Holiday Office Closure and Refuse/Recycling Schedule

The Village Administrative Office and Public Works Department will be closed on Thursday, November 24, 2016 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. As a reminder, the Communications Center and Police Department are open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Village Administrative office will be open Friday, November 25, however with limited staffing. There will be no leaf collection on Thursday or Friday.

In observance of Thanksgiving, Refuse/Recycling collection will slide one day. For example if you normal collection is Thursday, your collection will take place on Friday. Click here to view the full holiday refuse/recycling collection schedule.

Save the Date - Village's Annual Holiday Party

The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers requests the Pleasure of Your Company

Wednesday, December 14, 2016, at the Chevy Chase Village Hall from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Please join us during this Holiday Season for a special evening of merriment and good cheer.

A buffet-style dinner and desserts are sure to please residents of all ages.

Residents will enjoy seasonal music and a visit from Old Saint Nick.
Please call the Village Hall at (301) 654-7300 or send an email to ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov to make reservations for your family.

Leaf Collection Schedule for the Week of November 28.

The Public Works Department's yearly leaf collection operations continue with 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 28. 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)

A Greener Way to Deal with Autumn Leaves

As autumn brings its leaves, the Environment and Energy Committee reminds us that leaf blowers—particularly gas-powered blowers--produce high levels of noise and pollution. Here are some lawn-care practices that can reduce or eliminate those effects.

Good practices:

Use a lower speed on your blower to reduce noise, polluting emissions and dust in the air. This should not affect the efficiency of most blowers in clearing leaves and debris from medium-sized properties.
Instruct your lawn care providers to use only one leaf blower at a time on the property. This would help bring noise levels in compliance with Montgomery County Noise regulations and be respectful of neighbors.
Apply only organic fertilizers like compost from natural sources—no synthetics, and no synthetic pesticides.
Switch to an electric leaf blower—several new models are available. These are less polluting in that they do not emit black carbon or Carbon Monoxide. [Note: If you currently offset your electricity with renewable energy, the overall operation becomes carbon neutral.]
Eliminate use of leaf blowers altogether. Hand rake the leaves and dispose of at curbside for collection. Or, use a mulch blade on your mower to mow and mulch leaves in place, providing an organic layer which fertilizers your lawn through the fall and winter months, eliminating the need to collect and dispose of leaves, thereby also reducing cost and the carbon footprint involved in leaf collection and disposal. This is by far the best option from a sustainability standpoint; it should result in time and cost savings to households, as well.

Other green practices related to organic landscaping include the phasing out of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers altogether in favor of natural biological control agents, such as pest eating insects (lady bugs) and birds, pest resistant plant varieties, and composting.

Landscape companies are beginning to see demand for greener practices in landscaping as a new business opportunity. Landscape companies offering “green” options can inform the Village and be included in a list of green providers on our website.

Informational Public Meeting - Proposed Connecticut Avenue Salt Barn

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) has developed plans for a new salt barn within the existing right-of-way in the northeastern quadrant of the I-495/MD 185 (Connecticut Avenue) interchange in Montgomery County. This project would improve response time and coverage during winter snow emergencies in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, and the top side of I-495.

An informational public meeting was held on April 7, 2016, and the SHA invites interested persons to attend a followup presentation of the proposed Connecticut Avenue salt barn on December 5, 2016.

The meeting will be held at Grace Episcopal Day School located at 9411 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington, MD 20895.

For additional information on the project, please visit www.roads.maryland.gov/d3.

PEPCO Tree Pruning Operations Continues in the Village

Currently ongoing and lasting the next four (4) 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.

Did You Know?

There are several Notaries Public on staff in the Village’s Communications Center and administrative office. If you need notary services, please call in advance to confirm that a Notary is on-duty.
The Village Hall is a wonderful venue to hold various types of events including parties, receptions and meetings. Visit the Village website for more information regarding renting the Village Hall for your next event
Light it up, lock it up. The Village Police Department reminds residents that with the end to daylight savings, it is important to keep your exterior lights on and your doors—to your home AND your vehicles—locked to prevent property crimes. For information regarding ways that you can keep your home secure, contact the Communications Center to schedule a free Home Security Survey performed by a Village police officer.

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 27- December 3

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

2:00 - 3:00 P.M.: Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett will hold a “virtual” town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 29 from 2 to 3 p.m. County residents may submit questions to the County Executive before and during the chat at Live Discussion with Ike Leggett. Questions and answers will be posted both during and after the chat. For more information, call the Office of Public Information at 240-777-6507.

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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