Board of Managers Meeting: Monday, November 14, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall

The Board of Managers will hold its regular monthly meeting on November 14, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall. Please click here to view the agenda and the Board's briefing materials.

Public Hearing Notice

Brookville Road Park

Community feedback sought regarding the
continued use of the park by unleashed dogs.

The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers will convene a Public Hearing during its regular meeting on Monday, November 14, 2016. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Village’s ad hoc Park Design Committee, led by landscape architect Lila Fendrick, presented draft plans for Brookville Road Park to the Village Board in October. During this presentation, issues were raised by some neighbors regarding the appropriate uses for the park, including whether off-leash dog usage should be allowed. Rather than proceeding with consideration of the proposed plans, the Village Board has scheduled a Public Hearing to consider the community’s feedback on the future role of the park.

If you are unable to attend the Public Hearing on November 14, you may submit written testimony for the record either by e-mail at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov or directly to the Village office at 5906 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815.

Leaf Collection Schedule for the Week of November 14.

The Public Works Department's yearly leaf collection operations are underway. Two (2) leaf vacuums are currently working throughout the Village and will continue to work as often as needed through December. Click on the image to the right to find the tentative leaf collection schedule for the week of November 14. Please note that the collection schedule is subject to change due to adverse weather conditions and equipment malfunctions.

Each week, the leaf truck on the west side of the Village will begin on West Melrose Street and work south ending on Western Avenue; and the leaf truck on the east side will begin on East Irving Street working north and ending on Quincy Street.

Residents on Bradley Lane are required to bag their leaves before placing them at the roadside. Bradley Lane leaf bags will be collected throughout the week, as part of your normal yard waste collections. Bagged leaves must be placed in paper bags. Public Works will not pick up leaves that have been bagged in plastic.

Residents are asked to rake their leaves as close to the curb as possible without putting them in the roadway gutter. Should it rain, leaves piled in the gutter will dam the water causing it to pond. Please avoid boxing in piles of leaves between cars both for easier accessibility for the collection crews and safety for your vehicles.

Sticks and other sharp tree and garden debris should be left loose and placed in separate piles from leaves. Sharp debris can tear the leaf collection hoses or dull the blades, resulting in downtime for the machine to address repairs to the vacuum machinery that can cause delays in the schedule.

Leaves on each block in the Village should be collected once per week. Schedule updates will be circulated through the Village’s weekly blast emails (sign-up for these weekly emails on the Village website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov)

WSSC Billing Concerns

In light of the recent listserv traffic regarding concerns and questions with recent WSSC water bills below are several factors that could affect your bills:

Effective July 1, WSSC’s rates increased by 3% and an additional $6 per quarter charge is applied to all bills to fund Infrastructure Investment. A link to the WSSC press release is provided below: www.wsscwater.com/contents/news/2016/wssc-fy17-budget-takes-effect-ju.html
On occasion, WSSC will estimate water usage when your meter is not accessible due to construction or bad weather. If your usage has been estimated your bill will be annotated in the center section that lists your usage details.
Leaks
- You may not believe it but a leaking faucet or toilet can greatly increase your water usage and inflate your bill. Below is a link on how to detect if you have a water leak in your house: www.wsscwater.com/leaks

WSSC does have a process to dispute your bill and if warranted adjust your bill. Below is the process to request a billing adjustment: (www.wsscwater.com/customer-service/problems-with-your-bill.html)

Contact WSSC at 301-206-4001, toll free 1-800-634-8400.
A Customer Care agent will review your bill and billing history including your Average Daily Water Consumption. Please be aware that higher than normal bills are often the result of excessive water usage and/or household leaks.
If a reading is determined to be correct, most likely it is due to a leak – you may possibly qualify for a reduction of charges, but you must speak with a WSSC agent.
- If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, then you may dispute your bill. There are two methods to further appeal your bill:
  - WSSC has a Dispute Resolving Board review allowing customers to dispute their unpaid charges (www.wsscwater.com/customer-service/problems-with-your-bill/dispute-resolution.html).
  - A Refund Hearing, by law, is exclusively for disputing paid charges (www.wsscwater.com/customer-service/problems-with-your-bill/refund-hearings.html).

Repaving of Wisconsin Circle - 11/10 and 11/11

Weather permitting, MCDOT will be performing Patching, Milling and Overlay of both the North & South Bound lanes of Wisconsin Circle. Work will take place over two nights 11/10/16 and 11/11/16. The work hours will be from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am both nights. We will work on the North bound lanes on Thursday night and South bound lanes Friday night. Michael Fomalont, Property Manager for the surrounding businesses will be notifying the local business owners of the upcoming work. Michael will also be closing the entrance to the parking garage the evening of 11/11/16.

Our goal is to have 95% of the work completed by 6:00 am Saturday morning. If all goes well the lane markings will be installed early Saturday morning after the work is completed. We have also coordinated with Ride On as they have a fairly busy route that runs through the area.

PEPCO Tree Pruning Operations Underway in the Village

Currently underway and lasting the next eight (8) weeks, PEPCO representatives will be conducting tree pruning operations on the below listed streets and on private property. This tree pruning continues efforts began five years ago in response to mandates from the Maryland Public Service Commission to all Maryland utilities regarding vegetation management and system upgrades.

In response to recent criticism for poor performance, the Maryland Public Service Commission has mandated that PEPCO conduct thorough reliability upgrades. This effort will include aggressive, but responsible, tree pruning around the power lines. Village staff along with the Village’s contracted consulting arborist, Tolbert Feather, Ph.D., has been meeting with PEPCO representatives to review PEPCO’s tree pruning plans. While past pruning efforts from PEPCO have resulted in resident concerns about the resulting aesthetic of the Village’s tree canopy, through our meetings with PEPCO we have been able to focus pruning operations to a strategic and minimalist—rather than blanket–approach which has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Feather. Throughout this cycle of tree pruning, both Village staff and Dr. Feather will continue to oversee the tree pruning operations.

Over the next few weeks PEPCO representatives will be conducting their tree pruning operations on the below listed streets. When PEPCO conducts pruning on privately-owned trees they are required to notify the resident of their intentions. When PEPCO is planning to remove trees they are required to receive written sign-off from the respective homeowners. If you are contacted by PEPCO because they wish to conduct tree pruning and/or removal operations on your property you have the right to request additional information on the requested pruning and/or removal. As a homeowner you also have the right to refuse PEPCO crews access to your property.

PEPCO’s scope of work for these improvements may include tree trimming along the following streets and in rear yards where high voltage power lines exist:

Cedar Parkway
West Irving Street (between Cedar and Magnolia Parkways)
Hesketh Street (between Cedar and Magnolia Parkways)
Grafton Street (between Chevy Chase Circle and Cedar Pkwy.)
Oliver Street
Grove Street
Center Street
Montgomery Street
Park Street
Belmont Avenue
Kirkside Drive

Tree limbs will be pruned to a minimum distance of 4-years of tree growth, based on the species of the particular tree being pruned and its expected growth rate. Trees may be pruned between two feet (2’) and seven feet (7’) from the power lines. PEPCO plans to trim both private and public trees in the above listed areas. If PEPCO is going to conduct tree pruning on private property a door hanger from PEPCO will be left on your door outlining the extent of the pruning scheduled along with a business card for a PEPCO representative.

Should you have any questions regarding PEPCO’s tree pruning, please do not hesitate to contact the Village office at (301) 654-7300 or via e-mail at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Lock Your Car EVERY Time You Park

(For Goodness Sake)

October was quite interesting with 2 bait car activations and 3 thieves arrested as a result. The only reason that these thieves continue to return to the Village is because some residents persist in leaving their cars unlocked.

Our thieves simply walk through the Village in the dark of night and pull on car door handles. There’s no need for them to break in because some of us simply invite them in by leaving cars unlocked. The thieves have learned that cars are left unlocked here, so they come back. And why shouldn’t they? Experience has shown that they always find unlocked cars, so their odds are quite good.

Think of this analogy: Leaving cars unlocked is like leaving food in the campsite in bear country. They will come back looking for it until they realize that there’s no food anymore. We have to stop doing this.

It is SO easy to simply push the lock button on the key fob. Those who leave their cars unsecured are impacting the larger community by contributing to the theft problem. Each of us has an obligation to lock up.

Just lock your car. Push that button. Please.

Did You Know?

NO plastic bags in the recycling. These bags clog the processing machines and contaminate the recycling stream. Most local grocery stores have plastic bag recycling bins where you can drop-off your bags at any time.
Our trash/recycling crews cannot clear away your waste if they can’t access your bins. Remember to clear a path for our crews so they can do their job!
The Resident Directory is chock-full of useful information, including a history of the Village, summaries of the many services offered in the Village and a listing of important provisions from the Code. Copies of the 2016 edition can be picked up from the Village office; limit one per household.
Pet waste bags should NOT be placed in leaf piles. This was a disturbing trend last year that we hope does not resurface. Pet waste bags should be placed in the public receptacles located throughout the community or taken home and placed in your personal trash receptacle.

Food Drive: Now - December in the Village Hall

For the fourth year in a row, Chevy Chase Village will partner with the Manna Food Center, the largest food bank in Montgomery County. Over the past 33 years, Manna has distributed 47.3 million pounds of food to more than 2.7 million individuals in need of food assistance. Manna serves approximately 3,700 individuals monthly totaling 11,000 unduplicated households each year. The services of Manna ensure that 21,000 adults and 15,000 children who are experiencing poverty, hunger, and food insecurity will receive essential food supports to help them break the cycle of hunger and food insecurity.

What can you do? We will have a food drop-off at the Village Hall beginning in October through December. When attending Village events (classes, Board Meetings, Halloween Party, Holiday Party…), residents are asked to bring an item to add to the box. Here are some ideas: peanut butter, tuna fish, beans, oatmeal, mac and cheese, pasta, baby food, and shelf-stable milk. Please do not donate expired food.

The Week Ahead: November 13 - November 19

Monday, November 14, 2016

7:30 p.m.: Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers Monthly Meeting. Humphrey Hall. All residents are encouraged to attend.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

9:00 a.m. - Noon: Garden Club of Chevy Chase Monthly meeting. Humphrey Hall.
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Live Online Discussion with County Executive Ike Leggett.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 a.m.: Chevy Chase @ Home sponsored discussion by Charlie Cook, founder and publisher of the Cook Political Report.

For additional information on any of the meetings and events listed above, please contact Village Community Liaison/Administrative Assistant via e-mail at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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