Author: MCS Staff

Silver Spring

Purple Line Construction Updates in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Beginning on or about May 31, 2022, crews will add a 2nd crew to continue to advance underground utility relocation work.  The 2nd shift may take place from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, with makeup days on Friday and Saturday, as needed. Work will occur within the long-term lane closure on Wayne Avenue between Dale Drive and Springvale Road. A noise waiver is in the process of being reviewed for activities related to the Purple Line project. For more information please review the noise waiver here. Comments can be made to the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Instructions and contact information are located on the noise waiver page.

Beginning on or about June 12, 2022, Bonifant Street (East) will be closed to vehicular traffic between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street for up to 4 consecutive nights. Work may take place 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., weather permitting. At least one sidewalk will be maintained for pedestrian access to Bonifant Street during the road closure.

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North Bethesda

WB Randolph Road has Reopened After Being Closed For Approximately 9 Months

By MCS Staff

Last week we let you know that final paving was underway today at Westbound Randolph Road in Rockville/N. Bethesda. The road officially reopened a few days ago.

Westbound Randolph Road has been closed since August 30th of last summer. The closure was needed for underground electrical work as part of Pepco’s new White Flint Substation. Traffic heading westbound on Randolph Road has been diverted to Parklawn Drive and then directed to Rockville Pike (MD-355).

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Takoma Park

Message on School Security Preparedness by Takoma Park Police Chief

By MCS Staff

On Friday, Takoma Park Police Chief Antonio DeVaul released a message to the community regarding school security preparedness in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The full message can be seen below:

“Our hearts are with the families of the children and teachers who lost their lives in the senseless act of gun violence in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this week.

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MCPS

Nearly 6,000 MCPS Employees Increase Physical Activity For Spring Challenge

By MCS Staff

Nearly 6,000 MCPS employees increased their physical activity during Well Aware’s spring physical activity challenge: Fountain of Youth. They took part in a variety of physical activities to compete for prizes, and more importantly, to adopt or maintain healthy lifestyles. Each of the top 15 schools averaged at least 76 minutes of physical activity per employee per day.

Congratulations to all those who improved their health by participating!

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Kensington

Brief History of the Town of Kensington

By MCS Staff

Kensington’s history began as Joseph’s Park through a land grant of 4,220 acres, located at the time within Charles County, to Mr. William Joseph in 1689. Permitted on September 25, 1705, and now within Prince George’s County, William Joseph’s son used the land for agriculture until he sold it in 1736 to Mr. Daniel Carroll of Upper Marlboro. Carroll, who was one of only five men to sign both the Articles of Confederation (1777) and the Constitution (1787), sold various parcels of land to local farmers. Kensington’s current day form came about from Mr. George Knowles’ property following the construction of the Metropolitan Branch line from Washington, DC to Point of Rocks in 1873.

Bisecting Mr. Knowles’ property, the train began stopping in 1891 at Knowles Station to participate in commerce with Mr. Knowles and the other local farmers. Taking this into account, Mr. Brainard Warner purchased property south of Knowles Station in 1890 from the Brown family and built a summer retreat home. Mr. Warner then began encouraging his friends to purchase parcels of land from him so that they could build summer homes as well. Mr. Warner’s property became known as a “garden suburb” in which he designed after Kensington, England.

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Gaithersburg

Approval Recommended for Car Wash That Will Turn 3 Lots into 1 Lot for 5,617 SF Car Wash in Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council held a policy discussion on this application on May 16, 2022, regarding the application of Brett Schaecter of Crain Partners, LLC, to combine the three lots into a single lot to construct a 5,617 square foot automatic car wash building and associated parking lot.  The video of the meeting can be found here where approval was recommended by City Staff (with policy discussion going 3-2 against approval). A final action on the application will be made at the June 21 meeting.

The concept site plan is the first stage in the site plan process. If the concept site plan is approved, which is recommended, the Mayor and City Council can either require that the project come back as a Schematic Development Plan application for Mayor and City Council and Planning Commissions review or direct the Planning Commission to review a Preliminary/Final Site Plan application.

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Gaithersburg

219 Unit Residential Apartment Proposed for Spectrum at Watkins Mill

By MCS Staff
Figure 4. Building Elevation - North (Viewed S/B 355)

BPTC Eighteen, LLC has submitted this Application for Schematic Development Plan approval for development of a multi-family residential building on an approximately 1.25- acre site in the Spectrum at Watkins Mill mixed-use development (103 and 203 Spectrum Ave, located off of Watkins Mill Rd and 355). The plan proposes a 219 unit residential apartment building, and integrated parking garage which will be partially below grade.

The Application includes a sketch plan that was approved on November 3, 2021 to convert the use of the site from commercial to mixed-use commercial and residential.

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MoCoSnow

Tornado Confirmed Friday Afternoon in Olney

By MCS Staff

Earlier today we reported on damage at a few Olney homes due to the storms that included Tornado Warnings that came through Friday afternoon. It has been confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in various parts of Olney. Additional information can be seen below, courtesy of the National Weather Service via Iowa State University.

“An EF-0 tornado with winds estimated at 80 MPH briefly touched down in Montgomery County, MD, in the town of Olney on the afternoon of Friday, May 27, 2022.

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MCPS

Whitman High School Added as a Maryland Green School; MCPS Total Green Schools Now Up To 91

By MCS Staff

Walt Whitman High School has been named a 2022 Maryland Green School, bringing the MCPS total to 91. Staff and students at the certifying schools went above and beyond in this COVID-impacted year: 27 Green Schools successfully recertified this year to retain the honor.

Six schools reached the highly valued “sustainable school” status—Ashburton, Bethesda, Forest Knolls, New Hampshire Estates, Rosemary Hills and Sligo Creek elementary schools—and two schools reached Sustainable Bronze Level: John Poole Middle School and Westbrook Elementary School. Sustainable schools have maintained Green School certification for 16 years. Bronze Level schools have maintained Green School certification for 20 years.

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MCFRS

Several Families in Olney Displaced After Friday’s Storm

By MCS Staff

Friday’s Thunderstorms, which also brought Tornado Warninga for several parts of the county, caused damages to a handful of homes on Tanterra Way in Olney when all was said and done on Friday afternoon, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services PIO Pete Piringer.

Piringer showed the damage that was incurred by several homes in the Olney neighborhood off of Queen Elizabeth Drive. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but several families were displaced due to the damage, which can be seen below.

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