This Saturday, October 28th, the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department and the Town of Kensington are once again hosting their annual Halloween Movie Night. This year, “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” will be shown at dusk in St. Paul Park on the big screen. Costumes are encouraged for all attendees. The Kensington Volunteer Fire Department and the Town of Kensington will have refreshments available for purchase in the Park, including pizza, popcorn, and candy. Glowsticks will be available as well!
This year, the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department will also be visiting BabyCat Brewery’s 1st Halloween-iversary party. According to the Department’s Instagram story, they’ll bring one of their Fire Engines to the Brewery from 12PM-3PM.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=350012294088962
The Metro Transit Police Department is investigating a stabbing where one victim was critically injured Saturday evening.
Police and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department responded to a Metrobus stopped at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue NW & 34th Street NW around 5:45 Saturday evening. One man was transported to an area hospital with injuries believed to be critical, according to the Transit Police.
Several Metro Transit Police units remained on scene with the bus for several hours Saturday; further details could not be immediately confirmed.
The Upper Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department is hosting their fall open house, along with a local vendor fair, this Sunday (October 8) from 12PM to 4PM at 19801 Beallsville Road Beallsville, MD 20839. According to the UMCVFD, the event will feature a pumpkin patch, hay rides, Fire & Rescue Service demonstrations, and police vehicles on display. Additionally more than 30 vendors will be present at this Sunday’s event. Visitors can enjoy free hot dogs, Cotton Candy, and giveaways for children.
At their newly-expanded Beallsville Road firehouse, the Upper Montgomery County VFD currently has an ambulance, Canteen Unit, several boats paired with support vehicles as part of their Swiftwater Rescue Team, Medic Unit, Brush Truck, Brush Engine, Rescue Engine, and Tanker. The units responded to more than 1,200 calls in 2022.
This Saturday, July 22, the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department and the Town of Kensington are resuming their Summer Movie Night. This weekend, Wreck-It Ralph will be shown at dusk in St. Paul Park on the big screen.
Starting at 7PM, activities and games will be available in the Park, including a water balloon toss and the Fire Department’s Safety House. The Kensington Volunteer Fire Department encourages moviegoers to bring blankets, picnics, friends and family. Pizza, Popcorn, and other refreshments will be available for purchase. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=298801665876692
The Urbana Volunteer Fire Department’s 49th Community Carnival is open nightly this week through Sunday, July 23.
The event is tailored towards fun for the whole family. Admission and parking are free, and the doors open every evening this week at 5:30, with rides opening at 6:00. There are a variety of carnival games throughout the midway. This year, there will be free nightly live music and fireworks at 10:00 PM Thursday night. A Blackstone 36″ Griddle is being raffled off, with the raffle drawing Sunday night. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, unlimited ride tickets are available for $20.
This year’s dining options include shrimp platters, fried chicken, pizza, pit beef sandwiches, country ham, and more. There is also a beer garden. Summer treats are also available, including ice cream, Sno Cones (Hawaiian shaved ice), and funnel cake. The Urbana VFD requests that pets and coolers stay off the carnival grounds.
M&T Bank has announced that their Friendship Heights location & ATM, at the corner of Willard and Wisconsin Avenues, will be permanently closing on Friday, September 22, 2023. M&T Bank has posted signage about the closure at its Friendship Heights branch and mailed letters to customers informing them of the upcoming closure.
According to M&T, “As our customers’ needs and banking habits evolve, we regularly review the locations of our branches, particularly when they are close to one another, to ensure that we are providing the best service possible. At this time, we have decided to close our Friendship Heights Branch at 5416 Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase on Friday, September 22, 2023 at noon.”
M&T Bank directed customers to their nearby Chevy Chase (DC) branch at 5630 Connecticut Avenue NW.
This week (May 8th), Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) contractors began resurfacing Parklawn Drive in North Bethesda. Crews will be working on weekdays from 9AM to 4PM, resurfacing all lanes of Parklawn Drive between Randolph Road and the CSX Rail bridge (just East of Nebel Street).
Montgomery County-based M. Luis Construction Co., Inc. is performing the work. Crews will be removing the top layer of asphalt and paving a new asphalt surface on top of the existing base course. Work is expected to wrap up in June, as long as the weather cooperates, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation.
This week, the Westbard Square project team expanded their closure of Westbard Avenue near the current Westwood Center and future Westbard Square, which is currently under construction.
Westbard Avenue is now closed between Ridgefield Road and the entrance to the existing shopping center. All vehicular traffic must access the Westbard Shops from Massachusetts Avenue, and all Northbound traffic on Westbard Avenue is now diverted into the shopping center. The sidewalk alongside the newly-closed segment of Westbard remains open.
Ridgefield Road is currently closed between Westbard Avenue and MD-190 River Road for roadway realignment as part of the Westbard Square project. Westbard Square will close the existing Giant once the new grocery store and retail space opens. Next phases of the Westbard Square project, currently projected to be completed in 2027, include townhome and apartment construction.
Saturday morning, the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department celebrated the housing of their new fire engine, known as Engine 703, and dedicated it in memory of their Past Fire Chief, Scott Eric Emmons.
Past Fire Chief Scott Eric Emmons, who died in 2021, volunteered with the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department for more than 30 years, in every operational rank from Firefighter to Fire Chief. Chief Emmons also was a DC Metropolitan Police Detective, where he served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Chief Emmons’ daughter is now a Rockville Volunteer Firefighter as well.
The new Engine 703 cost over $850,000 with equipment adding another $100,000 according to newly-elected Rockville Volunteer Fire Chief Craig Lazar. Unlike many other Montgomery County fire engines, the new Engine 703 is owned by the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department. Engine 703, capable of pumping 2,000 Gallons (of water) Per Minute, was built by Seagrave Fire Apparatus in Wisconsin.
At the conclusion of the Dedication, Rockville Volunteer Fire Department First Deputy Chief Christopher Hinde officially placed the new Engine 703 ‘in quarters’, making it available to respond to emergencies. Just moments later, it was dispatched on its first call.
The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1921, and has provided vital firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services to Rockville and Montgomery County for over 100 years. According to the RVFD, “Donations to RVFD are used for volunteer support and operations, purchase of apparatus, such as the [Engine discussed in this article], community fire safety events and activities and towards construction of a new fire station.” Donations can be made online or mailed to the RVFD. Additionally, the RVFD recently announced plans for the launch of an online store, providing another way for supporters to contribute and demonstrate their support.
In 2022, units from Rockville Volunteer Fire Department Station 3, where this new Engine is housed, responded to 13,555 calls, according to MCFRS. This made Rockville’s Station 3 the third busiest station in all of Montgomery County.
A Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) bridge rehabilitation project is bringing Safe Zones Automated Speed Enforcement (“speed cameras”) back to the Beltway. This project involves the rehabilitation of the bridge carrying I-95 above the Outer Loop of the Beltway (I-495 West) within the I-495/I-95 interchange in College Park. Contractor crews will be repairing the bridge’s deck joints as well as its concrete piers and columns.
The Automated Speed Enforcement is focused on traffic on the Outer Loop of the Beltway, just past the split with I-95 North, headed towards New Hampshire Avenue and into Montgomery County. In a written statement, the State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) highlighted the different phases of this Automated Speed Enforcement effort:
“A warning period began December 12 for motorists exceeding the posted speed limit of 55 mph. Beginning January 3, after a 21-day warning period, Maryland State Police will review and authorize citations. By law, if a vehicle is recorded traveling at or above a specified rate over the posted speed limit, a $40 fine will be issued [and mailed] to the registered owner of the vehicle. The posted speed is 55 MPH.”
Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement has been previously implemented on several different bridge projects on the Beltway in both Montgomery and Prince George’s County.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) will soon begin the next phase of a water main replacement project in Chevy Chase. Crews have already replaced water mains under portions of Brookeville Road (MD-186) and several residental streets in Chevy Chase Section Three and The Village of Chevy Chase Section 5.
Crews will be working along Connecticut Avenue throughout the rest of December and January. Approximately 800 feet of water main will be replace, underneath Connecticut Avenue between Rosemary and Thornapple Streets (North of Bradley Lane and South of East–West Highway). According to an Upcoming Project Activity Notice published by WSSC, crews will be working overnight, between 9PM and 5AM, to complete the water main replacement underneath Connecticut Avenue.
Once the water main replacement is complete, crews will then restore the roadway pavement, sidewalks, and landscaping. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission operates more than 5,800 miles of water mains crisscrossing underneath Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
