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DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Residents wary of school plan
200,000 lights, 90 snowmen and 75 penguins
Brookeville woman goes all out with Christmas display this year BY
Rockville neighbors worried about student behavior, other concerns n
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
Some people like cars, others like boats. Chrysa Thear likes Christmas. She likes Christmas so much that she devotes nearly six months transforming her Brookeville home into a winter wonderland. “I’ve always loved Christmas,” said the lifelong county resident. “My parents taught me to really enjoy the season.” Thear has been decorating her home and yard for about 10 years, with the displays growing over the years. This year, she more than doubled her decorations to include more than 200,000 lights, about 90 snowmen, about 75 penguins, a candy land display, an angel garden and assorted other festive objects. “There are a bunch of vignettes, including a penguin hockey game and a breast cancer display of snow ladies,” Thear said. In previous years, visitors have come through word of mouth to view the display. This year, she is excited to welcome even larger crowds. “This is the first year that it has been this big,” Thear said. “There is a nice walking path where people can spend 30 minutes to an hour enjoying the lights, without having to go downtown.” Her work began in early October and included weekly
District 3 council member served 16 years BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
On Monday, Philip M. Andrews once again attended the swearing in of the new Montgomery County Council. But for the first time in 16 years, his seat was in the audience, not on the stage. Andrews watched former Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz assume the District 3 council seat he held for four terms. Andrews lost in June’s Democratic primary to County Executive Isiah Leggett, who was sworn in for his third term Monday. Andrews said he is looking forward to the next phase of his life, but he has enjoyed the relationships he formed during his time in office. “I will miss the people,” he
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STAFF WRITER
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
“I’ve always loved Christmas,” says Chrysa Thear of Brookeville. “My parents taught me to really enjoy the season.” Thear has opened her home’s yard to the public to view her vast array of Christmas decorations. gatherings of friends and neighbors she enlisted to help her plan, create and set up the displays. Most of November was spent making sure everything was up and working, with the help of her gardening crew and electrician. “It’s very traditional,” she said. “There are no strobe lights or music playing, unlike some of the big displays you see.” She said she was inspired
by families, especially children, who visited her display. Last year, a group of children asked Thear if she was Mrs. Claus. “I just smiled the rest of the night,” she said. “That’s the whole reason I went bigger this year.” Thear, who works for IBM, said she’s not one to understand generators and controllers, so she hired an electrician
to install wiring and outlets throughout her gardens so there would not be cords in the way of visitors. While the initial cost of the lights and decorations was a “huge” expense, she is banking on the fact that she will save in energy consumption. The solar panels on her house provide enough electricity to power her
See DISPLAY, Page A-11
Andrews leaves ‘tremendous shoes to fill’ n
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said. Katz said Monday that he’ll be taking Andrews’ seat representing District 3, which includes Rockville and Gaithersburg, but he won’t be able to replace his experience. “He [leaves] tremendous shoes to fill,” Katz said. He said that while he was mayor, he and Andrews would often chat about issues that affected the city. Andrews, 55, of Gaithersburg, said he hasn’t figured out what his next step will be, and is still looking at different options for his future. But he said he plans to continue speaking out on public policy, especially electoral reform at the state level. He’s particularly engaged in ending what he calls gerrymandering of congressional districts and expanding public financing for candidates beyond those in the governor’s race.
Some Rockville residents are pushing back against a Montgomery County Public Schools plan to possibly move an alternative education center to their neighborhood. The Aspen Hill-area residents said the Blair G. Ewing Center’s relocation could create problems for their community and isn’t a good fit for the center’s students. They said they weren’t given enough time to research and voice their opinions before the school board’s November vote to approve a study and repurposed funds for the relocation, among other amendments to the system’s fiscal 2015-20 Capital Improvements Program. The board’s request to add roughly $223 million to the capital program now awaits the approval of the Montgomery County Council and County Executive Isiah Leggett. The Ewing center, currently in a different Rockville location on Avery Road, houses alternative education programs for students struggling with academic, disciplinary or behavioral problems. The building in the Rockville neighborhood used to be the English Manor Elementary School as part of the school district and is occupied by the private School for Tomorrow. Concerns about the relocation stem from members of the Aspen Hill Civic Association’s leadership, the Aspen Hill Homeowners Group and other neighborhood residents. Dave Rowden, who lives near
the site, said the majority of residents within about five blocks of the building are concerned about the move. He runs saveenglishmanor. org, which expresses some residents’ desire to stop the center’s relocation to the neighborhood for several reasons. Rowden said there’s an effort to encourage residents to tell elected officials how they feel and look into a possible appeal of the relocation decision. One issue, Rowden said, is that the school system did not do more to seek community input. A school official alerted community members about the move only a few days before the school board held its first capital budget hearing, he said. “When the community’s not even being considered, the focus is solely on the students and how this is a great opportunity for them, yet there was absolutely no thought whatsoever about the community and what the community felt about it,” he said. If the community had more notice, the board would have heard more from nearby residents, said Jane Salzano, cochairwoman of the Aspen Hill Homeowners Group. Another concern is that bus and staff vehicle traffic would cause pollution, congestion and a safety hazard for young children. Residents are questioning whether the building near them would be a better site to renovate. The current Ewing site seems like a better fit for the students due to its younger age, design, size and location near public transportation, said Melissa Ryan, president of the Aspen Hill Civic Association. She said some board members in the organization agree with her, but not necessarily all members.
See CENTER, Page A-11
A stocking full of holiday performances in Rockville Glenview Mansion, Fitzgerald Theatre to host events
n TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Outgoing District 3 Councilman Philip M. Andrews (right) chats with David Naimon (left) of the Board of Elections and Jordan P. Cooper of North Bethesda during the inaugural ceremony for the Montgomery County executive and council Monday at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville. That focus on good government is consistent with someone who was the executive director of Common Cause Maryland before joining the council in 1998. In September, the coun-
cil passed Andrews’ bill that will allow public financing of county council and executive campaigns using a voluntary system of matching small donations from county residents
See ANDREWS, Page A-11
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas around Rockville, and soon it’s going to sound a lot like Christmas too, as the city hosts a variety of holiday activities and entertainment in various venues. The Glenview Mansion will host open houses with holiday-
themed activities on Sundays throughout December. The festivities include the following: • Sunday: The mansion art gallery’s December exhibition opens. The event will also include a show and awards ceremony by the Rockville Art League at 2 p.m.; a performance by the Rockville Singers at 1:15 p.m.; the Victorian Lyric Opera Company at 2:15 p.m.; and the Capital Accord Chorus at 3:15 p.m.
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