Board of Managers Meeting:
Monday, February 10, 2020
at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall

The Board of Managers will hold its regular monthly meeting on February 10, 2020 at
7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall. Click here to see the agenda.

MCPS Commences Boundary Study to Explore the Reassignment of Students from Somerset Elementary School to Westbrook Elementary School

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has determined that Somerset Elementary School is over capacity and they have begun a boundary study process. The boundary study will evaluate how to relieve the capacity pressure at Somerset by transferring some of the school’s feeder zones over to Westbrook Elementary School, located west of River Road and south of Little Falls Parkway.

Somerset is currently operating approximately three classrooms over capacity. This enrollment rate is projected to moderately increase over the next five years. Westbrook is operating approximately five classrooms below capacity, which includes a portion of the building that has not been finished. Capacity at Westbrook is anticipated to increase over the coming five years.

At an information meeting on January 30, MCPS Planning Department staff presented three options to address the over-capacity at Somerset by reassigning zones to Westbrook effective the 2021-2022 school year (current students would be grandfathered and allowed to remain at Somerset through their fifth grade year).

Option 1 (of 3), would reassign a portion of Chevy Chase Village to Westbrook Elementary. This includes homes west of Cedar Parkway between Oliver Street (to the north) and Western Avenue (to the south). The other two proposed options would not impact the current assignment of students within the Village.

All three options will be studied and a recommendation will be presented to the Superintendent this summer. The Superintendent will release his recommendation in October with review, Public Hearing and a final decision to be made by the Board of Education in November 2020.

Anyone interested in this matter is encouraged to review the boundary study page at: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/SomersetWestbrookBoundaryStudy.aspx

Residents—regardless of whether you currently have a student in MCPS—are encouraged to respond to the survey at https://mcpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/somerset-es-and-westbrook-es-boundary-study/. The deadline for responses is Friday, February 14 at 11:00 p.m.

A second information meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Westland Middle School cafeteria.

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.

The Environment and Energy Committee Presents: Healthy Lawns Without Synthetic Fertilizers or Pesticides

Thursday, March 12, 7:30 - 8:30 pm
at the Chevy Chase Village Hall

Please join Mary Travaglini, Sustainable Landscapes Manager for the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, to learn about healthy soils and tips for maintaining your lawn without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. This presentation will include information about the Montgomery County Healthy Lawns Act, now en force, which restricts the use of non-essential pesticides on lawns/turf in public parks and on private property. The talk is part of the Environment and Energy Committee’s Sustainable Living Lecture Series and will be open to Village residents and neighboring Chevy Chase, MD communities.

2020 Board of Managers Election

Three Board seats will be up for election this spring. The current Board members whose terms are expiring in June are Robert Goodwin, Jr., Elissa Leonard, and Nancy Watters.

Any Village resident may run for a seat on the Board provided he/she is a qualified voter in Montgomery County, has resided in Chevy Chase Village for at least one year prior to the election and files the required Certificate of Candidacy and Financial Disclosure Statement in proper form. Board members serve two-year, staggered terms. If the number of qualified candidates equals the number of available seats, the candidates will be declared elected at the Annual Meeting on Monday, April 20, 2020 (the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.). If the number of candidates exceeds the number of available seats, a contested election will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

The Village Election Supervisors oversee Village elections, including receiving nominations to serve on the Board of Managers. Residents interested in running for a seat should please contact Election Supervisors Chair Mary Sheehan by email at msheehan246@aol.com so that the Elections Supervisors can begin to plan for the election.

To qualify as a candidate, an individual, including sitting Board members, must submit to the Village office a completed Certificate of Candidacy along with a Financial Disclosure Statement, at any time after February 2 (90 days prior to Election Day), but no later than April 2 (30 days prior to Election Day). Upon receiving both completed forms, the Village Manager will submit the Financial Disclosure Statement to the Village Ethics Commission, which will review the form within 10 days of filing for compliance with the provisions of the Public Ethics Code. Please note, however, that candidates are not certified to appear on the ballot until the Certificate of Candidacy and Financial Disclosure Statement have been reviewed and determined to be filed in proper form.

Forms are available in the Village office or by email request to the Village Manager, Shana Davis-Cook, at shana.davis-cook@montgomerycountymd.gov. For more information regarding Board elections, please visit the dedicated page on the Village’s website by clicking on “Board of Managers Elections” under Quick Links on the homepage.

Board of Managers: Financial Disclosure Q & A

In 2012, the State’s financial disclosure requirements for elected officials were extended to include municipalities like the Village. If you are considering serving on the Board, you may have questions about those requirements. I’ll try to anticipate and answer some of them here, and we also encourage you to contact any Board member or the Village Manager for any additional questions or discussion. You can find the disclosure form on the Village web site by selecting Government / Board of Managers / Board of Managers Elections / Candidate Financial Disclosure Form.

What do I have to disclose? The disclosures are annual and are due in April. All of the following disclosures are for the previous calendar year, like your tax return. You need to disclose the following:

Some details about any property you own, including your home.
Ownership or interests in corporations or partnerships. This includes holdings of stock in public corporations.
Purchases or sales of stock or other interests in corporations or partnerships.
Sources of earned income
Any involvement (ownership, employment, gifts, debt) with the Village or any entity doing business with the Village, for yourself or your immediate family.

How public is this information? It’s public but not published. Anyone may request a copy of your disclosure forms, but you may choose to be informed of any such requests. Your home address will be redacted when the disclosure form is provided.

Am I revealing my net worth to the world? No. Some forms of wealth and income (see next question) are not reported. For ownership and transactions you do have to report, you can use ranges for percentage of ownership (less than 1%, 1-5%, 6-10% or over 10%) or number of shares (0-100, 101-250, 251-500, over 500).

What about CDs, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds? You are not required to report bank interest or certificates of deposit, publicly traded mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds.

How hard is this? The annual report is due at roughly the same time as your income taxes, and the information you’ve gathered for your taxes covers almost all of what you need for the financial disclosure. Some Board members have their accountants complete the disclosure documents, and some fill them out themselves. If your finances aren’t too complicated it should only take an hour or two per year.

County Council's Pedestrian, Bicycle
& Traffic Safety Town Hall

Sunday, February 9 at 2:00 p.m. at Wheaton High School
12401 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring

Montgomery Planning is supporting the Montgomery County Council's February 9 Town Hall on Pedestrian, Bicycle and Traffic Safety. Please attend and provide feedback to councilmembers on how to make our county's roads, sidewalks and crosswalks safe for all modes of transportation.

Attend the County Council's Pedestrian, Bicycle and Traffic Safety Town Hall

This event on Sunday, February 9, is being hosted by Montgomery County Council at Wheaton High School (12401 Dalewood Drive) starting at 2 p.m. It is an opportunity for council members to hear directly from residents about the safety issues they are encountering on roadways and sidewalks and in crosswalks located in Montgomery County. Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting to talk with Councilmembers about areas of concern in the community and to learn more about the County's ongoing efforts to meet the goals of Vision Zero.

Representatives from the Maryland State Highway Administration, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, the Vision Zero Initiative, the Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and Montgomery County Public Schools are also expected to attend the town hall meeting which will take place in Wheaton High School's auditorium.

Simultaneous interpretation services will be provided for Spanish speakers. Other language assistance is available upon request with at least three working days' notice by calling 240-777-7931.

The Glenmont Metro Station is located 1.4 miles from Wheaton High School, and Ride On Route 10 provides bus service to the school. Parking is also available on site.

For additional information, contact Juan Jovel at Juan.Jovel@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-7931. If you need services to participate in this meeting or in any Council activity, please call the Council as far in advance as possible at 240-777-7900 or send an email to County.Council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

The Planning Department's Role in Vision Zero

Vision Zero is a multidisciplinary effort that requires the support of all County agencies to be successful. The Montgomery County Planning Department has an important role to play in Vision Zero and can support Montgomery County's program with community engagement, stakeholder facilitation, data analysis and a focus on long-term visioning. Montgomery Planning advances Vision Zero through the following ongoing activities:

Master Planning: Through master planning, Montgomery Planning engages the community to re-envision our auto-oriented roadways as safe, complete streets for walking, bicycling and driving.
Development and Capital Projects: The Montgomery County Planning Board helps to implement the safety recommendations in master plans by reviewing proposed development and capital projects.
Data Analysis: The Planning Department has extensive data collection and analysis resources to identify roadway characteristics that create safety challenges and to propose proven changes to improve safety.
Community Support and Engagement: Montgomery Planning provides support for building a Vision Zero constituency in the county.

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!

Local Farmer's Market

Section 3 of the Village of Chevy Chase hosts a Farmers' Market every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (rain or shine) on Taylor Street, just off of Brookville Road. Ample parking is available at La Ferme restaurant.

New Morning Farm, a Pennsylvania organic farmer features organic citrus fruits, apples, farm fresh eggs, mushrooms, apple cider, sweet and spicy greens mix, some lovely lettuce, honey, maple syrup, cheeses and lots of other organic veggies. The farmers also can arrange to deliver firewood to you.

Most Saturdays there is a food truck, Crepes Parfait, serving up delicious hot coffee and crepes of all types and a vendor selling fair trade wire baskets in bright beautiful colors. Bring your own bags to shop at the farmers market, have breakfast and stop by some of the local merchants along Brookville Rd. too.

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.

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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Board of Managers Meeting:Monday, February 10, 2020at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall