A DOWNTOWN TRANSFORMATION? Arts center, theater, plazas pitched for Bethesda A-3
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BETHESDA | CHEVY CHASE | KENSINGTON DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
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Bethesda voters head to the polls Feldman, Berliner
ask state to stall Pepco tree-cutting They question if utility is following the spirit or letter of laws in Potomac n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Teresa Cole watches as her son Garrett Cole, 13, an eighth-grader at Westland Middle School in Bethesda, drops her voting card in the box. Staffing the table are Yadira Ordonez, 11, a sixth-grader at North Chevy Chase Middle School, and Lillian Kistner, 12, a seventh-grader at Westland Middle, who earned student service learning hours for helping with the election Tuesday at North Chevy Chase Middle School.
Importance of issues varies, but not importance of voting
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BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
Some of the Bethesda voters who went to the polls Tuesday had specific issues in mind. Some had particular candidates they
supported. And some voted just because they feel it’s their civic duty. Many polling places had voters waiting outside when they opened at 7 a.m. and the rest of the morning was steady but never too crowded, according to Marjorie Roher, spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Like most people interviewed, Matthew Moore, who voted at Seven Locks Elemen-
tary School, was circumspect about his choices. “I wouldn’t even tell my wife [who I voted for],” he said. “It is safe to say I voted probably consistent with this precinct.” Moore said he had several issues that influenced his vote. “I’m tired of taxes,” he said. “And I want
See VOTERS, Page A-11
Weeks after a judge would not stop Pepco from removing trees from private Potomac backyards, two lawmakers are asking the Maryland Public Service Commission to intervene. Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner and state Sen. Brian J. Feldman wrote PSC chairman Kevin Hughes on Friday asking Hughes to stop the utility’s tree-trimming for the next two weeks and investigate whether Pepco is actually following the commission’s treetrimming regulations. “Every indication in this case suggests that Pepco has gone beyond what is necessary to achieve reliability,” they wrote. Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda said he and Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac asked for only a two-week pause in the utility’s tree trimming to “minimize the impact on appropriate tree-trimming” but also address what they question as environmental destruction. “We are going to the regula-
tory masters and saying ‘Really guys? This is what you intended? This is what you think is appropriate?’” Berliner said. Feldman sponsored legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2011 requiring new reliability regulations. “We are seeing more reliability. No question about it,” Berliner said. “This feels over the top. This doesn’t feel like reliability, it feels like environmental destruction.” Pepco spokeswoman Courtney Nogas said in an email that the trimming and tree removal work Pepco is performing is required by regulations that mandate minimum clearances between trees and power lines. In their letter, Berliner and Feldman refer to Pepco’s work near Bentridge Avenue and Betteker Lane in Rockville and Cobble Creek Circle and Deborah Drive in Potomac, all roads where properties abut a swath of utility right of way where Pepco has a 1959 easement giving the right to trim and remove trees on adjacent private property. Pepco purchased the easement rights more than a halfcentury ago, Nogas said. That easement grants it, in its “sole and exclusive judgment,” the
See TREE, Page A-11
Whither Westbard? Kids explore the underbelly of the forest Audubon Naturalist Workshops glean ideas Society in Chevy Chase n
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Bethesda neighborhood subject of weeklong planning session BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
County planners are hosting a series of workshops to get residents’ ideas on the future of the Westbard area of Bethesda. The area, which is along part of Westbard Avenue off River Road, could see changes,
especially since developer Equity One bought the Westwood Shopping Center and other properties there and is considering redeveloping them. The series of workshops and presentations, which planners collectively call a charrette, is scheduled for next week. People can take walking tours, talk to planners and give feedback on the plans being developed. People can drop in to talk with planners from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See WESTBARD, Page A-11
offers camps
BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
It was a cold, blustery day but the kids at the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Creepy Creatures camp seemed to forget about the weather as they rolled logs over, looking for whatever creatures they could find. And there were plenty to find: worms, fat and skinny; a big cockroach; and several types of slugs, beetles and millipedes. The animals were preparing to snuggle up for the winter on
Audubon’s 40-acre Chevy Chase property before being interrupted by about a dozen squealing 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds Friday. “It’s fun. It’s a nature camp,” said Samarra Ferrigno, a firstgrader at Rosemary Hills Elementary School in Silver Spring. “My favorite part is being outside.” Friday’s camp was held because public schools were closed for staff development and planning. The children were led on their exploratory hike by counselors Alex Rausch, a naturalist who goes by the nickname Slug, and Tessa Crosby, also known as Willow.
See FOREST, Page A-11
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Will Ferrigno, 8, Samarra Ferrigno, 6, naturalists Tessa Crosby and Alex Rausch, Tim Bingenheimer, 8, and Roisin Montague, 9, check out a forest find at Friday’s nature camp at the Audubon Naturalist Society Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase.
Bazaar to feature Eastern European cuisine Piroghi, blini, kielbasa, spanakopita among the dishes in Bethesda
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A series of workshops next week will focus on plans for the Westbard section of Bethesda, which includes the Westwood Shopping Center. Its owner is considering redeveloping it.
INDEX Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Obituaries Opinion Sports
BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
Homemade stroganoff and chicken Kiev are on the menu in
SPORTS
B-12 A-2 B-8 B-4 A-12 A-13 B-1
SEASON ENDER Banged-up Whitman eliminated from football playoff chase after loss to Churchill.
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Bethesda this weekend, when St. Mark Orthodox Church holds its annual bazaar, a celebration of homemade Eastern European foods. Tina Burpee, who coordinates the bazaar, has been involved with the event for 34 years. Burpee said the stuffed cabbage, filled with beef, rice
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and spices, seems to be a favorite, as does chicken Kiev, a chicken breast filled with butter and herbs, breaded, fried to crisp the exterior, and then baked. Burpee said St. Mark’s first bazaar was held about 40 years ago, soon after the church was founded. Parishoners made
piroghis, which are dumplings filled with potato, cheese and onion, then pan fried. “It’s just kind of escalated over the years,” Burpee said. The event now runs three days and features an extensive menue of mostly Russian and
See BAZAAR, Page A-11