Live Disscusion with County Executive Isiah Leggett

This online interactive forum allows residents in Montgomery County to send questions directly to County Executive Isiah Leggett. You may submit questions anytime. Answered questions will be available at the beginning of the live session and selected questions will be answered during the scheduled discussion time.


http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/Discussion/PIOQuestion.asp?schdID=26&type=2

Limited English Proficiency PSA

English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeapsfDQb_Q

Spanish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtm5ICPkgnw&feature=related

Gaithersburg Arts Barn to Host 10th Annual One Act Play Festival

Enjoy an evening of both comedy and drama as the City of Gaithersburg joins with Montgomery Playhouse to present the 10th Annual One Act Festival July 15 through 24 at the Arts Barn, 311 Kent Square Road.  Performances will be held Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with special Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, $13 for City of Gaithersburg residents.  The festival presents two separate evenings of one-acts in rotation.  If you would like to see all the plays offered in the festival, you will need to purchase two separate admissions.

Some performances contain adult themes and are not recommended for audiences under the age of 16.

After the Garden by Greg Powell, directed by Ted Ballard

The events that surround Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Graceland by Ellen Byron, directed by David Dossey

June 4, 1982, 5 a.m.  Elvis’ famous mansion is about to be opened to the public and devoted fans Bev and Rootie are both determined to be the first one through the gates.  Things are about to get interesting.

Porch by Jeffrey Sweet, directed by Aly Ettman

A “prodigal” daughter reunites with her father as he prepares to have life threatening surgery and encounters a former love with whom she shares a complicated history.

Going to the Chapel by Donald Steele, directed by Bruce Hirsch

For the fifth time Jan is Julie’s maid of honor.  They are getting ready for Julie’s wedding.

Pillow Talk by Peter Tolan, directed by David Jones

Two young men, Aaron and Doug, are on a cross country trip and have stopped for the evening at Aaron’s Grandmother’s mobile home in Prescott, Arizona.

Soap Opera by David Ives, directed by Christopher Mannino

The “Maypole” (read Maytag) Repairman brings his favorite washing machine (an Ocean IT-40) to a 4-star restaurant.   Throughout the play we learn about his love affair with this appliance.

For information and ticket purchase please call 301-258-6394 or use RecXpress online at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.

Gaithersburg’s Top Talent Competition Announced

We know that Gaithersburg’s is full of talented dancers and musicians, and we’re inviting young people to show off their skills at the Gaithersburg Top Talent Music and Dance Competition, taking place at the 30th Annual Celebrate Gaithersburg in Olde Towne street festival on Sunday, September 18, 2011.  Top prize in each category is $400 in cash, four hours of rehearsal time at Impact Studio, and four hours of weekend recording time at the Olde Towne Youth Center.

Gaithersburg’s Top Talent Competition Announced Show Off Your Music or Dance Skills at the Celebrate Gaithersburg Festival

Dancers and musicians (individuals and groups) between the ages of 11 and 21 are encouraged to submit audition tapes for this new competition.  But hurry.  The application deadline is July 15, 2011.  Audition tapes will be reviewed, and five dance acts and five musical acts will be accepted for the final competition on September 18.  Dance acts must perform a 2 to 4 minute routine.  Bands will be required to perform a 12 to 14 minute set. 

A panel of judges will select the champions, and audience voting, at a cost of $1 per vote, will also be factored in to the scoring.  Monies raised from votes at the Gaithersburg Top Talent competition will benefit the City of Gaithersburg Student Union, a high school club that promotes and participates in community outreach, service projects, and extracurricular activities for high school students. 

The application fee is $50, and forms with complete rules and regulations are available online at www.gaithersburgmd.gov/events.   For more information please contact Maura Dinwiddie at mdinwiddie@gaithersburgmd.gov or call 301-258-6350.

Gaithersburg Observatory, Museum Tours Available on Heritage Day

 The Gaithersburg Community Museum and the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory are among 36 historical sites participating in Montgomery County Heritage Days, June 25 and 26, 2011.  This 14th annual event celebrates and showcases the County’s rich history with music, dance, food, and children's activities.  All Heritage Days events are free.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a number of the sites will highlight Montgomery County’s Civil War connections.  Event organizer, Heritage Montgomery, has created “Life in a War Zone” DVD, “American Music of the Civil War” CD, and a commemorative map of Montgomery County in the 1860s in honor of the sesquicentennial. 

In Gaithersburg, the following will take place on Saturday, June 25, 2011:

The Gaithersburg Community Museum

Noon – 4 p.m.

9 South Summit Avenue

Tour the restored 1884 B&O railroad station, site of the Community Museum, history park and rolling stock.  Current exhibits include a comprehensive timeline of the history of Gaithersburg, “Local Connections to the Lincoln Assassination,” “Scientific Equipment of the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory,” and interactive displays including a bank, school room and general mercantile store.

Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory

Noon – 4 p.m.

100 DeSellum Avenue

Tour the restored building and newly opened interpretive park.  Built in 1899 as one of six around the globe, the Observatory played an important role in the efforts of scientists to determine the wobble of the Earth on its polar axis to aid in navigation.  Ground markers are still used for GPS purposes today.

For more information on the activities in Gaithersburg please contact the Gaithersburg Community Museum at 301-258-6160 or visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov/museum. 

For more information on Montgomery County Heritage Days please visit www.heritagemontgomery.org.  This project is supported by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Montgomery County Government, Comcast Communications, and the Gazette Newspapers.

Road Construction Projects Underway

Cedar Lane Bridge to Close for Reconstruction for 12 Weeks; Route 34 Ride On Bus Service to be Detoured Project Will Improve Bike Network; Other Pedestrian Projects Under Way

The bridge on Cedar Lane in Bethesda that carries traffic over Rock Creek is currently being rehabilitated because inspectors found that its concrete beams and piers were in poor condition.   Beginning at

7 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, bridge reconstruction efforts will require that the bridge be closed for about 12 weeks.  A temporary bridge will be available only for pedestrians.  The bridge is expected to reopen August 24.

During the bridge closure, Ride On bus Route 34 will be detoured between Parkhill Drive and Beach Drive, and service to six bus stops, three in each direction, in that portion of the route will be temporarily discontinued.  Instead, an extra bus will offer supplemental service for Route 34 to ensure that the route operates on time.  The supplemental service will run between Wheaton Metrorail Station and Medical Center Station via Cedar Lane, Beach Drive, Connecticut Avenue, and Jones Bridge Road, using only existing Route 34 bus stops.  Passengers should board at either Medical Center Station or any of the Parkwood Drive stops prior to Beach Drive.  When the bridge reopens, Route 34 service will return to its normal routing.

The construction is related to transportation improvements in progress to address increased traffic expected as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) changes at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. 

The Cedar Lane Bridge was originally built in 1959 and the superstructure and pier caps must be replaced.  A shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path will be added between Rock Creek Trail and Elmhirst Trail.

Other BRAC-related projects that are either ongoing or recently completed include:

Pavement patching, milling and resurfacing on Battery Lane from Old Georgetown Road to Maryland Route 355. This project should be completed by the end of June, weather permitting.

A new sidewalk along Jones Bridge Road.  One segment from Maryland Route 355 to Gunnell Road is open.  Crews have completed sod placement from Grier Road to University Road.  The next phase will construct the sidewalk from Gunnell Road to Grier Road. Signage for Battery Lane’s wayfinding system has been completed. Sidewalk construction along Maryland Route 355 beside the National Naval Medical Center has been completed.

For more information on the Cedar Lane Bridge project and the Jones Bridge Road sidewalk, call

240-777-7223 or visit the Division of Transportation Engineering’s website.  For more information on the resurfacing project, call 311.  For more information about BRAC in Montgomery County, visit the County’s BRAC website.

Gaithersburg Earns Fifth Consecutive “Banner City/Town” Designation from Maryland Municipal League

The City of Gaithersburg was one of 44 cities and towns in the State of Maryland to earn designation as a Maryland Municipal League (MML) Banner City/Town.  This is the fifth consecutive year that Gaithersburg has received the honor, which it has earned since the program’s inception in 2007.

The program formally recognizes those communities that demonstrate a commitment to MML programs and activities through the involvement of their elected and appointed officials.  There are five minimum requirements to earn the designation, including participation and support of the annual “If I Were Mayor” contest, support of Municipal Government Works Month, attendance at chapter meetings, participation in the annual convention and fall conference, and participation in at least one of six other service criteria. 

“The City Council and I were delighted to learn that Gaithersburg qualified for Banner City designation once again,” said Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz.  “The Maryland Municipal League is an important advocacy organization, helping cities like Gaithersburg govern more effectively and speak as one voice on important regional issues.  By sharing best practices and learning from one another, these cities and towns are helping to enhance the quality of life in Maryland.”

MML was founded in 1936 and represents 157 municipal governments and two special taxing districts in Maryland. A voluntary, nonprofit, nonpartisan association controlled and maintained by city and town governments, MML works to strengthen the role and capacity of municipal government through research, legislation, technical assistance, training and the dissemination of information for its members.