Board of Managers Meeting: Monday, December 11, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall

The Board of Managers will hold its regular monthly meeting on December 11, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall. Please click below to view the agenda and the Board's briefing materials.

Click here to view the agenda

The Village's Annual Holiday Party

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Chevy Chase Village Hall
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers requests the Pleasure of your Company! 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.

Annual Holiday Party Flyer

Click here to view the Employee Holiday Fund letter

Food Drive: Now - December in the Village Hall

For the fifth year in a row, Chevy Chase Village will partner with the Manna Food Center, the largest food bank in Montgomery County. Over the past 34 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 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.

Public Comments Sought:

Proposed Security Cameras in Western Grove Park

The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) has informed the Village of a plan to install four (4) security cameras onto existing light poles within the newly opened Western Grove Park. This is part of a larger pilot program underway by the Parks Department to install security cameras in WiFi-enabled parks. Western Grove Park is the newest park to feature WiFi technology and would be the second park in the county parks system to have security cameras (Kemp Mill Urban Park in Silver Spring is the first).

In recognition of the ongoing partnership between M-NCPPC and the Village, the Parks Department has reached out to the Village through Captain George Coleman of the M-NCPPC Park Police to inform the Village and to determine whether the Village community objects to the proposal. The matter was introduced at the Village Board’s November 13 regular meeting.

The Village Board has scheduled a Public Hearing on the proposal to take place during its regular meeting on Monday, December 11. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall and Captain Coleman will be in attendance to answer residents’ questions and provide additional information.

To ensure a full understanding of the proposal and community members’ views, residents are encouraged to submit comments and specific questions to the Village office by email to ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov or by mail/walk-in to the Village office at 5906 Connecticut Avenue. Village staff will compile the submitted questions and provide them in advance of the Public Hearing to Captain Coleman.

Village Officer Arrests Wanted Man in Grove Street Alley

Transient man served with misdemeanor arrest warrant

At about 10:20 p.m., Officer Davor Hrnjak of the Chevy Chase Village Police Department was on patrol in a marked police car on westbound Grove Street approaching Cedar Parkway. As the officer neared the intersection, he saw a man who appeared to be homeless (layers of mismatched and soiled clothing, disheveled appearance) walking south on the sidewalk along Cedar Parkway. The man turned left into the alley between Grove Street and Western Avenue.

The officer pulled his car into the alley behind the man, and the man then turned around to face the officer and began walking toward the officer’s car. The officer got out of the cruiser and asked the man if the officer could speak with him, and the man consented to a conversation. During the conversation, the officer asked the man if he needed any assistance and he asked the man for his name.

A check of the criminal justice database revealed that the man was wanted by Montgomery County on a misdemeanor bench warrant of failing to appear in court on a charge of urinating in public.

Mr. Mossenthal CHAVIS, 45, of no fixed address, was arrested without incident and without any use of force. Mr. Chavis was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville where the warrant was served.

Two Residents Receive Strange Calls at about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday Evening

In each case, the caller falsely claimed to be a Village resident

In the first incident, a resident of Hesketh Street answered her phone at about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 5. The male caller identified himself as a neighbor from Oliver Street but the resident’s caller ID displayed a number with a 205 area code (central Alabama). The caller knew the resident’s name, and he said that he saw FedEx deliver a package to the her home, and he had picked up the package to prevent it from being stolen. The caller then offered to bring the package to the resident’s home, or she could meet him on Oliver Street, he suggested. The resident then mentioned that the police could pick up the package from the caller, and the call ended soon after. Later, the resident called the Oliver Street residents, and they confirmed that they had nothing to do with it; they hadn’t picked up a package nor had they called her.

In the second incident, a resident of Bradley Lane received a call from a male caller at around the same time as the resident on Hesketh Street. As in the first incident, the Bradley resident’s caller ID displayed an Alabama phone number, and the caller addressed the resident by name. Again, the caller pretended to be a Village resident—this time he identified himself as a man from Grafton Street. In this event, the caller accused the resident of embezzling money.

Unfortunately for the caller, the Bradley Lane resident knows the Grafton Street resident personally, and the ‘victim’ knew right away that the caller was a fraud because his voice was very different. The resident hung up on the caller, but he called back. The resident then confronted the caller and told him that he knew the caller was a fraud, and finally, the caller gave up.

Although it is unclear what the caller’s intent was, the calls were clearly were made by a fraudulent caller.

Follow the advice below to reduce the chances of being victimized by a phone scammer:

If you have caller ID, look at it before you pick up the phone; if you don’t recognize the caller, ignore the phone.
Never!!! Repeat, never (as in never, ever) give any personal information to anyone who calls you. Bad things will happen. Don't do it. Period. Ignore the call.
If you happen to answer the phone and are faced with a recorded robo-call or a real person whom you suspect to be a scammer, hang up. Do not be courteous; just hang up.
If you receive repeated unwanted calls from the same number on a landline phone, contact your phone company and request that they block the number. If you are receiving the calls on your cellular phone, you can block the number by adjusting the settings on your device.

Connecticut Avenue Lane Closure located north of Chevy Chase Village

December 9, 2017 - January 30, 2018
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Beginning on Saturday, December 09, 2017, and continuing through subsequent Saturdays, Northern Pipeline Construction will close the right two lanes on southbound MD 185 (Connecticut Avenue) between Underwood Street and Thornapple Street in Chevy Chase for gas main replacement between the hours of 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. The contractor has indicated that weather and progress permitting, all work should be completed no later than January 30, 2018. No sidewalk closures are anticipated.

Those with questions prior to the start of the work should contact Northern Pipeline Superintendent John Sonday at (301) 322-3042. Those with questions while the work is taking place should contact Mr. Bradley Swint at (571) 220-2452.

Purple Line Construction Update

Bethesda/Chevy Chase area: December 8, 2017
Continuation of Site Preparation

Tree removal and site preparation will continue in the Bethesda and Chevy Chase Area. Crews will be working from Connecticut Avenue to Jones Mill Road.

As work continues, we will strive to keep you informed of the progress of this exciting project. For information on construction activities, schedules and other updates, please visit www.purplelinemd.com/construction. For immediate construction concerns, please email us at outreach@pltcllc.com or call the construction hotline at 240-424-5325.

All activities are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations.

Recommendations to the Master Plan of Highways & Transitways Goes to the Planning Board

The Montgomery Planning Department is continuing its comprehensive rewrite of the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. In addition to road classification changes, the working draft will include the vision, goals, history and purpose of the plan, improved online tools and resources to improve the ease of use and clarity of the plan for the public, and enhancement of the plan to be more consistent and compliant with the Montgomery County Code.

Initially, the Planning Staff proposed reclassification of roadways within and abutting the Village, namely, Brookville Road, Grafton Street and Western Avenue. In mid-October, the Village submitted a letter to the Planning Board objecting to the proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street. The Planning Staff has confirmed that the originally proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street have been removed from the staff’s list of recommendations that will be transmitted to the Planning Board. This means that Brookville Road would remain in the MPOHT as a “primary residential” roadway and Grafton Street will not be referenced within the plan at all.

The Planning Staff will present its working draft recommendations to the Planning Board during a work session (public comment will not be permitted at this meeting) on Thursday, December 21 (note new date). The staff’s final report will be posted to the Planning Department’s website one week prior to the work session. Once an initial slate of proposed changes is approved by the Planning Board, a 30-day comment period will be advertised with a Public Hearing scheduled for February 2018 (specific date TBD). The Planning Board intends to transmit its final recommendations to the County Executive and County Council by April 2018.

For more information regarding this project, visit: http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/

Pepco Offers Tips to Help Keep Your Holidays Bright

Helpful information to help Pepco customers
save money and energy and stay safe

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 22, 2017) – The holidays are a time for cheer, fun gatherings and decking the halls. Pepco offers customers tips to help them save energy and money and stay safe during the holidays.

Save Money and Energy … Don’t Let the Grinch Steal Your Energy or Your Cash
The grumpy, anti-holiday spirit Grinch may have been successful at stealing stuff from the residents of Whooville, but he could not steal their joy. Energy efficiency lighting is one way to fend off Grinchy costs. Here are a few tips to keep your holidays shiny and bright!

Light up your home or business for the holidays by using energy-efficient ENERGY STAR certified decorative lights. They use up to 75 percent less energy than conventional incandescent lights and are also cool to the touch.
Power down all decorative lights when going to bed or leaving the house.
Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the number of decorative light strands than can be safely connected.

Stay Safe … How to Avoid Clark Griswold-like Decorating Calamities This Holiday.
While Clark Griswold wanted to light up the holidays for his family, his decorating tactics led to calamity! Make your holidays joyful by playing it safe; Follow these simple tips to light up your home safely.

Be aware of all power lines when decorating outdoors. Never work near overhead power lines or anywhere there is a possibility of contacting an overhead power line – either directly or indirectly – with a ladder or other piece of equipment.
Do not string lights on outdoor trees that are growing near or into power lines.
Ensure decorative lights used outside are approved for outdoor use.
Hang outdoor lights with insulated staples or hooks instead of nails or tacks.

At Pepco, we work hard to help our customers save energy and money. To learn more about saving energy in your home, generating your own power, or other programs to help you save energy, visit pepco.com/savings for a list of programs and incentives.

Pepco wishes its customers and their families a happy, safe and energy-efficient holiday season!

Readers are encouraged to visit The Source, Pepco’s online news room. Find additional information about Pepco by visiting pepco.com. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Our mobile app is available at pepco.com/mobileapp.

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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