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Building Momentum for Progress
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Dear Friends,
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Working for child care providers, youth, and our most vulnerable residents.
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Even as the the Council begins its review of the Operating Budget, we continue working on key pieces of legislation and land use plans that are important to our communities.
Yesterday, the Council unanimously passed Bill 12-15, Community Use of Public Facilities - Vulnerable Youth and Low-Income Families. I sponsored Bill 12-15 to begin aligning the use of public space with the policy goal of helping our children and most vulnerable residents.
The Council also approved the Aspen Hill Minor Master Plan Amendment, allowing redevelopment of the large, vacant office building at the corner of Connecticut Ave. and Aspen Hill Rd. I believe we need to promote economic development to create jobs and attract quality amenities to the mid- and east-county.
On the budget front, I am continuing to work with many members of the greater Wheaton community to build momentum to fully fund the Wheaton Library and Recreation Center. As you may know, there is an effort to potentially reduce the scope of the project, which I strongly oppose. I am hopeful that on April 21, when the Council's Health and Human Services (HHS) and Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committees meet, we will receive a recommendation from the County Executive to move this important project forward.
As always, please feel free to contact me if I can ever be of assistance. You can send me an e-mail, call my office at 240-777-7968, or use my Constituent Service Contact Form. Keep up-to-date on the latest news by following me on Twitter or liking me on Facebook.
Let's keep the momentum going in moving our priorities forward!
Sincerely,
Nancy Navarro
Councilmember, District 4
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Council Approves Aspen Hill Minor Master Plan
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Plan Protects Community and Allows Progress
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Two years ago, four of my colleagues and I voted to add the Aspen Hill Minor Master Plan Amendment to the Planning Department's Work Program. This vote started the rezoning process for the vacant BAE Systems/Vitro site on the corner of Aspen Hill Rd. and Connecticut Ave.
Instead of allowing a dark, vacant office building that has been unoccupied for five years to continue sitting unused, the Council approved zoning that will allow a mixed-use project that can provide new amenities and jobs for Aspen Hill.
The Council protected neighbors living adjacent to the property by requiring a tree buffer, prohibiting the removal of trees near the edge of the property, and placing certain restrictions on entrances to the property along Aspen Hill Rd. The Council also affirmatively said this site is not appropriate for combination retail, such as Walmart.
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Aligning Public Facility Use with Policy Goals
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Councilmember Navarro's Bill Helps Low-Income Residents, Children, & Families
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 The passage of Bill 12-15 on Tuesday is an important first step in aligning the way Montgomery County rents public facilities with our policy goals. This legislation will create a program that promotes and prioritizes the use of public space for organizations that serve youth and our most vulnerable residents.
Under the bill, nonprofit organizations serving youth and low-income residents will be able to rent public space for a reduced fee and receive priority. The bill also requires outreach to organizations serving these populations and a biennial report on the outcomes of the program.
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Wheaton Library and Recreation Center Update
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Councilmember Navarro Campaigns for Full Funding of State-of-the-Art Facility
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Building a new Wheaton Library and Recreation Center has been among my top priorities since I first ran for the Montgomery County Council in 2008. The current library and recreation center on Georgia Ave. are both more than 50 years old and in abysmal condition.
Three years ago, I worked to expedite this project by two years so it would be completed in 2018. Last year, you may remember that the Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Board recommended designating the Wheaton Youth Center as a historic site. Although the Council ultimately rejected this misguided proposal, the process delayed the project by at least a year.
Now, a recent article in the Washington Post describes an effort to reduce the scope of the project to cut costs. When I requested information about what types of reductions were being considered, I received a series of non-responses from the Executive Branch. When a community activist asked the same questions, she received a response stating that the information would cost more than $58,000 for the County to produce. I find it outrageous to charge a community member this amount of money for information that should be publicly available and unacceptable that I did not receive responsive answers to these questions when I asked them.
On April 21 at 2 p.m., the Council's Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee and Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee will meet jointly to discuss the status of this vital project. I'm hopeful the County Executive will submit a plan to fully fund this project or provide additional information about what scope reductions are being proposed.
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Meeting with the Kemp Mill Civic Association
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Economic Development, Budget Priorities, & Road Resurfacing Discussed
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 Last week, I attended the monthly meeting of the
Kemp Mill Civic Association to discuss my priorities on the Council, as well as a number of community concerns. We discussed a range of issues, including economic development initiatives,
Kemp Mill Urban Park, WSSC billing issues, and the poor conditions of neighborhood streets.
Since the meeting, my office has followed up on many of these issues; however, I wanted to take a moment to provide a short update on road conditions. The County's Department of Transportation is currently performing an analysis of every County-maintained road to determine the priority for resurfacing in the coming years. Those results should be available this summer.
In addition, the
Council discussed capital budget amendments yesterday that would increase the Permanent Patching Project by $500,000 and the Resurfacing for Primary and Arterial Roads Project by $3.7 million over the next 6 years. I look forward to voting for these increases when the Council approves the final capital budget in May. While this does not mean roads in Kemp Mill will improve overnight, it is a significant investment in an important community priority.
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Women's History Month & Pay Equity Day
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Council Honors Commission for Women, Montgomery County NOW
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 This month, my colleague Nancy Floreen and I presented two proclamations focusing on women, but important to everyone.
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Commemorating Yom HaShoah
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Council Pauses to Honor, Remember Holocaust Victims
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Yesterday, Council President George Leventhal led the Council in honoring and remembering the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Observing and marking Yom HaShoah (Days of Remembrance) each year as a County Council is an important reminder of how precious life is and ensures that we will never forget the horror of the Holocaust. Thank you to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and many other excellent organizations for participating in this ceremony.
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WSSC Scholarship Essay Contest
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Commissioners' Engineering Scholarship Available to Montgomery County,
Prince George's County Students
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WSSC is asking the region's future engineers to write about the impact of climate change on the utility to earn this year's Commissioners' Engineering Scholarship. The essays comprise a major component of the application to win a $1,000 scholarship and priority consideration in WSSC's paid summer internship program.
The engineering scholarships are awarded annually to college students who reside in WSSC's service district and are enrolled in an accredited program at a college or university that leads to an engineering degree. Students can be enrolled in a school outside of the sanitary district but must permanently reside in either Prince George's or Montgomery County, Maryland. Up to two new scholarships in the amount of $1000 each may be awarded and winners are eligible for additional awards of $1000 each year for up to four consecutive years.
To qualify for the 2015 scholarships, applicants must:
- Provide proof of permanent residency in WSSC's service district;
- Be enrolled full time in a degree program at an accredited college or university that leads to an engineering degree in one of the following areas: Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science/Engineering; and
- Write an essay examining the following topic, in 1,500 words or less:
In addition to the essay and proof of residency, all applicants must submit a cover letter, official transcript and two letters of reference. Applicants may apply online via the WSSC website or by mail to the attention of WSSC Corporate Secretary Sheila Finlayson, Esq., WSSC, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707. Submission deadline is Monday, June 1, 2015. For more information, access to the online application and detailed eligibility rules, visit www.wsscwater.com/engscholar.
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