given the concerns of King Farm residents, they “likely would not move forward to select the locally preferred alternative until the King Farm issues are resolved.”

Craig Simoneau, Director of Public Works, went over the options the Mayor and Council could propose which have not been studied by the MTA. He noted the comment period closes on February 1st.

Currently, because of the King Farm annexation, a shuttle is required to be operated and the three routes have a ridership of 19,200 per month (a rider would be counted both ways). These routes could disappear when the annexation agreement ends.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio expressed concern about the growth of Montgomery College because these additional students will be driving through Rockville. She thinks an alternative route including Montgomery College could provide public transportation for the students and should be explored. She stated the City had right-of-ways for a Metro stop at Montgomery College. Councilmember Bridget Newton is also concerned about the traffic to and from Montgomery College and supports alternative routes for the CCT and a Metro stop for Montgomery College.

Councilmember Piotr Gajewski said the CCT alignment gives no benefits to King Farm over what they already have, but it will be incredibly disruptive. He recommends looking at various alignments. The most intriguing is I-370. Looking at the mode, he unequivocally opposes light rail because it is only possible if it goes down the median of King Farm Boulevard.

When Councilmember John Britton asked the staff to explain if the MTA would be flexible in regards to which intersections are closed, Mr. Simoneau said MTA could keep them all open if they were all signalized. Councilmember Britton then observed that this downplays the concern of connectivity that there would be a “wall” in King Farm since connectivity could be exactly the same as it is today. As for noise concern, bells could be used instead of horns and if signalized they could control the signals and create “quiet zones”.

Councilmember Mark Pierzchala spoke as a civic association president who understands that when you look at plans, the details are tough, and in this case it’s not only a Rockville decision because the Governor ultimately makes the decision. The whole idea is to move people over a great distance. He supports bus rapid transit over light rail and thinks I-370 of all the alignments is the one that might work.

Then Councilmember Britton expressed his opinion. He doesn’t find the bus rapid transit option compelling enough to throw out the light rail option. Looking at the bigger picture, this is a planning process that will take 25-30 years and he disagrees that it will give the community zero benefit. Those living in King Farm people will go to jobs in Science Center, Rio, and the developments in Gaithersburg. People will want to move to King Farm and take the CCT to stops north. Metro is still struggling with the north-south corridor and the CCT might succeed more than Metro. The light rail transit provides more of a guaranteed transportation system. Bus rapid transits work but they get manipulated and encroached upon for vehicle traffic by the engineers, as he has seen in Virginia. He’s afraid that if we commit to the bus rapid transit we will lose guaranteed transit-oriented development around stations. Building along the I-370 highway loses this development option. There are light rail in other cities such as in New Orleans, Portland, Camden where they successfully go through residential towns and get people out of their cars. In the past they has recommended light rail transit and he does not think we should make this switch now against their colleagues.

Councilmember Pierzchala made a motion to oppose light rail which was seconded by Councilmember Gajewski but the motion was opposed by Mayor Marcuccio, and Councilmembers Newton and Britton. During the discussion, Councilmember Gajewski said rapid bus is being looked at by County for White Flint and it’s incredibly less expensive and more likely to go forward. Mayor Marcuccio added that if they are going to suggest other routes then we should stay open to both modes of transportation and not take away options. Councilmember Pierzchala added that all the alternatives are for bus rapid transit and right now the most likely route is through King Farm so he’s opposing the light rail and its impact.

Councilmember Pierzchala made a motion that the City recommend the MTA study the alternative I-370 alignment which was seconded by Gajewski and passed 4 to1 with Councilmember Britton opposed.

Councilmember Gajewski made a motion to study Shady Grove alignment which was seconded by Councilmember Pierzchala and passed 4 to1 with Councilmember Britton opposed.

A motion to remain silent on whether it is bus rapid transit or light rail rapid transit passed 4 to1 with Councilmember Britton opposed.

City staff will prepare these recommendations for submittal on behalf of the Mayor and Council.

Recap Of The RedGate Report Presentation

The new report by nonprofit golf consultants the National Golf Foundation that was kicked off at a Mayor and Council meeting last September was formally presented to the Mayor and Council (see the report here) on Monday night.

(This recap is based on my own notes and may contain errors. Also, it is not comprehensive, though it certainly felt like I was typing a lot!)

Richard Singer of the National Golf Foundation gave the presentation:

In reviewing a golf facility, there are things you can and can’t control. Put bluntly, the City of Rockville is in the golf business. Right now, that is a very tough business. What the City is facing with RedGate is not at all unique. “You can’t control the economy, and you can’t control the long term trends for golf,” said Singer, who has 21 years of experience in examining municipal golf courses.

The report, said Singer, focuses on what can be controlled. This includes:

• Facility
• Condition of course
• Quality
• Staff
• Pricing
• Message given to the public

The City is small (one course) competing with large businesses (Montgomery County, which has a number of courses).

The City has a lot to be proud of — RedGate is an excellent facility with excellent staff that has dedicated itself to the facility.

Despite all that, Singer said, RedGate may not be sustainable under the current system. While it has potential, it is difficult to see it going forward without outside support. The City needs to make a commitment one way or the other as regards RedGate, he said: The rhetoric and negative news of the last two years has contributed to the sharp decline in rounds played.

Singer reported that “there is no tradition of marketing at RedGate,” which is common among municipal courses. However, the market has changed and it is now much more important to have a serious marketing program. That said, he said, “It certainly appears that in the last year there is a new commitment to marketing this facility more.”

RedGate needs investment, he said. “It needs TLC.” Some of the assets at RedGate are getting to the point where they are getting beyond their useful life. “You’re on borrowed time with your facility,” he said.

Key Finding

“I have to say that this is one of the highest overall expense structures I have ever seen in 20 years,” he said. “That in and of itself is the issue with RedGate. That is especially true in terms of personnel costs, but we did not see those direct costs to be out of line.”

Singer said that, even if every idea were implemented and successful, the course would still be short in terms of its ability to meet expenses. “Even if you get a couple of good years,” he said, “you might be back where you started in three to five years.”

The NGF’s best recommendation, he said, is to privatize the course so as to both control expenses and grow revenue. He recognizes this could be problematic when it comes to staff and good will.

Questions And Discussion

Councilmember Mark Pierzchala began the questions. “It’s a very good report,” he said, “and I’m the one who voted against doing the report.” Is RedGate a good candidate to capitalize on latent demand? He wondered. Singer responded that, even as a municipal course that is not necessarily a good beginner’s course, it is. This is in part due to the good beginner’s program at the course.

Councilmember Bridget Newton asked why other local municipal courses were not examined as competitors or exemplars (for instance, Herndon). Singer replied that his main focus was Montgomery County, but that more important the key driver is the high expense level. In addition, the report embodies the large experience the NGF has in examining other municipal courses.

She asked, “Did you look at taking it out of an enterprise fund?” Singer replied that he was not asked to look at that, but that it speaks to the decision the community must make about the course.

Councilmember Piotr Gajewski asked about the charge that the report got no input from the Advisory Committee, and also whether the report was altered in any appreciable way based on staff input. Singer said unequivocally that the draft review process did not change the tenor and tone of the report in any way. He also said he had expected to get input from the Advisory Committee.

Gajewski pointed out that the report calls for reducing costs and growing rounds by 7 or 8,000 per year. He said he thought that unlikely. “Can you provide any optimism?” he asked. Singer said yes, it is realistic, and RedGate has been at that level in the past. Furthermore, the growth is not 8,000 per year, but in the aggregate. “It’s not going to come easily, but it is a realistic target,” he said.

Councilmember John Britton focused on the staff expense issue. Compared to Montgomery County, RedGate’s expenses are high. “Do we pay our people that much less?” he asked. Singer said, “There are other expenses associated with retirement benefits from previous employees that are long gone that are on your books that are not on [Montgomery County's].”

Britton also asked about management issues and staffing. “What has worked and what has not worked in terms of management of this facility?” he asked. Singer replied that there are things to look at both in terms of on-site management and management by City. For instance, the lack of marketing is a City management issue. On the food service (which got low marks), “I am not sure anything jumps out at me in terms of mismanagement,” but the food service was given poor marks even by regular players.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio said, “Throughout the report, I saw pretty clear indication that we had done a poor job of keeping that course in good condition. There was a lack of caring. Is the only way we can get caring for the course is through an outside vendor?” Singer replied, “It is not the only way, but I think it may be the best way for you.”

She also asked whether NGF had looked at the costs of all the other recreation facilities in the City that do not recoup costs. Singer said “We did not think that was really a part of this study, but it is a valid question. Certainly there are many facilities that recoup far less than RedGate. You still earn over a million dollars in revenue, which has got to be a lot higher than other recreational amenities.”

Councilmember Pierzchala asked about hiring a golf management company. “What if we decided to do that, and started an RFP process. That will take a few months. That will take us into May. Have you had experience where this has happened in the middle of the year as opposed to over the winter?” Singer said he has seen it happen but it is a mixed bag. ‘It would be better to do it at the end of the season or beginning of the season. . . . We assumed you would finish a full golf season before doing this, and start it in October 2011.”

Pierzchala also asked about the role of pricing. “Aren’t we in a position where if Montgomery County wanted to drive us out of business they could just do it?” Singer replied that they may be able to, but they might also drive themselves out of business too. “Also, we are seeing that the number one objection among golfers for why they don’t play is not price, but the time they have to play.”

Councilmember Newton asked about the City’s business plan that had been put together for RedGate. “Did you look at it?” Singer replied, “We did review it very thoroughly. We addressed that on page 32. It looked to us that it was more just words on paper, not a plan per se. . . . A business plan needs to be updated on an annual basis, and have performance measures.”

She also said, “There is a statement that you make in the report that you do not see RedGate as a good value as compared to Montgomery County course. We thought that was one of the things RedGate had going for it. Is Montgomery County Revenue Authority operating in the black?” Singer replied “That’s actually two different questions. Our sense is that the relative value of the course has declined in recent years as compared to a Montgomery County course. As far as their profitability, it does appear on paper that they are operating in the black or close to even.”

Councilmember Gajewski asked about layoffs and whether we had reduced staff at RedGate. Burt Hall replied that 2003 was a bad year in terms of staff reductions.

Gajewski asked about the budget tables near the end. “On page 79, in the as-is scenario where we make no changes, the course is projected to lose approximately $750,000 per year, and administrative charge is almost half of that loss ($300,000). Moving forward and looking at other budgets, it looks like the administrative charge does not reduce at all. Basically the administrative costs are at par [whether it is private or not]. What really changes are the direct personnel costs, and enhanced revenue. Am I getting it? The takeaway is we will reduce our labor charge and increase revenue?” Singer replied, “Yes. The management company estimates we have put forth are based on what numerous management company expenses look like nationwide. There are a couple issues with your administrative charge in Rockville though. First is what is usual for a golf course to have? It is typically $180,000 to $200,000, and in Rockville it is estimated to be above $330,000. Second, what does it cover? What do you get for that? With a management company, the line item administrative expense includes some things that are now included in direct labor costs.”

Councilmember Britton asked, “Can we increase tournaments? It seems that they provide great revenue.” Singer replied, “I think there is great opportunity in tournaments. Washington DC is the golf outing capital of the world. But there are capacity issues. If you displace too many regular golfers, you can run into problems.”

Mayor Marcuccio asked about demographics. “You must have looked at the demographics of the area when doing this study, and at the Science City and White Flint developments going on around Rockville. What kind of an impact will that have?” Singer said, “I would suspect that to have a great impact. Everything we looked at in terms of demographics was very favorable for golf. That is what’s keeping you afloat now. Other communities do not have the kind of ‘fall out of bed’ market that you have.”

She also asked about the RedGate Advisory Committee report, and some of the possibilities it lists beyond golf (for instance, a learning center). “Would you suggest it?” Singer said, “We did review it and it was a great report. The suggestion we took the most seriously was the one about expanding the driving range and adding a learning center. The problem is that all of these suggestions involve investment, and you need to make sure the uses are complementary to each other. The benefit to the community must match the investment required.”

Councilmember Pierzchala asked about enhancement mentioned in the report. “Some struck me as why are they secondary priorities. You’ve identified over a million dollars of improvements. If these were to be made, and do them all at once, would that enhance the prospects versus doing them over a five year period?” Singer replied that it is a mixed bag. “Some of them need to be done all at once, such as replacing greens. Others, like patching cart path areas, they can be done piecemeal. Doing it all at once could have a positive impact, but you would have to close the facility down and lose revenue. You could then have a grand reopening.”

Councilmember Newton made a comment about other courses nearby. “NGF put out an article about the courses that survive and succeed are the ones that keep up on infrastructure, and RedGate hasn’t done that. It is frustrating to think we are in this position when, if we had been doing what we should do all along, we would not be here.”

Councilmember Gajewski said he had a question about the food business. “Under enhanced service to golfers, there appears to be an opportunity for more service to golfers, through on-course beverage carts.” Singer said, “Beverage carts are something that’s kind of expected by the golfers. In looking at the numbers, it did not look like it was doing as well as it could. It should be high margin, and beer and golf seem to go together well.”

Councilmember Britton said, “If we followed your advice and put out an RFP, the Montgomery County Revenue Authority could respond. Did you discuss what would happen if they did so?” Singer replied “We did not really look at that. I can’t comment one way or another as to how that would work. It is in the fine print whether that would work for you.”

Councilmember Newton said, “I want to come back to the idea of having a Director of Golf, which you don’t recommend. Why not?” Singer replied, “Let’s flesh it out. My original sense of the Director of Golf system was that it would be in the General Fund. The reason that is not in here is that goes beyond the golf business — we wanted to focus on your enterprise fund, the RedGate Fund. Looking at the enterprise fund, if we did it that way, we would add a new salary to the enterprise fund, and we might see greater revenue, but I don’t know how that changes the basic fundamental equation you are facing here. Perhaps if this individual is really strong, it could happen.”

Councilmember Gajewski said, “Let’s say we go ahead with the outside management. What do we require of the management company in terms of the present people working at the golf course? Singer said, “It is a tough situation, no question about it. Other places are looking at the same thing. In many cases, the RFP’s require that current staff be employed. On the other hand, any management company coming in will surely recognize the current value of staff.”

Redgate, Rockville Pike Feature In First Mayor And Council Meeting Of The Year

After a winter hiatus, Our Fair City’s Mayor and Council is back on schedule for Monday night meetings, and Rockville Central was (as always) virtually on hand to give you the important details. Here is a recap of highlights from last night’s meeting.

City Manager’s Report

Instead of City Manager Scott Ullery, Craig Simoneau gave an update on a new program for marking fire hydrants. Large red and white stalks are already attached to about 125 hydrants and 150 more are on tap. There are 1,370 hydrants in City, and it is likely that they will be deployed throughout the city.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio took this time to ask a few questions. First, she reported that she asked the City Clerk to verify that Rockville is still #2 in the state of Maryland in terms of population. Second, she asked for an update on a Montgomery County Public Schools meeting between Scott Ullery and City Planner Susan Swift relating to the portables issue. He reported that they made good progress toward an agreement.

She also asked Mr. Ullery to give a quick synopsis of a tax issue related to Woodmont Country Club. Mr. Ullery reported that Woodmont has been paying a lower tax rate based on an annexation agreement that ends in 2014. The City also found some parcels in King Farm that had not been placed into the correct tax category and “as a result for four or five years in a significant way have been in the wrong tax rate, a much lower tax rate.” That has been corrected moving forward but the City Attorney has advised that there is no way to collect the back taxes.

Chamber of Commerce Update

Andrea Jolly, director of the Rockville Chamber of Commerce gave an update on Rockville Rewards. 61 businesses have signed up for this effort, which is signing new businesses every day, and nonprofits are raising significant amounts of money. She also reported that the Chamber has established a committee to look at the City’s sign regulation, in conjunction with City staff. Councilwoman Bridget Newton asked that the task force make sure to coordinate with the City’s signage commission.

Appointments and Reappointments

This week’s appointments:

Cultural Arts Commission

• Abe Brown, III (Appointment as member until January 1, 2013)
• LiLiane Blom (Appointment as member until January 1, 2013)

Recreation and Parks Advisory Board

• Vincent “Chip” Boylan (Reappointment as member until January 1, 2013)

Traffic and Transportation Commission

• Mallory Duquesne (Appointment as member until January 1, 2013)

Citizen’s Forum

Anyone may speak at Citizen’s Forum. The best way to do this is to call ahead to the City Clerk’s Office at 240-314-8280 by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. However, even if you don’t call the Mayor typically allows all who wish to speak and who are present to do so. You can speak on anything you wish, for up to three minutes. (In the notes below, I may have spoelled some names wrong.)

• Maynard Moore: Spoke about concern about an “imbalance” at playgrounds when it comes to accessibility for people in wheelchairs and other disabilities.
• Charles Segerman: CEO of Clean Currents, the Mid-Atlantic’s leading clean energy company, located in downtown Rockville. Spoke in favor of a proposed green building tax incentive plan.
• Joe Jordan: Spoke as chairman of the RedGate Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee had suggested that the City improve its public information execution. A first draft of the NGF report was received on December 19, but Advisory Committee members were not allowed to see the report. Later, the report was released to the press three days before it was released to the public.
• Anne Goodman: Also spoke on RedGate. She supports maintaining RedGate as a golf course, and expressed concern over the environmental effects of other possible uses.
• Mike Rabkin: Spoke on ways he had thought of that would save the City money. For example, Rockville Reports costs approximately $84,000 per year — he suggested setting the default delivery mechanism as email (while still preserving the ability for residents to choose to receive a copy in the mail).
• Susan Prince: Spoke on the NGF RedGate study. A supporter of the golf course, and expressed dismay that the report was released to the press before it was provided to the public. Also expressed concern over staff receiving a first draft. As to substance of the report: Pointed out that the report exposes serious problems in how the course has been managed at a senior management level. When it comes to suggesting what to do about this situation, she feels the report falls far short, providing only two options that do not address the underlying problems.
• Alice Von Saunder: Expressed desire for a similar study to the RedGate one to be applied across all recreation facilities in Rockville, especially the Swim Center and the Senior Center.

National Golf Foundation Report

The new report by nonprofit golf consultants the National Golf Foundation that was kicked off at a Mayor and Council meeting last September was formally presented to the Mayor and Council (see the report here).

Recreation and Parks Director Burt Hall introduced Richard Singer of the National Golf Foundation, who gave a presentation on the report.

Go here to see a full recap of that presentation — it was an extensive discussion.

Here is the key finding according to Singer: “I have to say that this is one of the highest overall expense structures I have ever seen in 20 years,” he said. “That in and of itself is the issue with RedGate. That is especially true in terms of personnel costs, but we did not see those direct costs to be out of line.”

Singer said that, even if every idea were implemented and successful, the course would still be short in terms of its ability to meet expenses. “Even if you get a couple of good years,” he said, “you might be back where you started in three to five years.”

The NGF’s best recommendation, he said, is to privatize the course so as to both control expenses and grow revenue. He recognizes this could be problematic when it comes to staff and good will.

Rockville Pike Plan

Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place

David Levy, Chief of Long Range Planning, introduced the Draft Plan For The Rockville Pike Corridor. This draft is the official draft for the Planning Commission, which will consider it at their meeting on March 9 at 7pm. The purpose of this presentation is to provide key information, provide an understanding of how the public can comment, and to provide an overview of the document.

This part of the meeting was a joint meeting between the Mayor and Council and the Planning Commission.

The document was released on December 29. Tonight (1/10) is the presentation. On Tuesday night (1/11) there is a presentation. (See this article for more on the schedule and for links to the plan.)

Editor Cindy Cotte Griffiths has been following the Pike Plan very closely, and all her Rockville central coverage is collected here.

ACP Visioning and Planning was the consulting company that implemented and drove the public visioning process. Gianni Longo from ACP presented the plan itself.

“The time we have taken has been time well spent,” he said, “as we have been able to develop a vision from the community about what they want the Pike to become.”

More from Mr. Longo:

The group wanted a plan that reflects the vision of the community, and tried to determine what is the full potential of the Pike?

This is a timely plan, and extension of the 1989 plan. But there are a number of considerations. Traffic congestion along the Pike is likely to get worse. Second, city traffic standards for development are going to inhibit further development. Third, the Pike needs redevelopment to stay economically competitive in the region.

But, traffic conditions along the Pike impede redevelopment. We are at the intersection of Rock Drive and Hard Place.

The biggest difference is to create a shift from private automobiles to transit, walking, and use of the bicycle.

The key element is the creation of a “multi-way boulevard.” This is a time-tested way to address transportation and creating a great place, in use in many of the world’s major cities as well as places throughout the U.S. (K Street in DC is an example.)

The basic idea keeps the same size of the existing Pike. It adds access lanes to either side, with two traffic lanes, ample sidewalks, and a lane that is shared by bike and transit. So the middle section has vehicles only, for through traffic, and the access lanes are mixed. This also brings sidewalk businesses closer to the traffic that is actually liable to stop.

Two key issues we focused on was safety (especially pedestrian safety) and transit service.

The main land use recommendation is to make the Pike walkable by moving the buildings closer to the road. A second recommendation is to create a situation where there is a variety of heights.

There is a problem with moving forward however. Given only already-approved development, the City’s existing development requirements will not allow redevelopment without taking remedial actions to increase capacity of the Pike.

Overall, the key recommendations are:

• Adopt the Plan
• Create a tool to support quality development over time
• Implement congestion management strategies
• Partner with property owners

Mr. Longo’s presentation started late and ran into the wee hours. The questions back and forth caused him to miss the last train! That got a few chuckles, and the City’s chief of planning David Levy promised to get him home.

The next meeting of the Mayor and Council is TUESDAY, January 18.

All The Government Holiday Closings

Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Here’s the complete rundown of government closings for the holiday week.

City of Rockville:

Parking is free in Town Square garages and at City parking meters Dec. 24-26 and Dec. 31-Jan. 2.

Recycling and refuse schedules will not be affected by the holidays. Regular collection will take place Monday through Friday during the weeks of December 20 and December 27.

City Hall will be closed Dec. 24 and Dec. 31.

Rockville Senior Center will be closed Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1.

Rockville Swim and Fitness Center will be open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

RedGate Golf Course will be open regular hours (first tee time at 9 a.m.) on all days except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Twinbrook Community Recreation Center will be open Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31, and Sunday, Jan 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Croydon Creek Nature Center will be open Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thomas Farm Community Center will be open Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31, and Sunday, Jan 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Lincoln Park Community Center will be open Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Glenview Mansion Art Gallery will be closed Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre Box Office will be closed Friday, Dec. 24, through Monday, Jan. 3.

The Climbing Gym will be closed on Fridays, Dec. 24 and 31.

Montgomery County Government:

County Offices
Closed December 24 and 31

Libraries
Closed December 24, 25, 31 and January 1

County liquor stores
Open on December 24 and 31 until 7 p.m.; closed on December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 2

Ride On
Sunday schedule with service ending at approximately 10 p.m. on December 24; regular Saturday schedule on December 25 and January 1; Sunday schedule on December 31

Metrobus
Sunday service on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1

Metrorail

Special Sunday service with 3 a.m. closing on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1
TRiPS Commuter Stores (Silver Spring and Friendship Heights) – closed on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1

Transfer Station
Facility drop-offs open until 5 p.m. on December 24 and 31; closed on December 25 and January 1

Parking at Montgomery County public garages, lots, curbside meters
Free on December 24 and 25; and December 31 and January 1

Montgomery County Public Schools Administrative Offices
Closed

Maryland State offices & courts
Closed

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Local Census Information Still To Be Released But In The Meantime Survey Results

You may have noticed the U.S. Census Bureau delivered the official national and state population counts to the President yesterday. The U.S. Constitution mandates the data report on or before December 31st every ten years.

If you are wondering when we will learn the official counts for Rockville and Montgomery County, we need to wait until after January of next year. Since the District of Columbia was treated as a state, it was the only city to receive their population data.

As for Maryland, the official state population count used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives indicates there will be no change in the number of congressional representatives which is currently 8. Maryland’s population was counted as 5,773,552 which is a 9% increase since the last census. This makes Maryland the 7th densest state in the country with 594.8 people per square mile.

An interactive map showing the apportionment, density and populations of all states is here.

As a 2010 Census Media Partner, we look forward to finding out Rockville’s official count.

In the meantime, we can appease our data addiction by perusing the results of the many surveys conducted by the Census Bureau.

In particular, the American Community Survey provides social, economic, housing and demographic statistics for every community in the nation. The information was collected from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009 consists of about 11.1 billion individual estimates and more than 670,000 distinct geographies. This is the first time there was such a massive compilation of data estimates for small geographic areas.

ROCKVILLE INFO:

You can see extensive results on all aspects of life here in Rockville . This includes households, relationships, fertility, schools, education, place of birth, and language. There are also links to the Economic, Housing, and Demographic survey results. Also the extensive Narrative includes many, many graphs.

Celeste’s Journey Completes City Hall Artwork

Ali and Bonnie With Celeste. Photo by Stepanie Fitzgerald

The second part of Rockville’s newest work of art, the Spirit of Discovery, was installed on the lawn of City Hall last Thursday, December 16, 2010. The snow storm made the drive from Northern Virginia slightly precarious, but artists Bonnie Fitzgerald and Ali Mirsky carefully navigated the truck around the Beltway from Bonnie’s studio in Vienna to complete the artwork on schedule.

Celeste In Place For Transport. Photo by Stephanie Fitzgerald.

Celeste Being Carried. Photo by Stephanie Fitzgerald.

Celeste Arrives In Front of City Hall. Photo by Stephanie Fitzgerald

If you have seen the 170-square-foot glass mosaic depicting a spinning nebula on the facade of City Hall which was installed last month, you might not have realized the Spirit of Discovery was not complete. The artwork is comprised of two separate but connected pieces. In the garden area below the mosaic, a sculpture of a young girl now looks up at the nebula through a telescope. The artists named her “Celeste”. She weighs about 350 pounds and has a welded armature with a unique polystyrene sculpted base coated in several coats of concrete covered by pieces of glass. She looks to the future with an old-fashioned telescope - a salute to the past and discovery in the future.

Celeste Complete. Photo by Stephanie Fitzgerald.

Bonnie explains what the artists hope we will take away from viewing the artwork:

Rockville was founded and built in the spirit of discovery. Every time you look at the installation it looks different, always something new to discover about the artwork. Because of the materials we used the reflection will always be different. Hopefully Celeste inspires an interest in science and an interest in embracing discovery. Ideally a passerby would be able to admire the artwork solely based on the quality of the art, the colors and the sculptural form, which we feel is easily relatable. This is not conceptual art, the message is simple and the sculptural form really helps paint that picture, regardless if the viewer knows the mural is a nebula. It is contemporary art. There is a story; it speaks to the past and present, but regardless if you know the story or not, one will still be able to enjoy the intricate details and beautiful colors of the mosaic. We hope that our work will intrigue the viewer and cause them to take a moment to pause and absorb the artwork.

Celeste Standing. Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

When Ali and Bonnie originally presented the installation concept for Spirit of Discovery to the Art Commission they used the tag line:

Rockville: where opportunity and discovery intersect

Since the Spirit of Discovery was commissioned to commemorate all of the City’s 150 incorporated years, the artists took a thorough and creative look at Rockville, as Bonnie explains:

After a lot of research into Rockville’s past and present we learned Rockville has always been a place of great opportunity. And needless to say there are countless “things” to discover about Rockville, from interesting people to physical beauty, cultural activities, a commitment to education and community - just to name a few.

With this tag line, these artists might have solved our branding quandary which they couldn’t help but notice and would like to help resolve.

Telescope. Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths.

Now that the installation is complete, Bonnie admits to missing the work. Perhaps this is why the artists are toying with the idea of continuing their work with Celeste by creating an interactive social media presence so that Celeste could give science lessons or talk about outer space. If such a project involved local schools, kids could be inspired beyond her physical space at City Hall. In my mind, I could see such a project involving the Science Café and the effort to build a Science Center in Rockville. If Rockville Central can help, we’d be all over it!

Celeste Finally At Home. Photo by Stephanie Fitzgerald.

Celeste is certainly a welcome addition to the City of Rockville and I look forward to discovering with her in the future.