Kaiser Permanente is Coming to Aspen Hill
A Kaiser Permanente Medical Center will be constructed at the intersection of Connecticut and Georgia Avenue, directly south of Home Depot. It will take over a property left vacant in 2010 by former defense contractor Vitro Corporation, which until recently has been used for law enforcement tactical training purposes.
In 2018, Lindsay Ford submitted an application to build a car dealership in that space, but it was never constructed.
The project proposal suggests that the 10-acre site will be constructed in two phases. Phase 1 includes the development of a 130,000 square foot medical center with a 542-space parking lot and 63,144 square feet of open space. The open space will be occupied by a public green space plaza, a health and wellness trail, and a community garden.
Phase 2 includes the addition of a 50,000 square foot wing to the medical center, the construction of a parking garage to add additional spaces, and an expansion of the community garden and open space.
Construction is not yet underway, but the new medical facility is expected to open in 2022.
3D rendering courtesy of the Montgomery County Planning Department
By Alicia Clanton
By using both the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail (C&O Canal), as well as the Great Allegheny Passage Rail-Trail (dubbed “America’s Friendliest Long-Distance Rail-Trail”), you can bike all the way from the Southernmost point in Montgomery County all the way to the Steel City without ever needing to bike on a road. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail starts in Georgetown and follows the Potomac River to Cumberland, Maryland. Then the Great Allegheny Passage Rail-Trail goes the rest of the way from Cumberland, making its way past the Mason-Dixon Line, through the Appalachian Mountains and finishing up in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The Great Allegheny Passage Rail-Trail is 150 Miles, while the C&O Canal is 184.5 Miles making for a total distance of 334.5 Miles from DC to Pittsburgh.
Images from Britannica and Discovery Bicycle Tours
By Tom Merritt
Aldi’s Germantown Location Closes Due to Positive Covid-19 Tests
After a day of speculation, Aldi’s Germantown location has confirmed their store is temporarily closed due to three employees testing positive for COVID-19.
The store had closed temporarily yesterday, with signs being put up that said the store was closed until further notice. We now have confirmation from Aldi that the reason for the closure is due to positive COVID-19 tests.
The Maryland Department of Health does not require essential businesses (such as Aldi, a grocery store) to disclose positive tests to the public, but Aldi has chosen to be transparent with the public.
Aldi has not given a timeline for the reopening of the store at this time, but notes that a third party has been employed for a deep cleaning of the store.
By Daniel Garay
Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation Launches New “Flash” Bus Service
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) brand-new high quality bus transit service, “Flash,” (https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=26941) will transport its first passengers today.
Spanning along busy US-29, Flash boasts frequent, reliable service on large buses equipped with exciting amenities, all at the same price as any other bus trip. The service promises 15-minute maximum wait times and aims to cut down travel time by an estimated 30 percent.
Faster boarding procedures, exclusive use of transit shoulders, and traffic signal priority make transit times shorter than that of other services. The installment of three Flash stations at existing Park & Ride lots and ten Capital Bikeshare stations along the route make for improved access.
The 80-passenger capacity buses have three doors for faster boarding and offer free WiFi and USB charging ports inside. An automated wheelchair securement system gives wheelchair and scooter users the option to secure themselves independently unless assistance is requested. The buses are the first in the region to have bike racks inside, allowing cyclists to bring their bicycles in with them.
Weather-protected stations are constructed level to the bus door, negating the need for stairs and providing easy boarding to passengers with disabilities or bikes and strollers. Passengers can pay their fare at the station before they board, and interactive screens display real-time transit information as they wait.
Along with all other MCDOT bus services, Flash is currently free of charge in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Riders are required to wear a face covering and encouraged to maintain maximum social distance as best as possible. Bus interiors are cleaned twice a day with hospital-grade disinfectant, and filters and ventilation systems are disinfected nightly.
The Flash system aims to promote economic development and ease traffic by improving access to high quality, efficient bus service. It is the first step in building a network of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines in Montgomery County, plans to add routes along Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road are already in the works.
A launch event can be viewed live at 10:30 am on Twitter @MCDOTNOW, and the broadcast will remain available for watch afterwards.
By Alicia Clanton
MCPS Provides Update Regarding Health Insurance Premiums in 2021
This afternoon, MCPS staff received an email update about the premiums for their health insurance. This email has been circulating throughout local Facebook groups as well as other social media platforms. The email mentions that rising costs are due to “expenses related to testing, treatment and care of COVID-19, and a general trend of increase in the cost of care, among other things.”
Per the email, “The required premium increases range from 7.2% to 9.3% depending on plan and coverage”– this amounts to an increase per paycheck ranging from $2.59 to $16.91. The email also states that employees will not be responsible for paying their health insurance premiums during the month of January of this school year, as a way of offsetting the impending costs of the increased premiums.
The new cost for health insurance will go into effect on February 12, 2021.
There will be no reduction to salary, which is a rumor that was circulating in the last 24 hours.
See the full email below:
Dear Colleagues:
Over the last several years, efforts by the Montgomery County Public Schools’ Employee and Retiree Services Center (ERSC), in partnership with our unions, has allowed us to provide cost-efficient high-quality health insurance coverage for staff. In particular, those efforts resulted in MCPS being able to contain cost and even forego employee premium contributions in December 2018. Through careful management and effective cost containment actions on the part of the school system and individual employees with health insurance coverage. premium increases have been minimal in recent years.
Unfortunately, expenses related to testing, treatment and care of COVID-19, and a general trend of increase in the cost of care, among other things, will require an increase in premiums for 2021. The increases per paycheck will range from $2.59 (for a 12-month employee, with single coverage in the CareFirst HMO plan) to $16.91 (for a 10-month employee, with family coverage in the CareFirst Point-of-Service plan). The required premium increases range from 7.2% to 9.3% depending on plan and coverage. It is important to note that while the premium share (the portions paid by the Board of Education and the employee respectively) are covered by negotiations, the increases in premiums from year to year are not. The negotiated premium split has always been honored and is scheduled to remain unchanged for three additional years.
However, to offset the impact of increased health care expenses expected next year, the Board of Education has decided that no insurance premiums will be paid by employees during the month of January, 2021. The increased premium will take effect beginning with the February 12, 2021 paycheck. The Board of Education will continue to contribute the 83% or 88% of premiums toward health insurance costs that is required by the negotiated Agreements. This means that on average, for this past year, employees with individual coverage paid about $1,100 for medical and prescription coverage while the Board paid about $6,250 for each of them. For employees with family coverage, the average was about $3,100 paid by the employee and $17,470 paid by the Board. The shortfall caused by the premium holidays for employees, in January 2021 will be made up from the health care contingency fund, reducing that fund to below recommended levels at least temporarily.
The attached rate sheet provides a comparison of healthcare premiums between 2020 and 2021. These rates do not include reductions employees can earn by completing the two wellness initiatives—a Biometrics Health Screening and a Health Risk Assessment (HRA). I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the savings through participation in these programs. MCPS will continue to work with our unions to explore options for containing healthcare costs and strengthening the contingency fund balance.
A full listing of employee premium rates, including the wellness discounts, is available on the ERSC website in time for Open Enrollment starting today, October 12, 2020. Please review email communications from the Employee and Retiree Service Center (ERSC) regarding the Employee Benefit Open Enrollment.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Daniel K. Marella
Associate Superintendent for Finance
By Amy Lusignan
Annie Leibovitz, an Northwood High School alumna, is known for her title as a Living Legend for her provocative photographs. One notable portrait is of Yoko Ono and John Lennon, hours before he was fatally shot on December 8, 1980.
Leibovitz was photographing for Rolling Stones Magazine with Lennon when she shot the iconic image of Lennon curled up against Ono. The image captured not only a tender scene between famous lovers, but one of the last moments of Lennon’s life. She was the last photographer to capture the legendary musician.
Rolling Stone published the polaroid on the cover of its January 1981 issue. Decades later Leibovitz’s photo still perfectly documents Lennon and Ono’s relationship, five hours before Lennon’s tragic death.
Photo courtesy of The Guardian
Here are The Beatles in 1964. John Lennon is wearing a @WPGC shirt. Picture courtesy of BeatlesBible. pic.twitter.com/1iFCDnEAsR
— The MoCoShow (MCS) (@TheMoCoShow) April 26, 2016
Today, the County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich announced that this Monday, October 12 will be officially recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and it will continue to be recognized annually by the county.
The decision, which was brought to the council by Councilmember Nancy Navarro, was met with unanimous support. This day, which had traditionally been associated with Columbus Day, will recognize and celebrate the “stories and cultures of our Native communities,” Navarro said.
“This proclamation marks a long overdue change in how we celebrate the second Monday in October,” Elrich said in a press release. “As our County grapples with racial and social justice inequities, we need to recognize that too much of the story of this country has been misrepresented, and it is time to correct that story. This country was not ’discovered’ by Christopher Columbus; it was already occupied by people with a rich collection of knowledge, stories and practices. Observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes the original occupants of these lands, their cultures and the sacrifices they were forced to make.”
Today, the County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich announced that this Monday, October 12 will be officially recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and will continue to be recognized annually by the county.
The decision, which was brought to the council by Councilmember Nancy Navarro, was met with unanimous support. This day, which had traditionally been associated with Columbus Day, will recognize and celebrate the “stories and cultures of our Native communities,” Navarro said.
“This proclamation marks a long overdue change in how we celebrate the second Monday in October,” Elrich said in a press release, supporting Navarro’s sentiment. “As our County grapples with racial and social justice inequities, we need to recognize that too much of the story of this country has been misrepresented, and it is time to correct that story. This country was not ’discovered’ by Christopher Columbus; it was already occupied by people with a rich collection of knowledge, stories and practices. Observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes the original occupants of these lands, their cultures and the sacrifices they were forced to make.”
The press release also listed Native American tribes of Maryland that the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs has recognized. This includes the Accohannock Indian Tribe, the Assateague Peoples Tribe, the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians, the Piscataway Conoy Tribes, the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes and the Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians, the Pocomoke Indian Nation, and the Youghiogheny River Band of Shawnee Indians.
A list of Native Americans of Maryland and their histories can be found on the state archive’s website at https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/native/html/00list.html.
By Adam Levine
With MD School Districts Divided on Return to In-Person Instruction, MCPS Begins Discussions at Board Meeting
On Tuesday’s Montgomery County Board of Education virtual business meeting, Montgomery County Public School’s (MCPS) Superintendent Jack Smith twice restated that a date for the resumption of in-person instruction had not been decided on.
There had previously been much speculation on impending return dates, with MCPS giving a formal minimum notice of 45 days that a return to in-person instruction for some students and staff was possible. According to MCPS’ recovery guide released earlier this year, the Board of Education will be presented with a reassessment in November.
Smith noted that a great deal of planning and logistical structuring needed to happen between now and the reopening of schools, but pointed to Tuesday’s meeting as the beginning of the formal conversation on the ongoing dialogue between MCPS and the Board of Education.
Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS) also decided to begin the year’s learning virtually, with a reassessment tied to key metrics in cooperation with county health departments and planning for students’ eventual return to in-person instruction.
Despite some MD school systems (Carroll, Baltimore, Calvert, and Anne Arundel counties) set to begin widescale in-person/online hybrid learning plans in the next two months, several MD counties are holding fast to their previous plans to remain in virtual learning through the end of the first semester.
HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano announced yesterday that HCPSS will remain in virtual learning for students until February at the earliest. Frederick, Prince George’s, and Montgomery counties also have indicated that they will remain virtual through the end of 2020.
Martirano also announced that HCPSS would begin phasing in some in-person instruction for a select group of students who have been disproportionately impacted by virtual learning models, including some special education students and students receiving mental health and behavioral supports. These programs will be phased in over the next two months.
In their Tuesday work meeting, MCPS officials also discussed the possibility of a small group of students being brought back for in-person instruction. As with HCPSS’ plan, these students would likely be those from vulnerable communities that have struggled with the virtual learning model, such as students in special education programs or ESOL students. MCPS officials were quick to clarify that no date had been decided on for the implementation of these programs, and that these were more exploratory discussions.
MoCo’s initial recovery and return plan was predicated on a community-involved strategy that was focused on ensuring safety for all students and staff, providing a robust, dynamic, and equitable virtual learning experience for the first semester. According to the plan, MCPS shall reassess and bring a recommendation plan to the Board of Education no later than the second week of November (the end of quarter marking period) for consideration of the second semester plan.
If you would like to watch a recording of Tuesday’s Montgomery County Board of Education meeting, please visit https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/86828. You also can read more about MCPS’ Fall 2020 Recovery Plan at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/reopening/
By Daniel Garay
A Gaithersburg Observatory Was Part of a Global Scientific Endeavor
Gaithersburg is home to a site instrumental to the development of Earth science: the Gaithersburg International Latitude Observatory.
The observatory was built in 1899 as part of an international effort to track the wobble of Earth on its polar axis. Gaithersburg was selected as its location because it sits along the same latitude as five sister locations: Cincinnati, Ohio; Ukiah, California; Mizusawa, Japan; Kitab, Uzbekistan; and Caligari, Sardinia, Italy. This enabled uniform calculations, which were gathered by what is now the International Association of Geodesy to help scientists better understand the weather conditions and physical characteristics of our planet.
Rockville resident Edwin Smith of what is now known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) designed and constructed the observatory. The roof of the one story, 13 square foot building opened to accommodate a large telescope, which observers used to measure the locations of a set of stars and therefore record variations in latitude.
Official use of the observatory ceased in 1982 upon the rise of computerization, but the data collected had major impacts on our understanding of Earth science and are still used to aid the navigation of satellites. The structures built by Smith were later restored by the city and remain standing.
Today the Gaithersburg International Observatory is a National Historical Landmark surrounded by a small park perfect for stargazing. The park was designed in the elliptical shape of Earth’s orbit to pay homage to the site’s history. Nestled within the residential neighborhoods of Gaithersburg, it serves as a reminder of the city’s contributions to science.
Photo courtesy of the City of Gaithersburg website.
By Alicia Clanton
Markoff’s Haunted Forest Opens Tonight
Every year, the Markoff brothers have invited daredevils to venture out into their frightful forest during the Halloween season. As Halloween fever descends on Montgomery County, Markoff’s Haunted Forest is opening again with health precautions in place to ensure a safe and thrilling night.
This year, the Haunted Forest has combined their two haunted trails into one hybrid trail, a welcomed change for veterans of the forest. Unfortunately, the Town will not be open this year.
Changes have been made to the haunted trail to create a terrifying experience, while keeping all patrons safe. Markoff’s Haunted Forest is only offering cohort tickets, with a maximum of six people per group. These tickets can be purchased online on their website and must be reserved in advance. Groups will stay together during the trail walk and be separate from other groups.
The trail is completely outside, with strict time slots for arriving groups to maintain distance between all attendees. All participants will be expected to wear a mask during the forest walk and when social distancing is not possible. Staff members will also be wearing masks.
The spooky grand opening is tonight, October 9th. For more information and FAQ, please visit Markoff’s Haunted Forest’s website.
Photo courtesy of the Markoff’s Haunted Forest Website.
By Amy Lusignan
Looking for Stuff to Do? Check out MoCo’s Rec Room!
During these times, many of us have been scrolling on our phones constantly and feeling quite bored. Quarantine and social distancing have taken a toll on all of us, but they also present a unique opportunity for us to explore new things and stay creative.
The Montgomery County Recreation Department has stepped up to the plate with a free online hub for free activities and ideas for all ages. Whether it’s a database of paper airplanes to send soaring down your stairs, an online cooking class to get on Gordon Ramsay’s level, or a search for aliens on an interactive tour of Mars, there are so many different activities!
These activities are all free, and there’s a variety of options that surely have something that can appeal to everyone. To check out the Rec Room, you can visit their website.
By Daniel Garay
