Ayres, Dyer and Rabil elected to 2022 MVF Board of Directors
Three candidates for the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors were elected to fill the three ending term seats on the Board. After about eight weeks of campaigning, meet and greet events and online candidate interviews, the results have been tallied.
On Saturday, March 19, the Election Committee and MVF staff counted ballots (via teleconference) received in the weeks prior to the deadline. Counting began around 9 a.m. and was completed by noon. Of the six candidates in the election, Dick Rabil, Doniele Ayres and Scott Dyer received the most votes, respectively (see below for vote tallies).
Rabil will replace outgoing Board member Andrew Bird (who opted not to seek re-election after his first term on the MVF Board). Ayres and Dyer were re-elected to another three-year term each, continuing their years of service on the MVF Board.
The newly elected were officially installed as Board members on Thursday, March 24 during the MVF Annual Meeting. Each will serve a three-year term. During the meeting, new officers of the MVF Board were elected.
Scott Dyer was elected President; Doniele Ayres was elected Vice President; and Past President Pete Webb and Director Pam Bort were elected as the third voting memeber and alternate of the Executive Committee, respectively. These positions carry a one-year term, and will be voted on again in March 2023.
2022 MVF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION RESULTS
Rabil, Dick – 2,418
Ayres, Doniele – 2,082
Dyer, Scott – 1,840
Tutse-Tonwe, Tosan – 1,772
Della Rocca, Brian R. – 1,666
Bennetts, Albert – 288
National physical rehab chain ATI Physical Therapy will be opening a new location at 9156 Rothbury Dr in Montgomery Village, the former site of PetValu.
PetValu closed all of its 358 at the end of 2020.
Construction on the site has begun and no opening date has been announced.
ATI has additional Montgomery County locations in Bethesda, Burtonsville, Clarksburg, Darnestown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring.
About ATI:
“With exceptional, patient-centered care, trusted expertise and remarkable outcomes, our goal is to exceed customers’ expectations—every day, in every clinic. ATI is a nationally-recognized rehabilitation provider, specializing in research-based physical therapy, workers’ compensation rehab, employer worksite solutions, sports medicine, home health, and a variety of specialty therapies.”
Moe’s Southwest Grill at 19222 Montgomery Village Ave will be holding its official “Grand Opening” on Saturday, March 19, and will be giving away free burritos for a year to 25 people. The restaurant has actually been open since February 3, but it’s customary for restaurants to hold their “Grand Opening” ceremony several weeks after they’ve had their initial “soft opening”.
The restaurant tells us that five will be selected on grand opening day and 20 will be selected from the app. According to a press release, “participants must check in through the Moe’s Rewards app between 3/19 to 4/2 to enter. This entitles each winner to one free burrito per week for 52 consecutive weeks.” Per Moe’s: “Welcome to Moe’s!®” will soon be heard in Montgomery Village when Moe’s Southwest Grill® hosts its official grand opening celebration after a successful soft opening earlier this year at 19222 Montgomery Village Ave, Gaithersburg MD 20886 on Saturday, March 19. To celebrate the official grand opening, the restaurant will be giving away Free Burritos for a Year to 25 lucky winners! Participants must check in through the Moe Rewards app between 3/19 to 4/2 to enter. This entitles each winner to one free burrito per week for 52 consecutive weeks.
Montgomery Village Moe’s offers a variety of ways for fans to dine however they want, whenever they want, including dine-in, in-store pick up, curbside pick up, delivery and catering. “We are excited to celebrate the official grand opening of our first Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurant with the Gaithersburg community!” said co-franchisee Chirag Shah. “My business partner, Christopher Tyler, and I look forward to meeting more locals and rolling the best burritos in town.”
The Gaithersburg restaurant will be open daily Monday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The restaurant is owned by CHC Logan LLC. For more information, call the restaurant at 301-304-6637, visit www.moes.com, or check us out on the Moe’s Southwest Grill – Gaithersburg Facebook page.
Moe’s has an extensive variety of menu items to please the entire family – from burritos to specialty items like quesadillas, nachos and stacks. And if you download the Moe’s app we’ll send a free cup of queso your way just for signing up! Plus, you’ll get a free burrito on your birthday! With the Moe’s app, you can also earn rewards to redeem on your favorite menu items, order ahead and receive exclusive alerts and specials.
About Moe’s Southwest Grill®
Welcome to Moe’s!® Founded in 2000 and based in Atlanta, GA, Moe’s Southwest Grill is a fast-casual restaurant franchise that serves high quality and fresh southwestern food. Moe’s has an extensive variety of menu items to please the entire family – from burritos to specialty items like quesadillas, nachos and stacks. Whether you visit one of the 650+ franchised locations across 38 states or have us cater your next event, free chips and salsa come with every order. Check us out online at www.moes.com to find a store near you, and then connect with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
The Montgomery County Police Department posted the following on their social media accounts on Monday evening:
“On Saturday, March 12, 2022, at approximately 1:25 a.m., Montgomery County Police Sergeant B. Drew was heading home from his evening shift when he and Montgomery County Police Officer N. Rodgers came upon a single vehicle collision in the area of Montgomery Village Ave. The engine compartment was on fire, causing a brush fire as well.
Sgt. Drew broke out the window with his flashlight and pulled the unconscious driver out of the car to safety while Ofc. Rodgers began to combat the fire with his extinguisher.
Fire Rescue responded and extinguished the flames. The driver was transported to an area hospital.
#mcpnews #mcpd”
On March 12, 2022, MCP Sergeant B. Drew broke out the window of a burning vehicle with his flashlight and pulled the unconscious driver out of the car to safety while MCP Officer N. Rodgers began to combat the fire with his extinguisher.#mcpnews pic.twitter.com/40ucBG3wVC
— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) March 14, 2022
Clarence Kettler asked his brothers Milton and Charles to help him build Montgomery Village. Together, they created Kettler Brothers, Incorporated. The Kettlers’ vision for a “new town” was loosely based on the corridor cities concept envisioned in Montgomery County’s General Plan. The new town movement started in the United States after World War II and was, in some instances, a response and a remedy to overcrowding and congestion in urban areas. New towns were synonymous with “planned communities” – places that were carefully, purposefully designed from inception, usually constructed in previously undeveloped areas, with an effort toward being self-sufficient. The Washington region is home to two of the most famous planned communities in the country – Reston, Virginia, and Columbia, Maryland.
In the 1960s, the Kettler Brothers started buying farmland in the Gaithersburg area and eventually assembled more than 1,500 acres. In 1962, the Kettlers purchased the 412-acre Walker Farm adjacent to the City of Gaithersburg. This farm was their largest single property acquisition and where Montgomery Village started. Like many developers, the Kettlers named many new subdivisions in the sprawling “village” after the original farms: Walker, Thomas, Brothers Mill, French, Patton, Fulks, and Wilson. The Walker farm was developed into numerous residential communities – Walkers Choice, Cider Mill, Dockside – as well as a library, a day care center, South Valley Park, and the Montgomery Village Plaza retail center. In addition to memorializing the former farms, the Kettlers attempted to instill a sense of community identity in the names; for example, the “choice” in Walker’s Choice was meant to convey that this was a rental community; some units have since become condominiums. Stedwick means “the meadow,” or “the land that was a dairy farm.”
Watkins Mill Road was named after the Watkins family and the grist mill they operated in the area. The Kettler Brothers’ vision was to create attractive and desirable residential neighborhoods with a range of housing choices and plenty of green space and recreational opportunities, including parks, recreation centers, swimming pools, trails, and lakes. In creating a new community, the Kettlers were able to systematically plan where and how uses would interplay and function together. Locally serving retail centers were conveniently located throughout the area, along with several small office clusters and community facilities. The Village Center was planned to function as the town’s hub, a central location for shopping and community interaction. Other retail centers were located in the lower Village along Lost Knife Road and in the upper Village along Goshen Road.
Vehicular access in Montgomery Village was organized hierarchically with Montgomery Village Avenue serving as the north-south “main street.” Watkins Mill Road, along the west side of the Village, provides another north-south connector. Secondary roads such as Stedwick, Centerway, Apple Ridge, Arrowhead, and Wightman provide east- west connections. Secondary roads connect to smaller residential streets organized in a quintessential suburban pattern featuring curvilinear designs with numerous small private courts and cul-de-sacs. The Kettlers relied on the flexibility of a private street system to accommodate traffic. Houses were clustered close to the street to save space in the rear of the homes for private yards and, in some areas, to allow room for the Village’s network of public trails.
Lake Whetstone is situated along the eastern edge of lower Montgomery Village Avenue. The lake was created by a dam and is a focal landmark feature that provides a serene and peaceful panorama. The Kettlers felt so strongly about creating views of Lake Whetstone, they elevated the southbound lanes of Montgomery Village Avenue so drivers, walkers, and bikers going in both directions could take in the scenery. Lake Whetstone opened for boating and fishing in 1967. Montgomery Village also has Lake Marion and North Creek Lake.
Creating visually appealing neighborhoods was important to the Kettlers, but since much of the land they assembled had been farmed, there were few trees. The Kettlers wanted the new neighborhoods to have plenty of foliage and greenery; they moved fully grown trees into the new subdivisions so it appeared that the trees were original features of the landscape. With a special machine, the Kettlers brought in 10,000 fully grown pin oak trees and planted them in Whetstone and Stedwick and along Montgomery Village Avenue. Today, the Village’s neighborhoods are set among an abundance of mature, stately trees, and slightly rolling hills.
Montgomery Village’s housing types include apartments, condominiums, townhouses, single-family homes, and
a senior assisted living facility. Such a diverse spectrum of housing options- from rentals, to townhouses, to the large homes fronting Lake Whetstone- was unique among residential developments in the 1960s. When the Kettlers began building, residential condominiums were not common and townhouses were often referred to as row houses, which were common in cities, but not yet very familiar to suburbanites. The Kettlers pioneered the “back-to-back townhome” in the Village as an affordable housing option, available at a lower cost for first-time purchasers. The pattern of residential development is denser in the lower Village near existing, established, and more urban areas. As development proceeds to the north, it is less dense, characterized by townhomes and single-family residences in the upper Village adjacent to the County’s Agricultural Reserve.
Photo and information provided by Montgomery Planning.
Per MCPD:
For Immediate Release: Friday, March 4, 2022
Gaithersburg, MD – Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating the February 21 armed robbery of a commercial business in the Montgomery Village area. Investigators have released surveillance video of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.
On Monday, February 21, at approximately 1:42 p.m., 6th District officers responded to Sally Beauty in the 18200 block of Contour Road for the report of an armed robbery that just occurred.
The investigation by detectives has determined that the suspect entered the business and asked the employee for assistance with a product. When the employee attempted to assist the suspect, he produced a large knife and demanded money. The employee screamed for help and another employee came to her aid. The employees complied with the suspect’s demands and the suspect fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 5-feet, 9-inches to 5-feet, 10-inches tall, and 180 to 200 pounds. He was wearing a black jacket, dark pants, a blue medical mask and clear latex gloves.
Anyone with information regarding this suspect of this crime is asked to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070 or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Callers can remain anonymous.
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Building permit signs have been posted on the future sites of Kobe Japan, The Joint, and Boo Boo Pho. This is an indication that construction will likely be starting soon on these properties.
Kobe Japan will be located at 19226 Montgomery Village Ave, next to the recently opened Moe’s Southwest Grill.
They currently have locations at 13623 Georgia Ave. Suit A in Silver Spring and 163 University Blvd E, Takoma Park.
Their menu features, sushi and sashimi, bento boxes and hibachi.
The Joint will be located at 19218 Montgomery Village Ave, the former site of Floor Tile Carpet, which has moved to a new storefront next to 7-Eleven in the center.
The Joint is an affordable chiropractic care center with over 700 locations nationwide.
Boo Boo Pho will be located in one of the brand new storefronts at 19230 Montgomery Village Ave. No other information is available about Boo Boo Pho at this time.
Construction is coming along at the site of the upcoming Starbucks. The coffee shop will be located at the former site of the Montgomery Village Denny’s (19290 Montgomery Village Ave.)
No opening date has been announced but it is expected to be open by this summer. Below are the latest photos of the store’s progress:
A dentists off will be opening soon at 19610 Club House Rd. This site was formerly a Chevy Chase bank, but has been unoccupied for several years.
Selectos Supermarket is now open at 19110 Montgomery Village Ave. The Latin grocery store is located on the lower level of the complex that was formerly home to the recently closed Einstein Bagels.
The store sells dairy items like fresh sour cream, queso fresco, limited produce, and Latin American dry goods.
When MoCoShow reader Igor Gindin was perusing old articles from The Washington Post, he came across a story highlighting Rambo’s trip to Montgomery Village. The story may not be as farfetched as it seems, due to Rambo star Sylvester Stallone growing up in Montgomery County, but it’s not exactly what you’d think…
It was July of 1985, and Rambo: First Blood Part II had been released just two months earlier. The movie was now playing at Roth’s Quince Orchard Theater in Gaithersburg. Roth’s was a small theater- the box office was on the outside and there were two theaters when you walked in (one on the left and one on the right). It ended up closing in 1990 when the theaters opened at nearby Rio Washingtonian.
On Thursday, July 18th, between 1 and 2:30 am, two burglars stole a reel containing a portion of the movie from the Gaithersburg theater. The burglars, which included a former assistant manager at the theater, also cut out a four foot section from the center of the screen, stole $20 worth of candy, and took the marquee letters and a poster for “Back to the Future.”
According to the article, the two suspects were arrested shortly after the burglary and led police to the spot where they discarded the reel…Lake Whetstone in Montgomery Village. “Fire department officials were then called in to rescue the film from eight feet of water — but it was too late to save Rambo.” “Rambo is all wet,” Montgomery County police spokesman Phil Caswell joked.
The screen was repaired the next day, and a new copy of Rambo came in, allowing business to resume as usual. The movie stars Sylvester Stallone, perhaps Montgomery County’s most famous past resident. Stallone and his family lived in a home on Seminary Road from 1952-1962. While living there, Sylvester spent some of his attended Woodlin Elementary School, Montgomery Hills Junior High, and was enrolled at Blair High School.
Ballots for the 2022 Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors election are being mailed to homeowners today, Friday, Feb. 4. Six candidates, including two incumbents, are running to fill the three seats on the Board; those seeking election are Doniele Ayres (incumbent), Albert Bennetts, Brian R. Della Rocca, Scott R. Dyer (incumbent), Dick Rabil and Tosan Tutse-Tonwe.
Each year, three seats become available for a three-year term. This election will see at least one new face on the Board, as one member whose term is expiring has chosen not to seek re-election.
Residents should read the candidate statements included with the mailed ballot to familiarize themselves with the candidates’ respective platforms. Each candidate has submitted a brief résumé and answered three specific questions pertaining to their proposed goals for election to the Board, included in the pull-out section of this issue. Video interviews outlining candidates’ ideas and positions are also available online at www.montgomeryvillage.comor on our YouTube channel; the transcripts from those videos are included in the pull-out section as well.
Additionally, residents can “meet” and talk with the candidates before the Thursday, Feb. 24 MVF Board meeting at 7 p.m. via Zoom, which is used for MVF Board meetings. Connection instructions can be found in the MVF Board Packet posted online the week before each meeting.
Ballots must be signed and returned to the MVF Office, 10120 Apple Ridge Road, by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 18. Given recent slower delivery times reported from the US Postal Service, it is important ballots be mailed back quickly to ensure delivery to MVF by the deadline. Alternatively, residents can drop their ballots in the brown mailbox in the MVF Office parking lot to ensure their vote can be validated.
Results will be counted and announced on Saturday, March 19, via Zoom. New Board members will be installed at the MVF Annual Meeting, scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m., Thursday, March 24, also via Zoom.
For more information or questions, contact Assistant EVP Mike Conroy at 240-243-2331 or e-mail [email protected].
Note: The collision is listed as occurring in Gaithersburg in the below press release from MCPD.
For Immediate Release: Monday, February 14, 2022
Gaithersburg, MD – Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are investigating a fatal collision that occurred on January 8, 2022, at the intersection of Watkins Mill Road and Crested Iris Drive in Gaithersburg.
At approximately 2 p.m., 6th District Officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the location for the report of a traffic collision involving two vehicles. At the scene, the drivers of the vehicles denied medical care from Fire Rescue and a property damage collision report was completed.
On the same day, at approximately 5:47 p.m., Montgomery County Fire Rescue responded to the 19300 block of Montgomery Village Avenue for a call of an unresponsive person. An investigation determined that the victim of this call was involved in the vehicle collision that occurred earlier that day. As a result of injuries sustained in the vehicle collision, 44-year-old Edwin Portillo of Gaithersburg succumbed to his injuries, and was pronounced dead on January 9, 2022.
The Montgomery County Police Homicide Division had initially been investigating this case as a sudden death. Once it was determined that Portillo sustained injuries from a vehicle collision, the investigation was transferred to CRU.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this collision. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact CRU detectives at 240-773-6620.
Crown Fried Chicken Homemade Waffle & Breakfast at 9120 Rothbury Dr. in Montgomery Village (next to Athens Grill) has closed. Signage on the front door reads, “This Store is Permanently Close, Sorry?” Additional signage lists contact information for the building. The restaurant opened in March 2021 and sold a wide variety of items, including waffles, cheesesteaks, fried chicken, omelettes, and subs.
Last year Crown told us they would be opening a second MoCo location in the 1900 block of Seminary Rd in Silver Spring, but we have not heard any updates on that restaurant’s status. The chain is known for using Halal chicken and has locations across the east coast. The closest franchise locations are in Hyattsville, Waldorf, and Washington, DC.
