Montgomery County Public Schools sent out the following community message on Friday, March 4:
It is anticipated the Board of Education (BoE) will vote on a “mask optional” policy for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) at the upcoming March 8th meeting.
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Friday, March 4, 2022
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Per the City of Rockville:
The City of Rockville’s Historic District Commission will hold a virtual public hearing to review the county’s plans to partially demolish the detention center at 1307 Seven Locks Road, in part as a first step toward potentially relocating a Montgomery County Public Schools bus depot from 16651 Crabbs Branch Way, in Derwood, among other uses.
WRS Inc., the real estate investment firm based out of South Carolina that purchased the “core” of Lakeforest Mall back in 2019, has purchased the mall’s four anchor sites, according to a report by Dan Schere of Bethesda Beat. Redevelopment of the mall could not begin until all four owners of the anchor stores, and the owner of the mall’s core, came to an agreement, which has stalled potential redevelopment of the mall for years. The four anchor sites (Sears, JC Penney, Lord & Taylor and Macy’s) and their parking lots were not included in the 2019 purchase. Of the four anchor stores, only Macy’s remains open. WRS finalized the purchase on Monday and terms of the sale have not been released, according to the report.
The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council adopted the Lakeforest Mall Master Plan amendments, MP-1-21 and MP-2-21, back on August 16, 2021. At the time, Gaithersburg Mayor Judd Ashman said, “a lot of things have to come together for a redevelopment to happen, but what we’re doing with this Master Plan update is laying the groundwork for it,” said Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman. “When someone does come in, who is able to acquire all of the parcels and bring a plan to the table, they will have a much better sense of what the public envisions and we’ll be further along the path toward the Grade A redevelopment that our community expects and deserves.”
Per MCPS:
By a unanimous vote, the Montgomery County Board of Education tentatively adopted a $2.96 billion operating budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. The budget, which represents a $179.6 million increase in spending—about 6.5 percent—that the district needs to provide critical direct academic, safety and social-emotional supports to students, while managing ongoing operational, salary and benefit costs.
During yesterday’s Montgomery County Council meeting, the council passed Bill 1-22, which will require all food service facilities in Montgomery County that offer a children’s meal to also offer at least one healthy children’s meal and beverage option. The bill was introduced by Councilmember Craig Rice and co-sponsored by Council President Gabe Albornoz and Councilmembers Will Jawando and Nancy Navarro.
The bill was enacted by a vote of 8-1, with Councilmember Friedson voting against the legislation.
The City of Rockville is seeking performers and sponsors to help celebrate its LGBTQ community during its sixth annual Rockville Pride festival.
Per the City of Rockville:
During yesterday’s Montgomery County Council meeting, Council President Gabe Albornoz announced that beginning March 15, the council’s Tuesday meetings will be open to the public. Due to the pandemic, the meetings have been virtual for the past two years.
Attendees of the meetings will have to show proof of vaccination before entering. Albornoz told WTOP, “I think the optics are not negative; I think they are positive. We want to encourage county residents to have their vaccinations, and fortunately, over 90% of county residents are vaccinated,” when asked if a government agency placing restrictions on attendance to a public meeting could cause bad optics.