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ONLINE AND IN TUNE
Hip-hop sensation Miller rides Internet into Fillmore
The Gazette
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GERMANTOWN | POOLESVILLE | BOYDS
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
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New school may wait in Poolesville
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Proposed changes could set completion back two years BY
SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
News of a possible delay to Poolesville High School’s new building stirred little surprise in the local community. Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr has proposed a $1.55 billion Capital Improvements Program that prioritizes solutions for overcrowded schools over scheduled renovations. Poolesville High School is in line for a new building to replace the existing facility, which was built in 1953. Additions to the main building were made in 1978. The new school was anticipated to be complete in 2022, but if the County Council approves Starr’s current proposal, that date would be 2024. “We’re all disappointed,” Pool-
RAPHAEL TALISMAN/FOR THE GAZETTE
William Harper-El of Hagerstown, a fifth-generation member of the Harper family, checks out the historic Harper cabin Saturday at the Brookside Nature Center in Silver Spring. The cabin was moved from Poolesville in 1976. See story, Page A-2.
Federal stimulus program ended Friday n
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SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
As federal stimulus money dries up, thousands of hungry Montgomery County residents are scrambling to make ends meet. An expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program meant to cover individuals and families during the recession expired Friday. In 2009, President Barack Obama’s stimulus package included a temporary increase in funding for food stamps. All households that receive federal food stamps will now see about a 5 percent cut this month. The maximum amount of SNAP funding an individual could receive per month was $200. But as of Nov. 1, that maximum is $189. For a household of two people, the maximum funding level, $367, fell by $20. And for a family of eight, $65 is cut, leaving them with a maximum allowance of $1,137, according to Brian Schleter, spokesman for the state’s De-
See STAMP, Page A-12
See DELAY, Page A-12
Poolesville decides on Rockville marketing firm
Food stamp cuts hit county’s needy hard BY
esville High School Principal Deena Levine said. “We’ve been waiting a long time.” Levine said the school’s building services staff have worked hard to repaint the lockers and halls when needed, and keep the grounds landscaped. “We have done our best to make it look clean and bright,” Levine said. When capacity becomes a problem, as with the school’s 212-seat cafeteria, the school employs workarounds — students may eat in the hallways and on school grounds during lunch. A newer building on the campus, built to supplement the magnet program with new science labs and bigger classrooms, opened a few years ago and graduated its first class in 2011. Donna Lowell, coordinator for the Poolesville cluster, said the high school’s limited facilities affect other schools in the area. “The high school is where the
Request for proposals issued in July
BY
SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
Poolesville’s town commissioners have selected a Rockville marketing firm to help publicize the town’s image. At a meeting Tuesday, four of five commissioners voted to approve a contract with Van Eperen & Co. for an initial sum of $9,000, plus hourly pay for marketing support. The firm has also worked with the city of Rockville and city of Gaithersburg. Town commissioners talked to nine firms about the contract, according to Commissioner Chuck Stump. The request for proposal was issued in July, and bids were due Aug. 30. The commissioners sought out a marketing firm that would help the
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Losing $11 in monthly food stamp benefits represents “three days’ worth of food,” says Byron Kelly, who lost his job in February and cares for his mother in their apartment in the Aspen Hill area of Silver Spring.
town market its events to residents outside of Poolesville, advise the town manager and commissioners, and develop a one-year strategic marketing plan. The firm would work closely with the town’s Community Economic Development Committee, led by town Commissioner Valaree Dickerson. Town Commissioner Jerry Klobukowski voted against the contract, saying the town should have considered more firms before settling on Van Eperen. “I think this is a waste of money,” he said at the town hall meeting. The town’s four other commissioners were in favor of the contract. Steve Simon, vice president of Van Eperen and Co., said the firm is glad to work with Poolesville. “We look forward to working with the town leadership,” Simon said in an email. scarignan@gazette.net
Navarro wants county contractors to provide affordable health insurance n
Plan would apply to new contracts and renewals in Montgomery BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
After talking with workers during recent strikes at two garbage-collection companies, Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro is preparing a bill requiring many county
NEWS
HOT ON THE TRAIL
A Barnesville organization is delving into the history of the county’s long-lost American Indian trails.
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contractors to provide affordable health insurance to their employees. Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring sent a memorandum to other council members on Oct. 30 asking them to consider signing on as co-sponsors. The bill would amend the county’s living wage law that requires companies that have contracts with the county to pay at least $13.95 an hour. The change would require county contractors to provide affordable health insurance for employees who work on
county contracts for more than 30 hours per week and who make less than twice the living wage. Navarro is also looking at possible legislation to grant preferences to companies bidding on a county contract if they already provide affordable benefits to their employees. Both bills would apply to new contracts, as well as existing contracts that are renewed, according to the letter. Workers at Potomac Disposal in Gaithersburg reached an agreement
SPORTS
THIS YEAR, IT’S ABOUT THE RUNNERS Saturday’s state crosscountry meet focuses on runners, not hills.
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with the company on Oct. 28 after a 10day strike. The agreement provides a pay increase, one holiday, and paid sick and vacation days for workers. The two sides weren’t able to agree on a plan for affordable health insurance. Workers at Unity Disposal, based in Laurel, also returned to work after an 11-day strike that began after about 70 workers were terminated. The employees had refused to go to work to protest the firing of a coworker who criticized
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management’s attempts to stop workers from joining a union. Even the county’s living wage doesn’t provide enough money to buy affordable health care, Navarro said. Navarro said Thursday that the bill wasn’t finished. She and her staff still were working with the county’s Department of General Services to understand how the regulations would work. County spokesman Patrick Lace-
See INSURANCE, Page A-12
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