Updated: 1/15/2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Information

January 19 County Town Hall; Resident Survey;
Links to Information from Montgomery County and Updates from the State of Maryland

MONTGOMERY COUNTY UPDATES AND INFORMATION

The Montgomery County Council will hold a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday, January 19 at 7 p.m. focused on the COVID-19 vaccination program in our community.
 
This town hall will provide the latest information on the vaccine rollout plan in Montgomery County, describe the priority order for vaccinations mandated by the state government based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and give residents a forum to get their specific questions answered directly by public health representatives.
 
Click on the below link for more information regarding the Town Hall, including registering to participate:
 
https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=32571&Dept=1

Montgomery County has launched an online survey to hear from residents and to get an informed understanding of how residents feel about taking the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey is not scientific but will help identify any possible concerns residents may have about the vaccine. To facilitate a goal of vaccinating 75 to 80 percent of the community, County employees will use the feedback to address questions and to better reach communities hit hardest by COVID-19 and who have historically been apprehensive about trusting vaccines or medical research. The County plans to incorporate the feedback from the survey into its robust outreach plan and communications efforts to educate the public on the importance of taking the vaccine.
 
The survey is open from Jan. 14 through Feb. 4, 2021 and can be accessed at: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSej7SN3eOD8Cxi-_1moVgPSAS6ITLe4WvkjvxeKaUhgHAs-fw/viewform

 
To visit Montgomery County’s vaccination webpage, containing local-level information regarding vaccine administration, and a weekly summary of the number of vaccinations received by the county from the state, visit:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/

 
Montgomery County residents can sign up for email and text alerts with vaccine updates.  To sign-up, visit:

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDMONTGOMERY/subscriber/new?topic_id=MDMONTGOMERY_437

 
STATE OF MARYLAND UPDATES AND INFORMATION
On Thursday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued updated information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine administration in the state, including amendments to the previously issued priority populations and estimated timelines for vaccinating those populations.
 
Click on the below link to view the Governor’s January 14 press release with useful information: 

https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=865

 
For the latest statewide vaccine information, visit Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccine webpage at: 

https://covidlink.maryland.gov/content/vaccine/

Montgomery County Council Considers Re-Zoning in Communities Near Metro Stations

Rezoning Could Limit Municipal Zoning Authority and
Allow Multi-Family Dwellings and Increased Density in the Village

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando has introduced Zoning Text Amendment 20-07? (ZTA), which would allow owners of R-60-zoned properties located within 1-mile of a Metrorail station to build “Missing Middle” housing types, including duplexes, townhouses, and multi-family structures within the current R-60 lot coverage, building height, setbacks, minimum lot size and minimum parking requirements. Additional zoning flexibility is also proposed for R-60 zoned properties located within one-half mile of a Metrorail station, including exclusion from infill lot coverage limits and decreased minimum onsite parking requirements. 

All of the properties in the Village are currently zoned R-60, which are residential lots with a minimum area of 6,000 square feet and a minimum width of 60 feet, creating a fairly dense housing pattern.  The Village’s zoning authority to regulate building height, mass, setbacks, lot coverage, etc., is limited to single family zoning. This ZTA could eliminate or drastically decrease the Village’s existing zoning authority and our ability to regulate new buildings and changes to existing buildings in the Village. Additionally, the proposal could have impacts on stormwater runoff concerns in the Village (by reducing permeable surface area) and tree canopy (as the proposal seeks denser development). 

Residents may view ZTA 20-07 on the council’s website at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/Resources/Files/zta/2020/ZTA%2020-07.pdf. The Planning Board has scheduled a Public Hearing for January 28 (time TBA). 
Residents may sign up to testify and/or submit written testimony to the Planning Board via email to MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org.

The County Council will hold its Public Hearing on February 11.  Residents may sign up to testify and/or submit written testimony to the Planning Board via email to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Councilmember Jawando—who introduced the ZTA—has produced a “Fact Sheet” regarding the ZTA (and an accompanying “anti-rent-gouging” bill) that can be viewed online at:

https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=863

Montgomery County Honors Life and Legacy of
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Montgomery County will host the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and celebration in a virtual program at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 18. “In His and Their Own Words: Reflecting Our Past While Forecasting the Future” will honor Dr. King’s life through dramatic readings, musical and dance performances. The event, produced by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee and the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, will be available on County Cable Montgomery at Comcast/RCN Channel 6 and HD Channel 996 or Verizon Channel 30 and County Cable Facebook.?

This year’s event will include a special greetings and remarks by County Executive Marc Elrich and President of County Council Tom Hucker and introductory program remarks by Director Office of Human Rights James Stowe. Montgomery County Council Members will recite brief excerpts from Dr. King’s speeches written in HIS own words as four students share personal letters addressed to “Dear Martin” in THEIR own words. This virtual event will feature an interactive segment that will allow the viewing audience to create MLK-inspired art in real time, while enjoying uplifting thought-provoking performances by Chelsey Green, Dem Raider Boyz, Akhmedova Ballet Academy and many more.

As a finale, world-renowned jazz musician and Montgomery County’s own, Marcus Johnson will end with a special performance created especially for the 2021 celebration.

Students can earn SSL hours by viewing the celebration and participating in an advocacy and reflection exercise as part of an MLK Week of Service district wide SSL opportunity. More details are available on the MLK Student Service Learning project page.  This is a free family-friendly event, and all are encouraged to “share the show” on their social media pages.  Registration is encouraged to receive a day of reminder email with the direct link to the event and instructions on how to participate in the live interactive part of the show.  Although not necessary, we encourage you to RSVP for the total number of intended viewers in your household.?

For more information, visit the event website.

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Media contact: Judy Stiles 240-463-2442

County’s MLK Day of Service Event Moves to Virtual Platform, Expands to a Week

Every January for more than a decade, the Montgomery County Volunteer Center has brought thousands of area residents together for an afternoon full of volunteer activities featured at its large-scale Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day of Service event. This year, the event has gone virtual and expanded to a week, with a variety of home-based and safely distanced service opportunities available online at http://bit.ly/MoCoMLKDay. 

The Volunteer Center’s 2021 MLK service event runs January 16-24 and offers residents of all ages the opportunity to honor the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in one (or many!) remote service projects that help others in our community. Activities include creating toys for service dogs, making blankets for hospice patients, sending well wishes to COVID patients, and donating books on diversity for students. MCPS students can earn student service learning (also known as SSL) hours for most projects except donations.  

All event activities are free, but space is limited for some projects and registration is required.  

In addition to the Volunteer Center’s virtual MLK service activities, several partner agencies are coordinating service projects for MLK Day 2021. Residents can find more information about them at the virtual event page at http://bit.ly/MoCoMLKDay.  

The Volunteer Center strives to improve the quality of life in Montgomery County by fostering a culture of volunteerism and service. The agency’s website, www.montgomeryserves.org, connects community members in search of volunteer activities with nonprofits and government agencies in need of assistance.  

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Media Contact: Lorna Virgilí, 240-277-8072

Montgomery County has just released its draft Action Plan on Climate Change.  The Plan is a comprehensive roadmap for reducing current greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035.  Join Adriana Hochberg, assistant to County Executive Marc Elrich, and two of her colleagues in a Webinar and Q&A on January 21 from 7-8 p.m. to learn how the County proposes to achieve these ambitious targets. This will be a joint event sponsored by the Town of Chevy Chase’s Environment and Climate Committee and Chevy Chase Village’s Environment and Energy Committee. The webinar will be recorded and a link posted on the Village’s website for those who are interested but cannot attend.

Click on the link below to register and receive an email prior to the Webinar with the Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uZv0WIleQ1KNwSKr4fUiww

Chevy Chase Village Virtual Speaker Series

A note from the Community Relations Committee:

Montgomery County Public Libraries Announces New Branch Hours Beginning Sunday, Jan. 24

Montgomery County Public Libraries will temporarily reduce their hours of service to 48 hours weekly beginning Sunday, Jan. 24. Sunday service will be discontinued, and all branches will be open 8 hours on other days.

The branches will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Noyes Library will remain closed.

“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately requires us to make this decision,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo.  “I hope that we will be able to begin to restore our operating hours as the situation improves over the course of the year.”

Holds to Go! MCPL’s contactless holds pickup service will take place during the new hours. The adjustment to hours will make it possible to continue Holds to Go! at all branches.

Virtual services may take place outside of the new branch hours. Digital services will continue to be available 24/7.

For more information about MCPL services, visit the website.

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Media contact: Judy Stiles 240-463-2442

FY2022 Budget Work Session

The Village Board of Managers will hold a virtual work session to review the Village Manager’s draft budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2021 and ends on June 30, 2022.

Monday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.
(this meeting will be held virtually)

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.

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

Join the Village Listserv on Groups.io

CCVillage (CCVillage@Groups.io), is the neighborhood mailing list (listserv) for residents of Chevy Chase Village.  As residents continue to practice social distancing, CCVillage is a resource to allow neighbors to stay connected with one another other.  For more information and to join, visit:

https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=806

Are You Prepared?

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. Click on the below link to view this information:

https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=813

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.

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