For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 2, 2020

Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection Provides Advice to Avoid Scams Related
to COVID-19 Health Crisis

Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is warning consumers to be alert for potential scams and fraud related to the COVID-19 health crisis. Among the scams currently active are those claiming to sell products to cure the virus. At this time, there are no products proven to cure COVID-19.

Despite frequent reports through the media by health professionals on COVID-19, and repeated warnings that there are no cures for the rapidly spreading virus, scammers are trying to convince people that a cure can be bought over the internet.

“There are no approved products to cure COVID-19. However, the online marketplace and social media may advertise worthless ‘miracle’ products,” said OCP Director Eric Friedman. “Health concerns are paramount during this global pandemic, so consumers need to be aware of ploys in which scammers exploit our fears and desire for immediate information. Don’t fall for email messages offering to provide a map of your neighbors who have tested positive. These crooks are creative and one wrong click on a computer can result in a computer virus.” 

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recently signed a State of Emergency bill that bans price gouging for certain products during the emergency period. However, some unscrupulous merchants may be charging exorbitant prices for hand sanitizer, cleaning products, and disinfectant wipes. 

In addition to the State bill, Montgomery County’s Consumer Protection Act has a provision regarding “unconscionable” contract terms related to the sale of goods. Amazon and eBay are taking steps to prohibit price gouging activity regarding certain products.

“It is best to avoid these merchants in Montgomery County and report them to the Office of Consumer Protection,” said Friedman.

The Office of Consumer Protection also is urging consumers to carefully look into cancellation policies regarding planned travel. Some airlines, hotels, and cruise lines are allowing consumers to cancel tickets without penalties. Cancellation and refund policies vary greatly with tour groups, peer-to-peer shared housing, and public events. There are no consumer protection laws that regulate all of these type of transactions. It is best to contact each business directly to resolve situations for travel that has been already been booked.

Protections also exist under Maryland law for gym memberships. If the gym is closed for more than one month, the buyer is entitled to extend the membership contract for a period equal to the period that the facility is closed or offer a prorated refund of the amount paid under the contract. In the case of closures due to COVID-19, clubs are closed through no fault of the gym operator. Consumers should know that the choice of reimbursement remedy will be made by the club. 

Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection can be contacted at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ocp/

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) also is warning about scams in which residents are told they will need a special filter on their taps to prevent the COVID-19 virus from reaching them via the water system. The WSSC wants water users to know that its water is tested before it leaves the plant. The WSSC will not call residents to test home water (at a fee) or to sell a resident a filter. More information is available at  http://wsscwater.com/coronavirus.

For the latest updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCoMD.

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Media contact: Eric Friedman, 240-777-3719

Montgomery County Requests Personal Protective Equipment Donations for First Responders
and Medical Personnel

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 2, 2020

Montgomery County is facing a critical shortage of protective equipment for first responders and medical personnel and is asking the public for donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

PPE is needed immediately to help keep first responders and healthcare workers (doctors, nurses and other caregivers) safe while working in our county and on the pandemic's frontlines.

Personal Protective Equipment includes:

• Respirators (N95 or KN95)
• Masks (surgical or procedural)
• Gowns (medical, isolation, or surgical)
• Face Shields (medical goggles or safety glasses)
• Gloves

“This unprecedented health challenge has brought out the best in our community and many people and organizations are helping,” said Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Dr. Earl Stoddard. “The County has already received donations from many businesses currently unable to operate due to the mandate to close nonessential businesses. Local construction companies, laboratories, and manufacturers have also offered supplies. The County can use more PPE as the shortage continues.”

Any individual, business or organization with a supply of PPE is encouraged to complete this online form to arrange for a donation. 

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook and Twitter.

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Media Contact: Julie Parker, julie.parker@montgomerycountymd.gov

Village Officer Interrupts Nighttime Thieves

Alert patrol officer surprises two carloads of thieves; they flee

On Monday (March 30, 2020) at about 4:00 a.m., Officer Drew Fones was on patrol in the Village when he turned from Cedar Parkway onto westbound Grafton Street (toward Kirkside Drive).  As soon as he made the turn, he saw two cars stopped on Grafton near Kirkside with their headlights on; one car was facing west, and the other was facing east. 
 
As soon as Officer Fones saw the two cars, the drivers of the cars apparently saw him, because both cars sped off toward Kirkside then headed south toward Western Avenue.  By the time Officer Fones reached Kirkside Drive, he saw the cars running the stop signs on Kirkside, then turn right onto Western Avenue in DC.  The cars were obviously in a big hurry to get away.
 
Officer Fones returned to the middle block of Grafton to look for evidence of theft.  Officer Fones spotted an unoccupied parked car with its interior light on.  Investigation revealed that the thieves had entered the unlocked car, but had not taken anything.
 
On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, a second resident of the middle block of Grafton reported that someone entered his unlocked pickup truck; the only item missing was a small multi-tool.  This resident has a video security system which captured the thieves entering his truck early on Monday morning; these were apparently the same thieves that fled from Officer Fones.
 
Officer Fones did a good job proactively patrolling to prevent theft.  He undoubtedly interrupted a group of thieves and stopped them before they entered more cars.
 
Residents are urged to lock their cars every time they park, and to remove all valuables.  By denying thieves of easy opportunities, they are less likely to return.  

Videos:
The links below are videos from incidents in nearby Bethesda from November, 2019.  Although not related to the events of last Friday in the Village, these videos will illustrate how these thieves operate, and they will make it clear how important it is to lock your car.
 
https://youtu.be/fBBHBh01osM

https://youtu.be/Ke2dc1KY0lM

Sign-Up for Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Updates

Montgomery County is continuously pushing out useful information and updates related to the COVID-19 health emergency.  Please visit the below site to sign-up for the county’s COVID-19 updates: 
 

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDMONTGOMERY/signup/14849

Grocery Stores Offering
“Seniors-Only” Shopping Hours

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced a new program to help protect seniors as they shop for groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Thursday, March 19, four local grocery stores and two national store chains will reserve specific hours for seniors only, allowing them to shop among a smaller group of people to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection.

View the Stores and Hours

Join the Village Listserv on Groups.io

Last year, CCVillage, the neighborhood mailing list for Chevy Chase Village, was transferred to CCVillage@Groups.io. During this period of social distancing, CCVillage is a resource to allow neighbors to stay connected with each other.

If you have not done so already, please join the mailing list by visiting https://groups.io/g/CCVillage and clicking on the blue "+ Join This Group" button.  Once you are enrolled, the email address to submit messages to the mailing list is ccvillage@groups.io, and you can read the group messages online at http://groups.io/g/CCVillage/topics. 

On the website, click on "Messages" in the left column menu to see the most recent CCVillage posts, and click "New Topic" to open an editor that will let you compose and send your message.  You can search the database of old messages by clicking the "Search" button above the message list.
 
The CCVillage information website is at http://CCVillage.info. For assistance with joining or posting messages, please contact moderator and Village resident Tim Slagle at ccvillage+owner@groups.io.

Minor Alterations at The Collection Chevy Chase

The Chevy Chase Land Company has advised us of their application to the Montgomery Planning Board for “minor” alterations at The Collection Chevy Chase. Click on the below links to view the proposed plans along with the applicant’s Statement of Justification explaining the proposed amendments.
 
PLANS
 
STATEMENT OF JUSTIFICATION
 
The primary alteration is construction of a dedicated outdoor dining terrace for a new restaurant that will occupy the former Ralph Lauren space at the south end of the building along Wisconsin Avenue, on the north side of the driveway opposite the main entrance into Clyde’s.
 
The terrace is proposed to accommodate a new restaurant leaseholder who is looking to have dedicated outdoor dining space at the same level as the interior restaurant space. The Land Company also believes that the location of the new dining terrace will further activate the area and encourage passersby to come into the property.  (Below photo is looking into the property from Wisconsin Avenue with Clyde’s to your right and the building that will be amended to your left.)

The outdoor dining terrace will begin at the corner of the building closest to Wisconsin Avenue and will wrap around to the corner across from the tiered plaza inside the center.  A five foot wide sidewalk will remain around the dining terrace.
 
Additionally, alterations in the underground parking garage are required in order to accommodate restaurant use, including mechanical equipment, grease traps and food deliveries.  Typically, restaurants have a rear service entrance, however, this building was not designed for restaurant use and underground access is required to support this new use. The revisions within the underground space will require elimination of 61 parking spaces; 1,186 parking spaces would remain, which exceeds the 837 required by Code.
 
Rather than having to seek piece-meal approval for designation of private use space, the Planning Department has urged the Land Company to reduce the public use space to the minimum allowed in the Zone, even though there is no current plan to utilize these areas for private dining in support of the current and proposed restaurants (see the red hatched areas on the plans).
 
Lastly, three handicap parking spaces located in the lot above the tiered plaza will be shifted over (north) to accommodate occasional temporary parking of an ice cream truck. 
 
The modifications have been classified by the Planning Staff as “minor” so while notices will be mailed to all abutting property owners, no signs will be posted at the site.
 
None of this work is related to the new grocery store space occupant.  Work on that space is ongoing and the new store is still slated to open later this year.  We await an announcement regarding the confirmed lessor.

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:

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!

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

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.

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to receive general news updates from Chevy Chase Village. Did you know the Village sends out urgent news updates as well, click here to sign-up.