Help Village Staff Keep the Community Safe and Beautiful

Report Areas for Repair and Maintenance

Village staff prides itself on being responsive and working hard to ensure that the Village remains a safe, beautiful and welcoming community—but we cannot do it alone. While we are constantly on the lookout for areas that need to be addressed, we need the support of residents serving as our eyes and ears throughout the community:

Sidewalk Repairs

The Village maintains brick paver sidewalks throughout the community. The brick pavers are not mortared and are set on a bluestone base to allow the sidewalks to gradually move as adjacent tree roots grow. Compared to the former concrete sidewalks, the dry-laid brick pavers are much easier for Public Works staff to repair by removing and resetting sections that have shifted. This is ongoing maintenance that our crews perform throughout the year as trip hazards are identified by staff or are brought to our attention by residents.

Tree Maintenance

There are well over 2,500 “public” trees located within Village parks, greenspaces and public right-of-way. The Village’s consulting Arborist and our Director of Public Works perform a quarterly assessment for tree maintenance needs including areas for pruning, removals or treatments to improve a tree’s health. These quarterly assessments supplement our ongoing response to observations made by staff and residents.

How to Report an Issue or Concern

Residents can use the Village’s online form system to report any number of issues/concerns, by visiting:

https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/RequestTracker.aspx. From this page, residents can report sidewalk trip hazards and streetlight outages, and request public tree maintenance and recycling toters.

As always, residents may also call the Village’s 24-hour Communications Center or email requests/concerns to the Village’s main email address at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov (emails are then routed to the appropriate department).

Thank you for helping us to continue addressing the needs of the community!

Christmas Tree Disposal

Please remove all ornaments and lighting

As part of the regular yard debris pick-up Public Works staff will collect trees, natural wreath and garlands left at the curbside. Please remove all ornaments and lighting. The trees are recycled into mulch and any wires left on the trees will damage the chipping equipment. Wire-framed wreaths and wire-strung garland should be disposed of in the regular trash.

FY2021 Budget Work Session

The Village Board of Managers will hold a budget work session to review the Village Manager’s draft budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2020 and ends on June 30, 2021.

Monday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Village Hall

The work session will be open to the public, although public comment will not be permitted until the public hearings on the budget in March and April. Additional work sessions may be scheduled as deemed necessary by the Board.

Montgomery Planning Invites the Community to
Consider Big Ideas for the Future

The Montgomery County Planning Department is hosting a three-part “Big Ideas Series” held in January, February and March 2020 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Planning Department Headquarters (8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD). The series will feature speakers who will discuss ideas for planning for the future. The speakers’ series is part of Montgomery Planning’s effort to update the county’s General Plan, known as Thrive Montgomery 2050.

RSVPs are encouraged but not required. The sessions include:

~~The Future of Food: January 14, 2020~~
Multimodal Transportation and a Healthy Economy: February 11, 2020
Housing for All: March 3, 2020

“Sweeping changes are occurring now in our county, climate change, the rise of the sharing economy, increasing population diversity, autonomous vehicles, new technologies and so much more,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright. “We need to think outside of the box for solutions, the Thrive Montgomery 2050 effort is a chance for the community to consider how our county can be prepared for the future so we can continue to thrive.”

The 2019 Big Ideas Series will feature three moderated discussions on ideas about the evolving nature of food production and farming, how economic health relates to multimodal transportation and how to provide housing for all. The series is free and open to the public and planning professionals. Credit for certification maintenance (CM) for members of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) attending the series is pending.

Glass Recycling Drop-Off at the Village Hall

In response to our contractor's announcement that they are no longer accepting glass in the recycling collection, the Village is providing a glass drop-off at the Village Hall. Collected glass is taken by our Public Works personnel to the Montgomery County Transfer Station. The county is able to accept glass because it maintains a relationship with purchasers who use the glass in the production of roadway paving.

Residents can drop off intact or broken glass in the bins(s), marked “Glass Bottles and Jars Only” located just off of the main driveway at the Village Hall off of Laurel Parkway. Only clean glass bottles and jars may be deposited at the drop-off. This includes all food and beverage bottles and jars made of clear, blue, brown and green glass. The following items are not acceptable: jar lids, sheet glass, glass windows, mirrors, Pyrex, light bulbs, crystal, glass dishes, and ceramics.

EXAMPLES OF ACCEPTED MATERIALS

Thank you to the many residents who have begun taking advantage of this opportunity to recycle glass. Residents are reminded to continue using your green recycling cart to dispose of all other accepted recyclable materials except glass.

Village Board Adopts Ordinance to Ban Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Effective January 1, 2022

Residents Encouraged to Work with Landscapers to Reduce Impacts of Blowers

At its meeting on December 9, the Village’s Board of Managers held a Public Hearing to consider comments regarding Resolution No. 12-01-19, an ordinance to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers effective January 1, 2022. Following the hearing and Board discussion, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance as drafted. The ban would go into effect at the same time as a ban adopted by the District of Columbia. The Village’s Ordinance may be viewed online by clicking here.

The Board approved the ban citing the adverse environmental, human health (principally for the equipment operator) and quality of life impacts resulting from the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. These impacts were highlighted in a report from the Village Environment & Energy Committee, dated August 15, 2019, which can be viewed by clicking here: https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3173/Revised-Noise-Reduction-Proposal-for-CC-Village-8-15-19-

With this ordinance now approved, the Village will begin putting materials together to communicate the effective date of this ban to yard maintenance contractors who work in the Village. If you would like your landscaper/yard maintenance contractor to be included in the distribution of these materials, please email your contractor’s information to ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Residents and landscapers are reminded that blowers remain subject to Montgomery County’s Noise Ordinance, which applies within the Village. The county’s Noise Ordinance states that “a person must not sell, buy, offer for sale, or use a leaf blower at any time that has an average sound level exceeding 70 dBA at a distance of 50 feet.” Additionally, the simultaneous use of multiple leaf blowers that are compliant with the 70 bDA limit can create noise of a sufficient level to qualify as a violation and/or noise disturbance.

If a blower seems loud, it may be in violation. Contact the Village Communications Center to have a Village officer respond to confirm the unit(s) product information and to measure the decibel level using the Village’s calibrated meter. First time violators will receive a warning. Residents are encouraged to discuss this restriction with your yard maintenance crews.

To view the Montgomery County Noise Ordinance and the provisions pertaining to leaf blowers (Section 31B-9), visit:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dep/resources/files/downloads/compliance/noise-control-ordinance.pdf

New Session of Chevy Chase@Home
Tai Chi Classes

Join the Crew; The Compost Crew

Food-waste recycling--otherwise known as “composting” is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and greenhouse emissions while returning nutrients to our soil and food system.

The Village has partnered with The Compost Crew to provide low-cost household collection of food-waste. The Compost Crew provides each household with an airtight bin and compostable bags; all you have to do is separate your organic waste and leave the bin by your trash and recycling receptacles for collection on the designated day for weekly pick-up. The collected waste is processed at a composting facility in Maryland and, after six months of service, households can request that a portion of your contributed waste be returned in the form of rich, finished nutrient-rich soil.

For more information regarding the household composting collection service, including current rates, please visit the “Food Waste Recycling Program” page on the Village website under Quick Links on the homepage. The more households that sign-up,the cheaper the service is for all, so sign up today!

Are You Prepared?

As we have experienced during various seasonal events, it is important to be prepared for local weather emergencies. In order the assist residents in their preparedness, the Village in partnership with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) offer a number of helpful tools, plans and free alerts to assist and keep you informed.

Village Website and Blast Email System – Have you signed up for the Village’s blast email system? This is the Village's primary method of communication with residents. The Village has 2 email lists you can sign-up for:

Urgent News Alert – include messages such as criminal activity, neighborhood disruptions such as water main breaks, power outages and road closures and major weather events.

General News Alerts – include messages about Board and committee meetings, community events, changes in public services such as refuse/recycling collection schedules and upcoming road closures.

To sign-up for the blast email system visit the Village website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the tablet icon at the top of the Village’s homepage.

Alert Montgomery – Alert Montgomery is the official emergency communications service for Montgomery County, MD. During major crisis, emergency or severe weather events, Montgomery County will send event updates, warnings and instructions directly to you on any of your devices. To sign-up for Alert Montgomery please visit the OEMHS website www.montgomerycountymd.gov/oemhs and click on the “Alert Montgomery” link at the top of the page.

Family and Community Preparedness Information – Emergencies can take many forms and occur with or without warning. By taking a few simple steps now, you can ensure that you, your family and your community are better prepared to handle emergencies. To assist in your family planning, please visit the Village’s emergency preparedness page, www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/emergencyprep for helpful tools and links. Another important tool the Village has created to assist you in your preparedness efforts is our House Check Program. Always request a House Check when you are leaving town and ensure that your emergency contacts are up to date with the Village office.

For additional information please visit the Village’s website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the “Are you prepared? – Emergency Preparedness Tips” link listed in the Quick Links on the homepage.

Emergency Contact Sheet

EMERGENCY - 911

Chevy Chase Village Police
Non Emergency/24hrs - 301-654-7300

Montgomery County Police
Non Emergency/24hrs - 301-279-8000

Bethesda - Chevy Chase Rescue Squad - 301-652-0077

Chevy Chase Fire Dept
(Opposite Columbia Country Club) - 240-773-4707

Bethesda Fire Dept
(Wisconsin Ave and Bradley Blvd) - 240-773-4706

National Capital Poison Center
(George Washington University Hospital) - 800-222-1222

Utilities

Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO)

Emergency-Live wires down, power failure - 877-737-2662

or visit the website at Pepco.com/Outages/ReportanOutage
to report their outage and receive restoration information.

Customer Service - 202-833-7500

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Emergency - 301-206-4002

Complaints, Leaks, Information - 301-206-4001

Washington Gas

Emergency - 703-750-1400

Information & Customer Service - 703-750-1000

Comcast - 800-934-6489

Verizon - 800-837-4966

**A cut out sheet is also located on page two of the January 2019 Crier.

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