Randolph Civic Association

Seven developers eager to remake the jumbled 420 acres around the White Flint Metro station in Montgomery County have flipped their usual script for winning the hearts and minds of politicians and residents.

via washingtonpost.com.

Residents Invited to Express Their Views on Issues, Ask Questions of
Councilmembers at Tilden Middle School

ROCKVILLE, Md., November 9, 2009—The Montgomery County Council will continue
its efforts to find out what issues most concern residents when it hosts a
Town Hall Meeting for the White Flint / Kensington / Garrett Park / North
Bethesda area on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The meeting at Tilden Middle School
will start at 8 p.m. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 7:30 p.m.

This will be the third Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Council in 2009. The
Council is composed of President Phil Andrews, Vice President Roger Berliner
and Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, Mike Knapp,
George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro and Duchy Trachtenberg. The Council
previously held Town Hall Meetings this year in Germantown/Boyds and West
Gaithersburg/Darnestown areas. Most meetings have attracted more than 200
residents.

Tilden Middle School is located at 11211 Old Georgetown Road between the
Wildwood section of Bethesda and the southern area of Rockville, adjacent to
White Flint.

The meeting will allow residents to let the Councilmembers know how they
feel about specific issues and will allow them to ask questions of the
Councilmembers in an organized, but informal, setting.

Topics expected to be of interest include the proposed White Flint Sector
Plan, schools, public safety, traffic, growth, the County budget and taxes.

“In many ways, our County is facing one of its most difficult periods in a
very long time. We are all in this together and we want residents to tell us
about their most important concerns as we approach making important
decisions about growth in this area,” said Council President Andrews. “This
Council has made a priority of having better direct communication with
residents, and Town Hall Meetings have proven to be an excellent way to do
just that. For the citizens, these meetings provide a forum where they can
see their elected officials in a different format than a televised meeting
or through a news release.”

The meeting will be taped for later broadcast on County Cable Montgomery
(CCM—cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). Susan
Kenedy, a producer for the county station, will moderate the meeting.

For more information about the Town Hall Meeting or about the broadcast
times, call 240-777-7931.

Thursday, November 5th, 2009
8:00PM – 10:00PM
Viers Mill Recreation Center

Update: Councilmember Ervin had to cancel, so Councilmember Trachtenberg will be our guest speaker along with Councilmember Leventhal.

1. Call to Order – Matthew Tifford (8:00p-8:05p)
2. Guest Speakers: Introduction of Councilmembers Duchy Trachtenberg and George Leventhal (8:05p-8:10p)
   1. Duchy Trachtenberg (8:10p-8:20p)
   2. George Leventhal (8:20p-8:30p)
   3. Q&A (8:30p-8:50p)
3. Special Discussion: Membership Feedback and Priorities for Calendar Year 2010 (8:50p-9:50pm)
4. Standard Business and Reports (9:50p-10:00p)
   1. Approval of Meeting Minutes and Treasurers Report
   2. Committee Chair Reports (Time permitting)
      1. Membership
      2. Education
5. RCA Meeting Adjournment (10:00pm)

Please note: At the president’s discretion, discussion of old and new business is not on the agenda for this meeting. Any members wishing to bring new items to the Board should submit them electronically to info@randolphcivic.org or via the RCA Hotline.

Viers Mill Elementary School’s PTA meeting attendance is dismal. In a school whose students represent well over 30 nationalities and languages and whose families are generally low-income, many parents are too busy working, tossing together dinner or taking care of their children to attend, said Matthew Devan, principal of the Wheaton school.

But nine years after Devan developed a monthly Family Learning Night that combined free dinner (in the form of pizza), free child care (in the form of family activities with the teacher) and PTA meetings, parents’ involvement in the school and in their children’s work has risen drastically, he said.

via Gazette.net.

Thanks to all of the supporters that came out to support the RCA members that testified at the hearing. Matt Tifford, Dan Hoffman and Cindy Zelaya each testified.

At stake is the future of the area surrounding the White Flint Metro, where county planners have recommended transforming mini-malls and asphalt parking lots into a more vibrant community of mixed use residential, commercial and retail space. The plan before the County Council proposes converting Rockville Pike into a pedestrian boulevard and making the whole of White Flint more like Arlington, Va.

via Gazette.net.

This year, the RCA will be phasing in a new Hotline number: 240-668-4RCA (4722). The old one will still work for the time being, to give people a chance to change their phone books. So, please make a note of it- and feel free to call in with your thoughts and concerns.

The November 2009 Echo (PDF), has been posted.

The students of Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring were munching on grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots in the cafeteria Monday when their ordinary meal became the ultimate power lunch: A surprise visit from President Obama.

via washingtonpost.com.

Our first annual Community Day was a blast, despite the weather. Hope all that came out had a great time. Thanks to the volunteers who worked to pull the event together.

We’d also like to thank The Stepping Stones, Advance Martial Arts and Mr. Knick Knack for performing. A special thank you to Dynamite Gymnastics for being gracious hosts.

Randolph Hills Community Day has been CANCELED due to forecasted inclement weather. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to try again next year.

Dynamite Gymnastics (located in Randolph Hills Shopping Center) has graciously offered to host a party for our neighborhood families, residents, and guests from 1:00pm-3:00pm. The party will featuring performances by Mr. Knick Knack and Monkees cover band, The Stepping Stones. After some brief remarks from Councilmember Roger Berliner, the Stepping Stones will perform at 1:10pm followed by Mr. Knick Knack at 2:10pm. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided.

For more information about Dynamite Gymnastics, please visit their website: http://www.dynamitegc.com.

Come out and join the Randolph Hills Community on Saturday, October 17 in Randolph Hills Shopping Center. The event is planned from 11AM to 3PM. This will be an opportunity to meet your neighbors, have some fun and learn about what’s going on in the community. You can get more details from the Community Day Flyer.