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ROCKVILLE | ASPEN HILL | POTOMAC | OLNEY DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
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City faces gym choice
A boat with a view
$2.4 million for county
Bonds, state bonds $6.8M Rockville project will consolidate women’s shelter, other services
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Rockville eyes paying $400,000 for larger facility n
MARGIE HYSLOP
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
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Buying, renovating and equipping a building in Rockville to house an outpatient mental health clinic, a medical clinic and the county women’s shelter will be paid, in part, with a $350,000 grant paid through state-backed bonds. The project is one of 18 in Montgomery County that are getting a $2.4 million boost from state bonds approved by the legislature in the session that just ended. The full cost of the Rockville project is estimated at $6.8 million and is to be paid by a combination of state and county grants, agency financing and a $2.5 million fundraising campaign. Consolidating the services in one location at 2 Taft Court will enable clients of the mental health clinic and the women’s shelter to have continued access to services by public transportation. Clients also will benefit from having a medical clinic on-site. “Moving critical services is difficult when clients are used to bus routes,” said Heidi Webb, director of development and organizational advancement for Cornerstone Montgomery of Rockville. Cornerstone is a nonprofit that provides mental health and substance abuse treatment services to residents who seek help through the county’s Department of Health and Human Services. Cornerstone has been operating its outpatient mental health clinic in a county-owned building in the Twinbrook section of Rockville, but must relocate that clinic because the county is turning the building into a storage facility, Webb said. Interfaith Works of Rockville, a nonprofit coalition of religious congregations that serves poor and homeless people in the county, operates the county women’s shelter in a commercial area on Wilkins Avenue. And Interfaith Works has been looking to relocate that shelter to better and safer quarters
See BONDS, Page A-6
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Road and slated for a revitalization/expansion project at the new site nearby, could be a companion for Rock Terrace, school officials say. Tilden’s central location in the county, access to major roads and experience with special education programs are seen as a good fit. Among the district’s five special education schools, Longview School shares a site with Matsunaga Elementary School in Germantown. The school system plans to place Carl Sandburg Learning Center with Maryvale Elementary School in Rockville. The school board will hold a public
Work on a new elementary school in Rockville isn’t scheduled to be finished for more than two years, but the city must start making some decisions on part of the design. The mayor and council will have to decide whether they would like to set aside $400,000 to help build a larger gym at the school, located at the site of the former Hungerford Park Elementary School on West Edmonston Drive. Work on the new school is scheduled to start in January and finish by August 2017. A standard gym would be 75 feet by 50 feet, while the larger gym would be 75 feet by 70 feet, James Song, director of Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Facilities Management, told the mayor and council at their meeting Monday night. That’s a difference of 1,500 square feet. The additional space would allow foldout bleachers, a scoreboard, extra safety padding and room for storage, Song said. A larger gym would also allow the facility to host a wider variety of school and commu-
See SCHOOL, Page A-13
See GYM, Page A-13
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
As hikers enjoy the towpath, volunteer Kristina Gerken of Washington, D.C., cleans the historic Charles F. Mercer canal boat during Saturday’s eighth annual C&O Canal Pride Days at Great Falls in Potomac. Volunteers cleaned the boat and historic tavern and planted trees.
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New North Bethesda facility would provide interaction opportunities for both sets of students BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
A recommended plan would pair Rock Terrace School and Tilden Middle School, providing both with a new facility and opportunities for disabled and nondisabled students to mix, Montgomery County Public Schools officials said. Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers
proposed housing about 1,200 Tilden students with about 100 from Rock Terrace on the same nearly 20-acre North Bethesda site on Tilden Lane. The school system is looking for a better facility for Rock Terrace, which serves developmentally disabled students and is in an aging building from 1950. Pairing the special education school with a general education school could mean state dollars for the project. The state might not put money toward a construction project for a stand-alone special education center, according to Bowers’ recommendation. Tilden, currently on Old Georgetown
Skaters stoked by park changes; parents, not so much Olney facility is now free and unsupervised
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TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
2013 FILE PHOTO
Nathan Silver of Rockville enjoys the Olney Manor Skate Park during its Summer Skate Jam in August 2013.
This month, the Olney Manor Skate Park became a free and unsupervised facility, drawing mixed reactions from skaters and their parents. Previously, the park was open limited hours and was supervised by an employee. Admission was $5 per day, $35 for a 15-day pass or $95 for a season pass. Safety equipment, including helmets, was mandatory, and was available to rent. The new rules state that safety equipment, such as knee and elbow pads, is “recommended.” While older skaters may appreciate being able to skate for free and having no supervision, parents of younger skaters are
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FARCICAL SERVANT Montgomery College plays with commedia dell’arte in production of “Servant of Two Masters.” B-5
worried about the changes. Glenn Fellman of Rockville said he was not aware of the changes and doesn’t like them. “The free part is nice, I suppose, but not at the cost of losing park supervision,” Fellman said. “Many times when I have taken my sons, the staff person would need to intervene with patrons for various reasons — typically safety reasons.” Glenn said skateboarding is a risky sport and both of his sons have had injuries at the park. “One was significant — my son fell from about 5 feet in the air and hit his head,” he said. “Although we didn’t need emergency medical help, it was comforting that someone was there to make sure he was OK and who could have called for an ambulance if we needed one.” Fellman said what he dislikes most is that the park won’t have hours devoted to
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certain age groups. “My sons are 10 and 12, and we used to go on weekend mornings when only young kids were permitted for an hour or two,” he said. “While the older skaters have never bothered my sons, the teens and 20-somethings tend to use a lot of foul language and attempt risky maneuvers — both of which I don’t want my sons imitating.” He also said he is concerned about people using the park now for unauthorized activities, such as riding BMX bikes or scooters, and about the park’s upkeep. “Small rocks or sticks can easily cause a skateboarder to crash,” he said. “I hope they at least leave out brooms so users can clean up themselves.” Fellman said he would have gladly paid more to keep the park supervised. “As it stands now, I doubt we will be go-
See SKATERS, Page A-13