Holiday Office Closure and Refuse/Recycling Schedule

The Village Administrative Office and Public Works Department will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2016 in observance of the Christmas Holiday. As a reminder, the Communications Center and Police Department are open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Special pick up is not affected by the Holiday. The trash and recycling pick up schedule is as follows during the Christmas and New Year's Holiday:

Car Stolen from Center Street is Recovered in DC

Valet key apparently found inside the car by the thieves
enabled the theft

On Sunday, December 10, 2017 at around 9:30 a.m., a resident of the 5500 block of Center Street discovered that her car had been stolen from her driveway overnight. Village officers entered the stolen car information into the national criminal justice database to aid in the recovery of the car.

On Sunday, December 17, 2017 at about 11:15 p.m., Metropolitan (DC) Police notified the Village Police Department that the stolen car had been recovered in the 1500 block of Alabama Avenue SE, Washington, DC. The Metropolitan Police towed the car to an impound lot for storage. The car was not visibly damaged, but the registration plates had been removed from the car.

Officer James Timmerman of the Village Police Department went to the impound lot in northeast DC to process the car for evidence. A plastic valet key was found inside the car that had likely been left inside the car by the dealer unbeknownst by the owners. With that key, the thieves were able to drive the car away.

Officer Timmerman discovered some evidence within the car that may help to identify the thieves. Timmerman has made contact with a detective from Montgomery County’s Auto Theft Unit, and the two are working together to follow up. The investigation is ongoing.

Residents are urged to check inside the owner’s manual cover and throughout their cars for the presence of valet or ‘wallet’ keys and remove them. And most importantly, keep your car locked and these thieves will not get inside your car in the first place.

Sleepless Resident Plays Key Role Interrupting Thieves

Alert call followed by rapid police response results
in recovery of car stolen in Virginia

On Friday, December 22, 2017 at around 3:30 a.m., a resident of the 100 block of Oxford Street was having trouble sleeping. The resident heard some noise outside his home, so he peered out the window to see two young black males wearing dark clothing getting out of an SUV and walking toward Western Avenue looking into cars. Immediately recognizing this as suspicious behavior, the resident called the Village Police Department.

Officer Willie Hearn, the only Village police officer on duty at the time, responded immediately and was on the scene within two minutes. Officer Hearn didn’t see the pair initially, so he waited in the dark keeping watch on Western Avenue. In a few minutes, he spotted two young males in dark clothing crossing Western from the DC side toward the Village. Officer Hearn stopped the pair and began to question them. Two DC police officers soon joined Officer Hearn.

Officer Hearn questioned the two young men about the SUV that the Village resident had seen two subjects get out of. The pair denied any knowledge of the SUV. The resident was unable to identify the pair as the ones whom he had seen; it was dark and the resident was unable to see sufficient detail to identify them.

During the encounter with the two subjects, Officer Hearn spotted an Acura car key on the ground nearby. As expected, the two young men denied any knowledge of the key. Officer Hearn took the key to the SUV that the resident had seen the suspicious males get out of (it was still parked in the same spot). The SUV was an Acura RDX, and voila, the key belonged to that car. Further investigation revealed that the Acura had been stolen from Arlington, Virginia on December 15.

Officer Hearn immediately called the Montgomery County Auto Theft Unit (ATU), and the stolen car was towed to the ATU for forensic analysis. Although Officer Hearn and the DC officers were unable to prove a connection between the pair and the stolen Acura, Officer Hearn was able to positively identify the young men. If evidence is discovered to connect the suspects to the car, they will be arrested at a later time. The investigation is continuing.

It’s unfortunate that our resident had trouble sleeping, but the Village Police Department is grateful that he was awake! The resident’s alert observation and quick call gave the police a chance to respond and take action. There is no doubt that the resident’s call combined with Officer Hearn’s quick action prevented further crime. This is a fine example of an excellent citizen/police partnership!

Planning Board Holds Work Session on Proposed Changes to the Master Plan of Highways & Transitways; Public Hearing Tentatively Scheduled for February 2018

The Montgomery County Planning Board held a work session on December 21 to receive the Planning Department’s recommended changes under the continuing 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.

During the work session, Project Manager Stephen Aldrich noted that the staff’s originally proposed reclassification of Brookville Road had been removed from the list of proposed changes due to significant objection from the community. Included in these objections was a letter submitted in mid-October by the Village Board of Managers. The letter also included objection to inclusion of Grafton Street—a municipally-controlled roadway within the Village over which the county has no control or oversight—within the list of reclassifications and this recommendation was also removed by the Planning Staff prior to submission to the Planning Board.

At the conclusion of the work session, the Planning Board unanimously authorized scheduling of a Public Hearing and 30-day comment period. The Planning Staff expects the Public Hearing to be 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/

Montgomery County’s Bicycle Master Plan:
Public Hearing Draft Released

The Montgomery County Planning Department has released the Public Hearing Draft of the Bicycle Master Plan. This plan will supersede the 1978 Master Plan of Bikeways, the 2005 Countywide Bikeways Functional Master Plan and the bikeway recommendations in all area and sector plans.

The plan and appendix can be viewed at: www.montgomeryplanning.org/bikeplan. A hard copy is also available for viewing at the Village office during normal business hours.

The Planning Board's public hearing will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2018 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm in the auditorium at 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. Comments can be submitted in two ways:

Beginning on January 15, the public can sign up online to testify: http://montgomeryplanningboard.org/meetings/signup-to-testify/.
Via email to mcp-chair@mncppc.org.

For more information regarding the county’s Bicycle Master Plan, contact David Anspacher, Bicycle Master Plan Project Manager by phone (301.495.2191) or email (david.anspacher@montgomeryplanning.org).

Deadline Approaches to Install New Sealed, 10-Year Smoke Alarms

Maryland’s new smoke alarm law requires the replacement of all residential battery-only smoke alarms with new alarms powered by sealed-in, 10-year long-life batteries by January 1, 2018. Smoke alarm requirements vary based on when your house was built. See the what-you-need-to-know fact sheet available at the following link for detailed information:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcfrs-info/resources/files/laws/smokealarmlaw.pdf

If you'd like to arrange for a free home safety inspection by the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, visit the MCFRS website.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcfrs-info/

*Click the photo below to see it full size*

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 visiting the Village during this time 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 Speaker Series Presents
Hon. Joan Churchill

Immigration Update - Policy Changes Galore!

From Dreamers to Diversity to
Dockets and MORE!

Thursday, January 11, 2018
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

For the month of January (2018) the Speaker Series is excited to present Judge Joan Churchill. There have been an enormous number of changes in U.S. Immigration and refugee policy in the months since the Trump inauguration, with wide ranging impact. Our speaker will provide an overview of the many changes.

Judge Churchill is a retired Immigration Judge, who served on the Immigration Court for Washington DC/Arlington, VA for close to 25 years. At different times she was also the Immigration Judge responsible for Baltimore and a variety of other cities. Judge Churchill’s years on the Immigration Court included five terms as a Temporary Member of the Board of Immigration Appeals. Her prior experience included

working on immigration policy with the Interagency Task Force on Immigration Law and Policy and the Select Commission on Immigration & Refugee Policy,
serving on the staff of the Board of Immigration Appeals as a decision writer, and
several years as a naturalization examiner.

A native of Washington DC, Judge Churchill is a graduate of nearby Woodrow Wilson High School. She attended college and law school at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Judge Churchill is a Past President of the National Association of Women Judges. She and her late husband Tony moved to the Village in 1974, and raised their seven children here.

Please come join your neighbors for some nibbles, drinks and conversation at the Village Hall. A chance to unwind, chat, see friends and make new ones. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Mike Marsh (mrm12@ntrs.com).

Security Cameras to be Installed in Western Grove Park

During its December 11 regular meeting, the Village Board held a Public Hearing to consider the community’s comments on a proposal from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to install four security cameras in Western Grove Park as a part of M-NCPPC officials sought the Village’s position on the installation of four security cameras on existing WiFi-enabled light poles within the park, which is located at the southwest end of the Village.

Park Police Captain George Coleman attended the hearing and provided background information regarding the security camera program. Below is detailed information regarding the camera program:

The cameras will have a fixed field of view (they are not designed to pan, tilt or zoom).
Each camera will be located at a height of approximately eight feet above the ground and will be positioned to avoid capturing the view of any private homes.
All four cameras should capture approximately 75%-80% of the park’s grounds, however, this cannot be confirmed until they are installed.
The cameras will be connected via Ethernet cables and will capture data in an encrypted format that is further protected behind a firewall. The recordings will be stored locally and then transferred securely by hardwire during overnight hours to a cloud-based server.
Access to recorded footage will be limited to approved public safety personnel in the Park Police Department and the Chevy Chase Village Police Department for legitimate public safety purposes. Such access will be logged and is subject to auditing.
Village dispatchers and police officers will be able to actively monitor the live camera feed on a monitor within the Communications Center at the Village Hall.
Footage will be maintained for 90 days and then it will be deleted unless saved for investigative or litigation purposes.
The cameras and footage will remain the property and responsibility of M-NCPPC and they will be the sole party responsible for responding to public information requests.

At the conclusion of its hearing, the Village Board voted unanimously to support M-NCPPC’s installation of the four proposed security cameras in Western Grove Park to provide an additional layer of security to users of the park. The cameras should be installed by the end of January.

Little Lending Library Needs Children's Books

The children’s books selections in the Little Lending Libraries at the Village Hall have been depleted. If you have taken a children’s book from the libraries, we remind you to return them once your little readers have finished enjoying them or leave others in their place. We want all children in the community to be able to walk or bike up to the Hall to check out a new book to enjoy, but our lending libraries will only work if we all agree to take AND leave a book for the next family to enjoy.

We are always looking for donations, so please feel free to donate a book or two today!

Christmas Tree Disposal

As part of the regular yard debris pick-up Public Works staff will collect trees, natural wreath and garlands left at the curbside. Please remove all ornaments and lighting. The trees are recycled into mulch and any wires left on the trees will damage the chipping equipment. Wire-framed wreaths and wire-strung garland should be disposed of in the regular trash.

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.

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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