Join the Village in Saying Farewell to Michael Younes

The Village’s Director of Municipal Operations, Michael Younes, has accepted a position with a private-sector organization and he will be leaving the Village in early February. Michael has worked in various capacities for the Village over the past 12 years. Many residents have come to know Michael through his work managing various capital and infrastructure projects, including the 4-year comprehensive replacement of Village sidewalks, the Brookville Road sidewalk project, and various utility and infrastructure maintenance and upgrade projects. Michael also worked closely with many Village committees, including the Parks & Greenspaces, Traffic, Tree and, the former Emergency Preparedness Committees.

In a letter to the Village Board, Michael stated that “words cannot explain the gratitude I feel for the support and guidance the Board and Village residents have provided me during my time here” and that he has been “honored to have been part of some of the Village’s most visible and successful projects”.

The Village Board and staff express our sincere appreciation to Michael Younes for his dedication and professionalism, and we wish him well in his new position. Residents are invited to join the Board as we bid Michael farewell during the Board’s regular meeting on Monday, February 13 (the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.).

Board of Managers Election

Four Board seats will be up for election this spring. The current Board members whose terms are expiring in June are Gary Crockett, Minh Le, Richard Ruda and David Winstead.

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. Note that the Certificate of Candidacy was only introduced last year. 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 17, 2017 (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 6, 2017.

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 Charlotte Jones-Carroll by email at cjonescarroll@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 6 (90 days prior to Election Day), but by no later than April 6 (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 ten 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.

Updates regarding the Chevy Chase Center Redevelopment Project

The Chevy Chase Land Company (the Land Company) has proposed some revisions to the proposed redevelopment plan for The Collection Chevy Chase (formerly referred to a Chevy Chase Center). The project is slated to begin March 2017. The proposed revisions were presented by Village staff to the Board of Managers at its meeting on January 9. A narrative and site plan description of the changes are available on the Village website by clicking on “Chevy Chase Center Redevelopment” under Quick Links on the homepage. The changes include

installation of parking gates (ticket dispensers with arms) at either end of the upper deck of the surface parking lot located closest to the Buffer,
adjustments and modifications to the tiered plaza area,
new STOP signs throughout the lower surface parking lot and interior streets,
shifting the location for some of the proposed parallel parking spaces,
elimination of the three previously proposed speed humps along the easternmost interior street,
modifications to the water feature and art within Farr Park including additional wayfinding and business directory signage,
adjustments to the light pole locations to accommodate some of the above-stated changes, and
consolidation of the entry and exit driveways along the proposed Montgomery Street roundabout for access to the Saks Fifth Avenue property.

Although the Board has no objection to the proposed revisions, the Board asked staff to relay to the Land Company that the Board maintains its previously relayed concerns regarding the potential for “cut thru” traffic and pedestrian safety throughout the property, and continued concerns regarding the lack of an established parking management plan for the remaining uncontrolled surface parking spaces.

At its meeting on February 13, the Board will review a draft agreement to allow the construction of the Land Company’s proposed traffic roundabout on Montgomery Street west of the Buffer between The Collection and Saks Fifth Avenue properties.

For more information regarding this project, please visit the Village website or contact Village Manager Ms. Shana Davis-Cook at
shana.davis-cook@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Proposed 2017 Spring Public Right-of-Way and Park Tree Planting

DEAR VILLAGE RESIDENT: In keeping with the Village’s adopted policy, the Village anticipates planting 45 trees this coming spring. Please review the proposed list of sites under consideration for planting in Village rights-of-way by clicking on the image of the tree to the right. The list has been prepared by the Tree Committee in consultation with the Village Arborist.

Should you have request for a different species, or if you have questions or concerns or would like to propose an additional site, please submit them in writing to the Village office, c/o Tree Committee at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 including your name, address and telephone number. A member of the Tree Committee will contact you to discuss the matter.

In selecting tree species, an effort has been made to emphasize native species and, where there are power lines, to plant trees that will not exceed 35’ when mature. Preferred species may in some cases prove not to be available and all listed sites are unlikely to be planted this spring. In these cases, the Tree Committee will contact the owner of the adjacent property to review alternatives.

Chevy Chase Elementary School's 100th Anniversary

Chevy Chase Elementary School is celebrating their 100^th anniversary from January to June 2017 and they would love your help. They are particularly looking for alumni who attended during interesting times in history (WWII, desegregation, etc.) who would be willing to speak with current students about what it was like to be a student in those days. They are also collecting memorabilia from all years (class pictures, report cards, etc) to be shared.

Please bring to the school any items you wish to donate or have scanned and returned. They would love to spread the word to as many alums as possible through their Facebook page (CCES 100 Years Celebration) and other social media sites. The celebration culminates with CheetahFest on June 10th – an all day celebration for alumnae, students and community members at the school – put it on your calendar!

Are You Prepared?

As we saw last season during the record Blizzard of 2016 and as gear up for the upcoming winter season, the Village reminds residents that it is important to be prepared. 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 primary electronic method of communication with you. 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 office emergency communications service for Montgomery County, MD. During major crisis, emergency or severe weather events, Montgomery County officials 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 form 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 to assist you in your preparedness efforts is to always request a House Check when you are out 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 2017 Crier.

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