MoCo Government

Gardening Grant Program Awards Funding to 10 Organizations to Support Food Security Efforts and Increase Community Food Production

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Resident and Community Food Gardening Grant Program recently presented 10 awards totaling $100,000 in funding to expand resident and community food production capacity.. The awards, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, represent partnerships in the faith community, urban agriculture, neighborhood associations, academic institutions and community health services.

The funding reflects priorities established in the FY23 County operating budget to increase food security and support initiatives that will expand local food production through home and community farming and gardening. The funded projects will help to promote food sovereignty, healthy living, civic engagement and racial and social justice by creating opportunities for residents to cultivate their own food sources, thereby increasing access to affordable and culturally diverse food. These efforts will contribute to reduced transportation emissions and community resilience in the face of climate-related supply chain disruptions.

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Kensington

Kensington to Celebrate Labor Day with 56th Annual Morning Parade and Festival

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The 56th Annual Town of Kensington Labor Day Parade and Festival will start off the holiday early, with the parade kicking off at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 4. The parade will include marching bands, equestrian show groups, dance units, floats and ambassadors. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is scheduled to participate in the parade.

Following the parade, the festival will continue on Armory Avenue through 2 p.m. The festival will feature food trucks, vendors and activities. More information on the parade is available at https://tok.md.gov/event/kensington-labor-parade-2023/.

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MoCo Government

Additional Information on This Saturday’s Gun Buyback Event in Rockville

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The Rockville City Police Department (RCPD), in partnership with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and Montgomery County Public Schools, will hold a “gun buyback” event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, (rain or shine) at RedGate Park in Rockville. The event is open to all and no ID is required. Gift cards of $100 or $200 will be presented to participants for functioning weapons, depending upon the type of weapon brought for exchange.

RedGate Park is located at 14500 Avery Road in Rockville. More than 300 firearms were voluntarily turned in by members of the community during a similar event last August. Community members will be able to voluntarily turn in their firearms and receive a $100 Visa gift card for functioning handguns, rifles and shotguns or $200 in Visa gift cards for functioning assault-style weapons and privately manufactured firearms (ghost guns). All firearms will be accepted with no identification needed and a no-questions-asked policy by law enforcement. RCPD will maintain the ultimate determination on the eligible firearms for gift card issuance.

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Montgomery Parks

Competition for Pickleball Court Space Will Be Topic of Montgomery Parks Virtual Speaker Series Online Panel Discussion on Friday, Sept. 8

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The competition for court space between tennis players and players of pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., will be the topic starting at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in the next event in the Montgomery Parks’ Virtual Speaker Series. The online discussion, which is free to join and open to all, will feature a panel of experts discuss the challenges of meeting the rapidly growing demand for pickleball in local park systems, comparing the situation in Montgomery County with other areas of the country.

Registration to join the discussion is available at Register. What a pickle! Balancing pickleball and tennis in parks. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants the day before the session.

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Education

Montgomery County Board of Education to Hold Business Meeting, Thursday August. 24, 2023

By MCS Staff

The Board of Education will hold its business meeting on Thursday, August. 24, 2023. Closed session will begin at 9:00 a.m. Public agenda items will begin at 1:00 p.m.  The meeting will be cablecast live on Comcast Channel 34 (HD 1071), Verizon Channel 36, RCN Channel 89 and the MCPS website.

The agenda, with related materials attached, can be found on the Board of Education’s BoardDocs site (please visit this link for the most up-to-date agenda)

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Burtonsville

$3.5 Million in Funding Approved for the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center

By Patrick Herron

Per the Office of Senator Craig Zucker: Today, the State Board of Public Works released $3.5 million in funding dedicated to the redevelopment of Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center. The District 14 Legislative Delegation, consisting of Senator Craig J. Zucker, Delegates Anne Kaiser, Bernice Mireku-North, and Pamela Queen, requested that the funding be secured after hearing the community’s visions for the future of the space. The team appreciates the Board of Public Works’ decision to release the funds, allowing renovations to begin.

“We are very pleased with today’s Board of Public Works vote to release the $3.5 million in funding for this project, said Senator Zucker and Delegates Kaiser, Mireku-North, and Queen. “East County is a diverse area, and this funding represents the beginning of a more significant commitment from the District 14 team, the State of Maryland, and Montgomery County, are going to put into this project. The people of Burtonsville and East County deserve a world-class shopping center, and we are glad we helped make this a reality.”

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Bethesda

ala Bethesda to Open This Fall

By Patrick Herron

The owners of ala in Dupont Circle have announced they will open ala Bethesda at 4948 Fairmont Ave, in the former Positano restaurant space.  According to ala, the menu will be similar to the Dupont location, “where the cuisine melds the flavors of Turkey, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and beyond (known as the Levant region), an area of the world that has both a long history and a colorful past.” The new restaurant will feature a patio and rooftop, and is expected to open this fall.

Per ala: ala is under the culinary direction of Executive Chef Ercan Sahn, an internationally trained chef who recently took over the kitchen.   The menu celebrates the flavor and history of the Levantine cooking it has become synonymous for, but with a fine dining touch.  A native of Turkey, Chef Sahn has worked all over the world over the past 20 years, including in Dubai, Turkey and Cyprus.   Most recently, Sahn worked closely with acclaimed DC Chef Fabio Trabocchi at Michelin starred Wharf restaurant Del Mar.  He will also oversee the menu at ala Bethesda. Owner Deniz Gulluoglu and her family live in the Cabin John area of Bethesda and are excited to bring the restaurant to Montgomery County.

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MDLottery

$100,000 Scratch-off Sold at MoCo Sunoco

By Patrick Herron

Her plans for her winnings include “maybe a little investing,” she said, and possibly a vacation to an as-yet undetermined destination. As for other folks who play Lottery games and are still hoping for a big win, she says, “Just be positive.” Sharing in her positivity is the Lottery retailer where she bought the ticket, the Sunshine Ethio store at 6907 New Hampshire Avenue in Takoma Park, which picks up a bonus of $1,000. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps. 

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Gaithersburg

City of Gaithersburg Seeks Resident Feedback on Parking Conditions in Neighborhoods

By Patrick Herron

Per the City of Gaithersburg: The City is in the process of developing new parking permit regulations and updates to the City Code. Feedback is sought from residents to learn about existing neighborhood parking conditions. A survey is available online here through October 1, 2023.

The Permit Parking Program will consolidate the variety of existing City Parking Permits, including Residential Permit Parking, Commercial Permit Parking, The Crossings Permit Program, Commuter Permit Parking, and Temporary Permit Parking, into one program.

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Silver Spring

Final Escalator Replacement Underway at Silver Spring Station

By MCS Staff

Update: Another escalator replacement was completed at Silver Spring Station earlier this week. The final escalator replacement at the station is now underway. 

History: On September 6, 2022, Metro began a major capital project replacing the five entrance escalators at Silver Spring Station. All five escalators will be replaced with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable. Metro’s contractor KONE will install the escalators as part of an ongoing project to replace 130 escalators across the Metrorail system by 2028, helping to ensure the regional infrastructure remains in a state of good repair.

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Events

Montgomery Parks September Special Events and Programs

By MCS Staff

Per Montgomery Parks: It’s almost autumn and school’s back in session but there’s always fun to be had at Montgomery Parks. It’s the last chance to enjoy water amenities for the year. Take your favorite pup to Yappy Hour, come out to play at Never Grow Up, catch a concert or lecture. That’s just a sampling of the offerings this month.

September events in Montgomery Parks include: 

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