Montgomery Parks Archives - Page 29 of 52

Two New Parks Added to Annual Deer Population Management Operations in Montgomery County

Published August 14, 2023 at 2:51PM

Montgomery Parks‘ annual deer population management program will take place from September 2023 into March 2024, across 48 parks. Two new park locations are being added to the deer management efforts this year. Montgomery Parks will notify residents adjacent to newly added/adjusted park locations by mail, signage, and other electronic forms of communication such as email and social media posts. A complete schedule of program dates and locations is available online. This year, archery-managed hunts are being added to the following park locations:

In addition to these expansions, one deer population management park location (3 park units) will also see an adjustment to the strategy. North Germantown Greenway Stream Valley Park (Brink Rd. & Wildcat Rd. southeast)/Great Seneca Stream Valley Park Unit 2/Blunt Rd. Local Park will transition from firearms-managed hunting to archery-managed hunting. Initiated 27 years ago, the program addresses deer populations in many areas of the county that result in deer-automobile accidents, excessive damage to the environment, private landscapes, and agriculture and concerns over disease. Once programming is implemented and established in these areas, routine maintenance is required to balance deer with available habitat and human land uses.

Montgomery Parks Urges Owners to Keep Their Dogs On Leashes

By MCS Staff

Published August 13, 2023 at 9:45PM | Updated August 13, 2023 at 10:11PM

Montgomery Parks is encouraging dog owners to show their pets and the public some love this August, by keeping their dogs leashed at all times in public, unless visiting a dog park where dogs are permitted to be off leash. National Dog Month and the dog days of August are the perfect time for a stroll in the park, but it’s critical that dogs be on-leash for their own safety and everyone else’s.

“We have had reports in area parks about off-leash dogs fighting, chasing people, injuring wildlife, getting lost or being hit by cars traveling on nearby roads,” said Captain Tracy Lieberman, Park Police public information officer. “Even the best-behaved dog can get scared and act aggressively or take off running. Holding the leash keeps the pet owner in control of the situation.”

Montgomery Parks Seeks Public Input for the Capital Improvements Program for Fiscal Years 2025 – 2030

By MCS Staff

Published August 9, 2023 at 3:59PM

Montgomery Parks is seeking public input on its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years 2025 – 2030 (FY25-30). Community suggestions for the upcoming CIP may be submitted online, via email, U.S. mail, or in person at the public forum. The public forum takes place Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the Wheaton Headquarters of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), 2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902.

The CIP is prepared every two years to cover a six-year cycle and funds new parks and park amenities, environmental restoration, and rehabilitation projects that increase the life of assets. FY25-30 Capital Improvement Program priorities may include:

Legendary Blues and Roots band, The Nighthawks, headline final Parks Playhouse Series event for 2023

By Patrick Herron

Published August 9, 2023 at 3:32PM

Parks Playhouse Comedy at Long-Branch Arliss Neighborhood park in July 2022. Photos by Tony Ventouris.

Per Montgomery Parks: Montgomery Parks is ending the current season of Parks Playhouse on a high note with a week of events in August, culminating with a concert by The Nighthawks on Friday, August 18, at Cabin John Regional Park.

“It’s been a great season filled with over 30 performances this summer between Parks Playhouse and Parks Playhouse Junior,” says Michael Coppersmith, director of Montgomery Parks Activation Program. “We are excited to close out the summer season with The Nighthawks before heading into fall.”

Montgomery Parks Closes Two Parkways Due to Severe Weather Forecasts

By MCS Staff

Published August 7, 2023 at 3:45PM

Montgomery Parks has closed Sligo Creek Parkway, between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, and Beach Drive, from Connecticut Avenue to Knowles Avenue due to the anticipated flooding, high winds, and downed trees.

Additionally, Montgomery Parks is urging the public to stay out of parks and off trails and parkways today, August 7, 2023, due to the severe weather forecast for this afternoon through the evening. An announcement will be sent out when the parkways are reopened, and it is safe to use parks and trails.

Nature Centers of Montgomery Parks Will Have Special Programs in August Including Family Fire Night and Treasure Hunting in Wheaton Regional Park

By Patrick Herron

Published August 3, 2023 at 9:16AM

Per Montgomery County: August starts giving hints that the end of summer could be in sight, so the nature centers of Montgomery Parks are offering many ways to make the most of the month. The schedule includes Family Fire Night and Treasure Hunting in Wheaton Regional Park.

The August schedule of special events at nature centers will include:

August Special Events and Programs by Montgomery Parks

By MCS Staff

Published July 27, 2023 at 1:27PM

Enjoy the last full month of summer with Montgomery Parks. Take in the final Parks Playhouse and Playhouse Junior performances of the season, Foodie Fridays, the Underground Railroad Experience Trail and so much more. August events in Montgomery Parks include:

Parks Playhouse | August 2, 15, 16, 17, 18 | Various times and locations: Parks Playhouse is a summer series of free, live performances to celebrate the artistry of local bands, troupes and groups.

Renovations Set to Begin at Columbia Local Park

By MCS Staff

Published July 26, 2023 at 8:43AM

Long awaited renovations are about to begin at Columbia Local Park, located at 14900 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. The park, which is adjacent to the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center and the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, has consisted of a baseball field, two tennis courts, and picnic shelter receive very little use, compared to the southern portion of the park. In addition to the baseball field, tennis court, and picnic shelter in the northern portion of the park, three additional tennis courts have been taken out of service, leaving only a large, open paved area surrounded by a ten-foot-tall fence.

The 25.2-acre park is bisected by a densely forested stream valley, effectively splitting the park into two distinct spaces. With significant frontage along Old Columbia Pike, the three basketball courts, two baseball fields, and multi-user swing in the southern portion of the park are highly visible and heavily used. Beyond the forested stream valley, the northern portion of the park is relatively isolated, obscured from Old Columbia Pike by the nearby library and recreation center. As such, The purpose of this project is to find a permanent use for the former tennis courts and simultaneously activate the northern portion of the park to make it more inviting to future users and to discourage inappropriate activities from occurring. Because Columbia Local Park is within the Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area, the amount of impervious surface within the park cannot be increased. One of the goals of the project is to remove and de-consolidate paved areas wherever possible.

Five New Skate Parks Are Coming to MoCo

By MCS Staff

Published July 23, 2023 at 9:11AM

Montgomery Parks currently operates three skate parks:

There are also skate parks operated by the City of Gaithersburg and City of Rockville. Montgomery Parks is planning to build five additional parks in the following areas:

“Remarkable Montgomery: Untold Stories” Markers To Be Installed Across the County To Highlight Underrepresented Topics in Local History

By MCS Staff

Published July 19, 2023 at 6:20PM

Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office has initiated “Remarkable Montgomery: Untold Stories,” an ongoing project to install historic markers around the county that highlight underrepresented topics in local history. Both Montgomery Planning and Montgomery Parks will be installing “Remarkable Montgomery: Untold Stories” markers throughout the county in a shared effort to bring greater recognition to people, places, and events with significant histories that we have undervalued in the past. The markers, which offer more flexibility than a formal designation on Montgomery County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation, tell stories of people and places that shaped our communities, even where physical evidence of those histories may no longer exist.

Focused on Equity: The Historic Preservation Office is committed to enacting Montgomery Planning’s Equity Agenda for Planning. In part, this includes acknowledging that the practice of historic preservation has long overlooked histories and historic sites related to non-dominant groups. To begin to address this imbalance, the marker program will bring forward histories tied to county residents’ struggles for racial and social justice and the stories of people who broke the boundaries of their times. Markers Currently in Production:

Edward U. Taylor School Site in Boyds Added to County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation

By MCS Staff

Published July 19, 2023 at 5:47PM

The Montgomery County Council unanimously voted July 11 to add the former Edward U. Taylor Elementary School property to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The County Council’s vote designating the Taylor School a historic site aligns with the recommendations of the Montgomery County Planning Department and the Montgomery County Planning Board. The Taylor School was built in 1952 as an elementary school for Black students at a time when Montgomery County used legally sanctioned racial segregation to prohibit Black children from attending white schools. The facility was built to modern school design standards and represents the movement by the county’s Black community to have better facilities and opportunities after decades of public underinvestment in educational facilities for Black children. One of the last schools to be desegregated in 1961, the Taylor School was the only segregated Black elementary or high school that retained its original use as a school building when it integrated.

“Montgomery Planning commends the County Council for designating the Edward U. Taylor Elementary School site historic,” said Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern. “The Taylor School is a significant landmark in the fight against racial segregation in Montgomery County and the nation and educates current and future generations about the struggle to integrate schools. Adding it to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation ensures the inspiring efforts of individuals like Edward U. Taylor and Black organizations, parents, and teachers to obtain quality educational facilities for Black children in the mid-20^th century will never be forgotten.” The draft amendment to add the Taylor School to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation also proposed adding the former Weller’s Dry Cleaning site in Silver Spring to the master plan. The County Council followed the Planning Board’s recommendation and voted to not designate the Weller’s property historic. Historic designation criteria are established in Chapter 24A in the Montgomery County Code. The Council evaluated the sites against the criteria and found that the Edward U. Taylor School met the following criteria: