WECA Response to Councilmember Moore's APFO E-Mail

Hello West End Neighbors,

               This message is posted (and has been sent to the WECA listserv) because we are aware that neighbors in the West End have received an e-mail message from Councilmember Moore regarding the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance/Standards.  We are concerned for two reasons.  First there are inaccuracies and misleading information contained therein.  Second, we do not know how Mr. Moore obtained the e-mail addresses, but it appears that the source is some of our WECA mailings.  Mr. Moore has been asked to refrain from using email addresses from WECA communications.  In accordance with WECA By-Laws, these addresses were provided for WECA business only.  In the future we will modify our communications to provide greater protections of your email addresses.

 However, given that this has occurred, it is important to correct misleading and inaccurate information provided by Mr. Moore. This was discussed at the Executive Board meeting on December 4, 2014 and a copy of the point paper prepared for that meeting follows.  

 

Point Paper for WECA Board Meeting of December 4, 2014 re:  Councilmember Moore's message to West End Neighbors

In the message from Councilmember Moore sent to West End Neighbors on December 2, 2014, he states:  “Your WECA leadership has given you quite an unbalanced look at what the Mayor and Council is doing with Rockville’s school standards …”   Mr.  Moore’s message then presents information that he claims to be the “facts.” 

 In this point paper prepared for the Executive Board meeting on December 4, 2014, we address Mr. Moore’s “facts” and show the deficiencies and errors therein.

 

First, Mr. Moore alleges,  “Your WECA leadership has given you quite an unbalanced look, …”  NOT TRUE 

Here are the Facts:

·       WECA has provided balanced and accurate information on Rockville’s APFO based on information provided by past Mayor Giammo and past Councilmember Hall, who are the authors of Rockville’s APFO, and materials from Dennis Cain who was a participant in the APFO Task Force reporting to the Planning Commission.

·       WECA’s Executive Board and West End neighbors have been consistently opposed to efforts to dilute or dismember the APFO.  The facts have not changed.   

Mr. Moore states, “Put simply, Rockville’s APFO has failed to keep our schools from becoming more overcrowded.  It is hurting our schools and hurting our City.”   NOT TRUE

 

Here are the Facts:

·       Rockville’s APFO HAS and DOES prevent the addition of more children to an already overcrowded school, by preventing construction of new residential developments that would feed into it.  Lower enrollment helps not “hurts” our schools. 

·       By contrast, the county standard FAILS to prevent new residential construction in the majority of the cases because of the 120% threshold, cluster “averaging” and the five-year test.

·       Rockville’s APFO was not designed to prevent people with children from moving into existing housing units, nor could it prevent construction of projects that were already approved prior to enactment of the ordinance/standards.  It could not, nor was it designed to, eliminate all sources of additional children in our schools.   It is characteristic of good parents to seek to live in communities with good schools, a feature of the schools in Rockville.

Rockville’s APFO/APFS has done exactly what it was intended to do, i.e. hold down additional overcrowding of schools until classroom space is constructed by the Montgomery County Public Schools.  This will not be the case if the County’s standards are adopted.

Mr. Moore states, “Rockville Town Center has been in moratorium as to new projects since the APFO was enacted, and the entire Richard Montgomery High School cluster – which includes all of Town Center and most of Rockville Pike – will be at a standstill until at least 2029 if we fail to fix our standards.” 

NOT TRUE 

 

Here are the Facts:

·       Town Center residential development is complete-either built or approved and will be built soon.   Rockville’s APFO has not hindered this redevelopment.

·       The APFO did not stop or hinder the construction of Town Square, OR the Duball buildings which are going up opposite the movie theater OR the Kettler project on the site of the pink bank.  All of these projects are mixed use with residential over retail and have school allowances that predate the APFO.

·       The APFO did not prevent or impact the development of 275 N. Washington St., future home of the Bank of America, retail stores at street level and offices above. 

·       The APFO did not prevent or impact the senior housing project at 285 N. Washington Street, which was approved by the Planning Commission in July 2014. 

·       The APFO did not prevent or impact the construction of Walgreens, which was a rehabilitation of an existing building. 

·       Only two sites remain for potential redevelopment in Town Center- 414 and 416 Hungerford Avenue.  Per the Rockville Town Center Master Plan these sites are designated as preferred mixed-use office with retail at street level. In summary, Town Center residential redevelopment is complete and the APFO did not hinder or prevent its redevelopment. 

 

 Mr. Moore states, “Likewise, Rockville’s standards have failed to bring school-construction funds to the City any sooner.”  ILLOGICAL and MISLEADING 

 Here are the Facts:

·       Rockville’s APFO was not designed to increase the speed with which the county constructs schools in Rockville. 

·       More importantly, it has not hindered construction of new school facilities in Rockville.  The whole county has a severe problem that has been neglected for too long.  Other areas are in worse shape than Rockville.

·       We know from a former Rockville representative on the Montgomery County School Board that Rockville’s APFO/APFS did not delay building of schools in Rockville.

 

Mr. Moore states, “Worse, The City’s standards do not prevent development just across the city limits in the County, where there is no moratorium.”  ILLOGICAL and MISLEADING

 Here are the Facts:

·       While it is true that Rockville’s APFO cannot prevent new residential construction outside of its borders and some additional county children can increase enrollment in some Rockville schools, that is no reason to get rid of Rockville’s APFO and allow even greater overcrowding of our schools.  Just because there is a leak in the dike, that is not a good reason for tearing down the whole dike and letting a flood occur. 

 

Mr. Moore substantiates his position by relying on recommendations of the Summit Task Force.   He fails to tell you about the other in-depth reviews that have consistently supported preservation of Rockville’s APFO/APFS.   MISLEADING AND INCOMPLETE INFORMATION

 

Here are the Facts:

·       In the last three years Rockville’s APFO has been evaluated extensively by Rockville’s Planning Commission and a task force under its auspices. 
·       In 2011 the Task Force, created by the Planning Commission, evaluated the APFO.   The task force was composed of citizens, representatives of developers and chaired by Councilmember Julie Palakovich Carr.  The Task Force recommended that Rockville’s APFO be preserved. 
·       In 2012 the Planning Commission performed its own evaluation of the APFO.  They recommended by a unanimous vote to keep the school standards of the APFO/APFS unchanged.
·       In 2013 the Planning Commission addressed the APFO again and unanimously voted against weakening the APFO school standards. 

Mr. Moore states,  “Our law [if the same as the county’s] will better reflect and predict what the County’s school-construction plans will be.”   NOT TRUE

 

Here are the Facts:

·       Under the County’s APFO the schedule for school construction regularly fails to meet its original construction schedule and slips further into the future.    Indeed, the County includes “paper schools” in its budget planning to avoid having to put areas in construction moratorium.  Schools that were predicted to occur in 3 to 5 years slip out to 5 to 7 years or longer.  This means that the schools are not there when the children arrive.  

 

Some history of the Overcrowding Problem- Missing from Mr. Moore’s message

 Historical factors are relevant to the current discussion of overcrowding of the Rockville schools.  The MCPS decided to economize during the 1980’s and closed and disposed of 8 public schools.   Over time the enrollment has increased and the need for classrooms has been met by addition of portable trailers placed on school playgrounds, eliminating playground space and providing questionably adequate classroom space to avoid the cost of building new buildings.  Some schools have as many as 14 trailers. There is currently a total of 350 trailers on MCPS school grounds. The trailers do not add to the core facilities such as lunch rooms , libraries, computer labs, etc.  Hence we now have some children who must take their lunches as early as 10 am or as late as 2 pm – a grossly unfair, doubtlessly unhealthy system imposed on the children.

 

Here are the facts today for the Richard Montgomery cluster.  Beall elementary has a core capacity of 641children and is presently teaching 831 children. That is 130 % of rated capacity - 190 children extra in that school.  One must wonder what is the consequent impact on their education?? College Gardens, a school just recently rebuilt already has125% of core capacity; for Ritchie Park elementary enrollment is 141% of core capacity; and Twinbrook Elementary is 104% of capacity.  At the middle school, Julius West Middle is presently at 110% of capacity with projections of 132 % of capacity in the next few years.  The new high school (Richard Montgomery) is presently at 98% of capacity.  After years of public pressure, the Board of Education has finally allocated funds for the construction of the 5^th elementary school in the cluster – ironically on the same site as the Hungerford School it disposed of in the 80’s.

 

Summary:  Don’t be fooled by Councilmember Moore’s message.  Protecting our schools from more overcrowding depends on preserving Rockville’s APFO.  Adopting the County’s standards would lead to more residential development and bring new children to schools that are way beyond capacity.

 

If you support Rockville's APFO, please testify at the Public Hearing on January 5, 2015 and sign the petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-the-city-of-rockville-apfoapfs.html 

November WECA Meeting - Thurs, Nov 20 at 7pm + Of-Interest Items

Dear WECA Neighbors – Shake off the chill of this cold snap by gathering with your neighbors at the November WECA Meeting, scheduled for this Thursday, November 20^th at 7:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Rockville Presbyterian Church, located at 215 West Montgomery Avenue. Parking is available in the lot off of Harrison Street.

The agenda for the meeting is provided below. You will see that there are two topics we will address – the APFO and the Rockville Pike Plan – which are sure to be of interest to many of you. Some additional information on those are provided below. And note the additional Item of Interest listed far below – a Peerless Rockville event which is free to the public!

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Agenda for WECA Executive Board Meeting on 20 Nov 2014 at 7pm at the Rockville Presbyterian Church

                                                                                                                        
7:00pm Welcome and Organizational/Business Items

o   Approval of Minutes for Oct 2014

o   Treasurer’s Report

o   Report from City

o   Report from Lt. Over

o   Announcements

§  Lynn Wagman- Seniors Aging in Place

§  Representative to Bus Rapid Transit advisory committee

 

7:15pm Text Amendment preventing storage warehouses

7:30pm Proposed changes to the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO)

Revised Rockville Pike Plan:

8:00pm Presentation by City staff on changes to the Plan

8:20pm WECA discussion of Revised Plan  

9:00pm Adjourn

 
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Revised Rockville Pike Plan - The last public hearing on the proposed Rockville Pike Plan will be held on December 8^th; therefore, this November WECA Board meeting provides the last opportunity for WECA to develop a position on the proposed plan.  At the meeting, representatives from City Staff will present an overview of the current plan.  After a period for answering questions, the WECA Board will deliberate on WECA’s position, and whether a resolution should be adopted and presented at the public hearing on December 8^th.  Copies of the Pike Plan are available on the City's website.

Mayor and Council proposal to revise the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) – At their meeting of November 3^rd, the Mayor and Council approved a schedule to review and adopt revisions to the APFO.  The nature of these revisions was not clear from that meeting, and the topic was slated to be discussed again at the Mayor and Council meeting on Nov 17^th. The Mayor and Council have already agreed to hold a public hearing on January 5^th.

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Peerless Rockville cordially invites you to their 2014 Awards Ceremony & Holiday Open House

Sunday, December 7^th from 1:00pm – 5:00pm in the Red Brick Courthouse

Peerless Rockville kicks off their 2014 Holiday Open House celebrating 40 Years of Peerless Places with their 

35th Annual Awards Ceremony.

The awards program honors individuals, institutions, and organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to Rockville's heritage.

Please join Peerless Rockville in honoring your neighbors and their impressive projects!

Musical entertainment by the Montgomery College Jazz Combo.

Light hors d'oeuvres provided by Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge, Dawson's Market, and Vie De France.

This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome!

Oct WECA General Membership Mtg - Thurs, Oct 16 at 7pm + 2 Of-Interest Items

By now, the fall WECA newsletter has likely already made its way to your door, courtesy of your friendly WECA Block Captains. That newsletter, and this e-mail, announces our General Membership Meeting, scheduled for this Thursday, October 16^th at 7:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Rockville Presbyterian Church, located at 215 West Montgomery Avenue. Parking is available in the lot off of Harrison Street.

We are delighted to be hosting “An Evening with the Planning Commission”, led by Chairman (and West End resident) Don Hadley. Don will talk about the roles of the Planning Commission and the work they have done regarding recent development projects, including the new plan for the Rockville Pike.  This is a great opportunity to engage with Don, to learn about the scope of the Commission, and to ask questions. 

Over the last few years, WECA has spent significant time addressing various projects that affect our neighborhood.  In the fall newsletter, we offer you highlights of our efforts and an opportunity to provide your views.  Please do take some time to read through your newsletter, and let us know your feedback! And please do join us – and many of your neighbors – for the General Membership meeting on Thursday evening!

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Montgomery County Historical Society Celebrates Sesquicentennial of Maryland Emancipation
Activities to be held on Saturday, November 1^st from noon to 4 pm, at Beall-Dawson Park in Rockville

Did you know that emancipation for Maryland slaves occurred on November 1, 1864, about two years after slaves in the District of Columbia and in Confederate states were freed, the latter by the Emancipation Proclamation? And that Maryland was the first of the Southern states to voluntarily free slaves within its boundaries by popular vote?

Join the Montgomery County Historical Society to celebrate the sesquicentennial of this important event, which dramatically affected the history of the West End, and during which two descendants of Rockville slaves will tell their family stories. Warren Crutchfield's great-great-great grandparents were owned by the Beall family, and the family still owns land and a home where they lived 150 years ago. And Sharyn Duffin will describe the lives and fortunes of her ancestors, who lived on Great Falls Road and in the area that became Lincoln Park. 

Engage with 1864 historic personality re-enactors, enjoy performances by Washington Revels Jubilee Voices, listen to descendants of Montgomery County slaves tell family stories, see exhibits of documents and artifacts, and more.   Museum admission is free.  For further information, visit  www.montgomeryhistory.org

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Car Break-Ins in the West End

In mid-September, there were reports of a few cars being broken in to in the West End neighborhood. It appears the culprits were targeting loose change and entered cars that were unlocked.  Your best defense to prevent this from happening to you is to remain vigilant, lock your car doors, hide any valuable that may be seen in plain sight, and report anything suspicious to the police immediately.

Patrol shifts have been alerted to the criminal activity and are stepping up their patrols in the community.  If anyone has any information about the car break-ins, they are encouraged to call the Rockville Police Department at 240-314-8900 and ask to speak with an investigator.

REMINDER: WECA Mtg on Thurs, Sept 18 at 7pm + Interest Items

Dear Neighbors – A friendly reminder that our September WECA meeting will be held this Thursday, Sept 18th at 7pm at the Rockville Presbyterian Church (215 W. Montgomery Avenue). Parking is available in the lot off Harrison Street. The agenda is provided below (updated from what was provided last week), and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

You will also find far below information on other City of Rockville activities from our Neighborhood Resources Coordinator, including dates for public hearings on the Rockville Pike Plan, and the “Our Town” project.

AGENDA for WECA Executive Board Meeting on Thursday, Sept 18th at 7pm

LOCATION: Rockville Presbyterian Church (215 W. Montgomery Ave)

7:00pm  Welcome and Organizational/Business Items

·             Approval of Minutes for May and June 2014

·             Treasurer's Report

·             Report from City

·             Report from Lt. Over

·             Announcements

7:15pm Kettler Building at “pink bank” site 255 North Washington

7:30pm  Duball Tower Building #2

7:45pm  Committee Report on Cell Tower at Julius West Elementary School

8:00pm  Update on Legal Appeal re Child Care Center

8:10pm  Storage Facility at Maryvale Elementary School

8:15pm  Review status of on-going development projects

·        Brightview Senior Housing

·        275 North Washington St – parking waiver of 41%

·        628 Great Falls Road

·        Bikeways Master Plan

8:30pm  Adjourn

 

Information on some upcoming Rockville items of interest, from our Neighborhood Resources Coordinator-

·         “Our Town—Rockville,” a Maryland Public Television documentary, will give community members a chance to help tell Rockville's story. Join the Mayor and Council to select the special characteristics, themes and stories the documentary will feature. People from our city’s diverse communities, including students, businesses and nonprofits, are encouraged to get involved with the film by attending:

Our Town – Rockville” Story Conference on Saturday, Sept 20^th 9:30am – 12pm at the Rockville Senior Center 1150 Carnation Drive, Rockville, MD 20850

• For more information, please visit www.rockvillemd.gov/ourtown

 RSVP is requested, but not required, to ourtown@rockvillemd.gov.
About the 'Our Town' Project
Maryland Public Television's "Our Town" is a series of 60-minute programs showcasing Maryland municipalities. The first three installments profiled Chestertown, Hagerstown and Cumberland. The program illustrates what makes the community a special place to live and work through original film footage and commentary from area residents. The program features local landmarks and points of interest, with residents telling what they like about living and working in the community.

Work on the Rockville program will begin in September 2014. The documentary will air on MPT beginning in September 2015. MPT hosts a story conference with community leaders before filming begins. The results of the story conference define the content of the program. MPT provides handheld cameras to residents to gather the footage for the film. 

·             The Mayor and Council will hold public hearings on the Planning Commission's draft Rockville Pike Plan at their regularly scheduled meetings on September 29, October 27, November 17 and December 8, 2014 in the Mayor and Council Chambers. Meetings start at 7:00 p.m. and may be viewed live on Comcast, Verizon and RCN channel 11 or streamed online anytime. Additional public hearing dates may be added. To submit testimony to the Mayor and Council on the plan for the public record, email cityclerk@rockvillemd.gov or mail to City Clerk's Office, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850.

·             Reminder that Refuse and Recycling changes are coming and begins the week of Sept. 15 and will mean new collection days for most residents. Find your collection day on our interactive map and get answers to frequently asked questions at  http://www.rockvillemd.gov/index.aspx?NID=1607

For further information, please contact:
Rocio Snowdy
Neighborhood Resources Coordinator
City Manager's Office
Rockville City Hall
111 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MD 20850

September WECA Meeting - Thurs, Sept 18th at 7pm

Fall has arrived in the West End, marking the return of our monthly West End Citizen Association (WECA) meetings. Our September meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept 18th at 7pm at the Rockville Presbyterian Church (215 W. Montgomery Avenue). Parking is available in the lot off Harrison Street. The agenda is provided below, and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. We hope to see you there and catch up on all of your summer activities!

Please also note that the City of Rockville has a new recycling and refuse collection schedule beginning in a couple of weeks, under which the collection day for many of us will change. If you are affected, you should have received a mailing from the City with detail. You can also find more information on their website: www.rockvillemd.gov/recycling-refuse

AGENDA for WECA Executive Board Meeting on Thursday, Sept 18th at 7pm

LOCATION: Rockville Presbyterian Church (215 W. Montgomery Ave)

7:00pm  Welcome and Organizational/Business Items

·         Approval of Minutes for May and June 2014

·         Treasurer's Report

·         Report from City

·         Report from Lt. Over

·         Announcements

7:15pm  Update on Legal Appeal re Child Care Center

7:30pm  Committee Report on cell Tower at Julius West Middle School

8:00pm  Storage Facility at Maryvale Elementary School

8:15pm  Review Status of On-Going Development Projects

·         Brightview Senior Housing

·         275 N. Washington Street - parking waiver of 41%

·         255 N. Washington Street

·         Duball - Building #2

·         628 Great Falls Road

8:30pm  Adjourn

For WECA Neighbors: Changes to Rockville's Recycling and Refuse Services

Dear WECA Neighbors – It is officially summer and we hope you are enjoying the start of the season (and exciting soccer games of the World Cup)! Our Neighbor Resources Coordinator at the City of Rockville has shared some information below on changes coming next month to our recycling and refuses services, which will affect many of us in the West End. If you have further questions, please attend or watch the Mayor and Council meeting tomorrow, Monday, June 23^rd or contact the City of Rockville Department of Public Works.

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The Department of Public Works will brief the Mayor and Council during their Monday night meeting June 23, at 7 p.m., and provide the mayor and councilmembers with information regarding a new recycling and refuse program that will begin the week of Monday, July 28. Rockville's existing program entails collecting curbside recycling, refuse and yard waste generated by our resident customers; cart delivery and pick up; and the four special collections that are scheduled by appointment: bulk refuse, electronics, scrap metal and household hazardous materials. The City will move from a five-days-per-week, eight-hours-per-day schedule by eliminating Friday collections and moving to a four-days-per-week, 10-hours-per-day schedule. The new schedule and routes realize the following resource savings:

• ·         Greater collection efficiency allows fewer driving routes. Currently, the City has four collection crews for recycling and four more for refuse each day.
• ·         Having fewer routes eliminates the need to replace at least two collection vehicles. These two vehicles currently cost approximately $406,000.
• ·         Reducing collection days to four days each week (Monday through Thursday) also means avoiding the need for overtime pay for staff working on City holidays that periodically occur on Fridays. These days include New Year's Day (on a Friday in 2016), Fourth of July, Veteran's Day (on a Friday in 2016), and Christmas Day (on a Friday in 2015).
• ·         There will also be modest fuel and time savings by avoiding having to drive the collection vehicles between the Gude Maintenance Yard and the collection routes at the beginning and end of the eliminated fifth collection day, and through the reduction of number of trips to the Montgomery County Transfer Station and the recycling drop-off facility.
• ·         Except for sliding weeks (when collections slide to the next weekday due to a City holiday falling on Monday through Thursday), Friday collections will be eliminated. Residents currently scheduled for Friday collections will no longer have to avoid or delay leaving town for a weekend or prevailing upon the kindness of neighbors to ensure their carts are brought to and removed from the curb on Fridays.
• ·         Similarly, the new schedule completely eliminates the need for the collections staff to work and customers to bring carts to and from the curb on "sliding Saturdays."

These budget savings will help to offset other increased costs and help to keep the monthly refuse service fee (currently $31 per month or $372 per residence per year) as low as possible.

A few weeks prior to the start of the new schedule, staff will undertake a direct mailing to those customers who will be changing collection days. Designing new routes to be as efficient as possible required that more residents change their days than just the existing Friday customers.

To watch the Mayor and Council meeting live or view Videos on Demand, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/rockville11 .

For more information, please contact The City of Rockville Department of Public Works, or:

Rocio Snowdy

City Manager's Office

Neighborhood Resources Coordinator

240.314.8345

Rsnowdy@rockvillemd,gov