WOODMONT AVENUE Downtown Bethesda street won’t reopen until 2015. A-7
The Gazette
NEWS: Bethesda Fire Department to meet residents on firehouse plans next month. A-3
BETHESDA | CHEVY CHASE | KENSINGTON DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014
Group wary of Bethesda growth plans
Minister brings music to church n Stewart joins Unitarian Universalist congregation in Bethesda BY
FALL SPORTS PREVIEW: A look at Bethesda’s soccer and volleyball teams. B-1
Worries include impacts of more residents on Metro, schools, roads
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PEGGY MCEWAN
STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
It’s hard to pin down exactly what the Rev. Gregory L. Stewart’s job is at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, even when he tells you his title: minister of Lifespan Religious Education. “Unitarians love their long titles,” Stewart said. “In other religions, it would be called minister of religious education or minister of faith development. I’m in charge of education from crib to crypt.” Stewart, 56, started at Cedar Lane on Aug. 1, moving here from First-Plymouth Congregational Church of Lincoln, Neb., where he was minister to Children, Youth and FamiStewart lies. Earlier he was senior minister at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco. He also has served congregations in Illinois, Ohio, Nevada and Southern California. “I chose to come to Cedar Lane because I knew the church had a strong commitment to religious education as an ongoing life-span ministry,” Stewart said. “Another reason was I want to work with a senior minister who was committed to child, youth and family and had a strong commitment to social justice and inclusivity.” The Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, senior pastor at Cedar Lane, said the congregation is excited to have Stewart. “We were all really excited that Greg is joining us, in part because of who he is as a person,” Janamanchi said. “He has a wonderful energy and presence
See MINISTER, Page A-9
ELIZABETH WAIBEL
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Principal Jennifer Lowndes greets students on the first day of school Monday at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School of Chevy Chase, which is in temporary quarters in Bethesda.
Officials are upbeat about new school building money They say Brown as governor could help
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LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Some Montgomery County and state officials are hopeful the next General Assembly will direct more school construction money to the county after efforts this year fell through. After a back-to-school press event Monday at Wilson Wims Elementary School — which was built to relieve overcrowding in the Clarksburg area — Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said he is “very confident” state lawmakers can “make some progress” in the 2015 session toward adopting a funding method that would help the county accommodate its rapidly growing enrollment. As students returned to class Monday, the county school system faces its largest annual enrollment increase since 2000. Montgomery schools will have 154,153 students this school year — 2,864 more than last year, according to Bruce Crispell, director
of the school system’s Division of Long-range Planning. Leggett and other officials said they think a victory in November by gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) might provide a boost to school construction legislation in 2015. Brown already has been part of an administration that has provided “record” investments in the county’s education system, Leggett said. “I’m confident, given at least the expression of the candidates running for governor, especially Mr. Brown, that we have an excellent opportunity of putting together a package collaborating with the local communities to in fact at least move forward and getting us the resolution that we want,” Leggett said. In the 2014 session, Montgomery legislators filed two bills aimed at directing school construction funds to local districts. Both died in committee. Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Dist. 14) of Calverton put forward a bill that would have established a program to fund construction projects based on a county’s bond rating and a
As a new sector plan for downtown Bethesda takes shape, neighboring communities of single-family houses are keeping an eye on things. The Coalition of Bethesda Communities, a group of 19 neighborhood organizations and municipalities, formed this year to make sure its members have a say in the planning process. The coalition sent a letter Aug. 20 to Montgomery Planning Board Chairman Casey Anderson, outlining some concerns with the planning process thus far. The letter, signed by Patricia Burda, coalition coordinator and vice mayor of the town of Chevy Chase, asks for more specific information about growth projections and their impact on facilities such as parks, schools, roads and transit.
See GROWTH, Page A-9
Westfield bets on indoor mall, dining terrace
school system’s enrollment. Legislators from Montgomery, Prince George’s and Baltimore counties, who likely would have benefited from the program, pushed for the legislation’s passage. State Sen. Nancy J. King submitted another bill that would have established a grant program and doled out money based on enrollment growth. Both Montgomery lawmakers said in the last session there wasn’t a strong chance a school construction funding program would pass in its first run in the General Assembly. Montgomery legislators will continue efforts to convince other state legislators that the county needs more funding, King (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village said Monday. “This is the time for us to bring home more money,” she said. She said she thinks there will be “some kind of a formula” on the table in the 2015 session, which starts Jan. 14. She also thinks there might be “some tweaks” made to the partnership among Montgomery, Baltimore and Prince George’s
As retail booms in Bethesda, Westfield Montgomery mall aims to stay competitive by rebranding its food court with upscale decor and dining options. Westfield Montgomery mall’s building project, a year and a half in the making, is set to double the size of the mall’s food court and turn it into a dining terrace. Fast-food joints are being replaced by fast-casual concepts, the lighting and color scheme look more up-to-date, and a new valet lounge has flat-screen TVs for people to watch while waiting for their cars. Perhaps the biggest change is a new level added above the dining area for an ArcLight Cinemas movie theater and several full-service restaurants. Diego Gonzalez-Zuniga, marketing manager of the mall, said the goal is to make the dining terrace the “new
See SCHOOL, Page A-9
See MALL, Page A-9
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Construction project to wrap up within the next few weeks BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
Art sale, studio tours and an Irish Ceili dance at Glen Echo Park Summer events wrap up; visitors can preview fall classes n
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ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
Labor Day weekend means art at Glen Echo Park, as the vintage amusement park-turned-national park marks summer’s end with one last blast of mu-
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sic, dancing and maybe even a yoga class thrown in for good measure. The weekend’s three big events are the Labor Day Art Show, the Irish Music and Dance Showcase, and the Glen Echo Park Open House. This is the 44th year for the Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo Park. The show includes work from more than 250 artists in a variety of media, according to the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts
School of Traditional Irish Dance. The audience even can join the Greater Washington Ceili Club in a Ceili dance, a form of traditional Irish dance for groups, at 4 p.m. Monday. More information and a list of performers are at glenechopark.org People who might be interested in one of the park’s classes and programs can meet instructors and participate in free workshops during an open house
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SWEET, CONFUSING LOVE
Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” kicks off this week at the Olney Theatre Center.
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and Culture, which is sponsoring the event. Many of the pieces are expected to be available for purchase. Irish music and dance performances are planned for every afternoon during Labor Day weekend. Visitors can hear music from individuals and group performers, including Joey Abarta, the Irish Breakfast Band, and Karen Ashbrook and Paul Oorts with the Rolling Scones. Dance groups include Lilt and the Culkin
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Saturday. Special events scheduled during the open house include artist studio tours, free ballet and yoga classes, a cello demonstration and a pottery sale. For those who can’t make it to the events over Labor Day weekend, the last installment in the park’s summer concert series is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday. ewaibel@gazette.net