Germantown 082113

Page 1

‘HOLLA’ POINTS

&

Sinbad talks about his life, influences and new show. A-11

The Gazette GERMANTOWN | POOLESVILLE | BOYDS

DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

25 cents

Fears of county agricultural fair fleeing unfounded Executive director: ‘The fairground is not for sale’

n

BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER

Imagine retail stores where the carousel spins, cafés instead of piglet races and a 12-story apartment building where Old MacDonald’s Barn now stands. It could happen, thanks to last spring’s rezoning of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds. But the executive director of the fair, Martin Svrcek, says there are no plans to scrap the fair in favor of a

neighborhood with more than 1 million square feet of commercial and office space and 1,350 homes, as outlined in the rezoning documents. “The only new plans are the construction of the new Old MacDonald’s Barn,” Svrcek said. The Montgomery County Agricultural Center owns the 63 acres. “The fairground is not for sale.” In June 2012, Gaithersburg leaders approved an application from the Montgomery County Agricultural Center to rezone the fairground. The zoning had been

See FAIR, Page A-7

Serving up a record Big Cheese surpasses goal of 10,000 sandwiches n

BY KRISTA BRICK STAFF WRITER

It’s not every Friday night that you eat the record-breaking grilled cheese sandwich. But on Friday at precisely 9:50 p.m., one day before the wrapup of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Gina

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

The 65th fair at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds.

NewSAME buildings, SPIRIT

Consumano of Rockville ordered and ate the 10,000th grilled cheese sandwich made at The Big Cheese. That sandwich put the fair at the 10,000 sandwich goal set by The Big Cheese’s operator, Ed Hogan. In all, 11,772 gooey, toasted sandwiches were sold this year. For Consumano, 25, the $3.50 sandwich lived up to its hype.

See RECORD, Page A-7

Life sciences veteran heads nonprofit board n

Douglas Liu is a senior vice president for biotech Qiagen in Germantown BY

KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER

Through a career spanning three decades and counting, Douglas Liu has managed various operations for life sciences companies in Boston, Chicago, Europe and Montgomery County. He has been involved with numerous organizations in the field, including the Tech Council of Maryland and the Governor’s International Advisory Council. Such wide experience is a key reason he was recently chosen as board chairman of BioHealth Innovation of Rockville, a public-private nonprofit that helps commercialize innovative ideas in the field and expand those companies. The partnership formed about two years ago after it was among the recommendations of the Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force. “Doug has been involved in helping evaluate and develop a long-term strategy for growing the bio-health industry in Montgomery County for several years,” said Richard A. Bendis, president and CEO of BioHealth Innovation. “He has served on the working group that recommended the creation of BioHealth Innovation and then its founding board of directors. He brings a global biohealth industry perspective to the Central Maryland region.” As senior vice president of global operations

See BOARD, Page A-7

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

The entrance of the new Gaithersburg High School on Tuesday as teachers and students prepare for the start of the school year next week. BY

LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER

While Gaithersburg High School students are making their final preparations as the academic year draws closer, their school continued its own steps this week to get ready for them. The high school’s new building showed signs of a long-term project undergoing its final stage: “Wet Paint” signs cautioned passers-by Monday, minor construction work produced whirs and beeps, and tables and other furniture stood ready for arrangement. As she walked through the 422,000-square-

NEWS

DOWN FOR THE COUNT Montgomery County fair’s wrestling matches embrace a combination of sport and entertainment.

A-4

GAITHERSBURG HIGH, OTHER SCHOOLS WELCOME STUDENTS WITH CHANGE OF SCENERY n

foot building on Monday, Christine HandyCollins, the high school’s principal, said everything will be ready before school starts Monday. “We’ll be ready to rock ’n’ roll,” she said. Gaithersburg High students will be among a group of county public school students passing through new doors this fall: Glenallan and Weller Road elementary schools in

Silver Spring, Herbert Hoover Middle School in Potomac and Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville. A number of elementary schools will open Monday with new additions, including Bradley Hills, Westbrook and Wyngate in Bethesda, and Georgian Forest and Viers Mill in Silver Spring. Though Gaithersburg High still was in prep mode on Monday, it already showed signs of the activity it will hold starting next week. As varsity and junior varsity football players practiced on the new turf field and a group

SPORTS

MANDATORY TESTING FOR ATHLETES

Baseline concussion testing is officially part of all Montgomery County Public Schools sports programs.

B-1

See SCHOOLS, Page A-7

Automotive Calendar Celebrations Classified Community News Entertainment Opinion Sports Please

RECYCLE

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

“There are many great discoveries here among the scientific and research community,” says Douglas Liu, senior vice president of global operations at biotech company Qiagen and new chairman of BioHealth Innovation.

B-13 A-2 B-7 B-9 A-4 A-11 A-8 B-1

Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION

1906605


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.