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HE’S A MAGIC MAN Illusionist returns to BlackRock with entertaining bag of tricks. B-5
The Gazette OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
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Montgomery vows to reopen Glen Echo Park Leggett says county will operate facility if there’s no deal with Park Service
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BY RYAN MARSHALL AND JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITERS
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Deleia Pena checks bins of goods against orders on Tuesday at Century Distributors in Rockville.
Businesses differ on minimum wage n
Chamber: Many businesses focused for now on effects of shutdown BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Proposals to increase the minimum wage at the county or state levels have some Montgomery County businesses worried about the effect the bill would have on their bottom line, while others support a raise in the wage. County Councilman Mark Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park has proposed a bill that would raise the county’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $11.50 an hour over three years. Similar bills have been proposed in
“I know their intentions are good, their timing is terrible.” Gigi Godwin, president and CEO, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Prince George’s County and Washington, D.C. A bill also is expected in the Maryland General Assembly during the 2014 session to raise the state’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Many businesses in Montgomery that depend heavily on government workers and federal contracts are more focused on the immediate damage caused by the government shutdown, said Gigi Godwin, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Godwin said she respects the county bill’s sponsors for trying to help people, but the uncertainty caused by the shutdown makes it a bad time to look at a county measure. “I know their intentions are good, their timing is terrible,” Godwin said. She said she believes the issue would be better addressed at the state or federal level. Lori Rodman, an owner of Century Distributors in Rockville, which delivers cigarettes, candy and other products to
See WAGE, Page A-8
Olney doctor grows healthy outside field Offerings at his Spring Lake Farm include tai chi classes for his patients and others n
TERRI HOGAN
BY
STAFF WRITER
Olney oncologist Ken Miller literally bought the farm. About three years ago, Miller and his wife Joan purchased Spring Lake Farm, located at 1610 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in Sandy Spring. Its previous owners were elderly, and the 20-acre property had fallen into disarray. Miller’s mission has been to bring the farm back to life and to let others benefit from it, and he’s quite proud of what he has
JANET TERRY
Keith Hall instructs Liz Noonan of College Park in a tai chi class held at Spring Lake Farm in Sandy Spring. Classes, open to the public, will be offered each Saturday through October from 1 to 2 p.m. accomplished thus far. “There are some beautiful farms in Montgomery County, but a lot of them are further
out,” he said. “Our goal is to make our place its own destination, where people can bring their kids to learn about farm-
ing, recycling, and how things grow, while enjoying the tranquility.” He’s added a fountain and a boathouse to the spring-fed pond, cultivated fields to grow vegetables and flowers, and rejuvenated the farmer’s market on the property. “We’ve done a lot over the past three years to beautify the place, and to bring the place back to life again,” he said. Throughout October, the farm will host a fall festival each Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., offering pumpkins, apples, face painting and crafts. Miller, whose expertise is in breast cancer and cancer survivorship, has also found a way to tie in his professional interest to
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SPORTS
Driver skids off wet pavement into Reddy Branch Creek.
Bullis running back has the right moves on the field, but not so much on the dance floor.
WATERY RESCUE A-4
ALL RUN, NO DANCE
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Montgomery County will reopen Glen Echo Park itself on Friday if the county can’t reach a deal with the National Park Service to operate the facility that is currently closed because of the federal government shutdown. The county may perpetrate an “act of civil disobedience” and begin operating the park on Friday if an agreement can’t be reached with the park service by Thursday night, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) told the Gazette on Tuesday. Although it sits on National Park Service land, Glen Echo is run by the county and the nonprofit Glen Echo Partnership for Arts and Culture. “They operate it,” Leggett said. “The park service does not operate this.” On Monday, Councilman
Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Gaithersburg sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell asking that the park be reopened. “A shutdown at the federal level should not result in the shutdown of a community asset that, in fact, receives no federal funding,” Berliner wrote. The Park Service picks up trash at the facility and provides some security in the park’s parking lots, Leggett said. The county would assume those responsibilities until the shutdown is over. The county has tried to resolve the issue with the Department of the Interior, which oversees the Park Service, but hasn’t been able to get their attention, Leggett said. The press office for the Department of the Interior is closed because of the shutdown, and an email to an address set up to deal with inquiries during the shutdown was not returned Tuesday. The park’s closure has left businesses at the site unable to
See PARK, Page A-12
Schoenke succeeds on field, in business, in the community n Former Redskins lineman being inducted into Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
As an offensive lineman in the National Football League for a dozen years, Ray Schoenke succeeded on the gridiron. He was named to the Washington Redskins’ 50th anniversary greatest team. But even as he played, he knew there was more to life than football. He started working part time in the insurance business while playing. A few years after retiring from football, he formed his own insurance business that grew into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with Fortune 500 clients. He was politically active in Democratic politics, chairing Athletes for McGovern in 1972 during his playing days and running for Maryland governor
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Ray Schoenke outside his Laytonsville home.
in 1998. He also was active in community groups, such as the Special Olympics, becoming its mid-Atlantic director. His time away from the football field sometimes led to confrontations with coaches. He and the late Hall of Fame Redskins coach George Allen “clashed because of my political involvement,” said Schoenke, 72, speaking at his 5-acre spread
See SCHOENKE, Page A-12
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